Taser use and abuse in America.

Tim King has a great article about taser use and abuse in America. He reports from Salem, Ore:

He writes; You know, Sigmund Freud would have had a time with the psychology behind police Taser abuse. My story Monday on the new Taser gun that shoots and tortures up to three people at once, did not go over well with the Taser company in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Skateboarding on a sidewalk, being disrespectful, refusing to sign a speeding ticket; these are the reasons some cops use Tasers on people.

I think Steve Tuttle, Taser's company spokesman, feels the heat generating from American awareness. It isn't a level you can simply turn down. Taser use is ridiculous in this country and the video clips I assembled to accompany this article are a hard realistic look at what this device really represents to Americans.

Tuttle wrote to me Monday, objecting to several points in the article. Salem Police also contacted me over referencing a recent arrest-based death that involved a Taser. I corrected the lead to that video link.

I hope every politician reading this article and every taxpayer for that matter, can try to imagine their father, mother, daughter or grandparent being subjected to this level of outright no-holds-barred torture.

There actually aren't words to describe how badly this device is eroding support of law enforcement in the United States. We're the YouTube generation and the controlled atmosphere of the regular media channels is slowly slipping away.

It is being replaced by new media's braver reporters who won't pander or mince words when reporting about a serious problem. In fact I think Internet media is the only hope for discouraging and eventually banning this over the top method of inflicting pain on human beings.

The Taser started out as "an alternative to lethal force". It is important to remember that most police are trained to shoot to kill. In my opinion that is bad business, and one of the few places I have ever heard of that actually trains officers to not always shoot to kill, is right here in Salem, Oregon. The pattern carries across to all of the different local police agencies. They bring in a lot of suspects without killing them.

The dangerous situation is what the Taser was designed for, but as the video shows, they are frequently abused by police. I don't know how or why anyone ever fooled themselves into thinking that this constitutes anything less than excessive force.

Excessive force

It took about 45 minutes to download all of the video clips here and another twenty minutes to edit them into place. Imagine how grisly and revolting it would be if I put a couple of hours into it.

You just don't have to look very hard these days to see a clip of police abusing people with these highly controversial devices.

Tuttle says I was wrong to connect the Taser to 351 deaths so far in the United States, as cited by Amnesty International.

"It should also be noted that by its own admission, Amnesty International has conducted no medical studies and has done no direct evaluation of TASER ECDs. They simply clip news story headlines from the media and look at other open source materials then published their so called 'finding,'" Tuttle said.

From the Amnesty International report, Tasers – potentially lethal and easy to abuse from December 16, 2008, they cite a number of chilling cases that require no medical degree to appreciate.

Among those findings:

"Many were subjected to repeated or prolonged shocks – far more than the five-second 'standard' cycle – or by more than one officer at a time. Some people were even shocked for failing to comply with police commands after they had been incapacitated by a first shock."

"In at least six of the cases where people died, Tasers were used on individuals suffering from medical conditions such as seizures – including a doctor who had crashed his car when he suffered an epileptic seizure. He died after being repeatedly shocked at the side of the highway when, dazed and confused, he failed to comply with an officer's commands."

"Police officers also used Tasers on schoolchildren, pregnant women and even an elderly person with dementia."

"In March 2008, an 11-year-old girl with a learning disability was shocked with a Taser after she punched a police officer in the face. The officer had been called to the school in Orange County, Florida, after the child had become disturbed, pushing desks and chairs and spitting at staff."

These are just a sample of the horror stories that abound in American communities over police Taser abuse. Read More HERE

Tasered While Black and In Jail

As reported by Brian Young at the Houston Chronicle, A father and son were shocked with Tasers by deputies in a Houston courtroom this morning after an outburst reacting to a 15-year prison sentence for the son. State District Judge Jim Wallace said Harrington Young, 18, was convicted of sexual assault of a child. His father, whose name was not immediately available, was sitting in the gallery of the 263rd court when the judge announced the sentence.

