Police Brutality
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Donald Trump might enjoy favorable support among his base but the race for the White House against his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, remains tightly contested. However, Donald Trump took things to a shocking level when he essentially endorsed police brutality to stamp out crime.
Donald Trump was in Pennsylvania on Sunday (September 29) and delivered a speech that should have been focused on his policies but devolved into him spouting debunked claims of crime rising under President Joe Biden’s administration and more talking points that he’s largely remained committed to. However, things took a dark turn when the former president suggested the police be allowed to use rough tactics to stop crime, especially in the world of retail theft.
“See, we have to let the police do their job,” Trump began. “And if they have to be extraordinarily rough…and you know the funny thing about all of that stuff. Look at the department stores. You see these guys walking out with an air conditioner and a refrigerator on their backs.”
The Trump faithful applauded on cue during this speech segment the business mogul continued to deliver his dangerous rhetoric.
“And the police aren’t allowed to do their job,” Trump continued. “They’re told if you do anything, you’re going to lose your pension, you’re going to lose your family, your house, your car. The police want to do it. The Border Patrol wants to do it. They’re not allowed to do it because the liberal left won’t let them do it.”
He continued to double down on the threat of police violence against theft, once again to the approving cheers of his supporters.
“One rough hour, and I mean real rough, the word will get out, and it will end immediately, end immediately. You know, it will end immediately,” Trump said.
On X, formerly Twitter, observers have likened Donald Trump’s support of concentrated and lawless police violence to the film franchise, The Purge, in which for 24 hours, crimes can be committed without consequences.
We’ve got reactions listed below.
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Photo: Getty
1. Regardless of what people are framing it as, it’s scary to imagine.
2. Worth a watch.
4. Some more talking points about what Trump may allegedly be angling for.
10. Instead of reducing it to name-calling, just keep educating. It’s all new information for some.
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Not that we needed confirmation that Tyre Nichols, the victim of arguably one of the most vicious police brutality attacks ever recorded, wasn’t a threat to the five Memphis police officers who allegedly beat him to death during a January 2023 stop, but one of the officers testified Monday that Nochols’ killing didn’t need to happen because, in fact, he “wasn’t a threat.”
According to the Associated Press, ex-officer Emmitt Martin III — who pleaded guilty last month to using excessive force and failing to intervene in the unlawful assault, as well as conspiracy to cover up his use of unlawful force — took the stand in the federal trial of his former co-workers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, all of whom have pleaded not guilty to charges accusing them of depriving Nichols of his civil rights through excessive force and failure to intervene, and obstructed justice through witness tampering. The fifth former officer, Desmond Mills Jr., also took a plea deal in exchange for testimony against Bean, Haley and Smith.
From AP:
For the first time in the trial, jurors heard from one of the officers who beat Nichols. Martin said he and his former colleagues — members of the Scorpion Unit, a Memphis police team that looked for drugs, illegal guns and violent criminals — would justify the force they used against a person by exaggerating the person’s actions against them. The unit was disbanded shortly after Nichols’ death.
Martin said he saw Nichols speed up to beat a red light and then change lanes without signaling, leading Martin to follow Nichols with his police car lights on. Haley eventually stopped Nichols’ Nissan, pulled out his gun and snatched Nichols from his vehicle without telling Nichols why he was stopped.
Martin also had his gun out, and joined Haley in trying to restrain Nichols while yelling various conflicting commands, such as telling Nichols to give the officers his hands, turn on his stomach and put his hands behind his back.
Meanwhile, Nichols was passively resisting the officers in a non-aggressive manner — by pulling his hands away from the officers, who were trying to handcuff him without telling him why, Martin said.
Cops always seem to be surprised and offended when a citizen, especially a Black citizen, wants to know why they’re being arrested before they just surrender willingly. It’s almost as if a police officer’s ego just can’t take their authority being challenged even when the challenge is reasonable. Nichols wanted to know why he was being taken in during a routine traffic stop, and he was killed for it.
“He wasn’t a threat,” Martin testified. “He was helpless.”
