Police brutality and racism are alive and well in U.S. 3 Ex-Police Officers Acquitted in Beating By CARRIE ANTLFINGER The Associated Press Saturday, April 15, 2006; 4:50 AM MILWAUKEE -- A jury cleared three white former police officers of most charges in the 2004 brutal beating of a biracial man [warning: unpleasant picture]that enflamed racial tensions, but city officials vowed to ask federal prosecutors to consider pursuing the case. An all-white jury deliberated for more than 26 hours and returned not guilty verdicts late Friday on the charges against Daniel Masarik and Andrew Spengler, both 26. John Bartlett, 34, was cleared on one charge but the jury deadlocked on a charge of substantial battery. Prosecutors claimed the men beat Frank Jude Jr. on Oct. 24, 2004 because they thought he stole a badge at a party. District Attorney E. Michael McCann said the officers relied on a code of silence within the department to protect them. "I am absolutely shocked and outraged by these verdicts," said Mayor Tom Barrett, who said he had already spoken to the U.S. Attorney about a possible civil rights action. "Mr. Jude was beaten badly and we need to hold accountable those who are responsible. This is not over." McCann said he would pursue a retrial on the remaining charge against Bartlett, and also would ask the U.S. attorney to investigate whether federal charges could be filed. "It was a despicable, vicious, cowardly act where a large number of men attacked an individual," he said. "It happened. This isn't the case of it not happening. We did not convince the jury that these were the individuals responsible." Before the verdict was read, police in riot gear surrounded Milwaukee County Courthouse in the city, which is 37 percent black. Earlier this week, the NAACP and other black leaders asked the community to remain peaceful no matter what verdict jurors reached. Early Saturday, Police Chief Nan Hegerty urged residents to stay calm. Inside, families of Jude and the defendants filled the courtroom gallery. Jude is in prison after having his parole revoked following a domestic dispute with his mother. A few gasped and some cried as the verdict was read. The defendants showed no emotion. "I was numb. It was like `Mississippi Burning' all over again," said Jude's aunt, Doris Porter Jude. The three men were among nine officers fired as a result of the beating outside a house in a mostly white, working-class neighborhood on the city's south side. Witnesses said they heard someone call Jude and a black friend racial slurs during the assault. Jude, 27, of Appleton, said the group kicked and punched him, someone put a knife to his throat and someone stuck something in his ears. He couldn't identify his assailants but said he heard Spengler threaten him. Defense lawyers had argued key witnesses were unreliable when they testified the men put Jude in the hospital with injuries that required reconstructive facial surgery. All three men had been charged with substantial battery. Masarik also faced a charge of recklessly endangering safety, and faces a charge of perjury that is scheduled to be tried in June. Bartlett also faced a charge of recklessly endangering safety. If convicted, Bartlett faced 22 1/2 years in prison, Masarik up to 19 1/2 and Spengler up to 3 1/2. Bartlett's attorney, Gerald Boyle, said he had prepared his client for a guilty verdict, and was "elated with the outcome of this case." Steve Kohn, Masarik's lawyer, said he expected a not guilty verdict. Spengler's attorney, Michael Hart, said his client was "very, very relieved and thankful." ___ AP writers Colin Fly and Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee contributed to this report. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/15/AR2006041500304.html
Racism is alive and well. I was talking to what seemed like a very friendly nice elderly couple. We were talking about how the house beside them was for sale. They were concerned that a black couple was looking at the house. Their exact quote was "I'm not racist, but I just wouldn't feel safe". I was shocked. They weren't typical red kneck KKK types -- they seemed like a nice old couple. I think racism will lessen genaration by generation but we still have a long way to go.
Takes a while for old stereotypes to die out, they grew up in a different world. It gets better everyday. DD
My grandparents used the term color'ds and didn't believe in inter-racial marriages, whether is was black/white or white/asian. My grandmother would turn off the soap opera if it went to an interracial love scene. My parents initially used to scoul at the mention of MLK, but never said anything negative out loud. My sister and I are as racial tolerant as one can be. So it took two generations to go from out right racists to full tolerance.
I have a similiar story --- My Great-grandfather was in the Klan (but in central PA, so I'm not sure who they had to be racist against) and my siblings and I have many minority friends. But that's not allways the case. Racism gets watered down each generation but their are allways some to "carry the flame". As long as we live in a society where large portions of the races live seperately (see many urban areas or poor areas of large cities) racism will exist
My brother-in-law has a white girlfriend whose parents object to his race. That surprised me; you don't see it too often anymore. And, they're college-educated folks from Massachusetts, to add to the wtf-factor.
