Statement from SGA at RCC re:Police Brutality incident on campus

United We Stand Against Police Brutality

       As a representative of the Student Government Association at Roxbury Community College, I personally denounce the brutality and the absolute act of barbarism displayed by the cops that arrested a 16-year old boy on RCC campus on Friday Nov. 22, 2010. I am not commenting on the reason for the arrest, but rather on the approach. The excessive force, punching, and kneeing used on this young boy, even after he had been subdued were crude, unfair, and unnecessary. It is disheartening to know that many police officers, among whom are those that were involved in this arrest, still fail to understand that in their quest to preserving public safety and peaceful community coexistence, the society expect them to act more diplomatically. I adore the courage of my fellow student that took the video footage of this ugly incident. Without her effort, these abusers in uniforms and the Boston Police Department, as usual, would have furnished the public with their diluted and unfairly tailored version of the incident.
         Also clearly important is the need to stress that the entire student community of Roxbury Community College feel disrespected by this incident for the very fact that this untamed police brutality took place on our campus. These cops came in, unleashed their viciousness, and walked out. The fact that this institution is a predominantly black community should not make the Boston Police Department or any society member, no matter how highly or lowly placed, to think that we do not deserve to be accounted for. If this had happened on the private property of a  predominantly white community institution, I am absolutely positive that Michael T. McManus and the rest of his untamed team would have been cautious of how they unleashed the brutality that have overshadowed their mental faculty.
        As the voice of the entire student of Roxbury Community College, I assert that we deserve the right to feel secure on our campus. Even though the young boy in question is not a student of RCC, the fact that this ferocious attack took place on our campus gives us no choice than to proudly stand with our fellow student that took the video footage of the occurrence to condemn the continuous perpetuation of police brutality in the society. Our support for her is unquestionably essential because if we decide to keep quiet because the boy in question is not a fellow student. We might not have the courage to stand up for our fellow colleague in the future if this was to happen to them. We might not have the courage to discourage police brutality in the society, especially black dominated communities. This, we believe is what it means to make a difference, and this we all proudly stand up for.

   Tajudeen J Akinbode.

  On behalf of the Student Government Association of RCC and the entire student community it governs.

                                                                                                                                   tjakinbode@roxbury.edu

                 

  

READ MORE - Statement from SGA at RCC re:Police Brutality incident on campus

VOTE! Blackstonian Endorsements for Tues Nov. 2nd, 2010 - Election Day

VOTE!!! TUESDAY NOVEMBER 2nd 2010!!!

VOTING INFO & RESOURCES

GET OUT THE VOTE 1010

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WHERE DO I VOTE IN MASS??

http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php

CITY OF BOSTON ELECTION RESULTS

http://www.cityofboston.gov/elections/currentelections/

REGISTER TO VOTE:

(If you are not already registered, you missed the 10/13/10 deadline for this Nov. 2nd upcoming election. But please still register  for the next elections. Don't put it off!) 

HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE

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MA VOTING REGISTRATION FORM

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elestu/stuidx.htm

CITY OF BOSTON VOTER INFORMATION
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BLACKSTONIAN & 10,000 STRONG BOSTON ENDORSEMENTS

for Governor...
no suprise here...
GOVERNOR DEVAL PATRICK
The 2nd Black Governor in the History of the USA

for State Representative 5th Suffolk District
no surprise here either...
hands down, no competition
CARLOS HENRIQUEZ

READ MORE - VOTE! Blackstonian Endorsements for Tues Nov. 2nd, 2010 - Election Day

Analysis of Warren St. Roxbury Murder Scene

Analysis of Warren St. Roxbury Murder Scene
by: Community Activist, Blackstonian Publisher/Editor
Jamarhl Crawford
10/28/10
This is a Proximity Analysis establishing that Murders in Boston will usually be surrounded by Churches, Liquor Stores and Police Stations.



Backstory:
Family members of a 39 yr. old woman gunned down on October 23rd, 2010 with an AK-47 while she was inside a Roxbury convenience store broke their silence yesterday inside a church just yards from where the mother of four was brutally killed.

Police also continued their search for the killer who burst into the Quick Stop convenience store with an AK-47 and unleashed a hail of gunfire. But Boston police would not discuss what they believe the gunman's motive was.

The store's owner, who also was not identified, stumbled bleeding into a neighboring restaurant and collapsed. The daylight assault was launched just feet away from the Boston police's SWAT team headquarters.

READ MORE - Analysis of Warren St. Roxbury Murder Scene

Analysis of Woolson St. Mattapan Murder Scene

Analysis of Woolson St. Mattapan Murder Scene
by: Community Activist, Blackstonian Publisher/Editor
Jamarhl Crawford
10/28/10
This is a Proximity Analysis establishing that Murders in Boston will usually be surrounded by Churches, Liquor Stores and Police Stations.




Backstory:
The shooting deaths of four people in a Mattapan street early in the morning (Sept. 28, 1010), including a mother and her two-year-old son cradled in her arms, was the worst shooting rampage in Boston since 2005, and touched off waves of anger from public officials and residents of a neighborhood already plagued by violence.

Shortly after 1 a.m., gunfire led police to a gruesome scene, described by two law enforcement officials as a possible drug deal that went bad. The bodies of two male victims were found naked, sprawled on a sidestreet to Blue Hill Avenue in one of the city's roughest sections. The woman, 21-year-old Eyanna Flonory, had been shot in the head, and her child, Amani Smith, she held fatally wounded. A third male also lay naked in the area of 40 Woolson St., clinging to life after attempting to flee. He remained in critical condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center yesterday.

READ MORE - Analysis of Woolson St. Mattapan Murder Scene

Open Message to Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis

Open Message to Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis
Message to Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis from
Community Activist, Blackstonian Publisher/Editor
Jamarhl Crawford
10/28/10

READ MORE - Open Message to Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis

Open Message to Boston Mayor Tom Menino

Open Message to Boston Mayor Tom Menino
Message to Mayor Tom Menino from
Community Activist, Blackstonian Publisher/Editor
Jamarhl Crawford
10/28/10


Open Message to Boston Mayor Tom Menino from Jamarhl Crawford on Vimeo.

