Police Brutality in Brooklyn, Even on the National Day of Action Against Police Brutality
posted by: Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux 66 days ago
In the wake of the Henry Louis Gates incident of July, there has been a lot of conversation about police brutality, what defines it, and how often it goes unreported. The bottom line: these incidents are often based around altercations between police and people of color, and they occur far too often. The Skip Gates incident jarred many people into realizing that despite our president's ethnicity, we are not post-race, and we are certainly not past the excessive abuse of power on the part of law enforcement officials (although there are many police officers who would never dream of doing so). Yesterday was the National Day of Action Against Police Brutality, which makes the video that Courtney Martin just posted on Feministing all the more bitterly ironic. From a Feministing reader:
"This morning at 11:30am a young woman was having an altercation with about 8 folks from the nypd at the R/M 25th st stop in bklyn. After it was over and she was on her way to the turn style, they came back to arrest her. When she resisted, they tasered her. Clearly, I don't know the background, but she was one, unarmed, woman and the tasering was undeniably excessive."
The video is about a minute and a half long, and it shows in horrifying detail exactly what this reader described - a young woman who was clearly not a serious threat to the three or four police officers, resisted them, mostly by kicking, because they were holding her arms. This was the point at which she was tasered, screamed, and fell to the ground. The police then handcuffed her and she continued to lie on the ground. I've linked to the Feministing post here, where you can see the video for yourself.
I was obviously not there, and like the Feministing reader who sent in the video, I don't know the background. A Feministing commenter has also suggested that this was not police brutality at all - that there must have been some further altercation that occurred before the tape started rolling, even though her kicking seems to have been in response to the presence of the taser. But the idea that these police officers needed to taser the young woman does seem excessive - from the video we have, they could have subdued her in other ways. There were eight police officers, and this woman was unarmed. The Skip Gates incident blew up because it involved a high-profile black scholar, but what about occurrences like this one?
Here's what Obama said in response to Lynn Sweet's question about race and police brutality last July:
"Now, I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that. But I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact."
What do you think? How can we combat police brutality, and what role does race play? And how do you feel about this particular incident? Do you feel that violence or abuses of power by police are a problem in your community?
"This morning at 11:30am a young woman was having an altercation with about 8 folks from the nypd at the R/M 25th st stop in bklyn. After it was over and she was on her way to the turn style, they came back to arrest her. When she resisted, they tasered her. Clearly, I don't know the background, but she was one, unarmed, woman and the tasering was undeniably excessive."
The video is about a minute and a half long, and it shows in horrifying detail exactly what this reader described - a young woman who was clearly not a serious threat to the three or four police officers, resisted them, mostly by kicking, because they were holding her arms. This was the point at which she was tasered, screamed, and fell to the ground. The police then handcuffed her and she continued to lie on the ground. I've linked to the Feministing post here, where you can see the video for yourself.
I was obviously not there, and like the Feministing reader who sent in the video, I don't know the background. A Feministing commenter has also suggested that this was not police brutality at all - that there must have been some further altercation that occurred before the tape started rolling, even though her kicking seems to have been in response to the presence of the taser. But the idea that these police officers needed to taser the young woman does seem excessive - from the video we have, they could have subdued her in other ways. There were eight police officers, and this woman was unarmed. The Skip Gates incident blew up because it involved a high-profile black scholar, but what about occurrences like this one?
Here's what Obama said in response to Lynn Sweet's question about race and police brutality last July:
"Now, I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that. But I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact."
What do you think? How can we combat police brutality, and what role does race play? And how do you feel about this particular incident? Do you feel that violence or abuses of power by police are a problem in your community?
Read more: race, human rights, police brutality, tasering
comments
i sort of cant blame them, u have no idea wot kind of wackos they have 2 deal wid on daily basis. drug addicts, alcoholics, armed criminals; I'd b brutal too!
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If you are poor, like me, you see a different side of "police work". If you ride in a motorcade you see the other side. If you own a bank or live in a gated community you see the other side. If you are a Tory or Grit politician you see the other side. If you pay your protection money you see the other side. Just saying.
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Typical, police are afraid too, like any other human being, when faced with a violent situation....however, that being said, these officers outnumbered their target individual by enough to have subdued her without a tazer. I think someone likes their little toy a bit too much. It's hard to be objective about something like this, because I know what a tazer can do to a person, and I know they use a tazer with electrodes that attach....meaning the user can keep the trigger depressed, and keep the current pulsing through the targets body. This is fearsome, and it needs serious regulation.
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Unbelievable what these pigs get away with!
We got that problem up here in Canada, too. In fact, I live in the very same city in which Robert Dzeikanski was killed (or murdered, as one of my friends likes to put it) by four overzealous police officers. Some of these guys must be on steroids or something; I thought they were supposed to stand AGAINST bullying. How can they look themselves in a mirror at night? I imagine not with alot of enthusiasm.
