Janesville police officer charged with assault
A part-time Janesville Police Officer is facing a felony third-degree assault charge after an altercation at Waseca's Club 57 last weekend.
Michael Danberry, 24, has been suspended, according to Janesville Police Chief Dave Ulmen.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Waseca County court, Waseca police received a call at 1:26 a.m. Sunday for a fight that happened at Club 57 and were told the suspect was headed towards PJ’s bar.
The complaint states an officer observed a person matching the description of the suspect walking away from the car.
The officer recognized Danberry and reportedly asked him about a fight that had occurred at Club 57. Danberry reportedly told the officer he didn’t see a fight take place. During their conversation the officer received word the victim was not punched, but kneed in the face and that the victim identified the suspect as Danberry.
According to the complaint, the officer noticed what appeared to be a small area of dried blood on Danberry’s jeans.
A second officer arrived at Club 57 and met with the victim, according to the complaint. The victim's nose was bleeding and appeared to be broken. The injury was so severe, according to the report, that the bridge of the victim's nose appeared to be pushed up into his forehead. Medical personnel later reported the victim may also have a broken cheekbone.
According to the complaint, a witness to fight identified Danberry as the suspect and said that Danberry kneed the victim in the face “about four times."
Another witness who reported seeing the altercation said she saw someone get pushed down near the bar and told officers she saw Danberry hit the victim with a fist and continue to hit him when he was on the ground before leaving the scene.
Danberry has been a part-time Janesville police officer for two years. Before that was a member of the Janesville Reserve Program.
“Our department will not tolerate any kind of misconduct by officers by either on-duty or off-duty simply because we are held to a higher standard," said Ulmen.
Danberry was released from jail Monday on his own recognizance. His next appearance in court is March 19.
The Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training Board has authority to review complaints against peace officers and part-time peace officers, includes imposing sanctions against an individual's license after a hearing on the matter is held. Violation of any of the board’s standards of conduct — including being convicted of a felony or gross misdemeanor— is grounds for disciplinary action.
Two Montgomery residents claiming excessive force, police brutality settle
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Two plaintiffs who accused three officers with the Montgomery Police Department of excessive force, brutality and theft settled their civil suit against the city of Montgomery and the police department this morning.
The terms of the agreement reached behind closed doors with the plaintiffs’ attorney Julian McPhillips and city of Montgomery staff attorney Stacy Reed were confidential, McPhillips said this afternoon.
The attorneys met with Montgomery County Circuit Judge Johnny Hardwick for two hours to settle the case.
McPhillips declined to speak further on the case.
Reed was unable to be reached for comment immediately.
McPhillips filed the lawsuit in 2009 on behalf of two disabled Montgomery residents, Kamessa Williams and Miguel Johnson.
Williams claimed that on July 31, 2009, she was in her mother’s yard with other family members and friends when the police came over to her mother’s yard and yelled for everyone to get down on the ground, according to the lawsuit. They were investigating a shooting that happened across the street the day before.
Williams is disabled and suffers from several illnesses making it difficult for her to move quickly, the lawsuit stated.
When she was unable to get on the ground, Williams claimed in her lawsuit that a police officer kicked her down to the ground. Then when she was on the ground, the same officer stomped his foot on her back. The officer then cursed at Williams and her family when they told him she was disabled.
After lying on the ground for around 30 minutes, Williams had to go to the hospital for injuries she sustained.
In the lawsuit, Johnson said on Sept. 10, 2009, he was stopped by a Montgomery police officer for failing to display insurance.
The lawsuit stated Johnson was sitting on the curb in front of his car attempted to replace a tire when the officer said his car was too close to the curb.
Since he was lying on the ground fixing his car at the time, Johnson handed the officer his wallet when he was asked for his driver’s license and insurance.
Johnson claimed the officer stole $700 from his wallet.
When he called police to report the crime, the initial officer who responded wouldn’t listen to his complaint, according to the lawsuit. This officer told additional officers who showed up to shoot Johnson and taze him.
The lawsuit stated Johnson’s wife attempted to jump in front of her husband but she was pushed away.
The officers proceeded to arrest Johnson and place him in a police car. Johnson claimed he tried to tell police he was disabled and needed two sets of handcuffs and can’t bend his legs in a normal fashion due to leg injuries. He also has other disabilities that cause him pain.
Johnson also claimed he was wrongly booked for disorderly conduct.
Hundreds in New York City take to the streets against police brutality
Demanding an end to police brutality, a march of hundreds in New York City showed the New York Police Department that no amount of repressive, racist violence can break the people’s will to resist. The demonstration, titled “Stop the Cops,” was organized by a broad coalition of groups including the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), Stop "Stop and Frisk," Women Organized to Resist and Defend, Cop Watch South Bronx and Harlem, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
Protesters assembled to demand an end to the frisking and brutalization of youth, the targeting of immigrant and Muslim communities, and the harassment of women and LGBTQ people.
The march began at 138th and Third in the South Bronx, one of the neighborhoods that has been most devastated by the NYPD. Despite the cold temperature and constant rain, hundreds of activists and community members gathered for an opening rally, each with their own particular set of motivations but united by a desire to fight for justice.
March participant Luss Nigaglioni, who himself has been a victim of police harassment, expressed frustration that officers are “mostly targeting our youth” but was energized by the demonstration, which he said was “a good sign of resistance.”
