Racialicious has an excellent blog posting [1] about police brutality against African-American women. The YouTube video they posted of a teenaged girl getting beaten by police officers in a holding cell is unbelievable.
The girl kicked one of her shoes out of the door as they were putting her in the cell. She wasn't trying to get out, she was just standing there, inside the cell, taking her shoes off. The two police officers come flying in, and the first one slams her head into the wall, then he drags her across the room by her hair and throws her to the ground face-down and jumps on her back. The second pig gets down there too and grabs one of her arms while the first pig grabs the other arm. They hold her arms behind her back while the first one viciously punches her in the head a few times. The first pig gets the cuffs done up, and then he slams her head into the ground. Then they both hold her down and do something else that you can't see very well. Then the second pig takes her other shoe off and throws it out the door of the cell. Then the first pig gets up, and then lifts her torso off the ground for a second by the arms behind her back (basically, bending her arms back in a way that they don't "go"). Then he grabs her hair and drags her to her feet by her hair only. Then they shove her out of the cell by her hair. Then they booked her for both the charge they arrested her for and - get this - third degree assault against the cop!
Oh, but guess what? The video "doesn't tell the whole story" according to the pig's lawyer, quoted in the Washington Times. (I don't blame the lawyer, she's just doing her job.) She's worried that the tape will be "prejudicial". Gee, do you think?
Looks like the whole story to me!
Links:
[1] http://www.racialicious.com/2009/03/04/black-women-get-beat-by-the-police-too/
[2] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/anti-racism-news-and-initiatives/black-women-get-beaten-police-too#comment-995068
[3] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/anti-racism-news-and-initiatives/black-women-get-beaten-police-too#comment-995290
[4] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/anti-racism-news-and-initiatives/black-women-get-beaten-police-too#comment-996812
[5] http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-texas-profiling_wittmar10,0,6051682.story
[6] http://rabble.ca/user
[7] http://rabble.ca/user/register
Snap...what a depressing day. I can't believe it's there for all to see. Is this some weird reality show stunt?
No, don't be upset people, carry on with your lives.
So this is in the US, it seems. I wonder if things are better in Canada?
Many communites across Canada would say, No, things are no better in Canada.
Mean while in Tenaha Texas [5] more than 140 persons of colour, male and female between June 2006 and June 2008 have been subjected to property and strip searches without ever being charged