This police brutality has got to stop. Otherwise, who are we going to call when we're in trouble? I'm not gonna call someone that will only make it worse...
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why is this inappropriate?
Just maybe the title of this day should be "Honor The Police Who Serve You."
Just maybe the police may be more in tune with every community.
The following is an opinion:
If blacks/hispanics would talk more positively of what the police do & are for the children listen......The children as well have been listening to all the negatives for over fifty/one hundred years. Parents have got to be as honorable as they want the authorities to be but, all to often that is not the case.
Set a new improved example for the future............
Knock on wood-Plant trees for life.................
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Joseph.....I'm inclined to agree with you since I too found no way to pull up this so called video. It is possible someone planted this story here just to see what comments would come out of it.
And, all the comments have been varied as viewpoints go........
Knock on wood.......Plant trees for life.......
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The "so-called" event of a woman being tasered in a Brooklyn subway station appears to be a complete fabrication. I went to the website that is mentioned as having had the original posting of the source video, "feministing.com" to view the video, as I live in Brooklyn, and the story, as we say in Brooklyn, "did NOT sound kosher". When I did not find any video, there, I went straight to YouTube, which is the "home" of the video. When I tried to play the video, on YouTube, the following words appeared: This is a private video. If you have been sent this video, make sure you accept the sender's friend request." So, I went the personal web blog of the woman who had put the video on YouTube, named Courtney Martin, and got her email address, and emailed her, asking to send me a "friend request", so I could view the video, or email me the video, as an email attachment. courtneymartin@yahoo.com It's been a few days, and I haven't heard from her. If anyone has bothered to make an attempt to actually view this video, and succeeded, I would certainly appreciate finding out your secret method. Email me at josephsalowitz@yahoo.com Put "taser" in your subject line so that I don't delete it, as coming from someone I don't know. I am very disappointed in this petition site, which I had respected very highly, in that they made no effort to actually view the video that is the basis of this petition.
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why is this inappropriate?
Staement:
They are acclimated to go out and get Black men and Latino men especially. This is reality and it must change.
Question:
What kind of changes & how would you fairly immpliment those chages?
Statement: All lies when you get on the streets, in the grocery store and and even in these forums.
Question: Are you saying people of color are being monitored, followed, looked at, chased, accused of something the moment they step out of their own doors?
Statement:
Black and Latinos do not have the resources to fight back so they fight back in other ways.
If all these people of color have no way to fight back at whatever.......Are you the only minority that has this power of?
Statement:
Had there not been death threats on the officers life, he would still be walking the streets. The officers cop out was that he thought he was using his tazor gun. WTH!
Question: Was there death threats made against the cop(s)? Very confused wording in statement.
Finally who do you call when a gang of your own has murdered one of your own?
Hypothetically if all cops were black how much different would your life/anyones life or community be? How would those black cops treat whites on a daily basis?
Plant trees for life........Knock on wood.............
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AS the wife of a law enforcement officer - one who almost lost his life last December to a white man, driving drunk, in speeds over 100 mph down back roads in our County - I agree there are some bad cops but the majority of cops/law enforcement do not want to harm anyone. I can't speak for the incident that happened in Brooklyn NY and thankfully the law enforcement in my state dont carry tazers...but 8 police officers should have been able to restrain this lady without use of the tazer...
I will say this - if a law enforcement officer tells you to stop - STOP -
I can tell you that my husband does not get paid enough for the job he does - When your driving down the road and a car speeds by you - can you see the color of the drivers skin? Well imagine if your sitting still watching radar - and looking at makes and models of cars - now imagine being able to see he color of the drivers skin? Think on that one!!!
Catherine O'Neill "As a sister of a retired Police Officer who put his life on the line for 25yrs all I'm going to say is Walk a mile in their shoes!!It's a disgrace to even have a national brutality day like this. They need a national respect the Police day!! Give me a break"....AMEN and thank your brother for his service!!!
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why is this inappropriate?
Police must be retrained
Retrained for what & in what way?
I know some people will be offended and cry out about how we are all the same and there is not race difference, blah, blah blah!. All lies when you get on the streets, in the grocery store and and even in these forums.
Yes, I do agree we are all different. Few of us see the world in one way. If all of us are proud of who & what we are it makes sense we would not see the world the same.
I have the resources to stop some of the harassment of my children.
What resources do you have that others don't?
I suggest you read the case involving Gary Christian and Mary Newsom in Knoxville, Tenn. It is not about the police per se but it just may give you a clue to why some police act as they do. And, I'm not saying it is right or wrong but there are criminal cases that just make cops in general a bit sick to the stomach at what some people are capable of.
Since we've had the Mexican invasion 51.000 Americans have been murdered by them. Blacks commit more than 70% of major crimes in this country.
Some police are mean others not. Just depends on how much they see, hear & deal with that we don't.
My point of view on this subject.......Translated as free speech comment without name calling or slanderous rebuttal.
Plant trees for life.................
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