Trial Underway For The Cops Who Beat Mentally Ill Homeless Man, Kelly Thomas, To Death in 2011

Kelly Thomas clinging to life in the hospital

Partial surveillance footage of the murder/assault

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT

Full footage of the incident

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT

I have been following this case for quite some time. If you have not yet seen anything about Kelly Thomas, I will give you some of the back story. On July 5th of 2011, a woman calls the Fullerton Police to notify them of a suspicious man wandering the streets, supposedly breaking into cars. The police identify the man as 37-year-old Kelly Thomas. He was a known schizophrenic and homeless, at the time. It is obvious from the footage that the officers knew him and had seen him around town. They approach him at the Fullerton bus depot, ask him a few questions and ask him to sit down. Thomas is compliant, but because he has severe mental problems, there is a point where they police get frustrated. They all stand up and the police pull out their batons and start hitting Thomas with them. They are sitting on top of him and he is telling them that he is sorry and that he can't put his hands behind his back. They continue to tase, kick and beat him. There are four officers and they continue to beat him with batons and flashlights. More officers arrive and it now seems that he is unconscious and cannot even speak.This heinous crime and gross misuse of power is sickening. He ends up in the hospital, as the footage above displays, in a coma, and five days later Kelly Thomas passed away. The initial three officers, Cpl. Jay Cicinelli and Officers Manuel Anthony Ramos and Joe Wolfe, were all fired from their positions at the Fullerton Police Department. Now, two years later, the trial is underway for Ramos, 39, and Cicinelli, 41. RT.com reports that "Ramos has been charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter and Cicinelli is charged with manslaughter and the use of excessive force," (RT News).

["] 'Thomas is also on record calling for his father’s help multiple times, as well as telling police he could not breathe before eventually losing the ability to speak.

'One of the last things, I think, he was able to slowly moan out is: ‘Daddy, they're killing me,’ said Ron Thomas, Kelly’s father, according to the Daily Mail. 'I lay there at night and think about that. It'll get you to the point where you can't function and you just cry a lot.' 

At one point in the video, Ramos can be seen putting on latex gloves and telling Thomas, 'Now you see my fists? ... They're getting ready to [expletive] you up.' ["] (RT News).

Source:  http://rt.com/usa/california-police-kelly-thomas-608/ 

I chose this to be my final post for the semester because it is the case that made me want to use the subject of police brutality and excessive force as my stance for our human rights class blogs. I am not sure if the Thomas family will get justice and I'm not sure that justice will give them any kind of closure, but this unfortunate event happens all over our country. Excessive force and abuse of power is exercised by police officers and most of the time they get a slap on the wrist or suspension. There needs to be a major overhaul on the way that police deal with the civilian population. Taking away their guns will not change anything. They need to change their "strike first, ask questions later" policy.  I could post on this blog all day and night and find so many cases that are so tragic like this. I will leave it with this post, in the hopes that one of you will read this and reflect on how lucky we are to still have our own lives, but also, just to be aware of these injustices. Yes, we should respect and obey the laws. However, some of these victims do just that, they comply and still get mistreated or even killed. Police should not be above the law and should be held to the same legal standards that we are all held accountable for. We are all human beings and deserve a fair chance at life and law

Mother claims son, 14, was excessively assaulted by police

A young teenage boy, 14, was arrested early in November for shoplifting in a Walmart in Tullytown, Pa. His mother, Marissa Sargeant understands that what her son did was illegal, she does not understand why the police chose to physically assault the boy. This picture speaks a thousand words. He has a broken nose and multiple scrapes and swollen eyes. The police officers allege that they tased him and because he was handcuffed, he hit the ground face first. The taser supposedly struck him in the face. The mother does not agree with the officers explanation and wants an investigation launched. They will review the evidence and surveillance footage and proceed with the investigation. I do hope the boy is healing and that his family finds some peace. Many cases like this go unpunished. This should be a wake up call for justice.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/18/marissa-sargeant-teen-police-brutality_n_4296767.html

