Hello Titilayo Bediako and Minneapolis Folks: This is a very disturbing story that makes my stomach turn. I would hope several of the reporters that participate in this list will investigate this incident and write more about it.
Ken Bradley Corcoran Neighborhood --- Shawn Lewis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > (Very Long Letter) > Dear Friends: > > I am enclosing an article about my > son who was beaten last > Friday by the Minneapolis police. > Please read and forward it on to as > many people as possible. If this kind of > behavior is to stop, we as a community must > make it stop.I sent this to all the major > newspapers and Thank you for your support > > Titilayo > (See attached file: My son & the police.doc) > > Every Mother�s Nightmare > By Titilayo Bediako > > Every mother who has a Black son, worst > nightmare is that her child will have an > altercation with the police. This > terrifying experience happened for my > son on Friday, May 30th on the > northside of > Minneapolis. > > My son is a fourteen year old who takes > great pride in the way he dresses. > On Friday, he wore white shorts; a blue > shirt and blue dew rag, covered by a white > visor, and blue tennis shoes. He is > graduating from eighth grade and has > passed the Minnesota Basic Standards Test > and Math and Reading. He does not do drugs > and is not in a gang. He has aspirations to > be an airline pilot; he loves sports, math > and playing chess. > > As my son and his friend were leaving > the corner store on Penn and Golden Valley > Road, they were greeted at the door by a > police officer on a bicycle. Two other > Black male youth were walking outside the > store behind my son and his friend. The > officer told all four boys to put their > hands up against the wall. > > Since my son was ten years old, I have > had to unfortunately teach him that he does > not have the same rights as other citizens > because he is a Black male. I have told him > if the police ever stop him, to say as > little as possible, do what they tell him > to and to never ever talk back to them. > There are too many horror stories where > Black male youth have come up dead, missing, > or extremely hurt by one wrong word to > the police. > > As the officer tells my son and the other > boys to hold up the wall with their hands, > the white male police officer comes up to my > son and commands him to pull out his wallet. > As he reaches for his pocket to find his > wallet, the officer punches him in the face, > grabs both of his arms with one hand and grabs > him by the neck with his other hand and > begins to chock my son. Quickly and fiercely, > the officer throws him to the ground. Then > the officer begins to kick my son in the > stomach and legs. He took his fist and > punched him in his face several times. > The police officer took out his handcuffs > and cuffed him so tightly that scars were > left on his wrists. The �protector of > the community� grabs my son�s wallet out > of his pocket and slaps him in the face > with it. > > > The officer proceeds to make a bizarre > statement to my son, �Why aren�t you > following my instructions?� My son responds, > �Sorry sir, I was getting my wallet out like > you told me.� �No, I didn�t,� snorted > the officer, �It makes me very angry when > people don�t follow my instruction.� The > police officer began going through my son�s > pocket and then he takes off my son�s > shoes, looking for drugs. He tells my > fourteen year old, �I�ve seen you before, > and I know you have drugs.� He phones in > my son�s name to the central office to > verify the police record that this Black > boy must have because this officer > �knew� him. > > �Why are you here?� the officer demanded to > know from my son. My son replied, �My friend > and I were buying candy from the store.� > �Where do you live?� the officer retorted, > �South Minneapolis,� he quickly commented. > In another bizarre twist the officer said,� > Have you ever been on 38th and Chicago > Avenue?� My son said, �Yes sir.� The > officer continues to say, �This spot (Penn > and Golden Valley Road) is just like being > over there. People get in trouble over here > all the time, just like over there. When > you wear rags on your head it makes you a > suspect.� > > The officer�s phone begins to ring. He is > told that my son does not have a police > record. To add insult to injury, the officer > says to my son, �Are you ever going to get > in trouble like this again?� He says, > �No sir.� The other officer standing next > to the assaulting police comments, �He�s > lying.� They take the handcuffs off my son > and tell him he can go. They let my son > know that they are doing him a favor by > letting him go. > > Imagine how terrified I am when my son > calls and informs me that he has been beaten > by the police. As I pick him up from his > friend�s house on 16th and Penn, tears come > to my eyes as I see how they have scared > and bloodied his face. As we drive down > Plymouth Avenue, we pass the police station. > I stop and have my son come with me so that > the officer in charge can see what their > people have done to my son. When I tried to > get in, the door was locked. It wasn�t > until an elderly African American man came > out of the building could we go into the > police station. I asked to speak to the > officer in charge. As my son explains to > Sergeant Young, who was in charge, what > happened to him, the sergeant looks at > me and says, �Well it wasn�t one of my guys. > Those guys on bikes are in another unit > downstairs and they are closed for the night. > You have three choices, 1) report to the > supervisor downstairs tomorrow, 2) call > internal affairs, or 3) call CRA.� I say > in an upset tone, �I can�t make a report?� > In a very nasty tone he said, �No.� Feeling > very emotional, I say, �What use are you if > I cannot report a crime when it happens?� > The lead officer looks at me and says, > �Get your ass out of my house!� I look at > him and say, �The police station is your > house?� He says, �You damn right, > get out.� > > > This experience is reminiscent of slavery > days, when the �master� beat and maimed > African Americans for no other reason > than they �looked� like they might be > doing something wrong. So many mothers > teach our son�s to be respectful, do their > best, and stay out of trouble; my son gets > beat up by the police for no other reason > than the police have the power to do so. > This incident did not happen at night, it > happened at 6:00 p.m. The sun was shining > and it was a bright day. How have the > police come to feel so comfortable to beat > up on our children without fear of > reprisal? > > My son comes from a long line of social > activists. You can imagine how appalled > his grandfather, Matthew Little was, who > has worked for the human and civil rights > of African Americans and all citizens for > the last sixty years. My son�s grandfather > has been in the forefront in creating the > NAACP in Minneapolis, he helped organize the > March on Washington in 1963, he took the > leadership in the desegregation of the > schools in Minneapolis, worked with city > officials to assure that there was diversity > and promotions for people of color in the > police and fire departments. Matthew Little > has received many accolades and honors for > his work to assure that Minneapolis > guarantees rights for all of its citizens. > Yet through all his years of work and > sacrifice, his grandson is profiled and > beaten up just because he is an African > American male. > > Citizens in Minneapolis are bombarded with > images on the news of African American > youth, stealing, killing, doing drugs, > joining gangs and creating havoc. We are > given the impression that these youth > === message truncated === __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! 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