READ MORE - Open Message to Boston Mayor Tom Menino

Police Brutality in Boston and throughout Mass-assippi

These are just a few of the publicized incidents of beatings...

not to mention Police shootings of civilians which resulted in death.

for more info on Cop Shootings go here to the Blackstonian Feature

http://www.blackstonian.com/news/cop_shootings.html

Police Brutality in Boston and throughout Mass-assippi

Wayne Abron
Boston, Dorchester, MA
March 24, 2008
Boston Firefighter Beaten by Boston Police

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melvin Jones III

Springfield, MA

November 27, 2009

beating caught on tape

Uncut video: Arrest of Melvin Jones III, November 27, 2009

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16 yr Old Beaten by Boston Police

Roxbury Community College Campus, Roxbury, MA

Friday October 22nd, 2010

captured on video

1 Minute video

7 min video

READ MORE - Police Brutality in Boston and throughout Mass-assippi

Origins of the Boston Police Department: First In The Nation

First in the Nation

The origins of the Boston Police Department can be traced back to 1631 with the formation of the first night watch..
These property owning white men “served and protected” the property of good white citizens and maintained a good Christian public peace.
Slavery was the business of the day, White men were not bound to respect any rights of any black man and Africa was in the middle of colonization and the raping of its natural resources….
**in 1780 Slavery was abolished in Massachusetts when the Mass constitution declared all men “born free and equal” after Slave, Quock Walker sued and won on this most basic of principles..
Boston was the anchor of the original 13 colonies the foundation on which this house of horrors was built less than an hour away Plymouth rock landed on us.
by 1796 the watchmen had a badge, rattle and six foot pole called the hook & bill, The hook to catch and the round bill as a weapon to pummel
In 1838 the Day police were established and the Boston Police forces then consisted of the Day police and the Night Watchmen
**In September of 1850 The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress as part of a compromise Southern slavemasters and Northern Free Interests. This act and compromise was the controversy of 1850 and served to heightened Northern fears of a 'slave power conspiracy'
Simalar to fears of the 50's and 60's to now; Black Power, Messiah, Cointelpro, Revolution, Domestic Terrorist
**In April 1851 a Warning was posted in the streets of Boston warning people of an impending life-threatening danger. This danger was the police themselves.
It read: “Caution Colored People of Boston and & all you are hereby respectfully cautioned and advised to avoid conversing with the watchmen and police officers of boston for since the recent order of the mayor and aldermen, they are empowered as kidnappers and slave catchers and they have been actually employed in kidnapping, catching and keeping slaves. Therefore if you value your liberty, and the welfare of the fugitives among you, shun them in every possible manner, as so many Hounds on the track of the most unfortunate of your race. Keep a sharp eye out for kidnappers and have a top eye open.”

**In 1854 The Boston Police was formally founded disbanding both the Day police and Night watchmen and establishing the Boston Police Department which then replaced the old hook & bill with a 14-inch club as the officer’s weapon of choice.

**1863 Emancipation Proclamation
**1865 13th Amendment Abolition of Slavery
So from the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863
Or maybe even the Abolition of Slavery in 1865
The Boston Police Department were slave catchers

NOTE:
RACIAL PREFERENCE
The Boston Police Department has shown a favoritism for the European culture, most notably Irish/Gaelic culture, Scottish and Italian. Bagpipes are played at formal functions and kilts are worn. Boston Police Department has even been officially emblazoned with flags representing authorized and sanctioned Cultural Pride. Can you imagine a Puerto Rican, Dominican, Jamaican, Haitian, Trinidadian or Cape Verdean Officer who wanted to alter the official badge of the Boston Police Department to represent their culture or ethnicity? Can you imagine a Black African-American Officer who wished to alter the BPD patch and display a Red, Black and Green Flag?!?

 

READ MORE - Origins of the Boston Police Department: First In The Nation

POLICE COMPLAINT ASSISTANCE PROJECT

If you wish to file a claim against the BPD....

ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union of MA) sponsor the POLICE COMPLAINT ASSISTANCE PROJECT in partnership with Suffolk University Law Students who will assist you in filing a complaint.

http://www.aclum.org/

211 Congress St, 3rd Flr, Boston, MA 02110   I  617-482-3170

READ MORE - POLICE COMPLAINT ASSISTANCE PROJECT

POLICE MISCONDUCT DOCUMENTATION PROJECT

POLICE MISCONDUCT DOCUMENTATION PROJECT

If you want to tell your story of abuse, misconduct, brutality, abuse, corruption, etc.

We want to hear from you.

YOU CAN REMAIN ANONYMOUS. 

If you wish to remain anonymous we can disguise your voice for audio or hide your face for video.

CONFIDENTIALITY GUARANTEED.

We can even have Clergy or Attorney's present.

CALL FOR INTERVIEW 617-297-7721

or email blackstonian@verizon.net

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: If you wish to file a claim against the BPD we will refer you to the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union of MA) who sponsor the POLICE COMPLAINT ASSISTANCE PROJECT in partnership with Suffolk University Law Students who will assist you in filing a complaint.

http://www.aclum.org/

211 Congress St, 3rd Flr, Boston, MA 02110   I  617-482-3170

See the link on Blackstonian here....

http://blackstonian.blogspot.com/2010/10/police-complaint-assistance-project.html

READ MORE - POLICE MISCONDUCT DOCUMENTATION PROJECT

Chuck Turner vows to fight

Chuck Turner vows to fight
By Marie Szaniszlo and Renee Nadeau Algarin  |   Sunday, October 31, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Politics

SELF-DEFENSE: City Councilor Chuck Turner led an hourlong rally in Dudley Square yesterday defending himself after a bribery conviction.
Photo by Faith Ninivaggi

A day after he was convicted of taking a $1,000 bribe from an FBI informant, a defiant Chuck Turner called for a letter-writing campaign to keep him out of prison and on the City Council.

At a “teach-in rally” outside his Dudley Square office, the 70-year-old pol asked a crowd of about 100 supporters to urge U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to sentence him to probation, rather than the maximum of 10 years in prison for extortion and five years for each of three counts of providing a false statement to the FBI.

“It was very clear in the trial that the conspiracy was not between Dianne Wilkerson and I,” he said, referring to the state senator who pleaded guilty to accepting bribes. “It was between the FBI and (informant) Ron Wilburn.”

The six-term councilor also asked supporters to write to Council President Michael P. Ross, asking him to postpone a hearing on whether to expel Turner as a member until after the judge reaches a decision.

“He asked me if I was going to resign. I said, ‘No. . . Why should I resign? I’ve done nothing wrong,’  ” he said. “If you put a bullet to my head, that is the only way I am going to leave my people.”

Ross said council rules require him to call a hearing on Turner’s job status because he has been convicted of a felony. The hearing will likely be held sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, he said.

Ross would not say what his recommendation to the council would be, or whether he believed Turner to be guilty.

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” he said. “A jury has decided that he is, and that’s significant.”

At yesterday’s rally, Councilor Charles Yancey said Turner “did not deserve” to be prosecuted.

“I know Chuck to be a man of integrity, to be a man to sacrifice for his community,” Yancey said. “Why was the FBI so hell-bent on destroying one of our strongest leaders?”

A former head of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau said the council’s hands are tied.

“They have no choice,” said Joe Slavet. “You can’t have someone on the council who’s been convicted of a felony.”

In a rambling, hourlong speech that touched on everything from the influence of corporations in government to the plight of white women in America, Turner called former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan a racist “ evil viper” for bringing charges against him.

