Good News in the Fight Against Police Brutality

This week, there has been some good news regarding the fight against police brutality in Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

The Guardian reports that:

A judge in Ohio said on Thursday he had found probable cause to charge a police officer with murder for the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice last year.

Judge Ronald Adrine of the Cleveland municipal court said there were grounds to prosecute officer Timothy Loehmann with murder, manslaughter, reckless homicide and negligent homicide.

Adrine also found there was probable cause for a charge of negligent homicide against officer Frank Garmback, Loehmann’s partner, who was present when Tamir was shot at a park on 22 November while holding a pellet gun.

The judge’s recommendation, however, was brushed aside by Timothy McGinty, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor, who pledged to proceed as planned with having a grand jury decide on whether the officers should be charged.

“This case, as with all other fatal use of deadly force cases involving law enforcement officers, will go to the grand jury,” McGinty said in a statement. “That has been the policy of this office since I was elected. Ultimately, the grand jury decides whether police officers are charged or not charged.”

In a 10-page order, Judge Adrine wrote that after viewing surveillance video, which shows Tamir being shot dead within two seconds of Loehmann’s arrival, he was “still thunderstruck by how quickly this event turned deadly”.

The judge said Tamir was given “little if any time” to respond to any commands from the officers, that his arms were not raised, and that he made no “furtive movement”. Adrine wrote: “Literally, the entire encounter is over in an instant.”

In South Carolina, WYFF reports that:

Gov. Nikki Haley signed a bill Wednesday requiring all law enforcement officers in South Carolina to wear body cameras.

A bill that would require all South Carolina law enforcement officers to wear body cameras is gaining momentum after an officer-involved shooting in North Charleston, according to the bill's co-author.

The bill, which was passed by the General Assembly on June 4, will do the following:

Amend the Code of Laws of South Carolina by adding a section to define the term "body-worn camera."

Require all state and local law enforcement officers to implement the use of body-worn cameras.

Require all state and local law enforcement agencies to submit policies and procedures related to the use of body-worn cameras to the law enforcement training council.

Establish a "body-worn camera fund."

Make data recorded by a body-worn camera not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

Despite first being introduced in December 2014, Bill S.47 was fast-tracked following the April 4 shooting death of Walter Scott by a North Charleston police officer.

The South Carolina body camera law is a step in the right direction. However, the goal of the law is undermined by provisions stating that body camera video footage is not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. In addition, as illustrated in the Eric Garner case, video footage of police brutality is no guarantee of a conviction. Nonetheless, that law is a sign of some progress.

Finally, in McKinney, Texas, Officer Eric Casebolt resigned and apologized for harassing and humiliating a 14 year-old African American girl and other black youth. Yahoo reports that:

Cpl. Eric Casebolt was captured on video Friday evening wrestling a teenage girl to the ground and pointing his gun at two other teens while answering a disturbance call at an unruly party at a neighborhood pool in suburban Dallas.

“He never intended to mistreat anyone,” his attorney, Jane Bishkin, said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference. “He apologizes to all who were offended.”

Bishkin said Casebolt had worked one suicide and one attempted suicide in the hour prior to being dispatched to the pool party that reportedly involved teens fighting.

“The nature of these two suicide calls took an emotional toll on Eric Casebolt,” Bishkin said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference.

Casebolt's apology is an empty gesture. It is insufficient. Charges should be brought against him and the McKinney Police Department should be investigated for discriminatory patterns and practices.

Former Cop Indicted for Killing Walter Scott

The Huffington Post reports that:

A grand jury has indicted a former South Carolina police officer in the April shooting of an unarmed black man, the prosecutor announced on Monday.

Former North Charleston Police Officer Michael Slager, 33, has been charged with murder in the death of Walter Scott, 50.

"I think the people of the 9th circuit elected me to be accountable to them, and that’s what we intend to do," Charleston County Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said during a news conference following the announcement of the indictment Monday. "They have to know they have someone prosecuting the case who is accountable to them."

"We’re going to patiently wait for the criminal trial in this case,” Chris Stewart, one of the attorneys for the Scott family, said in a brief press conference. “It’s just about keeping the faith. The community has done that. The family has done that, and we’re going to continue to do that until the resolution of the criminal and the civil case."

