The Day Ferguson Cops Were Caught in a Bloody Lie

At this moment in time it is not white racism that is hurting the black community the most.

Whites are not forcing the majority of black men not to married the mothers of their children and turn the raising of their male children far to often to local gangs just to start with,

Black women are going to colleges and earning degrees at a rate three times what black men are doing and that is not the fault of whites.

In the 1950s the out of wedlock rate for black children was only 20 percents not the current 80 percents or so and that made it hard to blame the history of racism and slavery for black men not taking care of their families.

Reasonable statement but its the snap shot of right now. The fact is that blacks do not get equal justice. Though it is arguably a better today than 100 years ago. The fact is that a high percentage of the victims of police violence are middle class productive citizens.

The Death of Anthony Hill: Something Is Rotten in the State of America

Posted: 03/11/2015 12:32 am EDT Updated: 03/11/2015 10:59 am EDT

That it should come to this. Hamlet was referring to the unseemly proximity between his father's death and his mother's marriage to his treacherous uncle.

But he might have been speaking for all of us as we try to fathom the hideous nexus of racially tinged tragedies in this country, one after another.

A day before the University of Oklahoma, not Hamlet's Wittenberg to be sure, banned the SAE fraternity for its racist sing-along video; on the very day that 47 Republican Senators, in an unprecedented violation of protocol, wrote a letter to the Iranian leadership that undermined President Obama's attempt at a diplomatic solution to Tehran's nuclear program; just two days after President Obama reenacted the Selma march, marking the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday; only a week or so after a black man identified as Africa, who had reportedly been hospitalized for psychiatric reasons, got into a scuffle with the LAPD and was shot dead; and but a few days after two other African-American men, reportedly unarmed, were killed in encounters with law enforcement -- in the midst of all of this, we now have the brutal killing of Anthony Hill, an unarmed 27-year-old African-American man on Monday.

Hill was not only a veteran of Iraq, who served in the U.S. Air Force. He was not only another black man, whose life should have mattered. He was a man who suffered from mental illness.

The New York Times reported that Hill may have had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, according to a Twitter account that appeared to be Hill's.

A March 4 post on that Twitter account contained the following statement, "The media continues to paint the same horrific picture of mentally affected people but I have to tell you, there are so many shades in between the extremes."

Hill was making the very point that I have been making for years: It is not only reductive; it is also completely misleading and hateful when the media and others attempt to characterize those with a mental illness as being violent, unemployed or any other negative trope out there.

We keep hearing and reading about how people with a mental illness "cycle" through hospitalization, drug addiction, homelessness and prison. Yet here we have Anthony Hill, a veteran of the Air Force, and reportedly an "aspiring musician," who may have behaved erratically, but who had served his country and had the soul of a poet.

That is not to say that there are not frauds out there who defame the mentally ill by claiming to be bipolar when they are in fact con artists. And that is not to say that those with a mental illness have the right to behave criminally.

But Anthony Hill was neither a fraud nor a criminal.

When the police responded to calls of a disturbance in the Atlanta area, the officer found Hill, who was naked and obviously unarmed.

According to the New York Times, residents at an apartment complex phoned police to report that a man was "acting deranged, knocking on doors and running naked" through the complex.

The DeKalb County police contend that Hill not only did not obey the officer; they contend that Hill charged the officer, who shot and killed him.

Many commentators have pointed out that if there was ever a case where a Taser should have been used, this was it.

I have a slightly different perspective.

As I have written before, Tasers alone are not the solution.

Yes, Tasers should be used. But they don't always work, as we saw in the case of Africa, who was living on Skid Row in Los Angeles and who, according to reports, had committed armed robbery years ago. Africa was not subdued even with the alleged use of Tasers.

Moreover, Tasers sometimes are misused, as we saw in the case of Kelly Thomas, a white man with schizophrenia, who was beaten to death a few years ago in Orange County, Calif., by police officers who reportedly slammed Thomas' head with Tasers as well as their fists.

When the police know that they are about to encounter people suffering from mental illness, as the officer clearly did before he encountered Anthony Hill at the apartment complex, the police not only need to be specially trained in de-escalation techniques; they need social workers on the scene.

Why?

First of all, social workers are unarmed and thus less frightening to a mentally ill person. Secondly, social workers are also far more likely to know how to talk to someone in the midst of psychosis.

I know this from my own experience. There are few things scarier than being confronted by the police on the street when you are psychotic. But that happened to me in late January 1999 when I was walking down the middle of the street at two in the morning not far from my then-girlfriend's apartment in the Los Angeles area.

As I have written before, a police car drove down the street and blared out on a loudspeaker that I had to get onto the sidewalk.

Unlike some of the recent victims, like Africa and Anthony Hill, who reportedly did not cooperate with the police, I obeyed.

But it would have helped me a great deal if a social worker had been on the scene and talked to me.

In fact, I originally went to the police department that night precisely because I wanted someone who could reassure me that I wasn't going to be harmed on the streets, someone who could straighten me out, the way the police straightened out James Dean's character in Rebel Without a Cause.