The father jumped to his feet, yelling “No, no, no,” and began moving toward the bench before being grabbed by a deputy. During the ensuing struggle, the deputy shocked the man with a Taser. More HERE

Taser Torture In America - Virgina Style - Tasered While Latino

According the new blog, Tasered While Latino in Prince William County Police, VA - Tasered members of a Latino family. In what is a clear case of police brutality and taser abuse the Prince William County Police responded to a noise complaint at a child's baptism party. By the time they left, a grandfather and a possibly a pregnant woman had been Tasered While Latino. Check out the news report below:





UPDATE: As reported by The Washington Post, A Prince William County police officer's use of a Taser to subdue two people who were resisting arrest at a party last month in the Manassas area was appropriate and lawful, Chief Charlie T. Deane said Thursday, describing the results of an internal investigation.

One officer used the Taser's "touch stun" mode to gain control of Edgar Rodriguez, 54, and Leticia Elias, 25, police said. That means the officer touched the device to both people while in close contact with them, Deane said. Police said the Taser, which records data about its use, was turned on twice, for about three seconds each time, and did not cause any injuries. The officer did not shoot the probes often associated with a Taser gun, police said.

Police went to Rodriguez's home on Lafayette Avenue shortly before 8 p.m. July 26 after receiving reports of loud music, heavily intoxicated partygoers and fireworks being set off in the residential neighborhood. Police said that Rodriguez "acted disorderly, cursed at the officers and refused to turn down the music" and that he later resisted arrest. He is charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest.

Elias was hit with the Taser as she and a large group of relatives allegedly tried to interfere with the arrest, and she was arrested and charged with assault and battery on a law enforcement officer, obstruction of justice and resisting arrest. More HERE

Publisher Tasered While Black Says: These sound like cover your ass charges made by police. Assault and battery on a law enforcement officer, obstruction of justice and resisting arrest, RIGHT!

Two white police officers who fatally shot of a 73-year-old black man in Louisiana have resigned

The Grio.com is reporting how two white police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a 73-year-old black man in northern Louisiana have resigned from the force.

As reported by Howard Witt at the Chicago Tribune, Tasered While Black, Field Negro, BlackPerspective.net, and Pam's House Blend, and many other bloggers. The Feb. 20 shooting of Bernard Monroe Sr. sparked protests and at least two investigations.

Officer Tim Cox, who shot Monroe in his yard, and Officer Joey Henry, who was present at the time of the shooting, have decided to pursue other employment, said Homer city attorney Jim Colvin.

"Tim Cox told me he is moving to St. Tammany Parish and I think will be training canines for police departments," Colvin said. "I don't know what Joey Henry is going to do."

Both officers had been on paid administrative leave after the shooting, which is still under investigation by the FBI and state police.

"They should have been gone," said Rev. Willie Young, head of the Claiborne Parish NAACP, on Wednesday. "I don't think taxpayers should have been paying their salaries all this time."

Monroe, who was mute after losing his larynx to cancer, was cooking on a grill in his yard with relatives and friends when the police officers arrived. In a report to state authorities, Homer police said Cox and Henry chased Monroe's 38-year-old son, Shaun, from a suspected drug deal blocks away to his father's house.

Witnesses disputed that account, saying the younger Monroe was talking to his sister-in-law in a truck outside the house when officers arrived.

There was a scuffle between the officers and Shaun, in which Shaun was shocked with a Taser. Police said the elder Monroe then pulled a gun on them and Cox fired his weapon. Witnesses claim Bernard Monroe was unarmed as he walked toward his porch. More HERE

Enough Taser Torture in America. Sign the Petition for Congressional Hearings on Taser Abuse.

Deaf Handicapped Black Man Tasered for being in Bathroom too long

So President Barack Obama is meeting Cambridge Police Officer Crowley and Professor Louis Gates over for a beer tomorrow evening?

I have already talked about the fact that Professor Louis Gates was not Tasered While Black and as many other bloggers like Yobachi over a the Black Perspective.net have noted: "Black folks get harassed by cops everyday in racial profiling situations that result in much more dramatic consequences than Dr. Gates suffering the inconvenience of being taken down to the station for awhile. Folks who don’t have the money to scare the police off with expensively lawyers and don’t have the notoriety of Dr. Gates to get their charges dropped, and actually get caught up in all the fines, court cost, bail, and lawyers fees involved with having to go through the legal process; costing hundreds to thousands of dollars to people often living paycheck to paycheck or not even working regularly."



