Anna Lekas Miller on why accountability is so rare in cases of police violence: -Erika According to a 2012 Malcolm X Grassroots Movement report, every 28 hours a black man is killed by a police officer, private security agent or vigilante in the United States. In the month of August alone, there have been four police killings of unarmed black men: Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York; John Crawford in Beavercreek, Ohio; Brown; and most recently, Ezell Ford in Los Angeles. Although many of these alleged crimes are investigated, through internal or federal investigations, the probes rarely result in charges. The most common punishment, according to civil rights advocates, is being placed on administrative duty. “In these instances where there has been police brutality, we have rarely seen accountability because the reality is that the local justice system often treats these officers with completely different standards than civilians, said Priscilla Gonzalez, director of organizing with Communities United for Police Reform, an advocacy group. She and other advocates said that the case of Garner, who suffocated to death in July after being placed in a chokehold by a police officer, demonstrates this double standard. A medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, but there have been no arrests, and a grand jury has not been convened. Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who grabbed Garner, was stripped of his badge and placed on desk duty. (The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment on Garner’s case as of the time of publication this article). “Leadership in local government, such as the mayors of New York City, have not demonstrated the political will to make sure that officers are held accountable by whatever internal systems exist, Gonzalez said.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 17:00:01 +0000
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