The horrifying pervasiveness of police brutality - Black Politics on the Web

"Philadelphia: In March, the Department of Justice reported that even as crime has dropped in Philadelphia, police shootings have increased. Between 2007 and 2014, Philadelphia police shot 394 people; of these, 59 died — leading to what the DOJ called an “undercurrent of significant strife” between the department and the people it’s meant to serve. As so often happens, many of those shot were holding a cell phone, or putting a hand near their waist when they caught an officer’s attention.

Cleveland: When 12-year-old Tamir Rice was killed late last year, the DOJ happened to be winding up its investigation of Cleveland’s law enforcement; The Washington Post called the report “scathing.” Investigators documented horrifying shooting incidents, detainees being beaten while in handcuffs, unreasonable force used on people with mental illness or in medical crisis — and a consistent failure to investigate or discipline the officers involved. (The Week Magazine)"

- See more at: http://blackpoliticsontheweb.com/2015/05/08/the-horrifying-pervasiveness-of-police-brutality/#.dpuf