Well here is just the case.

Check out how Mobile, Alabama Police Tasered a deaf and mentally disabled black man for staying in the bathroom to long:

I don't know why black folks don't get it. Professor Gates didnot go through what the average black man goes through.

I wish he and Barack would address the real issues, and stop paying attention to Professor Gates ego.

What About the tasering of Antonio Love: by Alabama Police?

But then again why should we expect justice? We sure should not expect any justice from a majority of the police departments, like the Houston Police Department as an example. If you get tased in Houston and file a complaint nothing will be done other than a general paper pushing cover-up.



According to Roma Khanna of the Houston Chronicle.com the Houston police investigated 69 complaints about officer Taser use between December 2004 and May 2008. Of the allegations:

5 were sustained.

0 involved using the weapon on people.

3 prompted officer counseling.

5 remain under investigation.

56 were closed with no wrongdoing found.

Source:— Houston Police Department

Get this folks, there is more, as reported by Chron.com The Houston Police Department has found no wrongdoing in some 1,700 incidents in which its officers intentionally fired a Taser, despite investigating about 70 complaints — including one officer who shocked his own stepson and another who discharged his stun gun on a 59-year-old woman during a dispute over laundry.

Over the last four years, only five officers have been disciplined for misusing their Tasers, although not one of the five actually shocked a suspect, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle. Instead, HPD reprimanded officers for threatening people with their stun guns, repeatedly discharging them while off duty and brandishing the weapon in a dispute in an elementary school carpool line.

"If that is how they deal with family problems, how are they dealing with the public?" asked Shirley Baker, whose grandson was shocked by his officer stepfather.

Use of Tasers, sold as an alternative to the deadly force of firearms, has been controversial since HPD first purchased hundreds of them late in 2004. The weapon quickly triggered public criticism with findings that officers often used them on unarmed people who committed no crime and that the vast majority were black.

Houston Mayor Bill White in November 2006 called for an independent analysis, overseen by Controller Annise Parker's office, which is expected to be made public Sept. 8. Parker has been publicly critical, saying last year that HPD's system for tracking Taser use is insufficient and despite claims that each deployment is reviewed, it "can't (be proven) with a paper trail."

Police officials maintain the Taser is a useful tool that has reduced injuries to both officers and suspects. Each incident, they say, is closely scrutinized.

"To have (69) complaints and only a few sustained — that is reflective of successful use," said Assistant Chief Brian Lumpkin, who oversees the HPD internal affairs division. "The numbers show that we have used Tasers responsibly."

HPD officers deployed their Tasers 1,724 times between December 2004 and May 2008, triggering 69 internal affairs investigations. More than half began after citizens filed complaints. Five probes remain open, but investigators found no wrongdoing in 56 others.

Among the people who filed complaints were Thoang Do, 59, a woman shocked during an altercation at her laundromat. Read More>

UPDATE: Ripa says: Well I'll be a "jungle monkey". Don't look now but a racist Boston cop gets fired.Up

Enjoy your Beer President Obama, Cambridge Police Officer Crowley and Professor Louis Gates.

H/T JWriter and My BlogTalkRadio Co-Host for the link.

Read more at the blog, Tasered While Black

DUELING COUCHES: Police Taser Mentally Disabled Deaf Man By Dueling Couches "Police in Mobile, Ala., used pepper spray and a Taser on a deaf, mentally disabled who they said wouldn't leave a store's bathroom. The family of 37-year-old Antonio Love has filed a formal complaint over the incident on Friday. ... DUELING COUCHES - http://duelingcouches.blogspot.com/

Police: Taser use on disabled man justified because he had umbrella By admin Alabama police are apparently prepared if Batman's nemesis The Penguin and his weapon-umbrella army ever attack. Alex Jones' Prison Planet.com - http://www.prisonplanet.com/

