Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality

Please note the address for the location of the May 10th DCAPB event has been corrected in the original post and the PDF file. The correct address is 51 W. Hancock in Detroit.

The Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality

presents

A Mother’s Day Celebration

An Evening of Poetry, Spoken Word & Rap

and a special birthday celebration for Ron Scott

Sunday, May 10, 2009
6-9pm
51 W. Hancock
Detroit, MI

Donation: $10.00

Featuring Readings By:

Gloria House

Wardell Montgomery

Sandra Hines

Hip Hop Artists…

…and many others!!

Refreshments…entertainment…celebration….

Please call 313-963-8110 to RSVP, or email detcoalition@att.net

SEE YOU THERE!!

Click here to open/download our Mother’s Day event flyer

Welcome to the new web site of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality. This blog went live just a couple of days ago and we hope to have more current content up soon. So, please come back.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ron Scott
313.587.6466

Coalition Urges Governor Not to Sign Taser Bill

12/15/06—The Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, which has been engaged in investigation, activism and legislative activities regarding police misconduct over the past ten years, reported that it is very concerned about the passage of House Bill 5435, which would allow the extended use of tasers and stun guns to private citizens and security guards. In the past, the Coalition fought successfully to end the consideration of the placement of tasers in the Detroit Police Department.

“We feel that our efforts were vindicated [in that the Detroit Police Department decided not to utilize tasers],” said Coalition spokesperson Ron Scott. “Many law enforcement agencies around the state and the nation have engaged in vicious, unlawful, and barbaric uses of this instrument against citizens. These efforts have caused deaths and spawned millions of dollars in lawsuits against government entities.”

Scott continued, “We are certainly not trying to limit private citizens from purchasing tasers and stun guns, as they already can over the Internet, but we believe that these individuals should register these potentially lethal items in the same way they would a handgun—and ensure that they receive proper training on its use as well as when use of such weapons would be unsafe.

“The passage of this bill by the Michigan House and Senate comes at the end of the legislative cycle. As such, it will not allow citizens who may differ on its advisability to have full participation in the process, and to possibly present evidence which may point to a more reasonable approach to non-lethal restraint efforts. We are also concerned that public hearings with adequate public notification be held before any such legislation is signed into law.

“The Coalition has been involved in numerous situations where citizens have been injured and/or killed by security guards at commercial facilities. And security personnel too often do not receive adequate training to effectively and safely carry out their responsibilities. Taser use puts them in a position of having to literally make life-or-death decisions.

“We don’t need to give private citizens weaponry to use at their own discretion. Instead, in an emergency, they should do what we would do: contact law enforcement.

“Given that Taser International Corporation has had in the past very close alliances with law enforcement agencies in the promotion of their product, we are also concerned about the corporate motivation behind this legislation.

“We are challenging the Governor not to sign this legislation. It does not have a necessary, beneficial, rational or ethical basis for existence. If such a bill is to be considered, we urge that she, within her 14-day review period withhold signature at least until all members of the public can adequately weigh in on this major piece of legislation,” Scott concluded.

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ron Scott
313 587 6466

January 9, 2006

Coalition Joins Williams Family in Quest for Justice

Demands Public and Legal Action in Aftermath of Morningstar Verdict

The Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality is calling representatives of the State Legislature, Wayne County government officials, and other City of Detroit and public agencies to join in the call for justice in the case of Eric “Mr. Magoo” Williams, gunned down last year by Michigan State Trooper Jay Morningstar.

“The acquittal of Trooper Morningstar on murder and manslaughter charges by the Wayne County Circuit Court jury is a vote for barbarism and injustice,” said Coalition spokesperson Ron Scott. “The Coalition has received numerous calls and e-mails from Detroiters as well as suburbanites demanding that we refuse to let Eric Williams die in vain.

“Many of Detroit’s homeless have asked for the assistance of the Coalition, as they now too feel that they may become targets of police violence,” Scott continued. “This is one case where Detroit police officers did their job and testified against a heinous miscarriage of justice. We want to expose the assaults by Michigan State Troopers which have even occurred against Detroit officers.

“The Coalition joins the family of Eric Williams in their efforts to pursue civil remedies for a civil wrong. We must go further; we don’t want the homeless to disappear just because there’s a Super Bowl coming. And as for Trooper Morningstar, we believe he should not be allowed to continue ‘business as usual’ as long as this specter of violence clouds his career. Citizens cannot trust this kind of law enforcement.”

