Police Brutality
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Irvo Otieno, who came to the United States at the age of four with his family from Kenya, died while in the custody of Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County in Virginia. Video footage shared with a grand jury showed seven Henrico County sheriff’s deputies and three hospital employees piling atop Otieno for 12 minutes before he stopped moving.
According to the Associated Press, Irvo Otieno crossed paths with Henrico police on March 2, who then delivered him to Parham Doctors Hospital per an emergency mental health order. The police report stated that Otieno became aggressive with the officers upon arrival at Parham and moved him to the Henrico County Jail for holding.
On March 6, Otieno was moved to Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County, just southwest of Petersburg, Va. It was there that Otieno succumbed to being smothered by the deputies and hospital staff while shackled with leg irons and handcuffed.
In a hearing that was held earlier in March, Dinwiddie Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Baskervill said, “In the video at Central State you see at least a knee inflicted on the body, which is — we’ve seen this before as a country. He was held down on the ground, pinned on the ground for 12 minutes by all seven of our defendants charged here.”
The outlet adds that two of the 10 indicted attempted to have their legal team stop the entering of the security footage from the hospital into evidence but were unsuccessful as the grand jury witnessed the video earlier on Tuesday (March 20).
Irvo Otieno was 28 at the time of his death.
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Photo: CNN
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A new report discloses that the majority of stops made by the New York Police Department last year consisted of Black & Latino drivers, furthering concern from social justice advocates.
According to reports, findings from a comprehensive compilation of data from the New York Civil Liberties Union showed that NYPD officers stopped, searched, and arrested Black & Latino drivers at a far higher rate than white drivers last year. The report showed that more than over 670,000 drivers were stopped last year. 15,000 of those stops led to arrests, with 49% of those drivers being Black and 39% being Latino.
“Race plays a big role in what happens to motorists after they get stopped and that number just jumps off the page,” NYCLU Legal Director Chris Dunn said. “Something is wrong when you see 9 out of ten people getting arrested are Black or Latino.” The report also detailed how the amount of those stopped was equal to the amount recorded at the height of the city’s stop-and-frisk era under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2011.
The data revealed more disturbing facts about these stops by law enforcement. The Policing Project, a research group founded at New York University, found that the NYPD only recorded data concerning the race of the driver for just over 620,000 of the stops. Another fact was that in those stops where force was used and race was recorded, 92% of the cases reported involved Black and Latino drivers. It was also found that arrests occurred only 2.2% of the time after these stops.
The news comes as the NYPD is being criticized for its actions during these traffic stops, with reports of excessive force being inflicted and civilians being shot as they’re taking place. The Civilian Complaint Review Board has investigated numerous complaints by civilians over their treatment during these stops and substantiated hundreds of them by charging officers with violating policy.
“We know that doesn’t work. We know that does not fix crime problems and we see year after year, very few people are getting arrested as a result of stop and frisk,” Dunn concluded. “Most people are getting stopped and frisked are innocent people and they’re Black and brown New Yorkers.”
More scrutiny of this report comes weeks after the death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis after he was detained at a traffic stop on January 7th. To date, five officers involved in the beating that led to his death are currently awaiting trial after being fired, then indicted. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has defended the stops in the past on several occasions.
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Jason Whitlock doesn’t deserve a bit of our attention but we can’t stand by and ignore his latest head-scratching statement in the name of free thought. The sportscaster and political commentator called into question the various protests cropping up in the wake of a video going wide showing the murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Black Memphis police officers.
Jason Whitlock, 55, tweeted out a question Friday night (Jan. 27) regarding the reaction to the footage of the five officers beating Nichols after a traffic stop, who later succumbed to his injuries on Jan 10. The city of Memphis continually urged its residents and outside observers to show restraint once the footage of the encounter went wide.
While the Memphis Police Department promptly fired and changed the five officers, most took note of the fact that action was swift when it came to these officers which stand in contrast to actions handed down to their white counterparts involved in similar incidents nationwide.
That fact was seemingly lost on Whitlock, and his tweet displayed his seemingly feigned curiosity as to why people are angered.
“Five police officers in Memphis appear to have committed a violent homicide. They’ve been fired and charged with second-degree murder. What is the protest about? What hasn’t happened?” Whitlock tweeted.
Shortly after that tweet, Whitlock shared a promo for his Blaze TV show, Fearless, which was centered around respecting law enforcement officers and the like. It was a clear shot at the encounter Nichols had with the elite SCORPION police unit in Memphis just mere yards from his home.
One of the most outlandish comments to come from Whitlock came from his appearance on Tucker Carlson’s show discussing the video and the passing of Nichols. While Whitlock was clear in calling the acts of the officers a crime, something he’s never done so swiftly in the past it seems, there was one point of contention that journalist Gretchen Carlson noted in a tweet.
Whitlock quote-tweeted with a response, writing, “What was crazy about my comment, Gretchen? What are the benefits of communities/neighborhoods run by matriarchal, baby-mama culture? You planning to relocate your intact nuclear family into one?”