B.C. government tells police to 'severely restrict' Taser use ... The British Columbia government has directed "all police, sheriffs and corrections officers in B.C." to immediately "severely restrict the use" of Tasers in response to recommendations by the Braidwood inquiry. ... Democratic Underground Latest... - http://www.democraticunderground.com/

Electronic Village: Antonio Love: Alabama Police Taser Deaf and ... By noreply@blogger.com (Villager) Love was tased three times. He said police didn't realize he was deaf until they got him outside the store. That's when they looked in his wallet and found a card detailing his handicap. Love said an EMT was dispatched, and after he was ... Electronic Village - http://electronicvillage.blogspot.com/

Police defend using pepper spray, Taser on mentally disabled deaf ... By Bureau News Ala. police: Taser use on disabled man justifiedMOBILE, Ala. — Officers who used pepper spray and a Taser to remove a man from a store bathroom found out only later he was deaf and mentally disabled and didn't understand they wanted him ... Breaking News - http://blog.taragana.com/n/

Ala. police: Taser use on disabled man justified - Breaking News ... Officers who used pepper spray and a Taser to remove a man from a store bathroom found out only later he was deaf and mentally disabled and didn't understand they wanted him to open the door, police said Tuesday. Bradenton.com: Homepage - http://www.bradenton.com/homepage/index.rss

Disability News | PatriciaEBauer.com » News Archive » AL police ... By Patricia Bauer Police trying to get a man to come out of the bathroom in a store in Mobile, Alabama, used pepper spray and a taser on him, only to learn that he was deaf and had an intellectual disability. The officers tried to book 37-year-old ... Disability News | PatriciaEBauer.com - http://www.patriciaebauer.com/

Police Taser, Pepper Spray Mentally Disabled Deaf Man | Akira ... By admin MOBILE, Ala. — Police in Mobile, Ala., used pepper spray and a Taser on a deaf, mentally disabled who they said wouldn't leave a store's bathroom. The. Akira Daily News - http://www.akiranews.com/

Don't forget to make a donation, to keep this blog going.

Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Arrested

No, he was not Tasered While Black, but as reported by the Huffington Post he was harassed while black. Check out this booking photo released by the Cambridge, Mass., Police Dept., shows Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who was arrested while trying to force open the locked front door of his home near Harvard University Thursday, July 16, 2009. Gates, a pre-eminent African-American scholar, is accusing Cambridge police of racism after he was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after police said he "exhibited loud and tumultuous behavior." He was released later that day on his own recognizance and arraignment was scheduled for Aug. 26. (AP Photo/Cambridge Police Dept.)

There is more, the Huffington Post reports, police responding to a call about "two black males" breaking into a home near Harvard University ended up arresting the man who lives there – Henry Louis Gates Jr., the nation's pre-eminent black scholar.

Gates had forced his way through the front door because it was jammed, his lawyer said. Colleagues call the arrest last Thursday afternoon a clear case of racial profiling.

Cambridge police say they responded to the well-maintained two-story home after a woman reported seeing "two black males with backpacks on the porch," with one "wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry."

By the time police arrived, Gates was already inside. Police say he refused to come outside to speak with an officer, who told him he was investigating a report of a break-in.

"Why, because I'm a black man in America?" Gates said, according to a police report written by Sgt. James Crowley. The Cambridge police refused to comment on the arrest Monday.

Gates – the director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research – initially refused to show the officer his identification, but then gave him a Harvard University ID card, according to police.

"Gates continued to yell at me, accusing me of racial bias and continued to tell me that I had not heard the last of him," the officer wrote.

Gates said he turned over his driver's license and Harvard ID – both with his photos – and repeatedly asked for the name and badge number of the officer, who refused. He said he then followed the officer as he left his house onto his front porch, where he was handcuffed in front of other officers, Gates said in a statement released by his attorney, fellow Harvard scholar Charles Ogletree, on a Web site Gates oversees, TheRoot.com

Check out what grass roots folks have to say on my blogtalkradio program about Henry Louis Gates Jr., the nation's pre-eminent black scholar at: http://tobtr.com/s/590154.

