On the day of Oscar Grant‘s mother’s settlement with BART for $1.3 million dollars, NYPD apparently finds no problem with beating several people and threatening a mother and daughter. Their crime? They allegedly did not disperse or move fast enough after the Pete Rock and Smif N Wessun album release party in Brooklyn was over.
Thank goodness, all of this was caught on video and is being shown on hip-hop activist sites like @MrDaveyD blog. At one point in the video, you see some 15 to 20 cops beating one man. Was this necessary? No, by all counts, the album release party was peaceful and without incident. It was after the party was over, and people were outside talking and socializing when NYPD decided it was time to move in and get “these people” out of here. Our prayers and thoughts are with Louie Skaggs, whom NYPD beat unconscious and then, incredulously, arrested. Please watch the video, and leave a comment. –martin pratt
