One particular case is in the spotlight, that of Steven Butler who on October 7, 2006 was Tasered three times by a cop in his home town of Watsonville, California. Steven suffered cardiac arrest and his brain was starved of oxygen. He is now permanently disabled.
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Now I am not suggesting that all cops are ignorant, sadistic low-life. But the more I research, the more I read and almost every time I come into contact with cops (yes, here in England too) even to ask directions I have to conclude that a good cop is an exception. There have been deaths wherever Tasers are used but in the United States it is an epidemic. Cops in the US are just plain crazy and because they are never been held accountable they continue to abuse the people they are employed to serve. Here is an excerpt from a petition to the US congress, taser torture in America – a call for Congressional Hearings. “We call on our Congress to speak out and organize public hearings on the systemic human rights violations occurring with Federal funding against black, Latino, Native American and other Americans. How “out of control” can a ten-year-old be? He was wielding a length of pipe and he threw a stick at the officers. He cornered himself so they decided to Taser him. Damning medical research finds evidence that Tasers do kill and without reducing injuries to police officers. The cop who Tasered a 10-year-old girl for refusing to take a shower has been sacked. But not for torturing a 10-year-old little girl but for not turning the camera on that is attached to the Taser. In only five days the blogosphere will be humming with argument, protest, opinion and evidence about the Taser now being used as a weapon by law enforcement agencies in 44 countries. Join us and expand the discussion on the issue of tasering and how the issue threatens us all. In a meeting of minds and hearts bloggers across the world are pledging support for the Day of Blogging for Justice. Clearly there is a feeling amongst ordinary people that there is something very wrong with justice systems and law enforcement that continue to deploy the Taser. I find it incredible that there are, despite all the evidence, still people who believe the Taser gun to be non-lethal. The United Nations has declared it an instrument of torture. Amnesty International has been warning about their use for years. In just five days since I last updated the list of Taser deaths in the United States there has been a further three US citizens tortured to death by Taser. Here are their names: Matthew Bolick, 30, Caucasian, East Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jesus Gillard, 61, Black, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Ronald Petruney, 49, Race: Unknown, Washington, Pennsylvania. May they all rest in peace. This report from Electronic Village brings the total US citizens that have been Tasered to death this year to the unacceptable total of forty-six. I doubt that police authorities expected the level of Taser abuse that has now reached epidemic proportions. The idea of a weapon that would not kill but incapacitate a violent or threatening suspect must have seemed like manna from heaven. The general consensus appears to be that Tasers would be used instead of guns therefore reducing deaths at point of arrest. Whether that was a sensible assumption is subject to debate but in practice we now have gung-ho cops using them for the flimsiest of excuses. Ask the question “exactly what is torture?” and most people will proffer an answer. But the mental picture conjured up in your audiences mind will probably differ from person to person. The medieval rack and thumbscrew will come to the minds of many of course but while most of the ancient methods are no longer used they have been replaced with equally heinous practices in modern times. Water-boarding by the United States Secret Service being one exception that has been reborn in recent times. |
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