Statement on Behalf of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. -- by Charles Ogletree

This brief statement is being submitted on behalf of my client, friend, and colleague, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This is a statement concerning the arrest of Professor Gates. On July 16, 2009, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 58, the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor of Harvard University, was headed from Logan airport to his home [in] Cambridge after spending a week in China, where he was filming his new PBS documentary entitled “Faces of America.” Professor Gates was driven to his home by a driver for a local car company. Professor Gates attempted to enter his front door, but the door was damaged. Professor Gates then entered his rear door with his key, turned off his alarm, and again attempted to open the front door. With the help of his driver they were able to force the front door open, and then the driver carried Professor Gates’ luggage into his home.

Professor Gates immediately called the Harvard Real Estate office to report the damage to his door and requested that it be repaired immediately. As he was talking to the Harvard Real Estate office on his portable phone in his house, he observed a uniformed officer on his front porch. When Professor Gates opened the door, the officer immediately asked him to step outside. Professor Gates remained inside his home and asked the officer why he was there. The officer indicated that he was responding to a 911 call about a breaking and entering in progress at this address. Professor Gates informed the officer that he lived there and was a faculty member at Harvard University. The officer then asked Professor Gates whether he could prove that he lived there and taught at Harvard. Professor Gates said that he could, and turned to walk into his kitchen, where he had left his wallet. The officer followed him. Professor Gates handed both his Harvard University identification and his valid Massachusetts driver’s license to the officer. Both include Professor Gates’ photograph, and the license includes his address.

Professor Gates then asked the police officer if he would give him his name and his badge number. He made this request several times. The officer did not produce any identification nor did he respond to Professor Gates’ request for this information. After an additional request by Professor Gates for the officer’s name and badge number, the officer then turned and left the kitchen of Professor Gates’ home without ever acknowledging who he was or if there were charges against Professor Gates. As Professor Gates followed the officer to his own front door, he was astonished to see several police officers gathered on his front porch. Professor Gates asked the officer’s colleagues for his name and badge number. As Professor Gates stepped onto his front porch, the officer who had been inside and who had examined his identification, said to him, “Thank you for accommodating my earlier request,” and then placed Professor Gates under arrest. He was handcuffed on his own front porch.

Professor Gates was taken to the Cambridge Police Station where he remained for approximately 4 hours before being released that evening. Professor Gates’ counsel has been cooperating with the Middlesex District Attorneys Office, and the City of Cambridge, and is hopeful that this matter will be resolved promptly. Professor Gates will not be making any other statements concerning this matter at this time.

Read the police report here. Check out the blog African American Political Pundit for more information. African American Political Pundit is regular contributor to Antoinette's Point of View

AAPP: I'm surprised he was not Tasered While Black!

2.4 Million Dollar Settlement For Tasing to Death of Stanley Harlan

As reported by About Lawsuits.com A Missouri municipality has agreed to pay $2.4 million to the family of a man who died after police shocked him several times with a Taser. The local police police department also agreed to suspend use of the controversial stun guns, which have been linked to hundreds of deaths nationwide by Amnesty International.

The Taser lawsuit settlement resolves a complaint filed against the city of Moberly over the death of Stanley Harlan, who was struck with a Taser three times for resisting attempts to handcuff him following a stop for suspected drunk driving. Harlan lost consciousness after being jolted with the stun gun and died a short time later.

Insurance coverage for the city will pay $2.4 million to Harlan’s family, including his infant son, as a result of the alleged police brutality and excessive use of force. City officials also agreed to enforce a moratorium on Taser use by the Moberly Police Department. In addition, Moberly police will be trained to recognize and respond to medical distress situations, and the city will provide at least one on-duty patrol unit with an automatic external defibrillator.

Taser guns are designed to incapacitate neuromuscular functions by delivering an electrical shock. Many law enforcement agencies use the weapons as an alternative to lethal force in situations where suspects pose a threat.