Stewart thanked the community and noted the family plans to file a civil suit in the next few months.

Good morning, family. This is only the beginning. Justice for Walter Scott and everybody else.

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.

Will Anyone Demand Justice for Jennifer Jeffrey-Browne and Kester "Tony" Browne?

The Baltimore Sun reports that:

Mother and her 7-year-old son were found shot to death Thursday in their Southwest Baltimore home — the latest victims in the city's deadliest month in nearly two decades.

Shaken family members identified the victims as Jennifer Jeffrey-Browne, 31, and Kester "Tony" Browne. The two lived on a quiet block of rowhouses in the city's Uplands neighborhood, which was roped off with crime-scene tape for much of the day as detectives investigated.

"I cannot think of who would want her dead," said Danielle Wilder, Jeffrey-Browne's sister.

"You gotta be really evil," said Wilder's husband, Seamea Cammue. "You gotta have no soul."

Police and city leaders, meanwhile, denounced the killings as the latest acts of violence in a month that has seen more homicides — 38 — than any since 1996.

The deaths of Jeffrey-Browne and her son brought the number of killings in the city this year to 111, well ahead of last year's pace. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake called it an "unspeakable tragedy."

There is no end in sight to the violence in Baltimore. Someone knows who killed Jennifer Jeffrey-Browne and her 7-year-old son. Someone in that neighborhood probably saw the killer enter the house and/or leave the house.

Will any of the witnesses have the courage to step forward? Will the community and the police protect the witnesses from retaliation? Baltimore, you marched for Freddie Gray. Will you march for Jennifer and Tony and the countless other victims of violence? Will you demand justice for them? This senseless violence will continue as long as we tolerate it by our silence.

History Will Absolve Cornel West

The Obama Era will be noted as the era of black silence. For the most part, the black professional "left" is virtually silent and passive in its approach toward President Obama. Instead of speaking out and aggressive demanding more from the President, they became Obama's surrogates and mouthpieces. They sold their integrity for access to the President. Instead of speaking truth to power, they surrender to power.  They have been co-oped by power.

Of his peers, Cornel West was one of the few to maintain his integrity and consistency. For that, I commend him. West speaks the truth about the Obama Administration's failure to adequately address many issues impacting black and poor people. West speaks the truth about Obama's pro-Wall Street policies. West speaks the truth about America's brutal and merciless drone policy. He speaks the truth about America's relentless imperialism under the first black president.

Decades and centuries later, history will absolve West and question people like Michael Eric Dyson.

Baltimore Police Seek a Change of Venue

The Baltimore Sun reports that:

Defense attorneys for six police officers facing criminal charges in the Freddie Gray case are seeking to have the case tried elsewhere in Maryland, saying their clients can't get a "fair and impartial trial" in Baltimore.

In an 85-page document filed Wednesday with the court seeking a change of venue, the lawyers argued that a "presumption of prejudice" exists in the city.

Gray, 25, was arrested April 12 after running from officers patrolling West Baltimore and suffered a severed spinal cord and other injuries in police custody. His death a week later led to widespread protests and rioting that prompted a curfew and a National Guard deployment.

The case has drawn international attention and intense media coverage, and defense attorneys contend that not enough time has passed to permit "the type of healing and reconciliation in the community that would be needed to dampen the effects of the events surrounding the case."

The attorneys also sought to contrast the Gray case with other high-profile trials that weren't moved, including the case against the Boston marathon bomber. They argued that Baltimore City draws from a much smaller jury pool than those larger cities.

"Based on the relative size and characteristics of Baltimore City, the prejudicial information that has penetrated every form of online, printed and broadcast media, and the short time between the alleged crimes and the trial(s), the presumption of prejudice prevents the Officers in this case from receiving fair trials," the attorneys wrote.

The state's attorney's office did not respond to a request for comment on the filing.

Caesar Goodson, the driver of the van used to transport Gray, is charged with second-degree depraved heart murder, the most serious charge among the six officers. He also faces manslaughter, second-degree assault, two counts of vehicular manslaughter and misconduct in office.