According to the New York Times, Martin also admitted that he punched and kicked the 29-year-old during the altercation, and he lied about it, confident that his fellow officers would back him up.
“I knew they weren’t going to tell on me,” Martin said. “And I wasn’t going to tell on them.”
A lot of “back the blue” advocates might be surprised to learn how often the “blue wall of silence” is all that separates police officers from common criminals. Of course, the streets has its own no-snitch policy, but no one on those streets committing violent crimes has the backing of a police union and a “justice” system that they can almost always count on to give them the benefit of the doubt.
“These are criminal defendants, they just happen to be police officers,” Kami N. Chavis, a law professor at the College of William & Mary and director of the school’s criminal justice program, told the Times. “The fact that they are testifying against their fellow officers says nothing about the code of silence. It says the code of silence is so strong it took a criminal proceeding in order for these officers to finally tell the truth.”
Martin acknowledged to prosecutors that he was testifying in hopes of receiving a more lenient prison sentence, but he also claimed he was turning on his fellow officers “just get this off of me.”
“I can’t sit here and live with a lie — the truth needs to come out,” he said. “It was eating me up inside to live with a lie.”
But if this case had just been a drop in a sea of police brutality cases that get swept under the rug regularly, would he still have been so guilt-ridden? Would he have offered up this mea culpa if he wasn’t facing any prison time at all?
All five ex-officers have been charged with second-degree murder in state court, and all of them pleaded not guilty, including Martin. AP noted that Martin and Mills are expected to change their pleas. A court date for their state trial has not yet been scheduled.
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The Miami-Dade Police Department released the body cam video of Tyreek Hill’s arrest, and social media was furious over it.
On Monday evening (September 9), the Miami-Dade Police Department released the body camera footage of when star Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was detained by officers. The video showed more of the incident that took place, causing more outrage from those who viewed it through social media. Officers detained Hill on Sunday (September 8) just blocks away from Hard Rock Stadium, where the Dolphins were set to open their season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The initial video sent out shows Hill being pulled over by a motorcycle cop, unsure as to why he was stopped.
https://twitter.com/jjones9/status/1833274839261683829?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1833274839261683829%7Ctwgr%5E6061e4fc2f0a8c1b4fa1e37bd092d7537dda3dfa%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Ftyreek-hill-police-release-body-cam-footage-of-detainment-before-dolphins-season-opener-230114871.html
In a thread by Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640, the officers are seen talking to Hill, getting his attention by knocking on the driver’s window. “Hey don’t knock on my window like that,” Hill is heard saying to the officer, who then asked Hill why he wasn’t wearing a seat belt. Another officer is heard explaining why they stopped Hill when Hill rolls the window back up, asking for a ticket after handing over his license. At that point, the receiver is ordered out of the car. Hill rolls the window down slightly to tell them he is getting out when the second officer begins to pull on the door to get him out with another officer joining in.
Hill is then heard on the phone with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. He’s then being placed in cuffs as an officer yells, “When we tell you to do something you do it, you understand? Not when you want, but when we tell you. You’re a little f–king confused.” Hill stands up after having been sat down, informing officers about his knee surgery but is then pushed back down. “Did you have surgery on your ears when we told you to put your window down,” the officer yelled. Other Dolphins players, including Calais Campbell, tried to intervene.
https://twitter.com/AndySlater/status/1833273674033463799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1833273674033463799%7Ctwgr%5E6061e4fc2f0a8c1b4fa1e37bd092d7537dda3dfa%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Ftyreek-hill-police-release-body-cam-footage-of-detainment-before-dolphins-season-opener-230114871.html
The scene shocked many who watched the video, with calls for all officers to be fired. Attorney Ben Crump asked in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “Was this use of force really necessary?” Miami-Dade Police Director Stephanie V. Daniels told the press afterward that one of the officers was suspended until further notice.
Check out more of the reactions to the footage below.
1. Jalen Ramsey
2. Bakari Sellers
3. Jemele Hill
4. MISSISSIPPI_VOL
5. Denison Barbs
8. Gatomedianoche
9. Black Adam Schefter
As the U.S. Department of Justice initiates a review of the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a number of artists have amplified the name and memory of the 36-year-old mother of two while decrying the latest police-involved killing of a Black person by a white officer.
