Police Violated Taser Use Guidelines when they tasered Black man on Bridge

As reported by African American Political Pundit, publisher of the blog Tasered While Black, "It appears that some police departments have established reasonable taser guidelines, but the guidelines make no difference to officers on the beat, particularly, when it comes to black folks."

Get this folks, The Columbia, MO. Police Department has operational guidelines that state that an officer should not use a Taser against someone the officer believes “is in a position where a fall would likely cause serious injury or death.” Well it's clear that they violated the rules when they tasered a black manwho threatened to jump off a pedestrian bridge above Interstate 70 and they Tasered him and induced the fall.

Phillip McDuffy suffered two broken arms, a skull fracture and possible broken jaw on July 25 when he fell 15 feet from the bridge onto a concrete embankment below.

Police used two Tasers in an attempt to subdue McDuffy after a 90-minute standoff that snarled traffic for miles. More HERE

Tasered while Black publisher wonders if all of the hoopla around getting tasers with videocams will make a difference if poilice are just going to violate thier own policies anyway? Check out what one police department is doing about taser videocams here

Tasered To Death in Louisiana - Finally some Accountability

"It is our intention to show at trial that Mr. Nugent caused the death of Baron Pikes by 'Tasing' him multiple times, unnecessarily and in violation of Louisiana law, and by failing to get him medical attention when it was apparent he needed it," Nevils said in a statement. "In a civilized society, abuse by those who are given great authority cannot be tolerated."

- Winn Parish District Atty. Chris Nevil



Tasered While Black publisher says: "Back on July 12th we reported on how 21 year old Barron Scooter Collins, was Tased to death nine times over the course of 30 minutes. It appears that the advocacy work by the family of Baron Scooter Pikes, and the work of Radio Talk Show host Tony Brown, along with the national reporting of the Baron Scooter Pikes case by Howard Witt have caused Winn Parish District Atty. Chris Nevils to obtain an indictment of a former cop in a Taser death in Louisiana."

As reported by Howard Witt, "a ruling in a racially explosive case that some forensic experts have described as police torture, a grand jury in the small Louisiana town of Winnfield indicted a white police officer Wednesday on charges of manslaughter and official malfeasance for repeatedly shocking a handcuffed black suspect with a Taser device, resulting in the man's death due to cardiac arrest.

After two days of closed testimony, Winn Parish District Atty. Chris Nevils announced that the grand jury had indicted Scott Nugent, 21, for the death in January of Baron "Scooter" Pikes, 21, while in police custody. Two other Winnfield police officers who were present during the incident were not charged.

Nugent, who was fired from the police force in May, could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted on the charges. He surrendered to sheriff's deputies immediately after the indictment was issued, a spokesman for Nevils said, and a $45,000 bond was set."
Read more HERE

Cross posted on African American Political Pundit
and Electrocuted While Black

Is Barack Obama Hating on Black Males?

By AAPP

Ok, We are family right, so can we talk? OK, so Barack Obama was heckled and accused of not focusing on black issues recently. Obama appeared in St. Petersburg, Florida and was interrupted when 3 black men stood up, put up a banner that said, "What about the black community, Obama?" and hollered, What about the black community? Ok folks they did break the decorum, and Barack, rightfully told them they would have time to ask questions after the speech was over, and they did.

They asked why he was not focusing on issues like the sub-prime mortgage crisis, Jena Six, Sean Bell and "the numerous attacks that are made against the African-American community." Obama responded twofold: telling the hecklers that he had, in fact, been focused on these issues and explaining that there would never be 100% continuity between his agenda and that of the voters.

"Listen, I was a civil rights lawyer," Obama said. "I passed the first racial profiling legislation in Illinois.

I passed some of the toughest death penalty reform legislation in Illinois.

That doesn't mean I am always going to satisfy the way you want these issues framed... which gives you the option of voting for somebody else, it gives you the option of running for office yourself, those are all options.

Did Barack Obama have say all that? Did he have to say, "which gives you the option of voting for somebody else."

AAPP: I wonder why Barack went there on the brothers? why did he have to give the riot act on voting to the brothers? Was Jesse Jackson right, but just said it the wrong way? Is Barack having issues with black men, or is it a tight rope he is walking on? Candidly, i don't think he needed to go there on the brothers. Your thoughts, was Obama wrong? Were the demonstrators wrong, or were they both off base? More HERE