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FOUR PHILLY COPS FIRED FOR BEATING INCIDENT
Some
are angry that 10 cops got off
Two weeks after at least 18 Philadelphia Police officers were
videotaped beating and stomping three Black men during a traffic stop, Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey fired four of the policemen
and disciplined four others. Mayor Michael Nutter and Ramsey, both African Americans, have said they are troubled by what
they saw in the videotape, which was recorded by television news helicopters. Police contend that the three beating victims
were involved in a drive-by shooting that occurred in North Philadelphia earlier that day. An attorney for one of the three
defendants, however, says he believes the officers initially thought that his client was the triggerman who killed a veteran
Philadelphia Police officer. The attorney argues that once the officers realized that his client was not the cop killer, who
was later captured, they changed their story – tying them to the drive-by – to justify the beating. Nutter said
that the penalties handed down by the city “represents our effort to ensure that officers – and more importantly
citizens – understand the engagement they should expect out on the street,” Philly.com reports. So what about
the other 10 officers caught on video? Ramsey said the tape actually proved that they acted within Police Department guidelines.
That wasn’t the answer that many Philadelphians were seeking. On Monday, a couple dozen protestors gathered outside
of the Police Administration Building to express their displeasure. “We want them all fired,” said Sultan Ashley-Shah,
the Philadelphia head of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, according to Philly.com. But Sharpton wasn’t
so critical. “For you to take this action before the legal process is unprecedented,” Sharpton said. “For
you to take this action now, shows some real muscle and seriousness about addressing police brutality. For you to step up
like this, the police union is not going to be happy. This is a new era in accountability.” The officers could still
face criminal prosecution.
Cover-up By Philly
Cops In Videotaped Beating?
A lawyer says the police never believed the victims were involved
in an officer’s death
Did the 15 Philly cops who beat down three Black men during a traffic stop
last week really think they had nabbed the suspects in a local shooting, or did they make that story up to cover up a serious
case of mistaken identity? Eldridge Suggs, the attorney for one of the beating victims, Dwayne “Lionel” Dyches,
said that neither of the suspects was involved in a street-gang shooting – and the police knew it – but they initially
thought they had captured the man who had shot a Philadelphia Police officer. “All they’ve done is make up some
facts to account for the beating,” Suggs said. “And the reason why they beat this man is because he looked so
much like the cop-killer.” On the evening of May 4, police stopped a car carrying Dyches, 24; Brian Hall, 23; and Pete
Hopkins, 19. The three young men were yanked from their car and punched, stomped and pummeled with nightsticks by at least
15 policemen, as news helicopters captured the entire event on videotape. Thirteen of the officers have been put on leave.
At a news conference Friday, Suggs held up a photo of Dyches and police shooting suspect Eric Floyd and called the two men’s
resemblance “uncanny,” Philly.com reports. Floyd was captured last week and charged with the murder of Sgt. Stephen
Liczbinski. Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and Mayor Michael Nutter contend that the officers stopped the three beating
victims after a triple shooting in North Philadelphia . They denied a cover-up but acknowledged that the incident was a “black
eye on the force.” They also said that the Rev. Al Sharpton, who likened the police actions those of the officers involved
in the infamous 1991 beating of motorist Rodney King in Los Angeles , was merely fanning racial flames by suggesting that
the incident was racially motivated. Do you think there was a cover-up?
 Sharpton Visits Victim Of Taped Police Beating
The
Rev. Al Sharpton came to a Philadelphia prison Sunday to visit one of the three victims of a videotaped police beating, saying
afterward that the man is still in pain and does not know why officers were chasing him.
[watch
video of beating here]
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/myfox/pages/ContentDetail?contentId=6482555
Sharpton said the visit was meant to be a "fact-finding mission" and to ensure that Dawayne
Dyches saw his mother on Mother's Day. Leomia Dyches, her son and Sharpton talked and prayed for about an hour at Curran-Fromhold
Correctional Facility, the civil-rights leader said.
"He is still not totally aware of what happened, he
is totally at a loss as to why he is in this situation," Sharpton said. "He said, 'Reverend, I'm no angel,
but I didn't deserve this."'
Thirteen officers have been taken off street duty as police investigate
the beatings. SkyFox captured the incident on video last Monday, which first aired on MyFoxPhilly.com.
Police
said they had been pursing the men in connection with a triple shooting.
The three men -- Brian Hall, 23, Pete
Hopkins, 19, and Dyches, 24, all of Philadelphia -- have been charged with attempted murder and related counts stemming from
the shooting. But their attorneys have said they had nothing to do with it.
One of Dyches' attorneys said he suffered a welt on his head the size of a baseball and
that one of his legs was seriously injured.
