Freddie Gray, Another Black Life that Doesn't Matter

The Baltimore Sun reports that:

Prosecutors dropped all charges Wednesday against three Baltimore police officers accused in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray, bringing to an end one of the highest-profile criminal cases in the city's history with zero convictions.

Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby acknowledged the long odds of securing convictions in the remaining cases following the acquittals of three other officers on similar though more serious charges.

In a hearing Wednesday meant to start the trial of Officer Garrett Miller, prosecutors dropped their cases against him, Officer William Porter and Sgt. Alicia White. Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams, who had acquitted the other officers, was expected to preside over the remaining trials as well.

After the most recent acquittal and "a great deal of thought and prayer," Mosby said, she resolved to drop the remaining charges. Mosby stood by her decision to bring the charges, pointing out that the medical examiner's office ruled Gray's death a homicide and that it's her job as the city's top prosecutor to seek justice.

"It's something that I've been grappling with for some time," Mosby said of her decision to end the prosecution, during an interview with The Baltimore Sun. "It's not something that was overnight."

In Baltimore, there was a black mayor, a black judge, black cops, a black prosecutor and a black commissioner. Yet, there was no justice for the black victim, Freddie Gray.  Even with a black President and a black Attorney General, there will be no federal charges filed.

The black cops did nothing to stop white cops from unlawfully arresting Freddie Gray. Black cops and white cops failed to buckle Freddie Gray in, thereby recklessly placing him in a precarious and dangerous position. Black cops ignored Freddie Gray's cries for medical attention. The former police commissioner, who is black, continues to defend the police who were responsible for Freddie Gray's death.

A black prosecutor failed to convince a jury and a black judge to convict the officers responsible for Freddie Gray's death, a death ruled a homicide by the medical examiner. Despite clear evidence of reckless endangerment and misconduct, a black judge decided to let three killers walk free. Consequently, realizing that the remaining cases would go back before the same black judge, the black prosecutor was forced to dismiss the charges against the three remaining officers. When CNN asked about that decision, the black mayor spoke in a detached, non-compassionate and emotionless manner about not being surprised by the decision.

Sadly, the system did not fail Freddie Gray. Even with black administrators, the system was never designed to protect poor black people. It was designed to protect the police and the powerful. The racist criminal justice system does not need white administrators in order to function. Its brutality continues even when the black bourgeois is placed in token positions of power. Black lives never mattered, not even to some black people.

No Justice for Freddie Gray

The Baltimore Sun reports that:

A Baltimore judge acquitted the police officer facing the most serious charges in the death of Freddie Gray on Thursday, delivering a broad rebuke of a case that he said lacked evidence.

Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., 46, drove the transport van in which Gray sustained fatal injuries. He is the second officer cleared in the high-profile case. Four other officers could still face trial.

After an eight-day bench trial, Circuit Judge Barry Williams found Goodson not guilty on charges that included second-degree depraved-heart murder and three counts of manslaughter.

The acquittal cast doubt on the remaining criminal cases in which the other officers face similar but lesser charges. Legal observers said Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who drew widespread praise and also condemnation after charging the officers in May 2015, must now re-evaluate the remaining cases.

Prosecutors alleged Goodson deliberately threw the shackled but unrestrained Gray around the back of the van by giving him a "rough ride." Williams said the state lacked evidence and was asking him to make assumptions.

"As the trier of fact, the court can't simply let things speak for themselves," Williams said.

In my YouTube video below, I express my outrage about this grave miscarriage of justice.

McKinney and the Dehumanization of Black Youth

The Root reports that:

A pool party in McKinney, Texas, Friday has shocked the nation after footage went viral showing a white police officer cursing, threatening and ultimately slamming into the ground and handcuffing a 14-year-old African-American bikini-clad girl. At one point the officer is seen pulling out and pointing his service weapon at a group of teens.

The community is torn, the officer has been suspended and details have been scarce...

Since the video went viral, Cpl. Casebolt has been suspended pending an investigation into his actions, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas has released a statement condemning the officer’s use of force.

“While we don’t know all the facts about the party, the crowd, or whether a fight broke out, what we do know is that the police response, as seen on the video, appears to be a textbook case of overuse of force,” the statement reads.