Camille Raneem told Liberation News that police brutality is one component of a larger system of mass incarceration, which “starts with the criminalization of young people.” “Mass incarceration is a tool of control” that “keeps people from working to make changes,” added Abigail Brune.
Protester Helena Wong pointed out that the “Southeast Asian community faces a lot of detentions and deportations,” while Carman Neely of Harlem Pride agreed that the police disproportionately target LGBT people.
Before the demonstrators took to the streets, a number of speakers energized the crowd. One was ANSWER Coalition activist and South Bronx resident Emmanuel Pardilla, who spoke about the daily abuses youth of oppressed communities experience at the hands of the racist police force.
Protesters then took their message to Harlem, marching from the South Bronx to 125th and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. Community members along the march route cheered as the demonstration went by and joined in the chanting. Favorites included, “No justice, no peace, no racist police!”, “Policia Asesinos!” and “How do you spell racist? N-Y-P-D!”
As the marchers arrived at their destination, another round of speakers kept the momentum going at a rally chaired by march organizer Kerbie Joseph of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Eugene Puryear of the Washington, D.C.-based organization Jobs not Jails highlighted the fact that police brutality is not isolated to one city or one region but is a permanent feature of an unjust system that must be overthrown. Karla Reyes, representing Women Organized to Resist and Defend, denounced the cops’ systematic violations of the rights of women.
As part of a long history of resistance, oppressed people chose to join the Stop the Cops march and fight back against the terrorism of the NYPD. If the determination and organization on display on Feb. 23 is any indication, the movement against police brutality will continue to grow and challenge the entire system of exploitation and oppression.
Monterey Park, California: Parents of a student who was shot and killed by police cops have filed a lawsuit against the city. They accuse the city of civil rights violations, denying due process, battery, wrongful death, and infliction of emotional distress. ow.ly/i8Cpg
Update: Milwaukee, Wisconsin: An inquest jury recommended that there police cops should be criminally charged with failure to render aid in connection with an in-custody death. The man in custody died gasping for air in the back of a squad car. ow.ly/hY019
Newark, New Jersey: A police cops has been convicted of aggravated assault for striking a city resident in the face with his service weapon. ow.ly/hWquP
Colonie, New York: An officer has been suspended without pay and is facing a misdemeanor assault charge following his arrest stemming from a bar brawl. ow.ly/i1xHS
Protesters rally in Denver against police brutality
Supporters of people who say they have been brutalized by police rallied in Denver on Friday, hoping, in part, to influence the city to beef-up police discipline procedures and to call for the firing of a particular officer.
The Colorado Progressive Coalition, which includes members of Michael DeHerrera's family as well as other "survivors of police misconduct," rallied in Civic Center calling for the dismissal of Denver Police Corporal Randy Murr, among other demands.
Murr outside a LoDo nightclub April 4, 2009 when former Denver officer Devin Sparks slammed DeHerrera's face into the pavement, causing severe injuries.
DeHerrera was passive, talking on a cell phone, when Sparks grabbed him and drove him down head first. Last month a three-member panel upheld the firing of Sparks, but Murr was reinstated with back pay.
The coalition notes Murr was among three officers who were accused of assaulting another man, 23-year-old Alexander Landau, 90 days prior to the DeHerrera incident. Critics of Murr also say that he changed his story several times during the investigative process involving Sparks.
About 60 protesters, many holding signs reading "Stop Police Brutality," marched in front of the Webb Municipal Building chanting slogans like "Hey, hey; ho, ho; violent cops have got to go!"
Landau told supporters his story of being beaten so severely after a 2009 traffic stop that he passed out. When Landau awoke, the officers hurled verbal abuse his way, he said, calling him racial epithets.
"There's a pattern, a practice, a culture of abuse," Landau said.
Landau said not all officers are bad, but discipline is lacking for officers who cross the line, and that perpetuates police violence.
The three officers involved in Landau's case were not charged with any civil-rights violations. Landau was awarded a $795,000 settlement from the city in 2011. DeHerrera also settled with the city of Denver for $17,500 in 2009.
As protesters crossed Colfax Avenue, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Manager of Safety Alex Martinez and Police Chief Robert White met them on the west steps of the Denver City and County Building.
Protesters split up, some continuing to march and chant along Bannock Street while a smaller group engaged the three city officials.
Anthony DeHerrera, Michael DeHerrera's father, said he told Hancock of the need "to get bad officers off the streets."
In his conversation with the mayor, DeHerrera also expressed his desire, which the coalition supports, to bring change to the police discipline matrix that calls for a 30-day suspension for officers who are found to use excessive force.
"He agreed," DeHerrera said of Hancock's reaction. "He said: 'We're going in the right direction.' Which is what he said two years ago when we met."
Still, DeHerrera said he was pleased with the protest, the message his group delivered and the impromptu meeting.
He added: "We are going to be here as long as it takes."
Janesville officer charged with assault
JANESVILLE — A part-time Janesville officer has been charged with third-degree assault and, according to the Janesville Argus, has been suspended from his job. According to court records, Michael John Danberry, 24, was charged with felony assault on Feb. 24. The Janesville newspaper reports that the felony stemmed from a fight at a Waseca bar that morning, during which Danberry kneed the victim in the face “about four times,” a witness said. When officers asked Danberry about the fight, he told the officer that he didn’t see a fight, according to the criminal complaint. His next appearance in court is March 19.