“Don’t blame the jury. They are innocent victims. They were brought into a scheme and a plot that was hatched by U.S. Attorney Sullivan,” he said. “This is an attempt by the government to destabilize a community of color that’s on the move.”

Turner said he had no regrets about testifying.

“People say, ‘Chuck, you sent yourself to jail.’ Maybe I did. So be it,” he said. “I had to live by principle.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1292716

READ MORE - Chuck Turner vows to fight

Mass. man to be sentenced in black church arson

Mass. man to be sentenced in black church arson
By Associated Press  |   Sunday, October 31, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

SPRINGFIELD — One of three white men convicted of setting a fire that burned down a predominantly black church in Springfield hours after Barack Obama was elected president faces sentencing in federal court.

Benjamin Haskell pleaded guilty to civil rights charges in June in a plea deal that calls for him to spend nine years in prison. The 23-year-old Haskell is scheduled to be sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Springfield.

The fire destroyed the Macedonia Church of God in Christ in Springfield in the early morning hours of Nov. 5, 2008, the day after Obama was elected America’s first black president.

The church was under construction at the time. It had about 300 members, most of whom were black.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1292814

READ MORE - Mass. man to be sentenced in black church arson

Chuck takes a Turner for the pathetic

Chuck takes a Turner for the pathetic
By Joe Fitzgerald  |   Saturday, October 30, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Columnists

LET ME JUST SAY: City Councilor Chuck Turner faces the media outside Moakley Federal Courthouse.
Photo by Ted Fitzgerald

Let’s see if we have this straight.

First, Chuck Turner couldn’t remember a clandestine meeting with government witness Ron Wilburn, then couldn’t be certain of what Wilburn was slipping into his hand because it was a “minister’s handshake” they shared, and everyone knows clergymen always accept donations surreptitiously.

That was Turner’s story and he was sticking with it.

As Al Smith once quipped, dismissing the plausibility of an explanation offered by his opponent, Herbert Hoover, “No matter how thin you slice it, it’s still baloney.”

Chuck, don’t you know that cameras don’t lie, and that all ministers aren’t shady, which was an unconscionable implication, even by your shallow standards?

Did it never occur to you that most people are receptive to remorse, willing to ponder forgiving anyone honest enough to say, “I was wrong; my fault; no excuse; I apologize”?

It’s called taking the high road, which is the quickest way to put a mess like this behind you.

Instead, in your arrogance, you assume most of us are too dense to be offended or too preoccupied to care.

And then you dare to employ the Richard Pryor defense.

When the late, great comic portrayed a cheating husband who had been caught in flagrante delicto by his wife, who was about to read him the riot act, he pleaded, “Baby, who are you gonna believe? Me? Or your lying eyes?”

It was funny when Pryor said it.

But, Chuck, coming from you, it’s pathetic.

Early in his career, Jim Rice got into a brouhaha with Bob Lobel after the latter quoted him as saying the Sox didn’t have much of a chance.

“It was down in Winter Haven,” Lobel recalled. “Everyone sensed we were in for a long season, and now here was the ace outfielder pretty much saying it, too. And he said it on camera! When he started catching heat he claimed he had been misquoted, so we played the tape and said, ‘C’mon, Jim, here it is.’

“But in fairness to Rice, he was still young, and probably didn’t remember the exact words he had used until they came back to bite him. Sometimes what you mean can come out sounding a lot different, depending on how you say it.”

Turner’s words, however, were diabolically chosen.

No matter what your lying eyes thought they saw as a wad of something was slipped into a “minister’s handshake,” he remembers nothing, and if you can’t live with that, you must be a racist.

No, Chuck, people who’ve fin- ally had their fill of you are called realists.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1292517

READ MORE - Chuck takes a Turner for the pathetic

City Council eyes booting politician Felony conviction for Roxbury rep requires ‘action’

City Council eyes booting politician
Felony conviction for Roxbury rep requires ‘action’
By Richard Weir and Natalie Sherman  |   Saturday, October 30, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Politics

A jury found Chuck Turner guilty at the Moakley Federal Courthouse.
Photo by Ted Fitzgerald

Chuck Turner’s conviction yesterday on corruption charges has dumped the thorny issue of his political future in the laps of Hub councilors who must decide if they’ll strip the six-term Roxbury pol of his job before his sentencing.

“Our rules require us to take action if any member is convicted of a felony,” Boston City Council President Michael Ross said yesterday.

Ross said he reached out to Turner after the verdict to tell him that he plans to hold the fateful hearing within two weeks. A two-thirds vote is needed to oust Turner.

Councilor Stephen Murphy said he’s “leaning” toward letting Turner “exhaust” the appeals process — should the 70-year-old councilor choose to fight his conviction — before backing any bids to force him to step down.

“He will be back at work, unless we take some kind of vote,” said Murphy. “He was a good councilor. He went in there and fought for what he believed was the right fight for the people he represented.”

Councilor Maureen Feeney, who was president when Turner was arrested at City Hall on Nov. 21, 2008, deferred to Ross when asked if she would approve of Turner keeping his job until his scheduled Jan. 25 sentencing.

“It’s very sad. He’s one of a kind,” Feeney added.

Charles Yancey, who sits next to Turner during sessions, said he’s “still dealing with the shock” of the verdict and said Turner must decide what happens next.

Turner faces up to 25 years in the clink after a federal jury, after deliberating for less than two days, convicted him of attempted extortion and making false statements to the FBI for lying about taking a $1,000 bribe to help a Roxbury nightclub operator get a liquor license.

“Life is life. They made their decision,” a feisty Turner said outside court, where he was greeted with hugs by many of his loyal supporters who followed his two-week trial.

Turner seemed to be gaining the upper hand during the first week of his trial after his defense team attacked the credibility of the government’s reluctant star witness, out-of-work Roxbury nightclub operator Ron Wilburn.

Wilburn was paid $29,000 by the FBI to secretly videotape palming Turner a $1,000 bribe in exchange for his help in getting Wilburn a liquor license.

But Turner’s decision to take the witness stand, and then tell jurors he had no memory of the incident — despite it being shown on film in court — proved disastrous.

Prominent defense lawyer Harvey Silverglate yesterday called that move a critical “blunder.”

Former prosecutor and Boston criminal lawyer Tim Bradl said no matter what was said on the stand, it’s still hard for the defense team to beat back the videotape evidence. “The jurors have a photograph in front of them of a greased palm and that is difficult to overcome,” he said.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1292519

READ MORE - City Council eyes booting politician Felony conviction for Roxbury rep requires ‘action’

Shooting victim’s kin: ‘Take back our streets’ from fear

Shooting victim’s kin: ‘Take back our streets’ from fear
By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Saturday, October 30, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Photo by Herald file

Family members of a woman gunned down with an AK-47 while she was inside a Roxbury convenience store broke their silence yesterday inside a church just yards from where the mother of four was brutally killed.

Tahitia Milton, 39, was remembered as a warm woman who gave much to her community and will be greatly missed.

