WaPo: Milwaukee police release 'disturbing' video of Bucks player's arrest

[BumRushDaShow]

Milwaukee police released body-camera video Wednesday evening of the arrest of Milwaukee Bucks rookie Sterling Brown, a video the city’s mayor had warned was “disconcerting” and “disturbing” as it prepared for a possible backlash. And, in a brief news conference just before the video was released, the police chief said the officers involved had been disciplined.

Brown, 23, was tased during a routine parking violation in January and reportedly plans to file a civil rights lawsuit over the episode, which has been the subject of an internal investigation by the Milwaukee Police Department. Mayor Tom Barrett had promised earlier in the week to “let the release” of the video “speak for itself.” “During the encounter, Mr. Brown was decentralized, tased and arrested,” police chief Alfonso Morales said, reading from a prepared statement. “The department conducted an investigation which revealed members acted inappropriately and those members were recently disciplined.”

The 6-foot-6 shooting guard was arrested around 2 a.m. on Jan. 26, when an officer doing a business check at a Walgreens spotted a vehicle parked across two parking spots reserved for disabled drivers, Milwaukee police Sgt. Timothy Gauerke told the Journal Sentinel. Brown was initially arrested on a possible misdemeanor charge of resisting or obstructing an officer, but police officials did not refer the case to prosecutors after an internal review that included viewing the body camera footage. A police spokesman told the Journal Sentinel at the time that Brown, then 22, had been cited for a parking violation. Speaking with reporters before the Bucks’ game later that day, Brown’s face appeared bruised and scratched, according to the paper, with Brown calling it “a personal issue.”

<...>

On Wednesday evening, Brown wrote in full on Twitter: “My experience in January with the Milwaukee Police Department was wrong and shouldn’t happen to anybody. What should have been a simple parking ticket turned into an attempt at police intimidation, followed by the unlawful use of physical force, including being handcuffed and tased, and then unlawfully booked. This experience with the Milwaukee Police Department has forced me to stand up and tell my story so that I can help prevent these injustices from happening in the future. “Situations like mine and worse happen every day in the black community. Being a voice and a face for people who won’t be heard and don’t have the same platform as I have is a responsibility I take seriously. I am speaking for Dontre Hamilton of Milwaukee, Laquan McDonald of Chicago, Stephon Clark of Sacramento, Eric Garner of New York, and the list goes on. These people aren’t able to speak anymore because of unjust actions by those who are supposed to “serve and protect” the people.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/05/23/sterling-brown-police-video/?utm_term=.7e4ffef6dae5

White cops gotta get their black prey and his $4,000,000 rookie pay makes no difference. Parking while black. Video at the link.

Edit to add - here is the full body cam video -

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. But economic disparity is the issue I thought. I thought racism wasnt as important as economics

Guess who would DISFUCKINGAGREE with that

Do people understand that TWO MINUTE event will haunt that kid his entire life?

Anybody here who has dealt with this shit knows what I mean...in my case it was a mugging, same thing.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. I expect that since he is a rookie

no matter what condition he is in, he basically had to go out there and play, otherwise his career might have been over. As it is, we will have to see if this incident impacts his future on the team, because you know how "owners" get when it comes to "controversy".

[mcar]

6. Funny how rich POC get treated, despite their economic security

[BumRushDaShow]

9. Exactly

His contract is for something like $1.2 million per year. Makes no difference except at least he has the resources to pay for a high-priced lawyer.

[mcar]

10. Yes

I don't understand why people think we can only focus on income inequality at the expense of everything else.

[TheRealNorth]

3. I'm from Milwaukee and have had the opportunity to work with some of "Milwaukee's Finest"

Last edited Wed May 23, 2018, 08:25 PM - Edit history (1)

Don't kid yourself - Sterling would not have been treated that way if he were white.

There are good people in that Department, but the majority of those SOB's sold out all other public workers in WI so they could live in the suburbs with the other white people.

[dalton99a]

5. +1

[USALiberal]

4. Cops have no downside to doing this. Cops seldom fired and taxes pay the lawsuits. nt

[KelleyKramer]

7. Charged with double parking in an empty parking lot

What utter bullshit

The cops were looking to start some trouble

[BumRushDaShow]

8. And why they would pick a 6'6" muscular athlete is beyond me too.

True power-tripping.

[rgbecker]

11. The ol' USA is sick, sick, sick.