The fatal beating of Tyre Nichols is only the latest tragic example of excessive force by police. It differs significantly from most previous incidents in… Read More »The Fatal Beating of Tyre Nichols: What Can Be Done?
The New York Times editorial on October 27 was particularly vituperative. The paper’s wrath was captured in the editorial’s headline, “Political Lies About Police Brutality.” After applauding video recordings that have shown excessive, or even reckless, use of force by police, the Times warmed to its point:
Yet the peeling away of secrecy on these indisputably unconstitutional practices is now being challenged by politicians who want to soft-pedal or even ignore police misconduct while attacking the people who expose it or raise their voices in protest against it.
Read More »Blog No. 82 The New York Times, The White House and FBI Director Comey
On Saturday, extensive protests in Baltimore arose in response to the death from a spinal cord injury that a young black man, Freddie Gray, sustained while in police custody. Although Gray’s arrest was captured on video, the exact cause of his injury is yet to be determined. Police, however, have acknowledged that, at a minimum, proper procedures had not been followed. Gray’s death on April 19 came on the heels of the fatal shooting in South Carolina of Walter Scott, also an unarmed black man, on April 11.Read More »Blog No. 67 Police, Minorities and The President’s Task Force