OP-ED: A cop s view of George Floyd s murder
Marcos Bretón
The Sacramento Bee (TNS)
Many times in recent years I have wished Rick Braziel was still the chief of police in Sacramento.
Now 61 and eight years retired from being Sacramento s top cop, Braziel is the law enforcement leader we needed in recent years.
The conviction of former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin for murdering George Floyd on Tuesday does not alter a problem that caused it. So much damage has been done by a lack of accountability and transparency in deadly shootings by police.
Departmental cultures are a huge impediment to reform. We have all seen the video of Chauvin killing Floyd a little less than a year ago. What Braziel, with his point of view shaped by years of law enforcement, noticed most was how some cops on scene just stood by while Chauvin knelt on Floyd s neck until he died.
By Sarah Alvarez
On March 25, 2021, Springfield Police Department’s “independent” expert, former police chief Rick Braziel, released an assessment of SPD’s response to the July 29, 2020, Black Unity protest. During the protest numerous people were injured by both law enforcement and violent far-right counter-protesters.
In response to SPD’s unconstitutional actions, the Civil Liberties Defense Center filed a civil rights action on behalf of specific named plaintiffs and Black Unity as an organization. Black Unity sought to peacefully protest a noose in the Thurston neighborhood when police and counter-protesters turned the event into a violent and dangerous scrum.
The report’s focus on “improving” SPD’s policing misses the mark. Springfield community members demanded actual transparency, a reimagination of policing and an aggressive redistribution of police department budgets to mental health and addiction treatment, housing, crisis intervention, education and
Report: Springfield police could ve avoided protest conflict apnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from apnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Lawsuit: Springfield police violated civil rights at protest The Columbian
Share:
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. Springfield police officers stifled protesters’ free-speech rights during protests against the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, particularly during a July 29 march, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.
Black Unity, individual members of Black Unity and others allege in a federal lawsuit that Springfield Police Department officers “engaged in several unconstitutional actions to punish, prevent or chill Plaintiffs’ First Amendment activities” during the march.
The lawsuit names the city, Chief Richard Lewis and more than two dozen individual officers, The Register-Guard reported.
On July 29, the lawsuit says law enforcement officers unlawfully detained people, colluded with and encouraged counter-protesters to “amass and use force against Plaintiffs,” blocked roads to prevent the march and used excessive force, among other actions tha
Screenshot from CLDC March 8 federal filing
The July 29 Thurston neighborhood clash between Black Lives Matter-related protesters, police and counter-protesters continues. This time in federal court.
On March 8, the Civil Liberties Defense Center and Black Unity protesters filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Springfield, the police department and several other named and unnamed officers.
The lawsuit divulges new information about police interaction with counter-protesters and Thurston-area residents, and that police engaged in aggressive and racist tactics against protesters. It argues police violated protesters’ rights under the First, Fourth and 14th Amendments.
On July 29, the group Black Unity had organized a march in the Thurston neighborhood of Springfield in response to a Black resident of the area sharing a photo of her neighbor’s yard, which had a noose. Although neighbors said in a Dec. 10 forum with investigator Rick Braziel that the n