The video shows officers pulling the men out of the car and then kicking,
punching and beating them. "When they were banging on the glass, (Dyches) thought they were being shot at," Sharpton
said.
The beating occurred at the same time police were conducting an intense manhunt for a suspect in the slaying
of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski last weekend.
Sharpton had previously said the
beatings were "worse than Rodney King," a reference to the black man beaten by white Los Angeles police officers
after a 1991 traffic stop.
But he was more conciliatory on Sunday, saying the city needed to be outraged over
both Liczbinski's slaying and the beatings.
"There must be a balanced reaction of outrage in this situation,"
he said, adding that Dyches' family has not decided whether to take legal action. "We must call on the city to deal
fairly and equitably with both situations."
"I think the judicial system is set up to deal with matters
like this but what we saw is not the way you deal with it. It's not dealt like that in other instances. I think people
have the right to expect that their rights are protected, no matter what their background," continued Sharpton.
Leomia Dyches said the beatings left her traumatized, adding she can't even stand to hear police sirens anymore.
"He's a good son. He might have had some problems, but he wouldn't hurt anyone," she said after
Sunday's visit. "I'm hurting inside, but I know I have to stand up and fight for my son."
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Sharpton: Taped Assault 'Worse Than Rodney King'
The Rev. Al Sharpton called
a videotaped police beating of three shooting suspects in Philadelphia "worse than Rodney King," prompting the city's
police commissioner to chide anyone "fanning flames ... from afar." The civil rights activist made the comments
Thursday as he interviewed the mother of one of the suspects on his radio show. Thirteen police officers have been taken
off street duty as police investigate the television news footage, according to Lt. Frank Vanore, a police
spokesman. The video shows officers kicking, punching and beating the three black men during a traffic stop Monday. "I've
not seen anything like that since Rodney King, and it's worse than Rodney King, and we cannot allow our community to be
under siege," Sharpton said. "We've got to stop this nonsense in our community, acting like you got to be a
certain level black to be treated within the law." Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said he does not believe
the confrontation was racially motivated, but instead thinks that tensions in the wake of the weekend slaying of a fellow
officer played a part. The beating occurred at the same time as police were conducting an intense manhunt for a suspect
in the slaying of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, 39, who was killed responding to a bank robbery Saturday. He was the second city
officer killed on the job in seven months. At a news conference Thursday morning, Ramsey called the confrontation a
"black eye" for the force and "an embarrassment to the entire department." In an interview later
in the day with The Associated Press, Ramsey said: "I know everybody's trying to make this into a racial thing. I
don't believe it is." "We just had a policeman murdered on Saturday ... and emotions are running high,"
he said. "There's no excuse for it, but fanning flames, and making accusations from afar, is not in anybody's
best interest," said Ramsey, who took over as commissioner in January after serving in the same role in Washington, D.C. King,
who is black, was videotaped being beaten by white Los Angeles police officers after he was stopped for speeding in 1991.
Four officers were acquitted of most criminal charges in 1992, triggering rioting in Los Angeles and neighboring cities
that left 55 people dead and caused $1 billion in property damage. In the Philadelphia case, officers who stopped the
car Monday night believed its occupants had been involved in a triple shooting a few blocks away. They included members of
a narcotics unit working the area and patrol officers called in response to the shooting. The three suspects—Dwayne
Dyches, Brian Hall and Pete Hopkins, all of Philadelphia—were each charged with attempted murder and related counts
in connection with the shooting, according to court records. D. Scott Perrine, a lawyer representing the three suspects,
has said his clients had nothing to do with the shooting, police had no reason to follow their car and the beating was unjustified. Leomia
Dyches complained to Sharpton on Thursday that she could not see her son when he was in the hospital. Ramsey noted to
the AP that he was in custody at the time, charged with attempted murder. All three suspects were treated at a hospital soon
after the confrontation, Ramsey said, and they were being held Thursday in lieu of bail of $100,000 or more. The commissioner
pledged to send the department's preliminary investigation to the District Attorney's Office by next week. If prosecutors
decline to file charges, he will deal with the officers involved internally, he said. Ramsey said he did not know the
race of all the officers on the scene—there were about 15 -- but said that at least one sergeant involved is African-American. The
Internal Affairs unit is still working to enhance the tape and identify all of the officers in the footage, a department spokesman
said. Sharpton's remarks came a day after he was arrested along with hundreds of other demonstrators as he blocked
traffic to protest the acquittal of three New York detectives who fatally shot an unarmed black man in on his wedding day. Ramsey
said the beating does not reflect the behavior of the whole Philadelphia department, and cast a shadow during a time that
should have been focused on the period of mourning for Liczbinski, whose funeral will be held Friday. Mayor Michael
Nutter has also criticized the officers' behavior, calling it unacceptable.