The Coalition is organizing a major public meeting to address the Williams case in the near future.

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ron Scott
313.963.8116 o
313.587.6466 c

Calling Them “A License to Kill,” Coalition Opposes Use of New Bullets

2/24/05—Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality Ron Scott responded today to the article written by Ben Schmitt and published in the Detroit Free Press on Wednesday, February 23, 2005: “Cops: Ammo Lacks Punch:”

“Some in the Detroit Police Department are looking for a new, legal license to kill citizens with new, silicone-like filled bullets. These rounds were developed for shooting deer and other big game, not people. We will vehemently and vigorously oppose any attempts to issue them for routine police use.

“This city has seen more than 55 police killings in the last eight years, and the citizens of the City of Detroit have seen a $200 million in lawsuits—almost the same amount as the budget deficit—in the settling of these cases. Many lives have been lost, and many families still grieve.

“The recent upsurge in police shootings requires more than investigation as to whether lethal rounds should be provided. It really requires that we investigate whether we are ‘hitting the mark’ in the reduction of lethal force as mandated by the Federal Consent Decree. Many officers have yet to learn that it is this shooting-obsessed, absentee resident culture which has brought us to this point. The department has some major problems, and a clip full of bullets won’t fix it.

“The Coalition urges the Mayor, the Detroit Police Commission, and the Chief of Police not to succumb to pleas for more armament when in actuality more conflict-reduction is needed. Other cities focus on conflict-reduction, and Detroit needs to do the same as it prepares to ‘face the world’ at the All-Star Game, the Super Bowl, and the Final Four. Detroit doesn’t need to look like Dodge City. We don’t believe that anyone in the city will be safer merely because the police have more fire power.”

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ron Scott
313.587.6466

May 20, 2004

Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality Calls 4th Precinct Acquittals “Abominable, Repugnant, and Deplorable”

To respond to today’s jury ruling in the Federal case brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office against eight of the eighteen indicted Detroit Police officers in the 4th Precinct accused of violating the Constitutional rights of citizens in the area, Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality spokesperson Ron Scott issued this statement on behalf of the Coalition and members of the community and supporting groups:

“The Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality expresses its outrage and indignation over the acquittals of William Melendez, Matthew Zani, Jeffrey Weiss, Christopher Ruiz, Timothy Gilbert, Mark Diaz, Jerrod Willis, and Denny Borg. These officers have dishonored their oath by falsifying reports, abusing citizens, and disregarding the U.S. Constitution, and by all rights should never have the right to use their power over citizens again. Their acquittals reflect the strength of the constitutional rights they so cavalierly disregarded when applied to others.

The rationale expressed by some of the jurors reflects three of our community’s major problems: 1) the failure to have a balanced jury pool comprised of a true diverse citizenry; 2) the failure to hold police officers to the same standard expected of all other citizens; and 3) the failure of the drug war policy, as reflected in the belief that ‘if you let the cowboys ride herd on the dealers, then everyone will be safe.’ The opposite is true: when a group of rogue individuals with implied support from their superiors are allowed to make their own rules, everybody is in danger, as we have recently seen in Iraq.

It must be remembered that the violation of any citizen’s rights is a violation of all citizens’ rights. Regardless of where they are in the system, U.S. citizens must be treated in accordance with due process of law.

The Coalition is calling on all human rights groups, legal organizations, and other citizens who have been adversely affected by these eight officers and others to band together and challenge the City of Detroit administration, the Detroit Police Commission, and the U.S. Justice Department to continue their efforts to root out the kind of barbaric, medieval activities that these officers have visited upon our citizens.

The City of Detroit is about to complete its first year under a Federal Consent Decree. The acquittal of these officers, should it stand, sends a message to other officers who would behave in a similar manner that the reforms are null and void. The rights of citizens have been compromised, the safety of the community has been diminished, and the hope for change has been all but snuffed out.

Officers like Melendez, Borg, Weiss, and the others, should they ever go back on the street, undoubtedly will cost the citizens of the City of Detroit even more money in citizen complaints and lawsuits at a time of dire austerity. They have already caused disruption in the lives of countless individuals, and the drugs they contended they were out to stop are still flowing.

The Coalition is planning a major effort to make sure that this abominable situation never occurs again. Our faith in the courts and in the balance of jury scrutiny has been severely diminished. We will be mobilizing within the the several days against this appalling verdict, and to project a viewpoint that obviously was not present in the courtroom today: that the U.S. Constitution should be applied equally to all citizens.”

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