I don't know if they're from boston but that city has a bad reputation as far as race relations even though its in the "liberal northeast".
yeah..horrible reputation. race riots late in the game. i saw a documentary on the red sox once that talked about how long it took them to integrate black players in...largely a reflection of what ownership thought would pass by white New Englanders.
Seems like a pretty one-sided article. This is a convicted criminal who got beat up...probably not the most trustworthy of people. A jury acquitted the police and people here on this board read this article only and can already determine guilt on the part of the police? Seems fishy
Well, I know Boston has more than a couple black marks on their record for race relations history, but I guess I wouldn't say I understood them to still have a problem today that set them apart from other cities. Anyway, they're from the western end of the state. Either way, that sort of bald-faced discussion of race is surprising now because people are usually more circumspect about their racism. They'll think of some other reason to justify disliking a person, or target an "urban" cultural affinity or something like that -- "I don't have a problem with black people, I just don't like those gangbangers with their hippity-hoppity music," or whatever.
Huh? 9 officers were fired over this incident. It wasn't a question of IF the police beat him up. These three were acquitted because the Defense failed to prove which ones did the most damage. You need to let go of this liberal media bias thing. While it happens, it isn't nearly as significant as the right-wingers portray.
I don't see what him having to be a criminal has anything to do with it. the most disturbing thing about this incident is that the guy apparently wasn't even under arrest. its just like some thugs attacked him on the street.
I agree Am I to beleive that Texx thinks it is ok for Police to beat suspects for the most minor of reasons In fact. . . did he even do what they think he did? Even if he did. . . . . is such a beating warrnted? Rocket River
let's examine the facts: 1. The guy who got beat up was a convicted criminal 2. The policemen were exonerated by a jury If I had to make a guess, the guy probably did "have it coming". You guys are quick to react negatively towards the police after reading this one-sided article. For all we know the dude was hiding a knife or a gun and was jeopardizing the police's safety. In that case the beating would have been completely justified. I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the police as opposed to a convicted criminal.
why does everytime a minority gets beaten its automatically assumed racism??, it looks like the reverse racism in the country is more sickening. i found this on another site discussing the same topic, and i agree with the author for the most part.
That article is hilarious. It sounds like it was written by a 16 year old. I don't want to dignify it with a response but I can't resist: Take BET. Please, I insist. And while you're at it, give minorities 75% of the rest of the face time on tv. By definition, the nation has to be skewed towards the interests of a majority. That's part of the definition of being a majority. When the same majority begins to believe that life just isn't fair because minorities get to do some things, it's one of the funniest things you can come across.
hahahaha please don't pretend that this clown or a majority of the people on this bbs know what racism really means or how it affects us. Here's an example of something you never hear about anymore. A friend of mine went to high school in urban Kansas City. It's 99% African American and there are no private schools. In short he HAS to go to his local public school. Anyone who has money moved out so it's a wasteland. Let's look at his school. There's a 70% dropout rate, there's a 1 to 1 ratio of teachers to administrators and its run by an administration so corrupt that it raised administrator (not teacher) salaries and refused to support a band, debate team, orchestra and other extra-curricular activites. Teachers won't teach there because of the corrupt administration and students have no shot at a real education. And yet people refuse to talk about this and simply pretend that this issue doesn't exist. That is structural racism at its worst and its an example of why a colorblind analysis of racism is bankrupt. We forget that society is still unequal. We forget that in urban New Orleans (before Katrina) kids who grew up in the housing projects (also predominately African American) had to endure drugs, crime, and virtually no schooling. And that was before a hurricane wiped out the city. We forget that in segments of society, people grow up with virtually no shot at a fair education or a decent life. So before you accuse people of being lazy, remember that they never had a chance to have a fair shot like we did. Racism didn't disappear with the 13th and 14th amendments or the Civil Rights Act and for jokers to "complain" about reverse racism is a farce. Most of us haven't lived in a community that is segregated and essentially forgotten by much of America today. Politicians talk about education, housing, helping the poor, but many times these "reforms" are simply band-aid solutions that still refuse to acknowledge these pockets of institutionalized discrimination and stigmatization. Racism isn't gone yet. Yes most overt laws that discriminated against minorities are thankfully off the books. But to pretend that getting rid of those laws is the end of the story and to start preaching about "reverse racism," is mind-boggling. We still have our ways to go before things become equal.
