The death of Freddie Gray
kicked off protests and riots across Baltimore, Maryland. But reports
and lawsuits show a trend of city police brutally mistreating residents,
especially those in the poorer communities. The city paid millions in
settlements.
image: http://tftppull.freethoughtllc.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/baltimore-police-brutal-history.jpg
RT.com
Gray was the second person to die in Baltimore PD custody in 2015. In February, Trayvon Scott, 30, died after showing distress while in a holding cell at the Northern District police station on Valentine’s Day. Police said no force was used in Scott’s death, according to the Baltimore Sun. An initial examination by the medical examiner indicated that a pre-existing medical condition was to blame.
Over the course of nearly four years, Baltimore paid some $5.7 million to more than 100 people in court judgments or settlements for lawsuits claiming police brutality and civil rights violations, the Sun reported after conducting a six-month investigation. Payouts were capped at $500,000 per case, unless there were extenuating circumstances like multiple victims or actual malice. The city paid an additional $5.8 million in legal fees in defending the police in those cases.
“One hidden cost: The perception that officers are violent can poison the relationship between residents and police,” the Sun’s Mark Puente wrote.
“Those cases detail a frightful human toll,” Puente wrote. “Officers have battered dozens of residents who suffered broken bones – jaws, noses, arms, legs, ankles – head trauma, organ failure, and even death, coming during questionable arrests. Some residents were beaten while handcuffed; others were thrown to the pavement.”
Most of the victims were African-Americans, and in almost every case the charges against the arrestee were dropped ‒ if charges were filed at all. Some of the officers were the target of as many as five lawsuits. The Sun investigation looked at suits with payouts between January 2011 and September 2014.
Read the rest @ http://thefreethoughtproject.com/pregnant-women-elderly-baltimore-cops-dark-history-brutality/?utm_source=The+Free+Thought+Project+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=1cfadbc6e9-RSS_FEED_NEWSLETTER12_18_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ae40e945ed-1cfadbc6e9-211636157
image: http://tftppull.freethoughtllc.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/baltimore-police-brutal-history.jpg
RT.comGray was the second person to die in Baltimore PD custody in 2015. In February, Trayvon Scott, 30, died after showing distress while in a holding cell at the Northern District police station on Valentine’s Day. Police said no force was used in Scott’s death, according to the Baltimore Sun. An initial examination by the medical examiner indicated that a pre-existing medical condition was to blame.
Over the course of nearly four years, Baltimore paid some $5.7 million to more than 100 people in court judgments or settlements for lawsuits claiming police brutality and civil rights violations, the Sun reported after conducting a six-month investigation. Payouts were capped at $500,000 per case, unless there were extenuating circumstances like multiple victims or actual malice. The city paid an additional $5.8 million in legal fees in defending the police in those cases.
“One hidden cost: The perception that officers are violent can poison the relationship between residents and police,” the Sun’s Mark Puente wrote.
A series of lawsuits
Victims include a 15-year-old boy riding a dirt bike, a 26-year-old pregnant accountant who had witnessed a beating, a 50-year-old woman selling church raffle tickets, a 65-year-old church deacon rolling a cigarette and an 87-year-old grandmother aiding her wounded grandson.“Those cases detail a frightful human toll,” Puente wrote. “Officers have battered dozens of residents who suffered broken bones – jaws, noses, arms, legs, ankles – head trauma, organ failure, and even death, coming during questionable arrests. Some residents were beaten while handcuffed; others were thrown to the pavement.”
Most of the victims were African-Americans, and in almost every case the charges against the arrestee were dropped ‒ if charges were filed at all. Some of the officers were the target of as many as five lawsuits. The Sun investigation looked at suits with payouts between January 2011 and September 2014.
Read the rest @ http://thefreethoughtproject.com/pregnant-women-elderly-baltimore-cops-dark-history-brutality/?utm_source=The+Free+Thought+Project+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=1cfadbc6e9-RSS_FEED_NEWSLETTER12_18_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ae40e945ed-1cfadbc6e9-211636157
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