“A well-trained police department would have responded more cautiously, with less hostility and using sophisticated crowd-control methods that favor de-escalation not escalation. Without question, guns were not needed and in fact risked turning a group of partying teenagers into a violent encounter that could have turned deadly,” the statement continues.

Several McKinney residents have taken to social media to dispute the reporting of the story. According to one McKinney resident, who asked that the “true story” of what happened get out, a DJ was blasting obscene music in a public area and carloads of teens where arriving in the neighborhood without permission to go to the pool. When the teens were confronted, according to the resident’s post, they began climbing the pool fence and arguing with a security guard. When residents confronted the teens, the residents say, it was they who were attacked with racial slurs and physically assaulted.

In the eyes of many police officers and many white people, we are not viewed as neighbors and fellow Americans.  We are viewed as invaders who dirty up the white man's precious, delicate, little enclaves. Our mere presence is a natural cause for white alarm and overreaction. Black people are not viewed as human beings. Unfortunately, we are viewed as wild animals that must be subdued and controlled. When the police harass us, humiliate us or even kill us, there is a concerted effort to defend and rationalize police brutality and misconduct. Since the dehumanization process is complete, rationalization is a very easy task.

In their warped white supremacist minds, fellow white people, even the violent ones, are regarded as relatively non-threatening. For example, as reported on CNN, rival white biker gangs in Waco, Texas got into a shootout. 9 people were killed. 18 people went to the hospital. Over 100 weapons were recovered. Did the police treat those white bikers like they treated those black kids in McKinney? Of course, not.

In reality, we are not the animals. Our oppressors are.  The McKinney incident started with racist slurs against black youth and ended with racist police action against black youth. Police officers like Eric Casebolt are the real animals. Casebolt was the one yelling and cursing at the black youth. While completely ignoring white kids like Brannon Brooks, Casebolt is the one who frantically ran around like a possessed demon targeting and pushing down almost every single black person. Casebolt was the one who slammed an unarmed, 15-year-old girl, bikini clad girl on the concrete and put his knees on her back as she screamed in fear and pain. Casebolt is the savage who pointed a gun at two unarmed black teenage boys.

Animals like Officer Casebolt must be punished for their brutality. Such people do not deserve to wear a police badge. Justice is not just about Casebolt's termination. True justice requires a complete reformation and transformation of the McKinney Police Department and others like it. We can't afford to rest. The struggle continues.

All Life is Precious

The New York Post reports that:

Two uniformed NYPD officers were shot dead Saturday afternoon as they sat in their marked police car on a Brooklyn street corner — in what investigators believe was a crazed gunman’s ­assassination-style mission to avenge Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

"No warning, no provocation — they were quite simply assassinated, targeted for their uniform,” Police Commissioner William Bratton said.

Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were working overtime as part of an anti-terrorism drill in Bedford-Stuyvesant just before 3 p.m. when they were shot point-blank in the head by lone gunman Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, who had addresses in Georgia, Maryland and Brooklyn.

Moments after killing the two officers, Brinsley, too, was dead, having turned his gun on himself on a nearby subway platform as cops closed in.

Liu, 32, a newlywed of only two months, had seven years on the force; Ramos, 40, dad to two sons, had two years on the job.

Brinsley was already a fugitive, suspected of putting a bullet in his ex-girlfriend’s abdomen at her residence in Baltimore at 5:45 a.m. Saturday, Bratton said.

By early Saturday afternoon — just three hours before shooting Liu and Ramos — vile anti-police threats were posted to Brinsley’s Instagram page. The threats referenced the ­recent police-involved killings of Garner and Brown.

“I’m Putting Wings on Pigs Today,” a person believed to be the gunman wrote. “They Take 1 Of Ours . . . Let’s Take 2 of Theirs,” the post continued, ending with, “This May Be My Final Post.”

The Instagram page included an image of a silver automatic handgun with a wooden handle.

That gun matches the Taurus semiautomatic that police recovered from Brinsley. Another ­image showed the same camouflage pants and distinctive blue sneakers worn by the gunman as his body was carried from the scene on a stretcher.

