R.I.P Shelly Frey - Dec 8, 2012

News footage about the murder of Shelly Frey by Walmart Security guard. According to reports, Frey was banned from WalMart of theft. Off-duty police officer, Louis Campbell, suspected Frey of theft and followed her to her car. When she refused to stop and drove away, Campbell shot at her car killing Frey. She was driving with two other women and her two children.

R.I.P Darrius Simmons - May 31, 2012

News report on the death of 13-year old Darrius Simmons. Simmons was shot while taking the trash out in front of his mother by 76-year old neighbor John Spooner. Spooner suspected Simmons of stealing weapons from his home the previous week. Investigation determined that Simmons was at school during the alleged theft and was not in possession of Spooner's property. The criminal trial for Spooner is currently in progress.

R.I.P Kenneth Harding - July 18, 2011

Live footage of SFPD who shot and killed 19-year old Kenneth Harding for not paying bus fare. The video shows Harding shot and wounded crawling for help as police watch instead of calling paramedics. Police statements claim he had a weapon and tried to fire on officers. No weapon was found at the scene and the victim was shot in the back. Witnesses gave opposing testimonies to that of the officers.

R.I.P Trayvon Martin - Feb 26,2012

This is a recording of the 911 call made by George Zimmerman before he killed 17-year old Trayvon Martin. Police clearly tell Zimmerman to not interact with or pursue Martin and to wait for an officer. Zimmerman was a volunteer neighborhood watchman. Martin was a resident in the gated community. He was walking from the store with candy and a drink. He was unarmed. Zimmerman confronted Martin and it is unclear exactly what happened but Zimmerman shot and killed Martin. It is against neighborhood watch regulations in his community to carry a firearm. The criminal trial for Zimmerman is scheduled to begin June 10, 2013.

R.I.P Oscar Grant - January 1, 2009

This is live footage of the well-known murder of Oscar Grant. He was killed by BART officer Johannes Mehserle on January 1, 2009. Grant was being detained for fighting aboard a BART train. Officer Mehserle's defense was that he mistook his taser for his firearm, unintentionally killing Grant. As footage shows, Grant was being searched by 2 officers with his hands hogtied behind his back when officer Mehserle shot him in the back. During the criminal trial, the charges of 1st and 2nd degree murder were thrown out. Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison. He was released on probation after 11 months. California law requires a minimum of 2 years for involuntary manslaughter but an added 3 years for any crime committed with a weapon (gun enhancement); meaning the minimum sentence was 5 years for his crime. Mehserle is now attempting to expunge his record to become an officer again.

R.I.P Deandre Brunston - August 24, 2003

This is live footage of the murder of Deandre Brunston in 2003 in Compton, CA. by the Sheriff's department. Brunston was shot 22 times by police after a canine dog was released to attack him. The dog was airlifted to a veterinary hospital where it later died as Brunston was left to die on the porch. No weapon was found on Brunston. All 3 officers involved were acquitted even though they were not designated shooters that night and a trained negotiation team was en route.

Innocent Teen shot in the Jaw by OPD 4/3/13

http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_22946646/oakland-police-shoot-suspect-during-investigation-armed-robbery?source=rss

Oakland: Police shoot and injure teenage boy while investigating armed robbery

By Natalie Neysa Alund and Rick Hurd Oakland Tribune

Posted:   04/04/2013 07:06:20 AM PDT

Updated:   04/04/2013 01:57:14 PM PDT

OAKLAND -- An Oakland police officer responding an armed robbery outside a downtown restaurant Wednesday night shot a teenage boy who turned out to have nothing to do with the crime, police said Thursday.

The teen, age 15 or 16, was not seriously injured when his jaw was grazed by a bullet and was treated at a hospital for minor injuries, said Sgt. Arturo Bautista. It was not immediately known Thursday if he was still hospitalized.

During a press conference Thursday afternoon, Police Chief Howard Jordan said the officer had "received a threat" from the teen and fired a single shot. Jordan didn't reveal what the threat was or how far the teen was from the officer.

Officers were called about 9:50 p.m. to investigate an armed robbery in the 1000 block of Clay Street and were given descriptions of three suspects -- all black men, ages 22-26, Jordan said. He said one of the men wore a black hooded sweatshirt.

A woman told officers she walked out of Le Cheval, a popular downtown Vietnamese restaurant, and was robbed at knifepoint by the three suspects. The restaurant was closed at the time of the robbery.

Minutes later, witnesses pointed officers in the direction of three people who matched those descriptions who were approaching another possible victim on a nearby street.

Jordan said it appeared the suspects were about to rob the victim. A second robbery did not take place, Jordan said, but at 10:08 p.m. someone reported shots

fired on the 1000 block of Jefferson Street -- about one block from where the woman was robbed at knifepoint.

During questioning, an officer said he received a threat from the teen on Jefferson and fired a single shot, Jordan said.

There were two other teens there, but they were not hit. The teenager who was hit suffered a non-life threatening wound to the lower right jaw, Jordan said. All three are from Oakland.

Jordan said no weapons were found on any of the teenagers and they were not involved in the earlier armed robbery.

No officers were injured during the incident, Bautista said.

Jordan said his officers had been in touch with the injured teen's family to check on his condition.

The Oakland police major crimes unit and internal affairs division are investigating the incident, police said.

Anyone with information about the armed robbery is asked to call 510-238-3821.

This is scary because I live a few blocks away. This young teenager could have been killed as the bullet "grazed" the side of his face. The story to me seems a bit hazy and it doesn't explain clearly why the officer fired. All of the teens present were "not involved" with the robbery they were investigating so what made the officer fire on them before that was figured out?

Introduction

This blog is part of my research project which investigates police murders of Black men in the United States. This is a longstanding issue whose rates are increasing each decade. My own conclusions and theory are based on government reports of "officer involved shootings" and national death data as well as specific case studies. It utilizes and builds on theories in ethnic studies, Black studies, and critical race theory.

So far I have created a 60-page draft thesis of my research and presented at various academic conferences and events.

However I want this information to be more accessible to the public and non-academics. In this blog I will include parts of my thesis, case studies, recent incidents in the news, helpful outside sources, and most importantly give you all the chance to bring your insight and perspectives to this issue.

Here is the abstract for my thesis:

Black men are 13 times more likely than whites to be killed by police officers in the United States. The gap in Black victims versus white victims has been steadily increasing as evinced by decades of government reports. My research will address the high instances of murders perpetrated by police against Black males. The lack of legal consequences and regulation for police leaves the Black population in the U.S. vulnerable to state-sponsored violence. Anti-Black expression through lynching and murders was once an extralegal practice. Now this has been transformed into standard police practice that is witnessed and sanctioned by the State. Lethal police violence is therefore a component of Anti-Black genocide in the United States.