“She was a youth leader in her church and a community activist,” said Jeane Smith, a lifelong friend who was godmother to Milton’s children. “She was well-loved by her family and friends. She will be truly, truly missed.”

Milton’s oldest son, Clark Hunt, delivered an emotional plea to the city’s leaders as well as members of the community to get involved in the fight against neighborhood violence.

“She was a woman that was very positive. Very open, very welcoming,” he said. “We ask that everybody just stand up in any possible way, because we as a community need to stand and talk about what’s going on in our streets. We need to take back our streets. We can no longer be in fear of our own streets.”

Hunt said he is disappointed in elected leaders and their response to his mother’s death. He said it seems as though gang violence gets a majority of the attention, but when a “true innocent” such as his mother is caught in the crossfire, no one has offered support to her family.

“A 39-year-old mother getting shot is not a usual thing,” he said.

He said while it seems as though there are services out there to help families in a crisis, no city or state officials have offered to help.

Hunt said he feels like he’s handling his mother’s death as well as he can. He said he last spoke to her about two hours before she was killed.

“I told her I was going to get a haircut. I said I would see her later and that I love her,” he said.

Friends established the Tahitia Milton Children’s Fund at Sovereign Bank for those who wish to help the family.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1292497

READ MORE - Shooting victim’s kin: ‘Take back our streets’ from fear

Pace player honored amid quest for ‘truth’
Mourners remember ‘family first’ mentality
By Marie Szaniszlo  |   Saturday, October 30, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

HOPE ABOVE: Danroy Henry Sr. and Angela Henry mourn the loss of their son Danroy Henry Jr. during a service to honor him at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Photo by Christopher Evans

Two weeks after he was shot to death by police outside a Mount Pleasant, N.Y., bar, more than 2,000 people crowded into the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center yesterday to remember the birthday Danroy Henry Jr. never lived to see.

The Pace University football player would have turned 21 yesterday. And so his family, friends and teammates celebrated his life, even as they wrestled with questions about his death.

“We have been overwhelmed by love and support as we continue to search for the truth,” his mother, Angela Henry, said as she looked out across the sea of faces in front of her. “As his mother, I wanted to do everything I could for him. . . . I just pray you do the same for your kids.”

Henry was shot at about 1 a.m. Oct. 17 after he allegedly struck a police officer with the car he and 20-year-old Brandon Cox were in. Two officers opened fire, killing Henry and grazing his childhood friend.

Police have said Henry took off, hitting the officer, while witnesses have said the officer jumped in front of the vehicle.

While New York State Police and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office investigate, Henry’s family and witnesses have called for federal oversight of the probe since blood-alcohol test results were leaked, showing he had a level of 0.13, above the legal limit.

Michael Sussman, the attorney representing the Easton family, this week said he expects the Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office to turn over a blood sample to a lab for independent toxicology analysis. No drugs or alcohol were found in the car, Sussman said.

Yesterday, Danroy Henry Sr. jokingly remembered his son as an excruciatingly slow eater who would order two entrees when they went out to dinner and, if he particularly liked his meal, “quietly hum” his approval.

His younger brother remembered his impeccable sense of style and $400 Gucci shoes.

His younger sister remembered him as her “hero.”

When his father learned he had gotten a tattoo, the elder Henry “was ready to go off on him,” Bishop G.A. Thompson of Jubilee Christian Church recalled, “but when he saw the words, ‘Family First,’ he said, ‘How can I get mad at that?’ ”

On the football field, Henry came to compete because he loved what he was doing, his Pace University coach, Chris Dapolito, said, adding “His play inspired others.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1292513

READ MORE -

Cop sent to desk as video outrage brews

Cop sent to desk as video outrage brews
By O’Ryan Johnson and Colneth Smiley Jr.  |   Saturday, October 30, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Photo by Chitose Suzuki

One of the officers involved in the controversial videotaped arrest of a 16-year-old escapee was placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an investigation.

Officer Michael T. McManus, with three years of service, will report for duty but will work inside the Roxbury station where he is assigned. Police said McManus is the officer that is seen on the video striking the teen in a move that union officials said was used to get the suspect to comply with police demands that he place his hands behind his back.

Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association President Thomas Nee said McManus is an excellent officer. He said the department’s decision is routine and does not hint at any outcome.

“It’s not the result of any findings and it’s consistent with department policy,” Nee said.

The video — which was uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday — shows the arrest of a teenager wanted on multiple warrants who had escaped from a Department of Youth Services lockup. The tape begins as officers have the suspect on the ground at Roxbury Community College and appears to show one cop striking him in the thigh.

The arrest has outraged some in the community, who have called the tape proof of police brutality. Several Roxbury Community College students held a protest outside the school yesterday where they demanded answers. The woman who videotaped the encounter, Eusida Blidgen of Boston, said cops were too rough.

“What is important is what everybody has seen with their own eyes,” she said. “He got beat down pretty bad. My class was finished. I was sitting, figuring out what to do next. I saw him get hit in the head with handcuffs. I did not see him resist arrest, and that’s all I can say. He did not have handcuffs on one hand. I just hope he’s OK and in a safe place.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1292500

READ MORE - Cop sent to desk as video outrage brews

VIDEO: Press Conference @BPD HQ re: Police Brutality 10/28/10

Press Conference @BPD HQ re: Police Brutality 10/28/10 from Jamarhl Crawford on Vimeo.

READ MORE - VIDEO: Press Conference @BPD HQ re: Police Brutality 10/28/10

Jury finds Chuck Turner guilty on all counts Council to address verdict within 2 weeks

Jury finds Chuck Turner guilty on all counts
Council to address verdict within 2 weeks
By Natalie Sherman and Joe Dwinell  |   Friday, October 29, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Politics

Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner outside federal court in Boston this week. A jury returned a verdict of guilty in his trial on corruption charges, today.
Photo by Ted Fitzgerald

A defiant Chuck Turner was found guilty today of taking a $1,000 bribe from an FBI informant and then lying about it to authorities, a jury ruled in U.S. District Court in Boston.

But the 70-year-old Roxbury city councilor refused to admit guilt outside court after the verdict and even said he’d continue his politicking — even behind bars.

“Life is life and they made their decision,” Turner said. “I’m not the first person who’s innocent to be sent to jail.”

The popular politician said he’s a born organizer and he’ll now “organize in jail.”

Turner faces up to 25 years in prison for attempted extortion and making false statements to the FBI. The $87,500-a-year councilor also stands to lose his city pension. He is set to be sentenced Jan. 25.

City Council President Mike Ross said a hearing on Turner’s political fate will be held within the next two weeks. A two-thirds majority is needed to banish Turner from the board.

"Our rules require us to take action if any member is convicted of a felony," said Ross. "I have reached out to Councilor Turner to inform him of how I am moving forward. I intend to call for a hearing within the next two weeks — to be held shortly thereafter — in order for the Council to take appropriate action."