Police beat an SF man for riding his bicycle on the sidewalk

Although the video does not show the entire incident, it is obvious that the witnesses and the victim are reacting in the video to something that should not be happening. What is known from witnesses is that 20-year-old D'Paris Williams was riding his bike on the sidewalk of a San Francisco apartment complex. The police try to tell him to get off of his bike. His sister, Christina Williams, 21, said that he was bringing his bicycle into his apartment building and did not hear the police because he was listening to music. When he did not comply with the police, they tried to detain him and a struggle ensued. If you watch the video, you can see his face is bloody from whatever altercation occurred before the camera was turned on. There are surveillance cameras and footage being reviewed as evidence and has not been shown to the public. Hopefully the public gets to review the footage from the scene and the victim can move forward with a criminal or civil case against the abuse of the police officers. http://blog.sfgate.com/crime/2013/11/18/video-prompts-cries-of-s-f-police-brutality/

Justice is Served for Police Brutality Victim Keyarika Diggles

Keyarika Diggles, yet another police brutality victim, wins a civil rights lawsuit and receives a settlement of $75,000. Shockingly enough, the whole incident occurred in May, over an unpaid traffic ticket of $150. The Officers Cunningham and Grissom came to her home and arrested her for not paying for the ticket. While she was on the phone with her mother, she is dragged on the floor and later pushed and tackled to the ground. This kind of treatment is unnecessary and excessive. Although the Officers were fired after the incident, they have not yet been charged with anything criminal. This kind of abuse of power happens all the time and usually, not much is done as far as criminal charges or settlements. Finally, there is some form of punishment for this abuse and excessive force. Now all we can hope for is for criminal charges and relief for other victims of police brutality.

Man With Down Syndrome Beaten by Police

Miami-Dade, FLA - (Sept, 2011) Gilberto Powell, 22, was beaten by police while he was outside of his Florida home. Gilberto, A.K.A. Liko, was walking home from a friend's house. Liko, a special needs man who has Down Syndrome, was stopped by police for having a "bulge" in his waistband. That bulge is his colostomy bag. The officer, allegedly, slapped Liko on his face, leaving a large bruise and laceration on his face and eye. The parents of Liko are going to press charges against that officer. This is just one of many cases where excessive force is used by police officers in the United States.  http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/09/14/family-hires-attorney-after-police-scuffle-with-special-needs-man/

http://www.october22.org/

“The Call for the 18th National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation is to bring forward the united, powerful, visual coalition of families victimized by police terrorism and to reach into all parts of our community. May our unity bring the change that our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren so rightfully deserve – freedom, justice, equality, humanity, respect, and a right to take BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] and a right to walk to 7-11 for Skittles and ice tea without being executed.”

              - Cephus “Uncle Bobby” Johnson, the uncle of Oscar Grant

Skoki Police Department Sued by Cassandra Feuerstein for Excessive Force

Cassandra Feuerstein, 47, was arrested for a DUI on March 10, 2013, by SPD. She was, apparently, intoxicated, but pulled over on the side of the road. She was arrested and taken to the police station where the surveillance footage caught the horrendous event on tape. She was compliant for her search and mugshot. The video shows no signs of any resistance. After she is taken out for the mugshot, one of the officers, Michael Hart is seen shoving her into the cell room. Feuerstein is flung head-first into the concrete bench. The video shows that she sustained a head injury and bled on the cell room floor. The officers did assist her afterwards by holding her head and cleaning the blood on her face from her nose. Officer Hart maintains that Feuerstein was resisting when he was walking her back to the cell. Apparently, it isn't illegal to treat DUI offenders like an abused animal, since Hart still has a job with the Skokie Police Department. The video is graphic, but at least she has the evidence needed to go forward with her suit against the officer and/or department. The injuries were so bad that she needed reconstructive surgery.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/10/cassandra-feuerstein-poli_n_4077107.html

This story is just one of the thousands of reported assaults by Police Officers who abuse their strength and power as civil servants of "we, the people." They are supposed to protect and serve, yet what we see some of the time, is the brute force of the department over regular citizens like you and me. These stories need to be seen for us to realize that one day it could be you that is suing them or worse yet, die by their misuse of power. Mind you, not all police officers are unjust or abusive. There are many kind and just officers who treat people like human beings and not stray animals.However, it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the bunch.