As I was attempting to relax and unwind on a Sunday afternoon at my local Starbucks, I happened upon the McKinney, Texas police video taken on Friday, June 5 of excessive force used once again on blacks. This time, it was an out of control police officer using excessive force and treating black teenagers at a Texas community pool as if they were visiting a whites only pool in the Jim Crow south in 1950. The only thing he needed to be truly reminiscent of the 1950’s were the police dogs, batons and hoses. I hope we will not ever go back to those days. The video is set forth here. The back story is apparently police were called to a community pool for a disturbance. The video shows the clearly disturbing activity was the police and the treatment of young blacks in bathing suits and pool attire. Gawker spoke with the individual filming the video. There are so many issues that can be addressed by the video starting with the excessive force by an out of control angry police officer used … [Read more...] about McKinney Police Incident Makes Me Ask if it’s 1950 or 2015
excessive force
Why I Don’t Trust Baltimore Prosecutors with Freddie Gray Case
The case of Freddie Gray personally hit me very hard. I was born and grew up in Baltimore. As a former Baltimore City prosecutor, I prosecuted major crimes there for 5 years. I know the area known as Western District where Freddie Gray was arrested. I also know that over the years and for decades, Baltimore Police have engaged in police brutality and excessive force resulting in settlements and judgments. A. Dwight Pettit, a Baltimore attorney, has successfully represented many victims of police brutality for as long as I can remember, in the pre-social media days and even today. Now with video and social media, what was once hidden for many years is now coming to light in Baltimore. There must be an independent investigation by the Maryland State Prosecutor, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office or the Maryland State Police. The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has initiated an independent investigation to determine if Gray’s civil rights were violated. Baltimore … [Read more...] about Why I Don’t Trust Baltimore Prosecutors with Freddie Gray Case
Why the 2nd Officer in the Walter Scott Case Must Be Charged
Officer Clarence Harbersham is the black officer hovering over Walter Scott’s body in the viral video taken by Feidin Santana. In the video, it clearly shows that Officer Habersham never administered CPR or aid to Walter Scott, despite his report statements. Habersham’s police reports and subsequent statements also never mentioned that now former officer Michael Slager dropped what appears to be the Taser gun next to the body of Walter Scott. It’s probably fair to state the reasons for his omission about the Taser or black object being dropped is obvious—to support the cover up of his fellow officer Slager. Some African Americans in North Charleston, South Carolina refer to the action as “Code Blue”, a code of conduct to protect police bad conduct. Habersham’s statement of giving aid to Mr. Scott which turned out to be false is grounds for charges on obstruction of justice, filing a false report and other similar charges. The question remains as to why Officer Habersham has not … [Read more...] about Why the 2nd Officer in the Walter Scott Case Must Be Charged