http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/09/09/1419692/-Cities-are-content-to-spend-billions-on-police-brutality-settlements-can-t-afford-body-cameras
Yesterday, it was announced that the City of Baltimore had reached a $6.4 million settlement with the family of Freddie Gray because of his wrongful death in police custody. This comes after the city already paid Dondi Johnson $7.4 million and Jeffrey Alston $39 million. Each of them ended up fully paralyzed after encounters with the Baltimore Police.
New York City announced they would be paying Eric Garner's family $5.9 million. The family of Sean Bell was paid $7 million after the NYPD shot and killed him on his wedding day. Abner Louima was paid $8.75 million after being brutalized and sexually assaulted by the NYPD.
From 2000-2010, over $1 billion was spent by New York City to settle police brutality cases. Over the past 5 years $500 million more has been spent.
Chicago just announced they are paying the family of Laquan McDonald at least $5 million in his wrongful death. This was followed by Chicago announcing a multi-million dollar reparations fund for men and women who had been tortured by their police. Before that Chicago paid $4.5 million to the family of Rekia Boyd.
In all, cash-strapped Chicago has spent over half a billion dollars on police brutality settlements since 2004.
What's wild is that in spite of billions of dollars being spent after people are brutally murdered and assaulted by police, most police in cities like New York, Chicago, and Baltimore still don't have body cameras. Often citing the costs of starting such a program as being a prohibitive factor, the truth is that most departments could outfit their entire force with the cost of just a few settlements.
I think the delay in getting them, though, is actually far more nefarious. Police don't want them because they prefer to concoct their own stories when they're in a crunch and cities don't want them because they know it will likely raise the amount they have to spend in police settlements for brutality instead of lessening it.
In other words, local governments prefer the system just the way it is. Few police are ever prosecuted and, in most cases, little evidence exists to contradict police when they use lethal force.
it's getting harder to defend the indefensible regardless to how much misdirection, assigned blame to the wrong person, denial of any problem existing those who are in that box are far smaller than those who can see, read and hear evil at it's worse those trusted with our protection don't protect us from themselves
instead it's "those Blacks who commit crimes against the other Blacks that are the real problem because they come from broken homes", okay but they are not charged with protect and serve oath are they????????
are they taking their lead from the republican congress never enough money for any social endeavor because it's all really for right wing opposition witch hunts and republican agendas better to oppose and obstruct than actually do something constructive.
improving life for some have to impact others like business they love more prosperity more customers more money how stupid do you have to be not to understand that or maybe a better question how racist and bigoted do you have to be to turn your back and ignore and than rail against the problem you have created????????
delay on body cams and mics just a desperate attempt to hold on to the privilege and it's status quo, they know their place in society is diminishing and they will soon be the minority, common sense would dictate not alienating and lording over those who soon could do the same to you begrudgingly better hope we remain Progressive and not adopt your persona of master. recognize