“I Rather Die a Gangster Then Go To Sleep A Coward,” read ­another post.

The sickening missives used the hashtag #ShootThePolice, along with two other hashtags referencing Garner and Brown.

Police in Baltimore had reached out via a “warning flier” to alert NYPD that Brinsley might be en route to Brooklyn, but the fax tragically arrived at 2:45 p.m. — five minutes before the shooting, Bratton said. “The tragedy here was that just as the warning was coming in, the murder was occurring,” Bratton said.

I pray that God blesses and comforts the families of the victims. May God forgive them for their sins and bless with eternal peace. I strongly condemn Brinsley's heinous and cowardly crimes.

Ismaaiyl Brinsley was a suicidal, career criminal looking for a way to give the last moments of his pathetic life meaning. To do so, he latched on the movement like a blood sucking leech latches on to the leg of an unsuspecting host. He attempted to hijack the movement like the 9/11 terrorists hijacked the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center. Brinsley did not really act on behalf of the movement. His act was a sick, despicable, selfish, narcissistic act of desperation. This tragedy has absolute nothing to do with the movement.

In response to this tragedy, the police union blamed protesters and Mayor Bill de Blasio for the violence. CBS New York reports that:

“There’s blood on many hands tonight. Those that incited violence on the streets under the guise of protest that tried to tear down what NYPD officers did every day. We tried to warn it must not go on, it cannot be tolerated,” Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said. “That blood on the hands starts at City Hall in the office of the mayor.”

“Those who allowed this to happen will be held accountable,” he added.

The Sergeants Benevolent Association tweeted: “The blood of 2 executed police officers is on the hands of Mayor de Blasio. May God bless their families and may they rest in peace.”

Recently, in light of the death of Eric Garner and Mike Brown, Mayor De Blasio expressed a genuine concern about the safety of his biracial son . As you may know, activists have been marching in the streets of New York for weeks demanding justice of Eric Garner.

Instead of addressing the Mayor's and the community's concerns, NYPD cops literally turned their backs on the mayor and the community. Again, the police blamed activists and the Mayor for a crime that had nothing to do with them. The response of the police union is truly disgraceful. They are exploiting and pimping this tragedy to stifle, discredit and destroy the legitimate demands for justice. The overwhelming majority of protesters are nonviolent. Protest leaders such as Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and others have universally condemned Brinsley's senseless act of violence. His crime is not their fault.

Contrary to the assertions of the police union and others, the movement is not against all police officers. The movement is against police brutality and misconduct. All people of good will, including police officers, should oppose police brutality and misconduct as well. Such practices erode public trust and confidence. Police brutality and the failed criminal justice system breed fear, hatred and mistrust thereby making communities and police officers less safe.

When Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were killed, the NYPD and the nation mourned their loss and prayed for the families of the victims. They saluted the deceased for their bravery and sacrifice.  In the eyes of the NYPD and the nation, those officers lives were viewed as sacred and precious.

On the other hand, when Eric Garner was choked to death on camera, the police defended the killer. In the eyes of many police officers and citizens, Eric Garner's life simply did not matter. In America, black lives do not matter. If they did matter, we would not have to march around with signs stating that "#BlackLivesMatter".  Many view our lives are worthless, disposal and expendable. As far as they are concerned, a cigarette butt has more value. For some, the death of Eric Garner is a source of 



amusement, a punchline for kicks and giggles. To make mockery of the Eric Garner's death, some police officers wore "I Can Breathe" T-shirts. That is a disturbing display of their utter disregard for Mr. Garner's life and our lives.

All human life is precious. If the police valued all human life as much as they value their fellow officers' lives, there would be no police brutality. There would be no police harassment. Eric Garner, Mike Brown and countless others would still be alive. Instead of coddling and protecting killers, cops should stand up and prevent fellow officers from using excessive force. Instead, they adhere to a rigid and unjust blue code of silence.

Finally, in light of the police union's reaction, the movement should brace for increased police infiltration, provocation, harassment and brutality. We must be aware of agent provocateurs in our mist. Agent provocateurs are police informants who attempt to incite activists to engage in violence and other illegal activities. After inciting activists to engage in such illegality, the agent provocateurs entrap, imprison and discredit the activists.  Ultimately, the movement is discredited and neutralized.

