Houston Police Beat Woman Trying to #FilmThePolice

A mother accused Houston police officers of brutality in January. When she tried to #FilmThePolice on her phone, she said that they bruised and punched her in the face.

Annika Lewis, 26, claims that police officers beat her for trying to record them after she caught them beating on her husband during a routine traffic stop. Lewis told reporters that her injuries came at the hands of three officers.

The African-American community in Houston is in a complete uproar due to the latest events involving the Houston Police Department.

Houston police have yet to comment on the issue, while a spokesman for the police union said “I definitely don’t believe that.”

Jump for the rest of the story and #KnowYourRights:

Posted by:

Terin

#OccupyOakland: this is what Democracy looks like

Explosions, and a body hits the ground. People drop their signs and become their best selves, rushing forward to help. And then a cop throws a (non-lethal is a despicable term) GRENADE into their midst…. cops don’t snitch, but how can we respect the uniform when men with violence in their hearts get to keep wearing it?

Posted by:

Sam Patton

[Police Brutality]: BART Police in San Francisco

In San Francisco, BART police continue to make arrests while protests against them are persistent.

It all started on New Years Day, January 1, 2009 when the BART Police in San Francisco shot and killed unarmed 22-year-old, Oscar Grant. According to CNN, Officer Johannes Mehserle shot Grant fatally in the back after Grant and his friends were pulled from a train car after a report of an altercation.

In more recent news, on July 3rd of this year, BART police shot and killed yet another bystander. According to CNN:

“Police dispatchers got a call about ‘a drunk who was unsteady on his feet and in danger of falling off the platform.’

Two BART officers arrived on the scene at 9:45 p.m. And a minute later, the man — later identified as 45-year-old Charles Hill — was shot after a confrontation with police. The shooting victim was taken by paramedics to a local hospital, and pronounced dead later that night.”

… Continue Reading

Posted by:

April

Police State

I am asking myself why in the world the nation is not pissed about what is taking place on the streets of Columbus, Ohio. I think I might have just discovered the answer.

In the past month, six black men have been shot by police in Columbus, and three of those gunshot wounds proved to be fatal. While this crushing reality is certainly on the minds and on the Facebook statuses of plenty of Columbus residents, it just isn’t getting the national coverage it would seem to merit. Just as I was beginning to think that America has forgotten about us, I realized that it is not the headline of national news because people around the country are too busy ducking fists and bullets from their local law enforcement to be concerned about what is going on in little old Ohio.

… Continue Reading

Posted by:

Kwesi Low

Young Man Killed by Taser on Ohio Campus

His friends described Everette Howard as the type of person who would always give “110 percent.” He was the captain of the football and wrestling teams, so I tend to think they are right, though I can’t say for sure.

When police respond to an assault call at 3 a.m. however, seeing 110 percent of someone’s energy coming at them can be rather threatening. It will always be the case that an officer’s primary concern is making it home. Everette, apparently, did not take that into consideration.

This was also not the first time that Everette was hit with a Taser. Obviously, he survived the first one, but this time he was not so fortunate. Understandably, there is a range of responses to this tragedy and much of it hinges on the use of the Taser. With all of the attention that has been given to police brutality lately, this could be a potential hot-button issue in a city that has witnessed its share of civil unrest in recent history. This matter seems to be one where the officer used reasonable means to calm down the situation (I almost can’t believe I just said that).

… Continue Reading

Posted by:

Kwesi Low