Turner addressed his possible expulsion from his job, saying the council’s vote is "a symbol of the fact that they know I’m not guilty because they know the quality of work I do every day."

The jury announced soon after 2 p.m. that they didn’t buy Turner’s defense that he didn’t take the cash, blaming it on his foggy memory. The guilty verdict comes on the second day of deliberations and was announced to a packed courtroom that kept stony silent fearing retribution from the judge who warned against any outbursts.

Turner, the sole witness in his own defense, denied on the witness stand ever seeing the bribe pressed into his palm in a so-called “minister’s handshake” with FBI informant Ronald Wilburn, a longtime Hub business consultant who was shopping for political muscle to land a liquor license for a proposed nightclub.

Turner’s defense attorney, Barry Wilson, said yesterday federal informant Wilburn kept $800 of the $1,000 alleged bribe money Turner is accused of accepting. The money has never been accounted for.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. McNeil scoffed at the eleventh-hour allegation yesterday that the informant kept most of the money, calling it “ridiculous.” McNeil told jurors Turner suffered from “magic memory loss” and “selective amnesia.”

Turner is now the second corrupt Hub pol to be bagged in this FBI sting. Former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson admitted she took some $23,000 in bribes — including an infamous exchange when she stuffed cash into her bra.

Turner was also caught on an FBI tape taking cash in a handshake with Wilburn — an exchange he denied on the stand.

UPDATE: Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said today he’s focusing on gaining back the "public’s trust" following the verdict:

"Today is a very sad and unfortunate day for the city of Boston. Councilor Turner has represented the people of his district well for over a decade. I remain shocked at the actions Councilor Turner has been found guilty of today and will continue to work hard promoting a spirit of public trust and confidence in our elected officials and government agencies.

"While today is a disappointing day we must look with optimism toward a better tomorrow. We will continue to work closely with the residents of District 7 – Roxbury, Lower Roxbury, areas of the South End, Fenway and Dorchester, to make sure their voices are heard and that their representation is not negatively affected by today’s decision."

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1292434

READ MORE - Jury finds Chuck Turner guilty on all counts Council to address verdict within 2 weeks

Chuck Turner lawyer’s bizarre admission He only took a little

Chuck Turner lawyer’s bizarre admission
He only took a little
By Laurel J. Sweet  |   Friday, October 29, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Politics

AWAITS VERDICT: City Councilor Chuck Turner leaves the Moakley Federal Courthouse yesterday.
Photo by Matthew West

The jury sitting in judgment of City Councilor Chuck Turner began deliberations yesterday after a final bizarre twist in the trial — the accused pol’s lawyer said in his closing remarks that his client took no more than $200 of an alleged $1,000 bribe, that FBI informant Ronald Wilburn pocketed the rest and that Turner never did anything for Wilburn.

“The only thing Chuck Turner did knowingly was his job,” defense attorney Barry Wilson bellowed.

Turner sat later, surrounded and reassured by his faithful supporters, waiting for a verdict. “Let’s see what they come back with,” the Roxbury city councilor said.

The six women and six men enter a second day of deliberations todayin U.S. District Court.

The jury asked for Judge Douglas P. Woodlock’s help once yesterday: to obtain a definition for “material statement.” Turner, 70, faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of attempted extortion and making false statements to the FBI. The $87,500-a-year councilor also stands to lose his city pension.

Turner, the sole witness in his own defense, denied on the witness stand ever seeing money pressed into his palm in a so-called “minister’s handshake” with Wilburn, a longtime Hub business consultant who was shopping for political muscle to land a liquor license for a proposed nightclub.

Wilson said federal informant Wilburn kept $800 of the $1,000 alleged bribe money Turner is accused of accepting. The money has never been accounted for.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. McNeil scoffed at the eleventh-hour allegation that the informant kept most of the money, calling it “ridiculous.” McNeil told jurors Turner suffered from “magic memory loss” and “selective amnesia.”

“If someone put a thousand bucks in your hand, you’re never going to forget it,” McNeil said. “Never.”

In his closing, McNeil told the jury to examine the rule of law. “In the United States of America no one is above the law. No one gets a free pass. And in the United States of America, politicians are certainly not above the law,” he said.

He noted that a politician doesn’t have to ask for money to be found guilty of extortion and theorized Turner didn’t need to glance at the wad or count the cash because, “Chuck Turner knew it was coming.”

The FBI wired Wilburn to videotape the alleged exchange. Wilburn told Turner, “You take care of me, I take care of you.”

McNeil said of Turner, a Harvard grad, “Just because you go to Harvard doesn’t make you honest.”

Turner supporters and trial watchers packed two rooms at the South Boston court yesterday, including one reserved for a simulcast of the trial.

Wilson chalked up his client’s foggy memory of having met Wilburn in August 2007 to holding “350 hearings a year” and meeting dozens of people a week. “Ron Wilburn is nobody to Mr. Turner. He wasn’t then and he isn’t now,” said Wilson. “He didn’t commit a crime.”

McNeil, afforded a few final last words by the judge, retorted, “If Chuck Turner was only doing his job, then American politics are in a sad state.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1292312

READ MORE - Chuck Turner lawyer’s bizarre admission He only took a little

DA investigating arrest video Aggressive cop restraint under review

DA investigating arrest video
Aggressive cop restraint under review

By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Friday, October 29, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

The Suffolk district attorney and the Boston Police Department agreed yesterday to assign a prosecutor to probe possible “criminal conduct” by police following an arrest posted on YouTube where cops appear to repeatedly punch a 16-year-old.

“It’s important for everyone involved that there be independent eyes reviewing what occurred here,” said Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley. He said police Commissioner Edward Davis has already launched an internal investigation.

The 16-year-old caught on tape while being arrested at Roxbury Community College on Oct. 22 was charged with assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and was held on $500 cash bail. His bail was also revoked on an open case for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and trespassing. He was wanted on a warrant for escaping a Department of Youth Services lockup.

The officers are at work and have not been placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

If the police department does not quickly provide answers, the video — which had been viewed more than 17,000 times as of last night — could undermine efforts at combating youth violence, community leaders warned.

“Davis is doing exactly the right thing to make sure they’re seeing all the video and getting all the witness statements,” said Emmet Folgert, director of the Dorchester Youth Collaborative.

The Rev. Shaun O. Harrison, pastor of Charles Street A.M.E. Church, and a member of Dorchester’s Four Corners Association, said while the arrest looks bad on tape, he wants to wait until the investigation is complete before he passes judgment. He said as someone who worked with troubled teens in a Department of Youth Services facility for five years and has participated in restraints, he knows they are often ugly to witness.

“It’s not a pretty scene,” he said. “Sometimes it takes four to six staff to put them down because they’re very violent. You have got to hold them down until they calm down. I’ve gotten thrown through walls. I got slammed into a locker. It wasn’t pretty.”