The city did not admit fault as part of the settlement, and no criminal charges have been filed against police officers. An investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

Last year, Amnesty International called for a police departments throughout the United States to stop using Taser guns or strictly limit their use to life-threatening situations. A report released last December by the human rights group linked 334 deaths to the use of Taser guns between 2001 and August 2008. Amnesty noted that 90% of the Taser deaths examined involved people who were unarmed and did not appear to present a serious threat to the officers. A large number of the fatalities involved misuse of the weapons, including multiple Taser shocks or exposing suspects to prolonged shocks. More HERE

Tasered While Black says: "It's time for black victims to file law suit as the Harlan family did."

Good Job Harlan Family!

Assault of Black Women - Tasered While Black After toddler son Murdered

The Blog Tasering While Black has been following the Tasering of Black folks in America and Canada for some time. This blog and bloggers like Villager at Electronic Village, and Francis Holland at Electrocuted While Black have been been tracking the tasing of black folks for some time as well.

John McCusker / The Times-Picayune

But the tasering of a black teen-aged mother, after she learned her toddler son and a 6-year-old boy were killed inside an apartment at 945 East Monterey Court in Terrytown early this year goes beyond abuse of auhority and power. This particular post about the Tasering of a black Woman after she discovered her child was murdered is particularly disgusting. Yes a black mother of a 6-year-old boy killed in a triple murder in Terrytown, LA who was subdued with a Taser gun by Jefferson Parish deputies at the murder scene is just another in the continuerd attack on black women in America.

One has to wonder if this would happen in a middle class community and the women was of another color?

Handout Robert Claiborne, Jr,

Get this, as reported by ther newspaper NOLA, back in April 2009, The mother of Four Overstreet grew irate with authorities when she arrived at the Monterey Court apartment where the rampage happened before 4 a.m. Saturday. When she got physical, deputies stunned her to bring the situation under control, Col. John Fortunato said.

There is more:

Meanwhile, the Sheriff's Office released the names of two other people killed in the brazen shooting, a teenage mother and her toddler son. An 11-year-old girl who was critically wounded hasn't yet been identified.

The dead mother was 19-year-old Domonique Sterling, Fortunato said. Her 23-month-old son was named Robert Claiborne Jr.

Sterling is said to have been babysitting Four Overstreet and the girl who survived the attack.

The incident happened around 3:43 a.m. in the 900 block of East Monterey Court, Fortunato said.

Authorities believe two unidentified men entered an apartment in the area and "executed" Sterling and baby Robert, he said. Wielding handguns, the men also shot young Four and the 11-year old girl in the home.

Four died at the hospital from a gunshot wound to the head.

Robert was also shot in the head. Sterling was shot in the back, and the 11-year-old suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the body, Fortunato said.

Fortunato said witnesses told authorities that two men dressed in dark clothing kicked in the door and began firing. The teenager was found lying on the floor in the living room, while the two deceased children were found in a rear bedroom. Authorities also located crack cocaine and marijuana in the apartment.

One of the suspects, said to be in his 20s, wore a red bandana over his face, a black baseball cap and a dark hooded sweatshirt. MORE HERE

It's time to have Congressional Taser Hearings into Taser Torture in America. Sign the petition HERE.

Place a Congressional Taser Hearings Widget on your blog.

Black Preachers Question Tasering and Killing of Black Man

Another black man dies, as police cover up wrongful death by saying a black man pulled a stolen gun and pointed it after being shocked by a Taser and falling to the ground.

According to the Associated Baptist Press, Black Baptist preachers in Jacksonville, Fla., are calling for an independent investigation into a rash of recent shootings by police.

Family members said Kiko Battle, fatally shot by police, wanted to be a barber.

The call follows the June 15 fatal shooting of 24-year-old Kiko Battle by two-off duty officers who stopped him for questioning while he was walking down the street not far from his home. Local media said it was Jacksonville's eighth police-involved shooting of 2009 and the fifth fatality.

"We just want the killing to stop," Edward Preston, president of Baptist Ministers Conference, said in comments aired on local TV news broadcasts. "There have been too many killings, and it's time to bring it to an end."

Police said Battle was a dangerous felon who pulled a stolen gun and pointed it after being shocked by a Taser and falling to the ground. Afterward they say he got up and started to flee by climbing over a fence.