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“The Department of Justice is aware of and assessing the circumstances surrounding the tragic officer-involved death of Ms. Sonya Massey and extends condolences to her family and loved ones,” the federal agency wrote in a statement, according to ABC News.
“First words Sonya Massey said at her front door were ‘don’t hurt me’ she was told ‘why would we hurt you, you called us,’” Solange posted to X on Tuesday. “When have those words meant anything when [you’re] black and woman in this country when do those words protect you from not being murdered in your kitchen, in your bedroom, with your babies, or on your lawn what is ‘reassurance,’ in this place ? rest in power Sonya Massey, and an abundance of love and power to Sonya’s family on this journey.”
According to reports, Massey called 911 in the early hours of July 6 to report seeing an intruder outside her home in Springfield, Illinois, and a half-hour later, the responding officers reported shots fired and that Massey had been struck by bullets. According to ABC 7, former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, 30, was indicted on first-degree murder charges last week and is currently being jailed without bond until trial.
Per video of the incident, after checking for intruders, police went inside and Massey asked if she could walk in the other room to turn down a boiling pot on the stove. An unidentified officer who responded to the call with Grayson then moved aside and Massey is heard saying, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson, standing in the living room, then threatened to shoot Massey in the face, drawing his weapon.
Massey, in her sleeping clothes, dropped to the ground below the kitchen counter between them and put her hands up while apologizing. As she stood up with what appeared to be the upside down pot in her hand, Grayson fired three shots, including the fatal one to Massey’s head, immediately saying, “F—!,” as he realized he’d fired a fatal shot and telling his partner not to bother getting a medical kit because of the “head shot” he’d unleashed.
After bouncing around between a handful of small police departments, Grayson was hired by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in May 2023 and has since been fired in the wake of Massey’s fatal shooting and has not yet entered a plea to three charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.
Meek Mill — who has had his own yearslong battle in Pennsylvania over a prison sentence tied to parole violations tied to a decade-old drug and gun conviction — reposted a video of Massey’s devastated son describing a call from the hospital informing him that his mother was shot in the eye while refusing to tell him who had shot her. “Can you imagine the cops killing your mom on camera like that … she didn’t even have a pot in her hand she put it down … and we need to erase police reports humans lie!!!” Mill wrote Wednesday on X, adding in another post, “She didn’t even have the pot in her hand if you slow it down!”
In an X Spaces post Wednesday night, Cardi B discussed Massey, saying, “There was no argument, there was no conflict, there was no raise the voice. And she got shot. He [Grayson] didn’t say nothing racial, right? He didn’t say nothing like a racial slur, but one thing for sure is that we definitely know that he knew in the back of his head because she was a Black woman that he was going to get away with it… she got shot for no reason.” (The Massey discussion begins at the 14:29 mark.)
Canadian R&B duo Dvsn were equally horrified by the footage, writing Tuesday on X, “That Sonya Massey video really hurt to watch… that man claiming she ‘CAME at him with boiling water’ just made me think what if there was no body cam?… and how many times they’ve gotten away with these stories when it comes to us… smh. Hurts man.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running to be the Democratic nominee for president, also reacted to the startling footage. “Sonya Massey deserved to be safe,” she wrote Tuesday on X. “The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so many — we have much work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name. President Biden and I call on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill that I coauthored in the Senate. We must come together to achieve meaningful reforms that advance the safety of all communities.”
In a separate post, Biden added, “Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today. Sonya’s death at the hands of a police officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.”
Rapper Yung Miami also weighed in, writing, “Let her f—ing just what?????? Die this is beyond sickening!!!! Pure evil!!!”
See some of the tweets about Massey’s killing below. (Warning: Some of the posts below include footage from Massey’s fatal shooting.)
