by Murphy Browne
I have written before, and I thank you for printing my letters, of police brutality in St. JamesTown. My previous letters have been of police assaulting youth of African descent. This letter is different in that I have been the victim of police brutality.
I was attacked and assaulted on Saturday, July 8th by one of Metro's finest. I had to seek medical attention for the pain I was and still am feeling as a result of this cowardly and unprovoked attack.
Every Sunday, police come into St JamesTown in numbers, to harass and brutalise young people of African descent. They sweep in here and under the pretext of looking for drugs they harass and brutalise the young people of African descent.
The politicians and the "powers that be" are aware of these incidents yet nothing is done and the attacks continue. The "mainstream media" ignores these blatant and flagrant acts of racism and violations of Canadian citizens' Civil Rights.
We also get these "visits" on weekdays and Saturdays. Saturday, July 8th happened to be one of those days.
The police were harassing and brutalising a group of young people who were at the basketball court, some of them playing basketball and some watching the game. Police descended on these young people like a pack of wolves attacking a flock of lambs.
Two young men were singled out for special treatment. They were knocked down, put in head locks and choke holds, had knees in their backs while they were lying prone. When some of the other young people who of course were afraid tried to leave the basketball court, one policeman pulled out his gun, pointed it at them in a threatening manner and ordered them not to move.
This was a very traumatic incident for these young people. It was a terrorising few minutes for these young people looking down the barrel of a gun and wondering which one of them might be murdered by this trigger happy policeman.
I happened to be present when they were handcuffing the two young men. I asked a question and I was attacked. It was such a cowardly and unexpected attack that I am at a loss as to how someone like that is a member of the police force.
I thought they were more subtle when dealing with adults. I have asked questions before of police who were harassing young people. I am always polite and the police respond in kind.
I was my usual polite self when I spoke to the young man who was being brutalised. I was not even addressing the policeman who attacked me. I was not even close to the policeman and was shocked when he charged across the distance to where I was standing.
Armed to the teeth, this man who is probably about half my age, attacked and physically and mentally terrorised me.
I was no threat to this bully in blue.
I have never experienced such terror. I have been left shaken at the ferocity, the savagery of the attack I was subjected to at the hands of this person.
To add insult to injury the man hissed and spat a racist epithet at me.
In the aftermath of this attack I find myself wondering how the young people of St. JamesTown cope with being brutalised by police on a regular basis.
This attack has left me feeling very vulnerable and shaken. This attack has also brought home to me in horrific detail that our young people are not the only members of our community at risk of police brutality.
Each time I walk past the spot where I was brutalised, I break out in a cold sweat. I shudder to think how close I came to being murdered by someone who is paid to serve and protect me.
Yours sincerely,
Murphy Browne