We must stay focused. Our cause is righteous and just. We cannot rest until police brutality ends. Justice for Eric Garner, Mike Brown and everyone else.

Jordan Miles: The Face of American Injustice

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that:

The eight-member jury that heard the Jordan Miles civil trial today reached a mixed verdict, finding the three officers liable for the false arrest of Mr. Miles, but it found that they did not use excessive force.

The jury awarded compensatory damages of $101,016.75 plus punitive damages of $6,000 against each officer, for total damages of $119,016.75.

The all-white jury of four men and four women reached the verdict following 10 days of testimony, a solid day of closing arguments and deliberations that started Friday morning.

"It's a victory on my behalf because the jury found the police officers to be guilty," said Mr. Miles. "It's not over, because God didn't say it's over."

Joel Sansone, the attorney for Mr. Miles, said, "The police officers broke the rules, arrested my client and violated his rights under the Fourth Amendment."

He said there were pre-trial decisions made by the judge that kept evidence out of the case that "points to the guilt of these police officers."

Mr. Sansone called for a reopening of the federal criminal investigation of the officers.

"I cannot explain the jury's failure to find excessive force," Mr. Sansone said. Nor could he explain the verdict amount. "You realize a six-figure verdict, while it may not seem a lot to some, is a lot of money."

The case hinged on the details of an arrest on Jan. 12, 2010, on Tioga Street in Homewood, and on the credibility of parties. Mr. Miles' version of events differed radically from those of Pittsburgh police officers Michael Saldutte and David Sisak, and former city officer Richard Ewing, now with McCandless.

The article further states that:

Undisputed is that Mr. Miles, then 18, was walking from his mother's house to his grandmother's, around the block, at around 11 p.m.

Mr. Miles said he was holding a cell phone to his ear, talking with a friend. The officers said his hands were in his pockets, suggesting he was using a Bluetooth hands-free calling device.

Mr. Miles said he walked on the street, because the sidewalks were icy. The officers said he was seen huddled between two houses, then came out to the sidewalk.

The jury had to weigh whether the three plainclothes officers leapt from their unmarked car demanding of the plaintiff money, drugs and a gun, as Mr. Miles claimed, or calmly identified themselves as law enforcement and began asking questions.

Both sides agreed that Mr. Miles tried to run, and slipped on ice. The Homewood man said he never got up and didn't fight, while the officers said he rose and elbowed the pursuing Officer Saldutte in the head.

The defense contended that Officer Sisak tried a Taser and then tackled Mr. Miles through a hedgerow, accounting for the twigs lodged in his mouth and the dreadlocks that tore free from his head. Mr. Miles has professed no recollection of a trip through the bushes.

Mr. Miles said he just curled up in a ball, while Officer Sisak said the young man donkey-kicked him in the knee.

Officer Ewing said he used a leg sweep to take Mr. Miles down.

Then there was the issue of the Mountain Dew bottle. The officers said they saw and then felt a bulge in Mr. Miles' coat pocket, which turned out to be a bottle of the soft drink. Mr. Miles said he wasn't carrying any bottle, and hates Mountain Dew.

Neither side disputes that the officers struck Mr. Miles repeatedly in his sides and finally his head, in an ultimately successful effort to get him handcuffed.

The Homewood man claimed someone choked him and struck him in the head after he was handcuffed, including a final clout with a hard object. The officers strenuously denied using any force after Mr. Miles was handcuffed.

Was Mr. Miles stripped of his coat before being placed in the police wagon? He said yes, the officers said no. There was likewise no agreement on the officers' claim that they asked a neighbor if she knew him.

Associated Press also reports that:

Miles' attorneys previously demanded $2 million to settle the case and rejected the city's offer of $180,000. The city, instead, paid $75,000 to settle Miles' claims against the government itself, with the understanding that money would be deducted from any damages award against the officers.

Because more than $41,000 of the verdict was covered by city insurance, the city's $75,000 could be deducted from the remaining $78,000 — leaving Miles with a net award of $3,000, Wymard and Campbell said. And Miles could still wind up paying some of the officers' attorneys' fees because he didn't win the case outright.

