Police Brutality 2: Quotes

The direction I want to push this project is the social impacts of the police brutality and the psychology/reasoning police act the way they do in certain situations - is its a racial issue? corruption? abuse of power? morality/immorality/amoral?

Imagery

Objects:

Baton
Taser
Baseball Bat
Knife
Gun
Shields
Tear Gas
Molotov's

I want to create a  set of images and objects to form a campaign showing the dark side of policing.

Police Caution:

“You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.” UK

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can or will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can not afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been said to you?" USA

Police officers are abusing their power to get sexual favours and drugs, a report reveals, and it's feared that new force budget cuts could breed staff anger and more corruption.

Half of corruption and misconduct investigations result in no further action.

The report's figures showed that of 4,611 investigations, 2,891 did not lead to a prosecution or internal disciplinary action.

The figures for complaints of racial discrimination were even starker.

Of 1,043 allegations, 816 resulted in no action.

Source: http://news.sky.com/story/1417606/police-officers-abusing-their-power-report

The militarization of police departments is a huge factor in all these killings. Perhaps, either through intentional, or unintentional focus/efforts, the focus has drifted to a military perspective, or attitude: Shoot to kill.

Death of Freddie Gray 

On April 12, 2015, Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American, was taken into custody by the Baltimore Police Department for possession of a switchblade. While being transported, Gray fell into a coma and was taken to a trauma centre with injuries to his spinal cord and larynx. Gray died on April 19, 2015.

The circumstances of the injuries are unclear; eyewitness accounts suggested that the officers involved had partaken in unnecessary use of force against Gray whilst arresting him—a claim denied by an officer involved. 

Like before the incident has caused a riot which has 

'Captain Desmond Carter-Bey said the furious demonstrations over the death of Freddie Gray reflected a distrust of the police in the blighted Maryland city that is so severe, some residents view city officers as an “occupying force”.

Gray was chased and arrested after “catching the eye” of a police lieutenant and running away. A knife was found in his pocket. Six officers are suspended while a criminal inquiry is completed. All are said to deny using force against him, but one is invoking his right to remain silent.' - Guardian

Jason Harrison 

Two officers fatally shooting Jason Harrison, who was holding a screwdriver.

Within two minutes of the officers’ arrival at the house, Harrison lay dying. He was killed by six gunshot wounds to the chest, arm and back, an autopsy found.

Kristiana Coignard

The family of Kristiana Coignard is considering legal action against police in east Texas after Coignard, a mentally ill 17-year-old, was shot dead when she entered a police station in what relatives described as a cry for help.

“Our belief is that she went there asking for help. It’s evident just by watching the video of how long she was calm, cooperative, subdued. For so many, I’m guessing about 10, minutes, there wasn’t any violence on her part, or charging, or anything like that. So I know that it was asking for help, that was her intent,” father, Erik Coignard.

An officer who had been on the scene for less than 10 seconds fired twice.

Police said that Coignard had “I have a gun” written on her hand and that an attempt to Taser her had no effect. In the video, the officers seem to make little or no effort to give Coignard first aid until paramedics arrive about seven minutes later.

End Section 

It is not that black Americans believe the police are guilty of deliberate murder, although there have been instances of that in the past. But they do believe, many of them, that the police are guilty of not caring enough about black lives to proceed with caution and reason, rather than with the presumption that any able-bodied black man is a potential threat who may have to be “taken down”, in the telling phrase used by the officer who caused Eric Garner’s death. 

America has black professors, black business executives, black diplomats and black generals, and for the past six years it has had a black president. All this would have been unimaginable when Barack Obama was born or, to be more precise, it could only be dreamed. Yet black emancipation has not happened in the way Martin Luther King envisaged. Instead of the collective improvement to which he looked forward, there has been a starburst of individual successes, but they are successes that stand in stark contrast to the difficult and harassed lives of the majority of African Americans.

This is the context in which the chronic confrontation on the streets of American cities between young black men and young white policemen should be understood. It is a confrontation that has terrible consequences in the shape of deaths, injuries and real or perceived injustices almost every day of the week. There are, of course, black policemen who may also use excessive force, and white people can be at the receiving end of such force as well as blacks. But the general tendency, white against black, is clear. Colour sharpens the conflict, and history, in this case the history of slavery and discrimination in America, deepens it.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/05/guardian-view-protest-policing-america-colours-sharpens-conflict

Time Front Cover

Simple and effective front cover for Time magazine highlighting how America's attitudes have changed very little over the decades and events today mirror what has happened before .