Can you imagine the cops killing your mom on camera like that … she didn’t even have a pot in her hand she put it down … and we need to erase police reports humans lie!!! https://t.co/i9S99BATZq— MeekMill (@MeekMill) July 25, 2024
first words Sonya Massey said at her front door were “don’t hurt me” she was told “why would we hurt you, you called us” when have those words meant anything when your black and woman in this country when do those words protect you from not being murdered in your kitchen,…— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) July 23, 2024
That Sonya Massey video really hurt to watch… that man claiming she “ CAME at him with boiling water” just made me think what if there was no body cam?… and how many times they’ve gotten away with these stories when it comes to us… smh. Hurts man— dvsn ÷ (@dvsn) July 23, 2024
Sonya Massey deserved to be safe.The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so many — we have much work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name.President Biden and I call on Congress to pass the…— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 23, 2024
Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today.Sonya’s death at the hands of a police officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.— President Biden (@POTUS) July 22, 2024
the police department is not a broken systemit is working according to plan as the militarized arm of the system of white domination sonya massey was asked to check on boiling waterthen disrespected in her home for no reason to which she responded only w godthen murdered— Vic Mensa (@VicMensa) July 23, 2024
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The state police of Illinois have filed charges against a now-former sheriff’s deputy who killed a Black woman in her own home after she called law enforcement about suspicious activity near her home.
On Wednesday (July 17), a grand jury in Sangamon County, Illinois, returned a five-count indictment against a former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy who reportedly shot and killed a Black woman, Sonya Massey (pictured above), who called police to her home about an intruder.
State’s Attorney John Milhiser announced the charges against former Deputy John Grayson, which include first-degree murder, official misconduct, and aggravated assault with a firearm. Milhiser said that the investigation by the Illinois State Police “did not support a finding that (Grayson) was justified in his use of deadly force.”
This investigation also included the body camera footage from the night of July 6, when Massey called police to her home on the 2800 block in Springfield at 1 a.m. Gunfire was reported at the address at 1:21 a.m..
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office had not offered any comment before the charges were announced, deferring to the Illinois State Police. Massey’s family and community activists held protests last week demanding that the body camera footage be released.
“It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement, further writing: “In times like these, it is crucial for leadership across all sides and spectrums to come together to heal our community.” Grayson was terminated shortly after the incident. He is expected to make his first court appearance on Thursday afternoon (July 18). Prosecutors are seeking to detain him per the Pretrial Fairness Act.
Attorney Ben Crump, notable for representing the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, is representing the Massey family in the case. “This news is a step toward justice for Sonya’s loved ones, especially her children, who have endured unimaginable pain and suffering since they were notified of this tragedy,” Crump said in a statement. “We remain committed to uncovering the truth of what happened and identifying the failures that allowed this tragic death to occur.”
The attorney also said in the statement released on Wednesday that Grayson allegedly shot the 36-year-old woman in the face. Massey’s family viewed the body camera footage from that night in private that evening. The funeral for Massey will be held on Friday (July 19).
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Photo: Facebook/Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office
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The five former police officers involved in the death of Memphis man Tyre Nichols have been officially indicted by a federal grand jury.
On Tuesday (September 12th), the Justice Department announced that the five former Memphis Police Department officers were indicted on four federal criminal charges in relation to the 29-year-old Black man after he was assaulted on January 7th, accusing them of violating his civil rights. “Tyre Nichols should be alive today. No one in this country should have to bury a loved one because of police violence,” said Kristin Clarke, head of the civil rights division of the Justice Department.
The four counts consist of two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. The grand jury concluded that the officers – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith – unlawfully assaulted Tyre Nichols and then refused to disclose his injuries to medical responders and willfully refused him medical aid. Nichols would die three days later in the hospital due to injuries sustained from the brutal beating inflicted on him. Those two counts could carry a sentence of life in prison if convicted for each defendant. The other two counts of witness tampering and obstruction carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
The federal charges are separate from the charges brought by Tennessee state prosecutors against the former officers, who are also Black. Those charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and official misconduct came after the five were fired and barred from working with law enforcement in the state. Memphis Police Department also disbanded the SCORPION unit they were attached to. The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office welcomed the federal charges, adding that the trials would likely intersect.