Battle's grandmother gave a different account. Ruth Sanders, 70, told the Florida Times-Union moments after he left her house she received a call from a neighbor saying her grandson was being shocked.

Sanders said she ran to the corner before shots were fired and could not see Battle because he was lying on the ground. She said she cried out to the officers begging them not to shoot.

Family members told the newspaper there was no reason to shoot Battle nine times after he had already been subdued.

Family members also questioned why police were bothering a young black man walking down the street in his own neighborhood in broad daylight. "It means everyone who was walking in the street was suspicious," said Wallace Eberhart, an uncle. More HERE

The Tasering of Brian Cardall Brings Out More Info On Tasering and electrophysiology

Ok, As you know I'm usually talking about the tasering of black folks on my blog Tasered While Black. But I must say incidents of tasering involving people of every group, including the tasering of seniors in the United states are rising. Take for example the recent killing of Brian Cardell who was recently tasered to death. As reported by Electronic Village, Brian Cardall, recently diagnosed with bipolar disease, was driving home from a family wedding in Salt Lake City with his wife when he became disoriented. He stopped the car and got out. His wife called 911 to request medical assistance. More HERE

Now, as reported by KCSZ TV, A Hurricane man has come forward with an eyewitness account of Tuesdays tasering incident that led to the death of 32 year old Brian Cardall.



Lorry Stratton, a propane service man, was traveling on SR 59 Tuesday afternoon when two hurricane officers with lights flashing passed him going up the hill.

Moments later Stratton pulled up on scene and saw Hurricane City Police Chief Lynn Excell and another Hurricane officer standing near a man who was undressed and holding his clothes in his hands. Stratton said he watched the officer say something to the man and the man took a step forward.

That is when the officer deployed his taser causing him to drop to the ground. Stratton says the man did not seem to be a threat. More HERE The police killed Cardall with 50,000 volts of electricity from their taser gun. As Villager from the blog Electronic Village said, "Brian Cardall is the 21st person in America to die from taser-related shooting this year. Torture isn't limited to Dick Cheney. Taser-torture is occuring all over our nation."

As reported by KSL TV, Taser International says "exposure to tasering is not risk free, but there's no conclusive evidence [it says] for a high risk of serious injury." But the death this week of a 32-year-old man who was tased by police in Washington County is again drawing questions from cardiologists who specialize in the electrophysiology of the heart.

While police have experienced tasing themselves and the manufacturer has tested the device on numerous volunteers, cardiologists still question the effects of the gun's jolt on the heart.

Dr. Brian Crandall specializes in the electrophysiology of the heart. He says making a blanket statement about a Taser's low risk when users often don't know the medical background of the person they're tasing.

Crandall said, "If someone is going to get tasered, they're not evaluating their medical history going into it, so you don't know those things in advance, so it's difficult to make any blanket statements."

Dr. Crandall says the balanced electrical rhythm of the heart can be fragile even in a normal heart, depending on what's happening at the moment inside the body.

In a heightened mental condition where anxiety is pervasive, circulating hormones and the nervous system have an impact on the heart. Crandall explained, "The heart is heavily nerved and the nervous system has a big influence on the heart and the heart rhythm."

Also, a lot depends what part of the body is targeted by the Taser user. For example, if the victim is hit in the chest. "The proximity would definitely play a role," explained Crandall. "It would hit the heart much more there than if it were at a further distance away."

Tasing is simply not a "one-for-all" answer in disabling someone.

In an officer's judgment when to use the device, The U.S. Department of Justice warns, "Abnormal mental status in a combative or resistive subject may be associated with a risk for sudden death."

Crandall said, "A sick heart is one that would be at high risk … but it can even happen in people with normal hearts that, given the right circumstances, that if the rhythm is thrown off and there is no immediate remedy to it, that it could be a life threatening situation."

Crandall says physicians know a lot about electrical currents used in medicine to restart a failing heart, but researchers need more extensive studies on the effects of tasing. More HERE

AAPP: It's clear Police training for handling mental illness cases is lacking, Clearly it's time for all Americans to join the effort to have congressional hearings on taser torture. Please consider signing the petition.