The hot-button incident sparked a war of words between City Council President Michael Ross and Boston Police Patrolmen Association president Thomas Nee.

Ross, who said he trusts that a review of the case will be independent and thorough, did not back away from a statement he issued on his Web site Wednesday night about his outrage over the use of force on an unarmed 16-year-old.

“I don’t think this represents who we are as a city. It’s offensive to see. It’s offensive for our citizens and it’s not the way our police should be performing,” Ross said.

“Nothing was out of line and nothing was excessive,” responded Nee, who said the suspect assaulted a cop, then locked his fingers under his body and was refusing to allow police to cuff him. “Use of force is not pretty and officers were utilizing techniques for noncompliance that they train for in the academy. They will be exonerated after an investigation.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1292330

READ MORE - DA investigating arrest video Aggressive cop restraint under review

Police launch South End gang, guns sweep

Police launch South End gang, guns sweep
By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Thursday, October 28, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

A crackdown on a violent South End drug gang should serve as a warning to anyone who uses a gun for crime, Boston police Commissioner Edward Davis said, after a sweep picked up nine suspected gang members on drug charges.


Davis said cops noted increased firearms activity in the South End in July and August of this year and attributed that spike to the gang.


“Let this serve as a message to any individuals engaging in violent activity in our community,” Davis said. “We will continue our ceaseless efforts to hold violent perpetrators accountable.”


Police said the gang is suspected in shootings and related drug violence, robberies, break-ins and street crime around the area where they worked. Davis said the sweep was dubbed Operation National League and noted that several members of the gang wore Pittsburgh Pirates hats while dealing drugs. He said the group tried to intimidate anyone who walked through the area of the Villa Victoria projects and were trying to establish an “open air drug market.”


“We will not allow that to happen,” Davis said.


Eight of the suspects were charged with distribution of crack cocaine in a school zone. A ninth person was arrested on a federal indictment for distribution of crack cocaine. The investigation started when fed-up residents complained to police about crime in the area of Dade Park.


He said police carried out a monthslong investigation and then fanned out across the neighborhood, home to some of the city’s priciest real estate and finest restaurants, yesterday to make the arrests.


Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1292061

READ MORE - Police launch South End gang, guns sweep

Community Leaders Hold Press Conference Outside BPD Headquarters To Address Videotaped Police

Community Leaders Hold Press Conference Outside BPD Headquarters To Address Videotaped Police Beating of 16-year-old
Published Oct 28 2010, 04:39 PM by Chris Faraone



One surefire way to rile activists is to beat a teenager in plain sight, and tell witnesses that they can't record the free-for-all. Needless to say, more than a few folks are furious in the wake of news that Boston Police Department officers jabbed and kicked a 16-year-old inside a Roxbury Community College building this past Friday.
At the time of this writing, more than 17,000 people have viewed a seven minute YouTube video (above) in which what appears to be a mix of plain clothes and uniformed officers repeatedly assault a juvenile in custody. Despite claims that the alleged fugitive resisted arrest – and a statement from Commissioner Ed Davis claiming that an investigation is under way – more than a dozen respected local leaders aired grievances this afternoon in front of BPD headquarters.
“It's on all of us to answer the question of 'Who wants to do something about this,'” said organizer Jamarhl Crawford, who also read from a prepared statement. “This press conference has been called after repeated attempts and pleas for the Mayor and Commissioner to open the table to new ideas from fresh voices in order to combat all violence in the city.”
Speakers brought more than just rhetoric. Representatives from the Boston Black Men's Leadership Group and the National Action Network demanded that a community civilian board be put in charge of reviewing the case; an attorney from the law offices of civil rights attorney Howard Friedman was also on hand to explain that it was perfectly legal for onlookers to record the incident. “The [police sergeant who told people they could not shoot video] should be disciplined,” said attorney David Milton.
It was also noted that police brutality is not a new issue for Boston; Crawford specified that the public is still in the dark about specifics surrounding the April killing of Manuel DaVeiga, who died in a shootout with state police and city officers. “The police must serve and protect,” said former State Senator Bill Owens. “We don't pay police officers to beat up on our children. We will not tolerate these atrocities.”
Despite this being the height of election season, most major news outlets came to cover speeches by local clergy and other concerned individuals. So it looks like this story might have legs after all. Tomorrow (Friday) afternoon, starting at 5pm, community residents – not united under any particular banner – will gather outside of the Roxbury Crossing T stop for a larger public rally.
“I'm here as a concerned resident,” said James Hills, a former special assistant to Mayor Menino and city liaison to the faith community. “We want the response of young people to this to be constructive and positive.”

Read more: http://thephoenix.com/blogs/phlog/archive/2010/10/28/community-leaders-hold-press-conference-outside-bpd-headquarters-to-address-videotaped-police-beating-of-16-year-old.aspx#ixzz13wpLNSVo

READ MORE - Community Leaders Hold Press Conference Outside BPD Headquarters To Address Videotaped Police

Boston Police criticized for rough arrest

Boston Police criticized for rough arrest
Oct 28, 2010 5:16pm
http://www.necn.com/10/28/10/Boston-Police-criticized-for-rough-arres/landing_newengland.html?blockID=341014&feedID=4206



(NECN: Josh Brogadir, Boston) - Several community leaders are criticizing Boston Police officer for being too rough during the arrest of a teen in Roxbury.

The perception among some community leaders is that dialogue is not open with police.

They want these officers suspended without pay.

A call to prayer followed the call for change within the Boston Police Department, as community activists gathered out front of headquarters to denounce allegations of police brutality.

"I believe that it is time that the mayor tells the commissioner you must do the job right or step down," said former State Sen. Bill Owens.

The anger stems from this cell phone video of a Roxbury Community College entryway which shows police officers holding down, kneeing, and punching a 16 year old boy, who was wanted on multiple warrants and had escaped from a Department of Youth Services Center last Friday.

Police say he had grabbed handcuffs and was resisting, flailing, and throwing punches, injuring three officers.

According to a police narrative, "Officers struck SUSPECT multiple times with closed fists and used knee strikes as trained in the police academy in an attempt to control and bring SUSPECT under control."

"No I don't see any reason that could warrant that type of force particularly after the young man is subdued," said community activist Jamarhl Crawford.

That video was shot and posted on YouTube by first year RCC student Eusida Blidgen.

"This young man got beaten down. And I give the love and the respect to his family and anyone who's very close to him, because I'm still shaken up about the incident," she said.

Boston Police Internal affairs is now investigating, and Police commissioner Ed Davis called on Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley to review the case which his top prosector will do.

Community leaders urged a non-violent response as they await the findings.

"Young people I want to say to you, we want your response to be positive and constructive. There are issues that are clearly identified. I heard some young people said finally, we have evidence of what we've been saying to the adults for years,"
said Minister James Hills, community leader.