“We all heard Mr. Nichols cry out for his mother and say, ‘I’m just trying to go home.’” Said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a video statement before adding, “The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable officers who betray their oath.”
In a statement released to the press afterward, the Nichols family attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci said of the indictments: “We applaud AG Garland and Assistant AG Clarke for their tireless efforts to create federal accountability for these officers who were selected to be part of the Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION unit and savagely ended Tyre’s life, setting a critical precedent for accountability and justice.”
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JAY-Z is once again using his influence to aid those in need, specifically those who are victims of shady law enforcement.
Spotted on TMZ Hip Hop, JAY-Z and Roc Nation are coming to the aid of a Wisconsin man who was wrongfully and violently arrested, and despite the police admitting they threw coughs on the wrong man, he is still facing charges.
Per TMZ Hip Hop:
TMZ Hip Hop has learned Jay-Z’s Team ROC org has enlisted powerhouse lawyer Alex Spiro to rep Jermelle English Jr. and his family … in hopes of getting all charges dropped, and possibly to sue the Kenosha PD.
Team ROC Managing Director Dania Diaz tells TMZ Hip Hop, “The reckless arrest of Jermelle English Jr. and the careless endangerment of his infant child by the Kenosha Police Department is an absolute travesty … the Team ROC team is here to support Jermelle and his family through this traumatic experience, demand justice and hold the Kenosha police officers accountable.”
Kenosha PD’s Leo Viola tells us the department is still undergoing an internal investigation, and plans to be extremely transparent with the public once it’s completed. He adds, the Dept. initiated its probe without any outside pressure.
What Exactly Went Down That Day
According to reports, English Jr. was mistaken for a suspect in a hit-and-run. A Black couple and a child involved in an accident ran towards the Kenosha, Wisconsin Applebee’s.When police officers arrived, employees pointed them toward English Jr., sitting with his family at the time. In a video captured by an employee, English Jr. can be seen holding his child as the cops approach him.
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“He tried to go the other way, and they eventually tackled him into a wall, and the baby had his head on the wall. They had at least four cops on his back,” said restaurant manager Jennifer Harris. “At least a cop or two, each grabbing his arm. And still, one cop punching him over and over again in his face.”
Witnesses in the restaurant during the incident said English Jr. and his family were there well before the incident took place.
Police later realized they had the wrong man when they found the family they were looking for hiding in the Applebee’s bathroom.
Even though he was cleared, police still had the audacity to charge him and the woman he was with, Shanya Boyd, with disorderly conduct, resisting and obstructing an officer. Boyd was also accused of marijuana possession.
Spiro is working to get all of the charges dismissed.
The Kenosha PD has launched its internal investigation into the incident.
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Photo: Kevin Mazur / Getty
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Six white former Mississippi police officers, who as part of a “goon squad” tortured two Black men pleaded guilty to blocking prosecution efforts.
According to reports, the police officers pled guilty to hindering efforts by the prosecution among other charges in relation to the brutal raid and torture of two Black men at a home in Braxton on Jan. 24. Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Christian Dedmond, Hunter Elward, Daniel Opdyke and Joshua Hartfield referred to themselves as a “goon squad” because of their willingness to use excessive force. Five of the men were deputies with the Rankin Police Department while Hartfield was a narcotics investigator for the Richland Police Department.
“To my knowledge,” said Trent Walker, an attorney for victims Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins, “never in the history of Mississippi have, in particular, white officers been held to account for brutality against Black victims.” The six men were found to have committed actions hindering obstruction in the case, which included giving false statements to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and intimidating others involved with that incident and others.
The brutal assault on Jenkins and Parker Jan. 24 included deputies hurling racial slurs at the two, beating and torturing them with various objects, resulting in Jenkins being shot in the mouth. He and Parker would be charged with disorderly conduct, with Jenkins being accused of assaulting an officer and drug possession. All the charges would eventually be dropped.