Sansone said he was still researching those claims and couldn't immediately comment, but Wymard said, "Eventually, Miles may well be writing the City of Pittsburgh a check in this case."

In America, the masses are inundated with a constant stream of the news reports about young black male criminal suspects.  The entertainment industry bombards the public with negative music, videos and movies depicting black men selling drugs and killing each other. Such imagery promotes the false notion that most black men are thugs, drug dealers, gangsters, public enemies and menaces.  As a result, society views our black skin as a badge of criminality. 

For those reasons, the police automatically assume that an African American boy walking to his grandmother's house at night must be engaged in some kind of criminal activity.  Due to his race, they wrongly assume that he must possess guns and drugs. Such assumptions give police departments around this country a license to stop, harass, beat and even kill black youth with impunity.  In the words of rapper KRS One, some police officers are like modern day overseers on urban plantations.

In this case, those three white police officers beat Jordan Miles beyond recognition. Those chumps beat Jordan Miles like he was a runaway slave.

To make matters even worst, an all white jury found that the police officers' vicious brutality was justified. The jury's verdict is completely incomprehensible.  On one hand, they found the officers liable for false arrest.  On the other hand, they found that the officers did not use excessive force against Jordan Miles. 

Similar to the Michael Dunn verdict, the only explanation has to be race. The jury was all white.  The officers were white. The plaintiff was a young black man.  That jury obviously identified with those white police officers and found their testimony to be more creditable than a young black man's testimony.  Sadly, even this Age of Obama, a black man's testimony carries little weight in the court system. Jordan Miles' battered and swollen face is a symbol of the judicial system's brutality towards black people. It is the face of American injustice.

They give the brother a few dollars for his false arrest claim and they expect him and the community to be pacified. They expect us to just bow down and surrender.  Never.  As attorney Joel Sansone said, we must demand a federal criminal investigation. 

Every other day, there is another incident of police brutality or white vigilantism. Every other day, there is another campaign for justice.  The names of the victims change, but the systemic problem of police brutality continues to fester.  Like an unabated plague, it moves from host to host, from victim to victim. Each black generation continues to experience this brutal cycle of state sponsored terrorism.  Today, it is Jordan Miles.  Tomorrow, it will be someone else.  When will this madness end?

Jonathan Ferrell: The Road to Justice is Long

"The road is long with many a winding turn that lead us to who knows where...But, I am strong enough to carry him. He ain't heavy. He's my brother. So on we go. His welfare is my concern." Donny Hathaway

CNN reported that:

A grand jury has indicted Officer Randall Kerrick of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on a charge of voluntary manslaughter in the September 14 shooting death of Jonathan Ferrell, according to a statement from state Attorney General Roy Cooper.

The grand jury heard evidence from the state Bureau of Investigation and the police department.

"With the strength of the evidence in this case, we're not surprised," Charles Monnett, an attorney for Ferrell's family, said about Monday's indictment.

"We're all pleased and happy that the process is beginning now and that there's an end in sight," he said. "It is the first step towards justice."

Ferrell's mother, Georgia, told CNN that she is prepared to wait as long as it takes for the case to wind its way through the justice system.

"I just feel like God's will will be done," she said.

The Charlotte, North Carolina, officer faced a second grand jury proceeding for the fatal shooting of Ferrell, an ex-college football player who was reportedly seeking assistance after a car accident.

Attorneys for Kerrick had denounced the prosecution's move to resubmit the case as unlawful and filed a motion to block it, but CNN affiliate News 14 Carolina reported the grand jury convened Monday morning.

A grand jury last week declined to indict Kerrick. Prosecutors said afterward the grand jury was composed of less than a full panel and vowed to send the case back.

I am glad that the second grand jury decided to indict Randall Kerrick for voluntary manslaughter. It looks the Ferrell family is beginning to walk on the long road toward justice. We will stand with the family on their journey. Justice for Jonathan Ferrell! Justice for Renisha McBride! Justice for Jordan Davis! Justice for Trayvon Martin!