Video of 72-year-old Great Grand mother Getting Tased.

Here is a good reason why everyone should sign the petition to have Congressional Hearings on Tasers. H/T HotAir for the link.



I guess this is not a case of Tasered While Black, let's call it Tasered While be a Great Grand Mother.

Tasered While Black Radio Program Launched

Join the host of African American Political SlugFest as he host his new BlogTalkRadio program "Tasered While Black." The host of the program is not against taser use as an alternative to deadly force. He is however against taser abuse by police who would use a taser on the young, elderly, pregnant or physically frail; people offering passive, rather than active resistance; and restrained prisoners.

Join the conversation, on the Tasered While Black Show on BlogTalkRadio

You Can Be Tasered for Your DNA

You could be tasered -zapped- by police, if you are suspected of any crime in America. Well gthat is the conclusion that many people should draw based on a recent ruling by a local judge. You see, as reported by nfowars.com a Niagara County Judge Sara Sheldon Sperrazza decided that the DNA sample obtained Sept. 29 from Ryan S. Smith of Niagara Falls — which ties him to a shooting and a gas station robbery— is legally valid and can be used at his trial.

Smith was handcuffed and sitting on the floor of Niagara Falls Police Headquarters when he was zapped with the 50,000- volt electronic stun gun after he insisted he would not give a DNA sample.

Get this , according to infowars.com he already had given a sample, a swab of the inside of his cheek, without protest the previous month. But police sent it to the wrong lab, where it was opened and spoiled. More on the incident HERE

16 Year Old Black Teen - Tasered for using Cell Phone

Listen to the Tasered While Black Show on Black Talk Radio and BlogTalkRadio

Now to cover up their own crime, police say the young man hit two officers and now may be charged with several felonies.

The Pittsburgh high school student who wouldn't stop using cell phone and the school superintendent Dr. Joseph Carroll and School Board President Joe Bailey say the problems in the district are with a few students.

Read More HERE

The grandmother of this young man is not feeling the police reports. The grandmother said police used excessive while police say an officer, who was stationed at the school, saw a male student walking in a hallway talking on a cell phone between classes and ordered the teenager to return to class, according to police Chief Howard Burton.

"The student ignored the officer, who then took him by the arm to escort him to the office," Burton said. "Now the police are saying the student resisted and pushed the officer. More HERE

Now the question is should a high school student be tasered for using a cell phone?

Janoris Jenkins - Tasered for fighting, resisting arrest without violence

Listen to the Tasered While Black Show on Black Talk Radio and BlogTalkRadio

Yes, a black man was Tased and then arrested on misdemeanor charges of affray and resisting arrest without violence, according to the police report.

Janoris Jenkins, 20, is a rising sophomore and a starting cornerback for the UF football team. His mugshot was taken over the weekend at the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.

Alachua County Sheriff's Office

According to GatorSports.com , Gainesville Police arrested UF sophomore starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins early Saturday morning after they reported he was involved in a fight and an officer used a Taser on him in downtown.

Jenkins, 20, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of affray and resisting arrest without violence, according to the police report.

Gainesville Police spokesman Lt. Keith Kameg said two officers received a report of a fight in the 100 block of South Main Street and arrived at the location at about 2 a.m. to find a group of about six people, including Jenkins, fighting. The officers, who were in uniform, identified themselves and ordered the fighting to stop.

According to the report, when the fighting continued, one of the officers drew a Taser gun and told the group stop again. At that point, Jenkins hit another person in the head, police reported.

Kameg said the officer then used the Taser on Jenkins once, but after the probes came loose Jenkins stood up and ran a “short distance” before being arrested by Gainesville Police officers.

Jenkins was the only person arrested and Kameg said it was unclear who else was involved in the fight.

Jenkins, whom Kameg said was “extremely cooperative” once arrested, was then taken to GPD’s downtown annex and was treated medically before being transported to jail. More HERE

Listen to the Tasered While Black Show on Black Talk Radio and BlogTalkRadio