Moreover, as a result of this ruling, the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon on Thursday urged the United States to ensure that their police responses were more accountable. The UN Committee against torture had already denounced in a report, excessive use of force by US police and police firing against unarmed blacks. The report followed the death of Michael Ferguson Brown, an African-American 18 unarmed. The white policeman who killed the teenager was not prosecuted.
The US Secretary of Justice, Eric Holder, Thursday, December 4, slams down on the use of “excessive” use of force by Cleveland police, citing the results of a federal investigation. This statement is made shortly after Tamir Rice, black 12 year old boy was killed by a policeman while he was handling a toy gun in a playground in the city.
The survey, launched in March 2013, evaluates the use of force practices in the Cleveland police, where several major incidents were recorded in the past. “The investigation concluded that there was reason to believe that the Cleveland police has committed on land or customary practice of unreasonable and unnecessary force in violation of the 4th Amendment of the Constitution” said the minister,” himself black, visiting Cleveland. The Ministry of Justice and the City of Cleveland agreed on a series of reforms to be implemented.
Mr. Holder has embarked on a tour of some policies of the country after the death of many black Americans in interventions by white policemen. This declaration came a day after the announcement by a grand jury in New York that a white police officer would not be charged after the death of a black father. However, the government has opened a federal investigation into possible civil rights violations. Last night was marked by demonstrations without major incident in Manhattan, during which 83 people were arrested.
Ferguson has regained a semblance of calm in a time of Thanksgiving. The release of the policeman who killed Michael Brown, a black teenager, resulted on Monday and Tuesday, two days and two nights of intense protests in the city of Missouri. The anger has spread throughout the country. Demonstrations were held in 170 cities. Some excesses were particularly in Oakland, near San Francisco. In Los Angeles, more than 180 people were arrested, most for blocking a highway. In parallel, another case, this time in Cleveland, stirs strong emotions. A policeman shot a black 12 year old child who was playing with a toy gun, the last weekend. On Wednesday, a video from a surveillance camera was unveiled. We see the arrival of two police officers and a few seconds later, the fatal shots against the boy. The man who made the call had reported that the weapon was fake, but the information didn’t arrive to officers on site.