There is no changing the sturdy, ham-fisted mind of Jason Whitlock and we’ll spare readers more of his asinine commentary. However, what we will share is how Twitter is cooking him and his ashy sew-in alive. Keep scrolling.
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On Friday evening (Jan. 27), the Memphis police department shared the footage of Tyre Nichols being beaten so badly by its former police officers that the 29-year-old eventually succumbed to his injuries.
The five Black cops who beat Nichols to death have been arrested and indicted for charges including murder and kidnapping, and after much salivation for it by mainstream media, the footage is now out in the world. NewsOne reported on what can be seen (be warned the footage is graphic and disturbing, and you are under no obligation to watch):
The video, which was released on the city of Memphis’ Vimeo account, comes just a day after five Memphis police officers responsible for the beating death of the 29-year-old were charged with second-degree murder.
If you would like to watch the videos click here. The videos contain graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.
Ahead of the release, Nichols’ mother RowVaughn Wells gave an emotional speech at a news conference Friday, where she said she was still processing the tragic death of her son.
Four videos were released in total. In the first clip, Nichols can be heard saying “I didn’t do anything” and complying with the seemingly aggressive officers. He can also be heard saying “I’m just trying to go home.”
The incident occurred on Jan. 7 when Nicholes was stopped on suspicion of reckless driving. So far, there is no evidence of reckless driving. He died several days later and an autopsy, ordered by his family, said the cause of death was due to internal bleeding.
Protests have already begun. If only the same energy being used to urge people to protest peacefully was used to urge cops not to kill people.
Pray for Trye Nichols and his family. May he rest in power and may justice be served.
Written By D.L. Chandler , Senior Editor Posted 8 mins ago @dlchandler123 D.L. Chandler is a veteran of the Washington D.C. metro writing scene, working as a journalist, reporter, and culture critic. Initially freelancing at iOne Digital in 2010, he officially joined the iOne team in 2017 where he currently works as a Senior Editor […]
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The family of Tyre Nichols and their lawyers including Benjamin Crump are speaking out against the Memphis police after seeing footage of him being brutally beaten at a traffic stop, leading to his death.
On Monday (Jan. 23), members of Tyre Nichols’ family and their lawyers spoke to the press about his death after privately viewing video footage of a confrontation with police officers from Jan. 7 when he was confronted at a stop 80 yards from his home. According to attorney Benjamin Crump, Nichols was beaten for three minutes, asking “What did I do?” Nichols would die of his injuries three days later.
Standing alongside Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, attorney Nicholas Romanucci, denounced the incident. “He was a human piñata for those police officers,”, he said. “Not only was it violent, it was savage.” He detailed seeing the officers restraining the 29-year-old, using a stun gun and pepper spray on him in the video footage.
The five Memphis police officers on the scene – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith – were all fired after an internal investigation by the department found that they used excessive force. They, like Nichols, are Black. Crump stated in the press conference that this factor was immaterial to the case.
“It is not the race of the police officer that is the determining factor of the amount of force, it is the race of the citizen,” he said. “It is about the Black and brown citizens that get dealt excessive force from the police officers, whether they are Black, white or brown, and it has to stop.”
Investigations by the FBI and the Department of Justice in addition to those by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations have already commenced. The city of Memphis has promised transparency, which has led many to question when the footage of the incident will be released to the public.
“Family and the attorneys we have will not stop until we get justice,” said Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells. “And like I said from day one, justice for us is murder one, and anything less than that we will not accept.” Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said in a statement that he expects the video to be released either this week or next.
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The NYPD found itself in poor public light once again after an incident between an officer and a Black teenager was caught on video and went wide. The scuffle caught the attention of New York Mayor Eric Adams, who spoke out about the actions of the officer that was later suspended as an investigation was launched.
According to a report from NBC 4 New York, the unnamed NYPD officer was near Port Richmond High School and I.S. 5 and en route to detain a 14-year-old girl when the teen’s younger sister reportedly swung at the officer, prompting him to hit her back. The older sister also reportedly reached for the officer’s handcuffs and struck him as well.
More from NBC 4 New York:
The 14-year-old was arrested and the younger sister given a juvenile report for the alleged assault. Their mother is calling for a full investigation of what went down.
“They’re supposed to be protected by the police officers and I didn’t expect them to get hurt,” said Taneesha Robinson, who added that her daughter is doing better and “basically has a headache now.” Robinson said it’s not up to her if the officer should face further discipline.
As for the officer, who has been on the job for 14 years, he has been suspended, according to the NYPD, with an internal investigation underway into what led up to the encounter.
The NYPD said via its official Twitter account that the officers who were on the scene are under investigation by the Internal Affairs Bureau.
Mayor Adams addressed the incident during a press conference on Wednesday (Jan. 4) and said that bodycam footage will be reviewed by all the proper authorities.
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