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 Grand Jury Clears Officer In Gulfport Crash
A Harrison County
Grand Jury has cleared a Gulfport police officer of any criminal wrongdoing in an traffic accident that left a woman in critical
condition. On March 20, 75-year-old Eleanor Mize was leaving the Sonic on Highway 49 at 17th Street when a patrol car crashed
into her vehicle. Officer Bryan Watson was headed to an emergency call, but didn't have on his siren or flashing lights.
Another officer had called for back up to a high-risk traffic stop. The Grand Jury report cited Watson's statements
to investigators that he could see the other officer's car stopped on Highway 49 and his attention was focused there,
and failed to see the red light. The Grand Jury determined Officer Watson failed to yield at a red light at the Highway
49 and 17th Street intersection and that Watson was driving between 70 and 75 miles per hour at the point of impact. The
Grand Jury concluded there was no probable cause to believe that any indictable offense was committed by Officer Watson. Eleanor
Mize is still at Memorial Hospital, but is now listed in stable condition.
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1 TIME FOR YOUR M^THAF^CKIN' MIND!
Former St. Tammany Deputy ArrestedFormer Deputy Charged With Felony Carnal
Knowledge Of Juvenile
COVINGTON, La. -- The St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office said it arrested
a former deputy Monday and charged him with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile.
Capt. George
Bonnett said former Deputy Theron Jolly was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail Monday afternoon. Bonnett said the sheriff’s
office received a complaint Friday from the parents of a 16-year-old girl, who accused Jolly of having an illegal sexual encounter
with their daughter.
Bonnett said that after an investigation, Jolly was fired and arrested.
The sheriff’s office said Jolly was hired on April 24 and was training to work
at the St. Tammany Parish Jail.
Bonnett said Jolly was being held on $25,000 bond.
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THINK BLACKS COMMIT MORE DRUG CRIMES? THINK AGAIN!
http://blogs.bet.com/news/newsyoushouldknow/?p=2943
A new study rebuffs commonly held beliefs about who’s doing all the dealing
For those who think that the disproportionate number of African Americans who get arrested and locked up is bona fide proof
that Blacks are more likely than Whites to commit crimes, a new study shows why such claims are so bogus. Human Rights Watch,
an international, independent nongovernmental organization, found that Blacks are arrested and imprisoned for drug-related
crimes at a much higher rate than White offenders, even though Whites commit far more drug offenses in the United States.
In fact, the group says in its report, Targeting Blacks: Drug Law Enforcement and Race in the United States, a Black man is
12 times more likely to be sent to prison for a drug offense than a White man, and a Black woman is five times more likely
to go to jail for a drug offense than a White woman. In 16 states, Blacks get prison time for drug offenses at a rate 10 to
42 times higher than their White counterparts, the study says. Such conservative commentators as Rush Limbaugh, Tucker Carlson,
Neal Boortz and Ann Coulter consistently argue that racial profiling by police is justifiable because Blacks commit more crimes.
Read more at BET.com/News.
A BLACK MAN'S WORTH IN AMERIKKKA!
I was starting to have the feeling that things
where changing here in Amerikkka. I was starting to think that the American creed of Freedom, Justice, and Equality was starting
to be applied to all races and was just not exclusively for the rich, high class, White people.
I was starting
to think with the rise of Barack Obama that maybe, just maybe we where starting to be treated equally in all facets of American
society. I mean even though Barack Obama is of mixed race he is in every aspect looked upon as a Black man.
When I saw people like Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and the likes of them embracing Obama I started to feel like, wow MLK's
dream is being realized! A Black man is not being judged by the color of his skin but by the content of his character.
My fairy tale came to a screeching halt on Friday April 25th 2008 when the Sean Bell verdict came
down. I was reminded quickly and swiftly that a Black man's life has never had any value here in Amerikkka. Detectives
Michael Oliver, Gescard Isnora, and Marc Cooper, the three New York City police officers accused of shooting 50 times and
murdering Sean Bell, were found not guilty on all counts.
Oliver fired 31 times and claims to not remember shooting
the first time - that's why he reloaded and started shooting again? How could Judge Arthur Cooperman not find that utterly
insane? Is that not the epitome of incompetence? When I hear a man speak like that I have to question his mental state and
have to wonder is he even psychologically fit to be a cop.
Isnora, who fired 11 times, had been charged with manslaughter,
felony assault, and reckless endangerment. Cooper, who fired four times, faced up to a year in jail if convicted of reckless
endangerment. They faced up to 25 years in prison if convicted on all charges, yet they where all found not guilty.