After being federally convicted, the former officers face varying lengths of prison time. Dedmon and Elward each face up to 120 years, in addition to a life sentence. Opdyke faces a sentence of up to 100 years and McAlpin faces a sentence of up to 90 years; Hartfield and Middleton each face up to 80 years. University of South Carolina School of Law professor Seth W. Stoughton said of the situation that it was “reminiscent of the most blatant racist abuses by police in the Jim Crow and Civil Rights era. This was a lynch mob of officers, pure and simple.” Many are calling for Rankin Police Chief Bryan Bailey to resign, but he has vehemently refused and plans to run again for sheriff in November.
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New York City has agreed to pay out over $13 million in a settlement with protesters over their treatment during arrests by police in 2020.
On Wednesday (July 19th), the settlement amount of $13.7 million was agreed to by city officials. The settlement is in response to a civil lawsuit filed on behalf of 1,300 individuals who were arrested and/or beaten by members of the New York Police Department during protests over the killing of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Once approved by a judge, the settlement would rank among the most expensive ever recorded. Other cities are in the process of negotiating their own settlements with those who filled streets across the country in outrage.
“Today’s settlement is historic, and I’m very proud that it will bring some sense of justice to nearly 1,400 people who took to the streets and put their bodies on the line against police brutality,” attorney Wylie Stecklow said with other attorneys from the National Lawyers Guild representing the plaintiffs in a press conference at Foley Square in lower Manhattan afterward. Plaintiffs described their treatment in testimony during the two years of litigation to the press, including “kettling” or forcibly boxing people into a tight space and having zip ties placed on them until their hands turned purple as described by Adam Sow. “It was so disorganized but so intentional,” they said. “They seemed set on traumatizing everyone.”
If approved, each plaintiff in the suit would be slated to receive $9,950. There is another class action settlement that was announced in March which would award over $21,000 to those who were arrested by the NYPD at one protest in the Bronx. Over 600 other people have filed suits against the city, costing over $12 million to date. The city has denied any unconstitutional practices. “There is no history — or present or future — of unconstitutional policing,” Georgia Pestana, an attorney for the city, wrote in a legal filing. “There is no frequent deprivation of constitutional rights.” The Law Department of the city released a statement saying, “The NYPD has improved numerous practices to address the challenges it faced at protests during the pandemic. This settlement was in the best interests of all parties.”
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A Mississippi boy was shot in the chest by a police officer who responded to a 911 call he made to help his mother in a domestic dispute.
On May 20, Aderrien Murry was directed by his mother, Nakala, to call 911 after the father of one of his siblings came home “irate” at 4 a.m. Indianola Police Department officer Greg Capers arrived on the scene and “had his gun drawn at the front door and asked those inside the home to come outside.” Murry then said her son Aderrien complied and was shot coming around the corner from his room into the living room.
According to NewsOne, “Once he came from around the corner, he got shot,” Murry said. “I cannot grasp why. The same cop that told him to come out of the house. (Aderrien) did, and he got shot. He kept asking, ‘Why did he shoot me? What did I do wrong?’”
Nakala Murry acted swiftly, pressing her hand on Aderrien’s wound as “he sang gospel songs and prayed while bleeding out.” The boy was then rushed to the University of Mississippi Medical Center of Jackson where he was given a chest tube and placed on a ventilator. Aderrien had suffered a collapsed lung, fractured ribs and a lacerated liver as a result of the shooting. He was released from the hospital on Wednesday (May 24).
Officer Capers was placed on paid administrative leave by the Indianola Board of Aldermen. The family attorney for the Murrrys, Carlos Moore, blasted the decision. “Aderrien came within an inch of losing his life,” Moore said to CNN. “It’s not OK for a cop to do this and get away with this. The mother asked Aderrien to call the police on her daughter’s father. He walked out of his room as directed by the police and he got shot.” Nakala Murry said that “no one came to the hospital from the police station” and that she hadn’t spoken to any police investigators.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation released a statement over the weekend saying that it was “currently assessing this critical incident and gathering evidence,” planning to release its findings to the state attorney general. They refused to offer further information to the press. “Due to this being an open and ongoing investigation, no further comment will be made.”