The Thug Baby, the Racist Omaha Police and the House Negro

Shout out to the Young Turks

Recently, the Omaha Police Officers Association posted a shocking and disturbing video on their website. In the video, teenagers can be heard taunting and cursing at an African American infant boy. The teenagers in video pressure the poor child to spew obscenities and profanities. 

On Omaha Police Officers Association's page entitled Heartbreaking Video Show "Thug Cycle" Continuing, the Omaha Police Department states that:

You are literally watching “the cycle” of violence continue right in front of your eyes.

A powerful cycle that must be broken if we ever hope to get a handle on violence in Omaha.

A powerful cycle that the police alone cannot stop.

They claim that they posted the video because they "have an obligation to share it to continue to educate the law abiding public about the terrible cycle of violence and thuggery that some young innocent children find themselves helplessly trapped in." On their website, the Omaha Police acknowledge that "they didn’t see anything in this video that is blatantly 'illegal'."

By posting the video, Omaha Police created a firestorm of racial controversy. Many voices have rightly condemned the family for corrupting a child.   Some people have defended the Omaha police against charges of racism, not me.

Today, it is no longer acceptable for white people to make overtly racist statements. To circumvent that obstacle, the corporate media rents House Negroes to serve as mouthpieces for white supremacy. Those pseudo intellectual black prostitutes specialize in peddling the gospel of black pathology. They constantly utilize that distorted gospel to justify white racism and to soothe white guilt. While their white puppet masters hide behind the curtains, those black puppets entertain and misinform the audience by promoting racist propaganda. The House Negro is a huge threat to the black community because she legitimizes white racist attitudes and policies.

Crystal Wright is the quintessential Negro Negro. In her Washington Times article, she defends the use of the video asserting that the video is not "an anomaly" and that "the face of thug life is black, not white."

I adamantly reject Ms. Wright's assertions. The police are supposed to enforce the law and provide public safety. Instead of imitating World Star Hip Hop, the police should be using their website to protect and serve. The police website should not be used to humiliate and discriminate. Posting that despicable minstrel video does not make the community any safer.

It merely promotes racist stereotypes.  Although the overwhelming majority of black people do not raise their children to be gangsters and hooligans, that video creates the erroneous perception that we do. That video reinforces the false notion black men are innate criminals and thugs. The police department's video fosters distrust and erodes public support for police in the black community.  Such distrust makes communities less safe.  In light of the Omaha Police Department's troubling track record, they definitely should not post racist videos on their website.

The Omaha Police Department has a history of racism. It routinely engages in racial profiling. As reported on Omaha.com,

One of every four drivers pulled over by Omaha police officers last year was black, a new state report shows.

According to the report, the Omaha Police Department not only stopped black drivers and arrested black drivers at rates higher than their proportion of the population in 2009. The department also stopped a disproportionate number of black drivers without issuing them a traffic ticket. The drivers were given verbal or written warnings or no action was taken at all.

A prime example of such racial profiling and police misconduct is the Octavius Johnson case. On January 6, 2014, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Omaha Police Department. The complaint describes how the Omaha police unjustly assaulted and battered a black family. That is true thuggery.   As reported in the Huffington Post,

In March, 32 officers flooded an Omaha, Neb., home in an attempt to recover video evidence of police misconduct and brutality, a new lawsuit claims.

The suit filed Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union seeks damages suffered during the incident, which allegedly started over a parking ticket.

From an ACLU press release:

On Mar. 21, 2013, two officers responded to a request from a tow-truck driver who was removing unregistered vehicles. The lawsuit alleges that when Octavius Johnson walked up to try to determine what was happening to the family's cars, Octavius was placed in a chokehold, thrown to the ground and beaten. In the video, it appears as if the officer who struck Octavius looks around to ensure he is alone and then begins to hit Octavius.

Brothers Juaquez and Demetrius Johnson filmed the altercation. More than 20 officers arrived, including a commanding officer, and "chased Juaquez into his home and conducted a search without a warrant," the release said.

"Inside the home, Sharon Johnson, aunt to the Johnson brothers, was thrown from her wheelchair while Juaquez was thrown to the floor and repeatedly struck," the release said. "Officers did not help Sharon back into her wheelchair and instead placed her in handcuffs."

