Day of Blogging for Justice: End Taser Torture in America

Bloggers all over the world are continuing a tradition from last year by participating in the 2nd annual Day of Blogging for Justice against the rising pre-trial electrocutions by police officers against Black children, women and men.

Did you know that 16 Americans have died so far in 2009 ... another 72 North Americans died in 2008 ... all from being tasered with a minimum of 50,000 volts of electricity from the police. [SOURCE]

To put it bluntly ... this shyt needs to stop! It is unacceptable for us to turn a blind eye to this growing trend of taser torture in America.

"The issue is not whether or not the taser can be used in a high percentage of cases to reduce death or physical trauma to officers and civilians alike. The issue is whether or not it's OK to kill the rest through ignorance and rationalization just because it's a small percentage ... The successes aren't the problem - the failures are. They're being told that tasers are non-lethal, so they blast away until people can't move. They're killing people by accident."

In Miami, FL the police used a taser gun on a 6-year old boy at his school. In Cincinnati, OH the law says that a youngster can be shot with 50,000 volts of electricity from a taser gun. Efforts to raise the minimum age for this police action failed.

I've shared other examples on my blog in the past:

1. Valreca Redden (Trotwood OH) - pregnant Black woman tased by Officer Michael Wilmer when she went to police department for help.


2. Eugene Snelling (Austin TX) - tased by Officer Thomas O'Connor driving with his mother on Thanksgiving Day.


3. Donnell Williams (Wichita KS) - deaf Blackman tased in his own home.


4. Major Lemon (Madison WI) - Blackman tased while holiday shopping at the local mall.


5. Xavier Jones (Coral Gables FL) - Tasers deployed by two police officers killed this Blackman.


6. Darryl Turner (Charlotte NC) - unarmed 17-year old Black youth killed when Officer Jerry Dawson decided to fire at him with a taser gun.


7. James Garland (Miami FL) - unarmed and naked 41-year old Blackman killed by police taser gun while disoriented in the street.


8. Baron Pikes (Winnfield LA) - Police officer Scott Nugent indicted for murder because he tasered a handcuffed 21-year old Blackman to death.


9. Terrance Kennedy (Dallas NC) - Police killed another Blackman in North Carolina with their taser guns.


10. Marcus Moore (Freeport IL) - unarmed 40-year old Blackman killed by police with their taser guns.


11. Robert Mitchell (Warren MI) - unarmed 16-year old Black youth killed police taser guns.


12. Gary Decker (Tucson AZ) - unarmed 50-year old naked man killed by police taser guns while in his own hotel room.


13. Michael Jacobs (Ft. Worth TX) - unarmed, mentally impaired 24-year old Blackman killed by police taser guns on his own front yard in front of his parents.

The successes aren't the problem - the failures are.

How many more Black folks need to be executed by the police before the Congressional Black Caucus does something about it? I encourage all villagers to immediately sign online petition demanding a congressional investigation into Taser Torture in America.

Today is a Day for Blogging Justice so that we can bring as much attention as possible to this issue. I am not asking for elimination of all tasers by the police. I simply want:

• Every police officer to remind themselves of the other levels of force that can be used before they pull out the taser.
  
• Taser deaths to be subject to independent and unbiased civilian oversight. Police must not be allowed to investigate themselves.
  
• Congressional Black Caucus to call for hearings on taser torture in America.

Frankly, it is time to end the unwarranted and unjustified deaths of Black children, women and men from pre-trial electrocutions using taser guns.

What say u?