| Police Mayhem Police brutality caught on video: Philadelphia police beat three unarmed suspects The Rodney King beating "Here's your Patriot Act! Here's your f***ing abuse of power!" (Police torture a student who refused to show his student ID) "Don't tase me, bro!" (A student asking questions is cut off by police, tackled, tasered and dragged out of the hall) Lawrence, Kansas: Gregg Sevier's parents called 911 because he was depressed and suicidal. They asked for a mental health professional but instead got two police officers who picked the lock to Gregg's bedroom door. Gregg pointed a knife at them and they shot him six times. One bullet went through Gregg and the wall and struck his sister Judy. Bronx, New York: Amadou Diallo was chased by four plainclothes police officers into his apartment building. Apparently thinking they were robbers, he tried to hand over his wallet, but the police opened fire at close range and hit him with 19 bullets, killing him. The other 22 bullets missed him. Diallo was unarmed. New York, New York: Abner Louima was sodomized with a plunger by two police officers in a police department bathroom, to the point that his intestines were ruptured and he suffered severe damage to his internal organs. Austin, Texas: Rodney Wickware died after being assaulted by five police officers trying to arrest him for walking through traffic on foot. Austin, Texas: A woman who woke up in jail after being arrested for driving while intoxicated suspected she had been raped in jail. The police told hospital staff NOT to perform a rape test, and they didn't. Ellis, Texas: Emile Duhamel died in prison due to heat exhaustion. Richmond, Texas: Robert "Jack" Williams was shot six times and killed during a traffic stop. Williams was unarmed. Houston, Texas: Derek Kaeserman was shot and killed by seven Houston police officers who had surrounded his truck after a brief chase. Police fired 59 rounds into the truck. Mr. Kaeserman was unarmed. Bellaire, Texas: Travis Allen was shot twice in the back and killed while laying on the floor under arrest. He was unarmed. Nashville, Tennessee: Leon Fisher was shot and killed by police after being stopped for speeding. According to bystanders, Fisher was handcuffed when he was shot, sparking a riot. Greenville, South Carolina: Jamel Radcliff died of asphyxiation after four guards choked him and beat his head on the concrete floor. He was arrested for not paying a fine. Boston, Massachusetts: Rev. Accelyne Williams died of a heart attack when a SWAT team burst into his home to carry out a drug raid, but it was the wrong apartment. Gaithersburg, Maryland: Becky Garnet was shot in the back of the head and killed as she sat in her car during a traffic stop. The police officer thought she had a gun, but it was a bag of potato chips. Cincinatti, Ohio: Roger Owensby Jr. died of asphyxiation while being arrested by police when he fled during questioning. Newark, New Jersey: Earl Faison died in police custody after police sprayed him in the face with chemicals. He was mistaken for another man who had killed a police officer the year before. Louisville, Kentucky: While participating in a strike at the GE plant, Kjeston "Michelle" Rodgers, 40, was hit and killed by a police car. Police claim it was an accident, but there is a long history of police killing strikers. If YOU ever hit and kill someone, see if "it was an accident" gets you out of trouble! Los Angeles, California: Sherman Austin, 19, had his home ransacked by FBI and local police armed with automatic weapons. They took his computer equipment, political literature and his car and shut down his anarchist "Raise the Fist" website. A few days later he was arrested while participating in a demonstration, and was held for 13 days under the "Patriot Act", some of that time spent in an icy cell with just a t-shirt. He was moved around the country to various prisons, but was then released without being charged. He never got any of his stuff back. Update: They finally found something to charge him with - a link on his web site to a web site with information about explosives. He served a year in jail! Apparently chemistry is illegal in California. Return to Ed's personal page |
| Benton Harbor, Michigan: Police chasing a speeding motorcyclist rammed the motorcycle, throwing it out of control and into a building. As the man lay dying on the pavement, officers "high-fived" each other, sparking a riot. Cincinnati, Ohio: Nathaniel Jones was beaten to death by six police officers with metal nightsticks who were questioning him for sleeping in his car. His death was ruled a homicide by the coroner, but no charges or disciplinary action of any kind was taken against the officers. |
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| below: Los Angeles Police beat suspect after he surrenders |
| Topeka, Kansas: The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) complained in July 2004 that the new law requiring them to investigate the deaths of prisoners is straining their resources. They want the Legislature to consider revoking the law. Six people had died in custody in Kansas since the law went into effect in January 2004. |
| Denver, Colorado: Police shot and killed Frank Lobato, a 63 year old disabled man, when they mistook his soda can for a gun. They previously shot and killed Ismael Mena during a drug raid on the wrong house. |
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| Providence, RI shooting suspect Esteban Carpio appears in court after police interrogation. Note that he is still bleeding. |