The footage recorded by the Johnson brothers was never returned after police seized it, but a neighbor filming from across the street did capture the scene outside the home. The video was posted to YouTube and four officers were fired once the incident received press coverage.

All charges against the Johnson family were dropped.

Officer James Kinsella was charged with tampering with evidence and Sgt. Aaron Von Behren was accused of organizing a cover-up, according to the Omaha World Herald. Their cases are still pending.

The ACLU lawsuit is filed against Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer and the 32 officers who were at the scene.

Instead of posting deplorable videos stereotyping black people, the Omaha Police need to focus on ending their discriminatory and abusive practices.  Sadly, you will never hear people like Crystal Wright condemn those racist police practices. They prefer to bash their own black brothers and sisters for a buck or attention.

Is Shopping While Black A Crime?!?!

This week, I read some disturbing stories about racial profiling and police harassment. Those stories are a reminder that, in many ways, nothing has changed in America for black people. You can be a hard working college student or a rich actor. It does not matter. In the enemy's eyes, you are just a criminal, a nigger.

As reported in the Daily News,

A black teenager is shopping for justice — claiming snooty Barneys staffers and New York City cops racially profiled him for credit card fraud after he bought a $349 belt.

Trayon Christian, 19, told the Daily News he filed a lawsuit after he was targeted by staffers at Barneys’ Madison Ave. flagship store and detained by police because they didn’t believe a young black man could possibly afford to buy such an expensive belt.

The fashion-forward teen, who lives with his mom in Corona, Queens, is studying engineering at the New York City College of Technology, where he had a work-study job.

Christian said his paycheck had just been direct deposited into his Chase bank account, so he went straight to Barneys on the afternoon of April 29 to buy the pricey Ferragamo belt with a silver buckle and a reversible black and white strap.

“I knew exactly what I wanted,” Christian said. He’d seen the belt on a lot of his favorite celebrities, including rapper Juelz Santana.

Unfortunately, that is not the first time that Barneys humiliated and degraded a black customer. Daily News reports that:

Four plainclothes cops accused a black woman of credit card fraud after the Brooklyn mom bought a $2,500 designer bag from Barneys — stoking a fresh round of outrage against the high-end store.

Kayla Phillips, 21, a nursing student from Canarsie, told the Daily News she had long coveted the orange suede Céline bag. Armed with a cash infusion from a tax return, she took her Bank of America debit card and headed to the Madison Ave. flagship store on Feb. 28.

Phillips made the purchase without incident but says she was surrounded by cops just three blocks away, at the Lexington Ave. and 59th St. subway station.

“There were three men and a woman,” she recalled. “Two of them attacked me and pushed me against a wall, and the other two appeared in front of me, blocking the turnstile.”

Barneys is not the only store that believes that shopping while black is a crime. MSN News reports that:

A black actor on the HBO drama series "Treme" said in a lawsuit on Friday that he was stopped because of his race while buying sunglasses at Macy's — the third discrimination allegation made this week by a black shopper against a department store.

Robert Brown, who filed the lawsuit in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, said he was detained by police at the flagship Herald Square store on June 8 after employees contacted authorities about possible credit card fraud.

He said he was "paraded while handcuffed" through the store to a holding cell, where he was kept for nearly an hour while officers grilled him and searched his bag. His lawsuit said Macy's employees suggested he couldn't afford to make such an expensive purchase. He eventually was released without charges.

The department store was profiling Brown because of his race, said his lawsuit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages.

The days of Jim Crow are gone. The "No Coloreds" signs have been taken down. We have a legal right to shop wherever we want to shop. We have a legal right to purchase whatever we have the money to purchase. I hope that Robert Brown, Kayla Phillips and Trayon Christian prevail in their lawsuits. The New York Police Department, Macy's and Barneys must end their discriminatory practices.

In the meantime, we must stop supporting businesses that do not support us. We must stop giving our hard earned dollars to businesses that despise us, whether it is a local convenience store or a high end department store. Don't be a new slave. We should not be pacified by Barney's recent PR moves. Boycott Barneys and Macy's until they end their discriminatory practices. Please sign this petition urging rapper Jay Z to end all of his partnerships with Barneys.