In my case, I had committed no crimes. I was simply terrified that I was going to be killed.

Anthony Hill, like Africa, Ezell Ford, Miriam Carey, Tanisha Anderson and Eleanor Bumpurs before him, was also undoubtedly scared. He needed someone to reassure him too.

While it may be the case that Hill did not obey the commands of the police officer, it is also true that Hill was black, while I am white.

If we did not know this already, we all know by now from statistics that young black men are far more likely to be arrested, ticketed, jailed and killed than white or Latino men. And that is true throughout our country, not just in Ferguson, Mo., or Atlanta, Ga.

Yes, something is and always has been rotten not only in the state of Denmark, but also in the state of America.

When Hamlet contemplated the disgusting spectacle of his mother's marriage so shortly after his father's death, he quipped, "the funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables."

One might add that the recent confluence of racially charged incidents in our country stinks like left-over, baked meats at a funeral.

There have been too many funerals of late, too many funerals for people of color and people with mental illness.

Until law enforcement learns how to de-escalate situations with young black men and those with mental illness, our justice system will continue to corrode and rot from within.

Another Cop "Fears For His Life," Another Black Man Dies

Terry Garnett, Jr. was carrying heroin when a Maryland deputy tried to pull him over. He took off in his SUV and ended up dead on a dead-end street.
By Phillip Smith / AlterNet
March 14, 2015

A 37-year-old black Maryland man was shot and killed Wednesday by a Cecil County sheriff's deputy after being pulled over with a load of heroin. According to police, Terry Garnett, Jr. was attempting to flee the traffic stop when his vehicle approached the deputy, and "fearing for his life," the deputy opened fire.

According to The Drug War Chronicle's running count, Garnett becomes the 12th person to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.

Citing law enforcement sources, The Cecil Daily News reported that the unidentified deputy attempted to pull over Garnett's SUV early Wednesday afternoon, but Garnett refused to stop and turned onto a street that turned out to be a dead end.

"At some point during the incident, the vehicle turned around and accelerated toward the sheriff's deputy," Maryland State Police Sgt. Marc Black said. "Fearing for his life, the deputy pulled his department-issued .40-caliber Glock pistol and shot multiple times at the vehicle."

The SUV continued down the road after the deputy opened fire before running through the backyard of a residence and stopping after striking a tree. Cecil County EMS personnel pronounced Garnett dead at the scene.

Police did not say why the deputy tried to pull Garnett over, but when they searched his car afterwards, they found "a large amount of heroin," according to The Wilmington News-Journal.

Garnett had already served five years in prison for drug distribution and he was wanted for failure to appear on two other drug charges. He also had a history of attempting to flee from police.

This is another one of those cases with no known living witnesses other than law enforcement. Whether Garnett was indeed trying to run down the officer or whether he was merely trying once again to outrun a drug bust will probably never be known.

That's not good enough for Garnett's father, Terry Garnett, Sr. Upon arriving at the scene the same day, he told Baltimore's WMAR TV 2 that his son didn't carry a weapon and that police told him initially only that his son had died after his vehicle hit a tree.

"I hope something can come out of this to prove, no matter what he was doing, or if he was running from them or whatever, he doesn't deserve to be shot like that," he said. "Things happen in life but I don't think he deserved to be shot the way he did no matter what happened."

The State Police Homicide Unit will investigate the killing and turn its findings over to the Cecil County State's Attorney, who will make the final determination whether the shooting was justified. Meanwhile, the deputy who fired the deadly shots is on paid administrative leave.

Garnett, Sr. wasn't holding his breath waiting for justice.

"It's going to be like every other place they've done, they cover up how they did it and it's going to be the same thing," he said. "Because you don't have to shoot somebody to stop them if they're not shooting at you. That's the way I see it."





Phillip Smith is editor of the AlterNet Drug Reporter and author of the Drug War Chronicle.

Denver Officer Fired After Video Shows Him Putting His Knee on Woman's Neck Until She Passes Out

Earlier in the night, James Medina reportedly punched the same woman in the face.
By Kali Holloway / AlterNet
March 12, 2015

A Denver police officer has been fired after a video appears to show him pushing his knee into a woman’s throat, causing her to briefly pass out. James Medina, a 16-year veteran of the force, is currently appealing the loss of his job.

According to a report by the Denver Post, the incident stems from a July 10, 2014, call to Denver police about a “sick and intoxicated” man. A group of officers, including Medina, as well as local firefighters, were dispatched to the scene. Police claim that their efforts to place the man with a detox facility were hampered by Seryina Trujillo and her boyfriend, who were also on the scene.

A disciplinary report states that Trujillo was handcuffed and led to a squad car. While in transit, she spit into the face of Denver officer Cheryl Smith. She also kicked Medina in the head, who responded – again, according to the report – by punching her in the face.