A rally for young people that may turn into a march will be held at Roxbury Crossing Friday night at 5pm.

Boston Police did not comment on the accusations made at today's protest.

READ MORE - Boston Police criticized for rough arrest

Chuck Turner’s lawyer drops closing-argument bombshell Jurors sent home for the day

Chuck Turner’s lawyer drops closing-argument bombshell
Jurors sent home for the day
By Laurel J. Sweet  |   Thursday, October 28, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Politics

Photo by Patrick Whittemore

In a final bizarre bombshell in the corruption case of Chuck Turner, the city councilor’s attorney said today in his closing remarks that his client took only $200 while an FBI informant pocketed the rest.

Defense attorney Barry Wilson said federal informant Ronald Wilburn kept $800 of the $1,000 alleged bribe money Turner is accused of accepting.

"The only thing Chuck Turner did knowingly was his job," said Wilson in a packed U.S. District Court.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. McNeil scoffed at the 11th-hour allegation, calling it "ridiculous."

The jury was then handed the case and deliberated for most of the day before being sent home without a verdict just before 5 p.m. The jury did ask one question about material statements.

In his closing, McNeil told the jury to examine the rule of law. "In the United States of America no one is above the law. No one gets a free pass. And in the United States of America, politicians are certainly not above the law," he said.

The two-week bribery case had been entertaining from the start and today’s closing arguments did not disappoint. Even though Turner has denied ever seeing the $1,000 wad allegedly slipped to him by businessman Wilburn in exchange for his help in landing a liquor license for a proposed nightclub, Wilson shocked the court with his allegation Wilburn skimmed most of the cash.

Turner supporters and trial watchers packed two rooms at the South Boston court including one reserved for a simulcast of the trial.

Judge Douglas P. Woodlock turned the case over to jurors today after instructing them on the law.

Turner, 70, charged with attempted extortion and making a false statement to the FBI, faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Wilson chalked up his client’s foggy memory of having met Wilburn in August 2007 to holding "350 hearings a year" and meeting dozens of people a week.

"Ron Wilburn is nobody to Mr. Turner. He wasn’t then and he isn’t now," said Wilson. "He didn’t commit a crime."

McNeil, afforded a few final last words by the judge, retorted, "If Chuck Turner was only doing his job, then American politics are in a sad state."

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1292194

READ MORE - Chuck Turner’s lawyer drops closing-argument bombshell Jurors sent home for the day

Police report on Roxbury Community College arrest

Police report on Roxbury Community College arrest

By Boston Police report  |   Thursday, October 28, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

The following is a Boston Police report on the arrest of a 16-year-old suspect at Roxbury Community College Friday:

About 2:10PM on Friday, 10/22/10, Officers along with DYS Officer under the supervision of Sgt were in the area of Roxbury Crossing MBTA Station. Officers were in the area trying to locate (Suspect,16). Suspect was wanted on multiple warrants as well a Felony escape warrant issued by the Massachusetts Dept of Youth Services. Officers received information that suspect frequents the area of Roxbury Crossing and Officers also had a description of what clothing suspect had on earlier in the day.

At approx 2:27PM Officers observed a male wearing a green hoody, dark jeans, and backpack. this was the exact description given to the Officers in the morning. Officers, with theirs badges displayed on their outer most garment, followed the male across Columbus Av and onto the property of Roxbury Community College. Officers then saw the male enter the Administration Building. Officers followed the male into the common thruway. Just as the male got to the exit door at the end of the thruway, Officer said, "Hey (suspect)". The male turned around and Officers immediately identified him to be suspect.

Officers gave suspect verbal commands to turn around and place his hands behind his back, to which suspect complied. At that time Officer attempted to secure SUSPECT’s left arm, as DYS Officer attempted to place him in cuffs. SUSPECT quickly spun around and broke free from Officers. SUSPECT was now facing Officers in a combative stance. Officers were again issuing verbal commands, "(Suspect) stop resisting, your under arrest". Officer again attempted to place handcuffs on SUSPECT’s left hand. SUSPECT grabbed the cuffs with his right hand, Officer grabbed and secured SUSPECT’s right arm. Officer told the suspect multiple times to let go of the cuffs. The suspect then stiffened his body and refused to comply. Officers, concerned that the suspect was now armed with a weapon - the handcuffs, physically restrained SUSPECT from flailing his arms. At this time Officer requested operations send additional units for assistance.

As the Officers continued to give verbal commands to the suspect Officer requested the assistance of a RCC Security Officer who was walking through the doorway. Officers were struggling to hold onto SUSPECT, who was still in possession of the handcuffs. Officer told the suspect to stop resisting and stated, "(Suspect) you are going to the ground and you’re going to place your hands behind your back". Officers attempted to bring SUSPECT to the ground.

This is when a violent struggle ensued. Officer managed to pry the handcuffs from SUSPECT just as the violence escalated. SUSPECT now freed his left hand and was flailing his closed fist throwing punches. SUSPECT now yelled repeatedly, "YA’LL GOTTA TAKE ME IN BLOOD (expletive)"! Officers struck SUSPECT multiple times with closed fists and used knee strikes as trained in the police academy in an attempt to control and bring SUSPECT under control. The violent struggle continued now on the ground as multiple assisting units arrived. PO was kicked by SUSPECT, causing officer to fall to the ground. Eventually with the assistance of multiple Officers, SUSPECT was handcuffed.

During this violent struggle SUSPECT sustained a laceration to his head. Officer injured back, his right shoulder, and sustained lacerations to both hands. Officer sustained an injury to leg. Officer sustained a blow to the right eye causing it to swell. SUSPECT was taken to BMC via Boston EMS. He was treated and released. Officer was taken to Tuffs Medical Center for injuries.

SUSPECT was transported to B2 for booking. During the inventory search of SUSPECT’s backpack Officers found 9 PB’s of green leafy material believed to be marijuana. Drugs logged into B2 drug Book # 151 page # 33.

SUSPECT charged with ABDW, ABPO, Resisting Arrest, and Possession with Intent Class D school zone. SUSPECT also arrested on: Straight warrant issued out of Cambridge Juvenile Court on 10/20/10. Straight Warrant issued out of Boston Juvenile on 10/19/10. Straight Warrant issued out of Roxbury Juvenile on 10/19/10. DYS Warrant issued 10/19/10, Escaped from Custody. Warrant Unit notified.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1292191

READ MORE - Police report on Roxbury Community College arrest

BPD probes arrest video DA, police agree to assign prosecutor to case

BPD probes arrest video
DA, police agree to assign prosecutor to case
By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Thursday, October 28, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

INVESTIGATION: Boston police have vowed to probe the arrest of a 16-year-old suspect at Roxbury Community College last week that was captured on video and placed on YouTube. The teen had run away from a youth facility.
Photo by Youtube

Boston police brass are vowing a full investigation into a YouTube video that shows a police officer punching a 16-year-old suspect in the back of the legs and apparently kneeing him as officers struggle to cuff him.

