Author: Brahm Resnik
Published: 1:59 PM MST February 25, 2020
Updated: 3:13 PM MST February 26, 2020
PHOENIX —
For the first time in Phoenix, residents will have some oversight of the police who protect them.
The Phoenix City Council voted 5-4 Tuesday night to approve a civilian review board that was triggered in part by the record number of police shootings two years ago and an ugly confrontation with a family last year that led to an officer’s firing.
Read more and watch the viral video of Officer Christopher Meyer’s excessive use of force against a couple for alleged shoplifting by their 4 yo daughter.
Read more about Sergeant Daniel Beau Jones and his firing after internal investigation and civil lawsuits.
Read more to understand the discovery of scandalous FaceBook page read more and comments that got Officer Clinton David Swick fired.
Activists and community members against police violence were given the chance to air their grievances at an open City Council meeting in June 19, 2019. (Read more)
From the June meeting the City Council took a couple of actions:
1) Form a committee to study police reform
The committee’s goal is to bridge the divide between community groups and the police department, something that’s been welcomed by Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams. For the first time, we’re learning who will be on the committee. City workers said there will be 19 people, including former police officers, community activists and social advocates, including Janelle Wood.
2) Voluntary gun point reporting
The team made a recommendation to require officers to report every time they point a gun at a person. Back then, the Phoenix Police Department called the idea “concerning because it has the potential to significantly affect officers’ decision making processes during critical incidents.” It was not implemented at that time.
Four years later, there is a shift in philosophy at the Phoenix Police Department after public outcry and community meetings about officers’ use-of-force.
(Read More)
Many questions remain what, if anything, can be done to tap down the violent tendencies of Phoenix Police. Of course, a better economic system with justice and equity for everyone is glaringly not discussed.
Also helpful would be including more civilians from outside of law enforcement to widen the spectrum of experience of the committee members.
By the numbers, with 38 officer-involved shootings this year, the Phoenix Police Department is the deadliest force in the country (Sept 2018). Justice That Works says there have been nine officer-involved shootings in Chicago this year. The Los Angeles Police Department reports 28 shootings at the hands of an officer in 2018 (May 2018).
(Read more)
To learn more about the 1,166 people killed by the police.
“While the remedies varied from city to city, many were the same: Create a civilian review board to provide independent oversight, improve officer training, update use-of-force policies to stress the importance of de-escalation and the sanctity of life.”
Read entire VICE article here
Read about this crisis for indigenous people here.
Here’s a running total, state by state, of the incredible loss of lives at the hands of the police. Take a look at the Guardian Site where a definitive map is found of police killings.
2013 and 2015 were two of the safest years to be a cop in the last century
Written by Angela Grant
reblogged from failuretolisten.com
In the land of Freedom and Constitution rights, the model of democracy and human rights, there are actually no laws that obligate law enforcement to preserve human life.
“While law enforcement in the United States is given the authority to use lethal force, there is no equal obligation to respect and preserve human life.”
And there are laws that authorize the use of lethal force on protestors and activists.
A report by Amnesty International received little attention from traditional media. This report stated the US failed to comply with international standards on the use of lethal force in all 50 states. In addition, the current laws in USA fall below the lowest standards set by the Constitution.
This report is rare in its attempt to understand one of the most problematic epidemics in American History ( #PoliceBrutality ) to find meaningful solutions.
Most Black folks say police brutality always existed. However, this black person only became personally familiar with it when her son was arrested, presumed guilty and stripped of his human rights. The arrest warrant was filled with inaccuracies and fabrication, as well as no evidence, and will haunt my son for the rest of his life despite the case being dismissed and no evidence of crime ever presented in court.
This scenario is called #BlackJustice. A system supported by white supremacists and Conservative groups that cultivate hate among white people against black and other ethnic minorities.
The #CharlestonShooting terrorist Dylann Wolf was a member of such a group, that encouraged members to protect the supremacy of whites and their women. To purchase guns to protect against black men, who are portrayed as violent, a threat to the existence of white people and rapists of white women.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_white_nationalist_organizations
http://people.missouristate.edu/michaelcarlie/storage/white_supremacist_groups.htm
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/10-things-everyone-should-know-about-white-supremacy
This rhetoric is supported by many Conservatives, GOP’s Tea Party and Fox News, and is part of the daily narrative that keeps racism alive and fuels domestic terrorism against Black and Arab people. Naturally the above statement will be dismissed, replaced by the same old narrative of hate filled racism that spurs terrorism.
Amnesty’s report, taken with the War on Drugs, the Patriot Act and the upcoming TPP trade deals, point to a significant shift away from preservation of human rights and individual freedom (to pursue life and liberty), to the preservation of the United States at the expense of the World. Today’s narratives, controlled by the US Government and her allies, rationalize abuse and torture with stories that trigger fear, hate and violence.
Was Charleston Shooting terrorist Dylann Roof a lone wolf? See below…
Roof did not act alone. He had the support of the NRA, senior white supremacists, including the KKK and other Conservative terrorist groups. Many are government officials who oversee our law enforcement.
It’s time to unmask these cowardly public servants.
And it’s time for America to embrace the ideals and values forced upon other countries though sanctions and collaboration. Not acts that facilitate government torture, the use of unnecessary lethal force and human rights abuses, which result in mass incarcerations and murder of innocent civilians.
The Charleston Shooting terrorist act is not an isolated event, but a continuum of the worst of America and its people, legalized by use of unrestricted, unnecessary lethal force by police officers who have no duty to respect or preserve human life.
Michelle Cusseaux killed by Phx PD on Aug 14, 2014 during a mental health call.
The Guardian reports:
Black Americans are more than twice as likely to be unarmed when killed during encounters with police as white people, according to a Guardian investigation which found 102 of 464 people killed so far this year in incidents with law enforcement officers were not carrying weapons. Read More
updated May 28, 2015
Phoenix Police released this photo republished from azcentral.com
Admitting in court documents, Scott Michael Walters, described himself as an addict of heroin, but told the court he is not connected to the boots and gear worn in the robberies and found in his residence. A self-described heroin addict, he apparently turned to robbery after being fired from MCSO position story from abc15.com.
Phoenix CopWatch 