William Porter, Brian Rice and Alicia White face manslaughter, second-degree assault and misconduct in office charges. Edward Nero and Garrett Miller are charged with second-degree assault and misconduct in office. All of the officers have been charged with reckless endangerment.

Read more here.

This move is no surprise. It was expected. If the court moves the case from Baltimore City to one of the nearby predominately white suburban counties, a conviction will be far less likely. We will probably see a repeat of what happened in Sanford, Ferguson, Chicago, Cleveland and so many other cities. Another dead black person and his family will be denied justice. The divide and hostility between the police and the black community will continue to expand.

When Will the Violence in Baltimore End?

The Baltimore Sun reports that:

Hours after Baltimore's mayor huddled with police officials to discuss the recent spike in violence, two more people were killed Monday — making May the city's deadliest month since 1999.

The two homicides increased this month's total to 35. There have been 108 homicides across the city this year...

In addition to the homicides, eight other people were shot since late Sunday and another three overnight Monday, bringing the number of shootings over the three-day holiday weekend to 32. Among them was a 9-year-old boy shot in the leg in the 2900 block of Arunah Ave. in Southwest Baltimore. Police did not identify any of victims or release information about any potential suspects or motives...

Batts last week said police are struggling to stop violence in West Baltimore, where officers have been routinely surrounded by dozens of people, video cameras and hostility while performing basic police work since the death of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old who died after suffering a spinal cord injury while in police custody. The Western District, the site of Gray's arrest and the epicenter of the protests and rioting that followed his death, has seen the majority of the city's recent shootings and homicides, which are coming faster than they have in eight years.

When will the violence in Baltimore and other inner cities finally end? Aside from effective law enforcement strategies and the imposition of a curfew for children under 18 years old, there are other actions that must be taken.  The violence will end when real black men stand up and take back our communities. Marches and vigils are good for raising awareness. However, they are not enough. As other communities have done, black community groups must receive professional martial arts and firearms training. We must patrol and protect our neighborhoods against enemies within and without. We cannot allow a small minority of criminals to terrorize our communities. We cannot just proclaim that black lives matter. We must demonstrate to the world through our actions that black lives matter.

The violence will end when more professional and working class black men return to the hood and serve as mentors to at-risk youth. The erosion of the two parent household is a contributing factor to the violence. Too often, when the father are gone, many of our young men are without proper guidance and the streets become their daddy. We must provide that guidance. We must be role models that they need.

The violence will end when the politicians renew the fight to end poverty. We must invest in summer jobs programs and recreation centers. If our youth have an opportunity to earn decent wages working legitimate jobs, involvement in the violent drug trade will be less likely. In addition, if our youth are preoccupied playing sports at recreation centers, they will have less time to be involved in crime and violence.

The violence will end when we invest in more schools and less prisons. As reported in Baltimore Sun, the Baltimore city schools CEO Gregory Thorton "warned that at least 120 positions and about 100 people would be eliminated this year as he closed a $108 million gap in the fiscal year 2016 budget, which begins July 1." In addition, "he has also said that more than 200 educators and staff in the district's “surplus” pool — meaning they are still paid by the school system but don't have permanent placements — would be cut." Despite financial difficulties, somehow the City has $30 million to build a new juvenile jail. The Baltimore Sun also reports that Maryland Governor Larry Hogan "decided to take $68 million that lawmakers set aside for schools and use it to shore up the state's pension system instead — disappointing school officials in Baltimore and other large districts around the state." This is completely unacceptable. The failure to adequately fund our schools only exacerbates the violence that plagues Baltimore. We must demand better from our politicians.

The violence will end when we end the war on drugs. The war on drugs perpetuates mass incarceration of nonviolent offenders. Mass incarceration further destabilizes black families and makes communities less safe. We must decriminalize drugs and address drug addiction as a health issue.  Most of the violence is fueled by the illegal drug trade. If drugs were legal, there would be less violence associated with the trade. The drug trade should be regulated and controlled just like the alcohol and cigarettes trade.  Instead of using church money for airplanes, mansions and magnificent church buildings, our churches must use their resources to fight drug addiction and violence in Baltimore.

The violence will end when community groups, churches and local politicians bring drug cartels and gangs to the negotiation table. If peace can be achieved in Ireland and South Africa, it be achieved in Baltimore.