Boston police Commissioner Edward Davis said the department’s internal affairs department is planning to view that video, speak with witnesses and get surveillance video from Roxbury Community College where the arrest occurred Friday.

TODAY’S UPDATE: The Suffolk District Attorney’s office and city police agreed this afternoon to assign a prosecutor to review the arrest.

“Its important for everyone involved that there be independent eyes reviewing what occurred here,” Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said. “I spoke with (Boston Police) Commissioner (Edward) Davis, who has already initiated what he promises will be a complete and thorough internal investigation.”

Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said yesterday no one has filed a complaint regarding the force used in the arrest. She said the department had already initiated an investigation into the incident after three officers were hospitalized Friday for injuries sustained cuffing the suspect.

The video begins as police have the suspect, who was wanted on warrants and for running away from a youth facility, on the ground. There is a struggle to cuff him, and the video appears to show a plainclothes officer raising his hand and repeatedly striking the suspect in the back of the leg. He then repositions himself and drives a knee into the suspect, appearing to strike him in the hip or upper thigh. The suspect then appears to kick a police officer off of him.

It is unclear who produced the video or whether it was edited.



In the police report, officers acknowledge the use of punches and the knee strike and state the suspect was brought to the ground after freeing himself from one officer and using a pair of handcuffs as a weapon against police.

“Suspect ... yelled repeatedly, “YA’LL GOTTA TAKE ME IN BLOOD (expletive)”!” the report states. “Officers struck suspect multiple times with closed fists and used knee strikes as trained in the police academy in an attempt to control and bring suspect under control.”

Davis said officers are allowed to use appropriate force to make an arrest. He said the officers involved in the arrest continue to work as the department investigates.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1292056

READ MORE - BPD probes arrest video DA, police agree to assign prosecutor to case

Cop union president Thomas Nee blasts councilor Mike Ross over video criticism

Cop union president Thomas Nee blasts councilor Mike Ross over video criticism
By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Thursday, October 28, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Photo by Youtube

Boston police union boss Thomas Nee called City Council President Mike Ross a “fraud” today over his
comments that police use of force captured in a YouTube video was “offensive.”

Ross also called the officers training into question, which didn’t sit well with Nee.

“There were officers holding this man down on his belly, pressing him to the floor. It appears to me the use of force by one particular officer was unmeasured,” Ross said. “If that is the protocol, that should not be the protocol. There has got to be a better way of doing that ... It’s offensive to see. It’s offensive for our citizens to watch and its not the way our police should be performing.”



Nee struck back today saying Ross was making political hay out of a policing situation he knows nothing about and passing judgment on an investigation that has only just begun.

“He’s is a fraud that lives a charmed life sitting in a soft chair watching police work on the six o’clock news,” Nee said. “The sheer arrogance of an ambitious elected official to cast aspersions and take an opportunity in an event like this, is not only irresponsible, its outrageous.”

Nee said he hopes Ross will apologize after the case is over.

The video, placed on YouTube Tuesday, shows the arrest Oct. 22 at Roxbury Community College of a 16-year-old escapee from a Department of Youth Services lock up. In it officers appear to strike the suspect in order to cuff him.

Nee said while Ross would not comment on an FBI surveillance video that shows City Councilor Chuck Turner allegedly accepting a bribe he immediately issued a statement regarding the YouTube video.

“He reserves judgment where an elected official is concerned, but he rushes to judgment in a situation that he doesn’t know anything about,” Nee said. “He should reserve his judgment on my members until the facts are revealed. We don’t get to play law enforcement critic on television. We have to deal with it in the real world.”

The Suffolk District Attorney’s office and city police agreed this afternoon to assign a prosecutor to review the arrest.

“Its important for everyone involved that there be independent eyes reviewing what occurred here,” Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said. “I spoke with (Boston Police) Commissioner (Edward) Davis, who has already initiated what he promises will be a complete and thorough internal investigation.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1292275

READ MORE - Cop union president Thomas Nee blasts councilor Mike Ross over video criticism

D.J.’s parents demand cops turn over investigation

D.J.’s parents demand cops turn over investigation
By Edward Mason  |   Thursday, October 28, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

In this photo taken Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010, police look at multiple bullet holes in the windshield of the car driven by Pace University student Danroy Henry outside a restaurant in Thornwood, N.Y.
Photo by Seth Harrison/The Journal News - File

The New York lawyer for the grieving family of Danroy “D.J.” Henry Jr. accused local police of allowing gunpowder traces to disappear from the vehicle as they probe the fatal shooting of the Pace University football player, and again called for the Justice Department to take over the investigation.

“The vehicle was not maintained properly,” attorney Michael Sussman told reporters in a teleconference yesterday. “Do I know someone did this intentionally? I have no way of knowing that. I do know you do not trust an investigation of this magnitude to an agency that claims they have had no bullets fired in 20 years. What experience to they have to conduct this?”

Sussman also rejected a request by Westchester District Attorney Janet DiFiore to meet with the Henry family, though he invited her to come to Boston to attend the public memorial the family is holding at the Boston Convention and Exhibition center at 2 p.m. tomorrow on what would have been Henry’s 21st birthday, and again called on her to turn the probe over to the feds.

“We’re not interested in social gatherings,” Sussman said. “If she were genuine, she’d let the Justice Department take over the investigation.”

A Department of Justice spokeswoman, Xochitl Hinojosa, said her office isn’t ready to take the probe out of local hands: “The Westchester District Attorney’s Office is investigating the shooting and, consistent with our general practice, the department is monitoring the local investigation.”

A spokesman for DiFiore’s office could not be reached.

Also yesterday, Sussman, who has blasted authorities for leaking blood test results purporting to show Henry was drunk when his car struck a Mount Pleasant police officer, said his investigators got access to Henry’s car for the first time since the Oct. 17 shooting. They turned up “no drugs, no alcohol . . . just Pepsi and Gatorade.”

Westchester Police Chief Louis Alagno could not be reached yesterday.

Sussman also said yesterday he’s asked the Westchester district attorney to give his investigators access to the “black boxes” of Henry’s Nissan and a Mount Pleasant police car it struck, to gauge how fast the Easton native was traveling when he was shot.

Meanwhile, Bonita Zelman, a lawyer for four of Henry’s teammates arrested that night, is looking to have the trial on charges related to the melee moved out of Westchester County.

“They won’t get a fair trial . . . or a fair investigation by the prosecutor’s office, who are relying on police involved in the acts of brutality to do the investigation,” Zelman said.

According to Zelman, Daniel Parker, Yves Delpeche and Joseph Garcia, all 22, face obstruction of justice charges. Joseph Romanick, 21, faces a felony criminal mischief charge. They’re due to be arraigned Nov. 4.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1292054

READ MORE - D.J.’s parents demand cops turn over investigation