Trujillo was charged with assault on a police officer, interference and resisting arrest. After being arrested, she was put in a holding cell at the station. The full video of the incident, which includes audio shows Medina instructing Trujillo to remove her belt and shoes. Trujillo removes her belt, but a scuffle ensues.

Over the course of the recording, which goes one for about a minute, Medina can be heard telling Medina not to bite him. At one point, while holding Trujillo down on a bench, Medina’s knee appears to press into her neck, at which point she appears to pass out. Medina pulls off her shoes, after which, Trujillo’s limp body slides to the floor.

According to the disciplinary report, which the Denver Post quotes, Medina used "inappropriate force when he engaged in a physical struggle" with Trujillo. The department has also stated that the officer should have requested the aid of a female officer. What’s more, after the incident, Medina did not seek the help of any medical personnel, did not report his use of force to his superiors, and "did not prepare a Use of Force Report."

Medina’s attorney, Donal Sisson, speaking to the Denver Post, said his client claims Trujillo didn’t actually pass out. “She was smiling or smirking at him," Sisson said. "A few seconds after [passing out], she pops up of her own free will."

That is also called “coming to.”

Medina has previously been the subject of nine disciplinary actions and 15 commendations.

The police department's Chief of Staff, Commander Matt Murphy, defended the decision to fire Medina. Speaking to the Denver Post, Murphy said, "His actions, taken as a whole, it's clearly inconsistent with our values and mission. He was disciplined accordingly."

Murphy added: "There was lots of alternatives, he had lots of choices. That is paramount in this decision."

To watch the video of the incident in its entirety:

I question that claim and would be grateful if you could back it up with some hard numbers.

As I stated by the numbers that I had seen the by far far larger risk to black men with special note of young black men are other young black men not cops or the white racists.

If you wish to reduce the risks to young black men in this society the police would be far far down the list of concerns.

I've been reading this thread back to the beginning. There are all sorts of middle class blacks who were mistakenly shot and/or beaten in bobsal u1553115's videos.

LOL of all in a nature of 300 millions with a law enforcement of well over a million men and women I am sure that there been such cases but that is not your claims as your claim is that middle class people are as target or more target then the poor for police mistreatment.

Next I have been told that you are bobsal u1553115 are one and the same person.
So are you the same person or not?

You post this as if this isn't Bobsal.

Says the man who thinks I can delete into his posts. Try to won up for what you actually say. You don't sound stupid because I'm interfering with your posts, you sound stupid because, you are stupid. Occam's razor.

This above comment is coming from a man who have just defended child porn charges being placed against a 12 and a 13 years old on another thread!!!!!!!!!!!

Stupid does not begin to cover IZZY a whole new word will be needed to cover him.

I've spoken out in favour of protecting children from creepy perverts who like to talk about child pornography at the drop of a hat, hang out in parks with boxes of kittens, view child abusers as victims and think that the American judicial system is fine and dandy when people are sent down for life for nicking a pizza, but terrible when a prolific child rapist spends more than a day locked up.

And idiots who talk jibberish really get on my tits as well.

Unless their Muslims.

Sorry but I had always been annoy at the US sentencing people for long terms behind bars for such things as the so call war on drugs.

Telling a Federal judge in open court in the damn early 1970s that I could not be on a marijuana drug import trial as a juror, as I did not believe in the marijuana laws nor would I convict anyone under them.

The judge got so red that for a moment I could just read, in my mind eye, the next day headlines Federal Judge have a heart attacked and died on his bench due to a wise ass college student. Thankfully the judge survive his momental high blood pressure.


Next you did not seems to find anything wrong with charging a 12 years old girl and a 13 years old boy with breaking the child porn laws.

Somehow I do not think that would come under protecting children in either the US or the UK by any system of logic that I am aware of.

Rubbish, you're just trying to kick up a lot of dust to obscure the fact that you like to talk about child pornography at the drop of at hat.

And it doesn't exactly take an Einstein to work out why that is.

Don't expect anyone with more than half a brain to fall for it.

More rubbish from the bigot who can't even spell a six letter word. That's how uneducated you have to be to believe the crap you spout. You're no different from the Taliban, you were cut from the same cloth.

I made one very short comment warning the poster not to run afoul of the child pron laws and to obey them to the letter and you are the one who ran with that short short comment to do what you love to do the most on this system IE launch another personal attack on me. If you have not decided to do so that would have been the end of the subject on this thread.

But as you did decided to launch such an attack so the subject is open on this thread and the fact is that child porn laws not child porn itself is just the very worst example of late as how insane the US legal system can be compare to your nation for example.

This over craziness in punishment have resulted in one hell of a bill for the American taxpayers, help ruin a hell of a lot of lives that would not otherwise needed to be ruin and to our shame mean that we have roughly ten times repeat ten times per cap of our population behind bars then your or the other EU nations.

Oh, once more I find it somewhat strange that you have not been willing to address why you think it is a wise thing to do to apply the child porn laws against a 12 years old and a 13 years old by charging them with that crime.

The above, in my opinion, is another example of how crazy the US legal system can be.