Another Black man murdered; two others shot the f**k up and the old a** judge Arthur Cooperman's reasoning
was the demeanor of the witnesses made him question their character and the past police records of the victims played a role
in his decision. Wow, so Malcolm X had a police record, he was a former felon; Martin Luther King Jr. had a police record
also. He had been to jail several times.
Does Judge Arthur Cooperman believe those great brothers
murders where justified because of their past records? Since Judge Arthur Cooperman wants to talk about character and demeanor
I have to question the character of every NYPD police officer I run into now because of the murderous demeanor of these cops
who got off, not to mention the murderous demeanor of the cops who killed Eleanor Bumpurs, Michael Stewart, and Amadou Diallo.
The same way they can't tell a good Black man from a Black man who might actually be causing them a threat, I
can't tell the difference between a good cop who might really being trying to protect and to serve and a bad cop who can't
wait to use his brand new government issued pistol on me.
Situations like this are why the hood says, “F**k
the police.” This is why the stop snitching campaign is in effect because even when it's justified for me
to cooperate and help, why should I cooperate and help a system that will never cooperate and help my Black a**? When
Barack Obama speaks of people being bitter and having no faith in government this is why.
Verdicts like this are
the reason we cling to our respective religions, why we cling to our guns and why we have resentment towards a so-called justice
system that delivers us an injustice every chance they get. I must say Amerikka stayed true to tradition with that verdict.
They reminded everyone that a Black man's life has absolutely no value here in Amerikkka.
Ever read
“100 Years of Lynching” by Ralph Ginzburg? Pick that up and read how a Black man in Louisiana was lynched by an
orderly mob on March 17th, 1908 because he was suspected of stealing a mule. Read how on July 14th, 1914 in Mississippi a
Black man was hung because he was suspected of stealing cows. Read how on December 5, 1914 in Spartanburg, SC they hung a
Black man because he was suspected of stealing a chicken. History continues to repeat itself.
In 2007 Michael
Vick was sent to prison because he fought and killed dogs, and in 2008 three cops who kill a Black man get off? Animal life
has more value than a Black man here in Amerikkka.
It's a damn shame in 2006 Sean Bell was killed
because he was suspected of having a gun, the same way a Black man was killed because he was suspected of stealing a cow.
Well, these public killings, lynching, if you will, still go on today because on November 25th 2006 Sean Bell was shot and
the public hanging and burning of Sean Bell's body happened on April 27, 2008 when that abortion of justice was handed
down as a verdict.
How am I supposed to feel empowered as a young Black man in Amerikkka? When situations like
this happen a feeling of fear comes over the Black community. If I'm educated they can still shoot me down if they want
to, if I'm rich they can still shoot me down if they want to, if I'm a highly religious spiritual leader they can
still shoot me down if they want to.
This public lynching of Sean Bell rekindles the fear they want us to
have for the system. It's the same fear slave masters like Willie Lynch instilled in his slaves while he spoke on
the banks of the James River in the colony of Virginia in 1712. He demanded those devils to instill fear in Black people because
it was a cardinal rule to make a Negro submissive.
The Sean Bell verdict is the equivalent of taking the meanest
and most restless negro, stripping him of his clothes in front of the other male negroes as well as the female and the kids,
tying each leg to a horse faced in opposite directions, setting the brother on fire, and beating both horses to pull him apart
in front of the remaining negroes. This puts the fear of this evil system into Black people. Not only will they be submissive,
but they won't get out of line.
Well I'm telling you Black people all I fear is Allah. I submit
to no one but the creator. I'm telling you it's time to get out of line, No Justice, No Peace. All you leaders calling
for peace, I understand you but it's against the laws of nature. It's against the laws of Karma. What's
about to happen is Cause and Effect. Good Deeds create good consequences, injustice creates war. You must destroy in order
to build, that's a Universal Principal that existed before us and it's going to be here after we are gone.
You gang bangers want to bang - well now is the time and that energy should not be directed at each other anymore. I can
show you who the real enemy is. You brothers are going to have to start being the frontline of defense in the communities.
It's not a Black versus White thing either. I know White people who are just as pissed about this situation
as we are. Racism is a learned behavior. Whites where not born to hate Blacks and Blacks where not born to hate Whites.
The law of karma, the law of cause and effect, and the law of polarity have created these racist conditions.
We
must unlearn what we have learned and see each other in each other and fight together because the truth is, with all these
Black men falling in love with White women and having babies that look like Barack Obama, whose to say your child might not
be getting murdered by this evil system in the future?
As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "an injustice anywhere
is a threat to justice everywhere" and we will get justice in the words of Malcolm X, "By Any Means Necessary."
SOURCE:http://allhiphop.com/stories/editorial/archive/2008/05/09/19829336.aspx
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