Chris Hedges | The Origins of Our Police State

Elizabeth, New Jersey – JaQuan LaPierre, 22, was riding a bicycle down a sidewalk Sept. 5 when he noticed a squad car pulling up beside him. It was 8:30 on a hot Thursday night at the intersection of Bond Street and Jackson Avenue here in Elizabeth, N.J. LaPierre had 10 glass vials of crack cocaine—probably what the cops were hoping to find—and he hastily swallowed them. He halted and faced the two officers who emerged from the cruiser. “We are tired of you niggers,” he remembers one of the officers saying. “We’re tired of all this shooting and robberies and…

Tödliche Polizeischüsse

Alle fünfeinhalb Wochen wird in Deutschland ein Mensch von Polizisten erschossen. Ein Dossier VON ERIK PETER UND SVENJA BEDNARCZYK Manuel F. steht splitternackt im Neptunbrunnen mitten in Berlin. Einen Moment später ist er tot – von einem Polizisten vor laufender Kamera erschossen. Für einen Augenblick nimmt im Juni 2013 eine breite Öffentlichkeit Anteil an einer Problematik, die sonst kaum beachtet wird: Regelmäßig kommen Menschen in Deutschland durch Schüsse aus Dienstpistolen ums Leben. Doch eine systematische Aufklärung fehlt, die Polizei behandelt jeden Fall als Einzelfall. Nach Recherchen der taz starben in Deutschland seit 1990 mindestens 269 Menschen durch Polizeischüsse. 2016 erreichte…

The great American whitelash claims new victims every day

Lingering in the deepest corners of our national soul is the idea that this is and will always be a white nation. And we pay for this idea with our blood O ur times are exceedingly dark. No matter what pundits or politicians – even so-called progressive ones – may say, racism remains a central feature of this society, and this fact isn’t simply about the victimization of black people. Consider Jordan Edwards, a 15-year-old freshman from the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, who is now dead. A policeman shot him in the head with a rifle and offered an account…

Body Cams Work, if They’re Used Right

The police officer who shot and killed 15-year-old Jordan Edwards last month in Balch Springs, Tex., was charged with murder on Friday after the Police Department determined from body-camera images and other information that deadly force had been unwarranted. But like most jurisdictions, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office — which is investigating this case — has no written body-cam policy and has made no decisions about making the footage public. Many communities adopted body cams in the wake of the public outcry over the police killings of Philando Castile, Eric Garner, Laquan McDonald, Walter Scott, Tamir Rice and others. The…

Police shooting of Texas teen in moving car violated federal guidance

Chief says killing of Jordan Edwards also violated department’s ‘core values’ and changes official account, saying teens were driving away at time of shooting When a Dallas-area police officer fired shots into a moving car on Saturday night, killing 15-year-old Jordan Edwards, the officer did so in direct violation of federal guidance and widespread police department best practices. Moving targets US police have fatally shot 30 people in moving vehicles this year, despite federal guidelines advising them not to. Why have police departments pulled the trigger on drivers rather than reform? Read more According to the officer’s police chief, he…

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