Protesters rally at Antioch police headquarters in Antioch, Calif., on April 18, 2023. | Supply: MediaNews Group/East Bay Instances through Getty Pictures / Getty
One way or the other, the American justice system has gotten it into its head that it may prepare the racism out of racist cops — and it’s betting Black lives on it.
In April 2023, a Contra Costa County decide launched the names of 17 Antioch, California, cops accused of buying and selling racist textual content messages that included free use of racial slurs, racist jokes, memes mocking the loss of life of George Floyd, and a dialog between two officers conspiring to focus on Black folks with visitors citations. Since then, the Antioch Police Division has confronted an audit of its officers, one of many officers accused of sending the texts resigned, and it was revealed that three different officers had been charged with federal civil rights violations as a result of they weren’t simply speaking about being brutal and unabashedly racist cops in a bunch chat; they have been allegedly within the streets utilizing extreme pressure through K9s and non-lethal projectiles. The indicted officers are additionally accused of taking photos and movies of themselves abusing residents and bragging about their actions to different officers. Based on CNN, “The trial for these officers is scheduled to start in February, federal court docket data present – although one of many officers has already been convicted of conspiracy and wire fraud in a associated case.”
Anyway, the U.S. Division of Justice introduced in a information launch Friday that it has reached an settlement with the police division, resolving the investigation into the racist texts. But when advocates for police reform are hoping to see some assurance that the Antioch Police Division will rid itself of its Klan-ish cops concerned within the textual content exchanges — which reportedly contains the president of the Antioch police union — they is perhaps dissatisfied. As an alternative, the settlement reads like a typical, oft-regurgitated assertion promising officers will obtain range coaching and together with a hole declaration that “racism has no place” within the justice system.
From CNN:
Below the settlement, the division will rent a marketing consultant to evaluate and replace its insurance policies, procedures and coaching on non-discriminatory policing and use of pressure, amongst different matters, the Justice Division mentioned in a information launch Friday. It additionally outlines commitments by the police division to make sure honest, non-discriminatory policing, in addition to programs to report and examine misconduct.
“In working with the Justice Division to institute policing reform, Antioch Police Division sends a robust message that the discrimination and misconduct that prompted this investigation won’t be tolerated,” Assistant Lawyer Common Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division mentioned in a information launch.
“The settlement we have now secured,” Clarke added, “will make sure that Antioch’s policing practices are free from discrimination within the highway forward – the neighborhood deserves nothing much less.”
The Antioch Police Division mentioned in a press release Friday the “actions that led to this investigation have been unacceptable and signify vital failures,” including it was “totally dedicated to making sure that such incidents by no means occur once more.”
Honestly, it’s patronizing to Black folks for any police division to counsel it’s taking motion that may guarantee “policing practices are free from discrimination within the highway forward.” It’d learn like a press release of hope, nevertheless it’s arguably simply passive denial of how deeply racism is embedded within the material of policing in America. A greater message would have been despatched by saying the outright termination of each cop concerned within the racist textual content trade, and the peace of mind that another cops caught expressing their clear bigotry and racism would share the identical destiny.
The investigation, which was performed by the Contra Costa District Lawyer’s workplace together with the FBI, revealed that some cops concerned within the textual content trade not solely made racist remarks, additionally they often boasted about committing acts of police brutality. One officer was caught bragging to a different citizen that he “area aim kicked” the pinnacle of an individual in custody and “tried to knock him unconscious.”
It’s not simply “a number of unhealthy apples.” The American system of policing is a rotten orchard.
SEE ALSO:
Three Ft. Lauderdale Cops Fired After Racist Texts And Violent Video Revealed
DOJ Reaches Settlement With Antioch Police Division After Racist Textual content Message Scandal
was initially revealed on
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