quis custodiet ipsos custodies, II

The past few weeks have seen a noticeable spike in police brutality in New York. However the powers that be swear that the Bloomberg administration is more tolerant and liberal than the Giuliani era NYPD racialized assault on poor and working class communities of color, and perhaps these claims are true, perhaps not - the end result doesn't seem much different. First and most high profile is this weekend's shooting by police in Jamaica, Queens of a young man on his wedding day outside the strip club where his bachelor party was held, as police fired 50 shots into the unarmed man's car, killing him and wounding two others. There has been a great deal of attention placed on this event, because it's tragic, and because the "story" plays well in the media, but even if he'd been just some random guy coming out of a strip club at four in the morning, not about to get married, would his death be any more acceptable? And the fact that some of the officers in volved were black and latino clearly does not trouble the racialized structures of policing and punishment except in the most superficial sense. A young black male in the crosshairs of a police officer's gun remains a young black male no matter the racialized construction of the officer who is holding the gun. The technology of policing and control itself produces and reproduces a discourse of race intimately linked to the frameworks of NYPD multiculturalism which the Bloomberg administration has so carefully nurtured as a means of avoiding the crises of the previous administration. Even now, Bloomberg plays the role of the contrite and concerned patriarch, rather than the sneering apologist for racialized terror - the posie so often assumed by his predecessor. None of this makes Sean Bell any less dead.

Meanwhile, in Greenwich Village (forwarded from an email sent out over the NYU Gender-Studies listserve)

We Demand that The NYPDStop Racist Police BrutalityDrop all the Charges
against Shakur Trammel & hisco-defendantsFIRE OFFICER TOCCOS! Release the
names of all theofficers involved in the attack on November 1stEnd the NYPD
campaign of Racial and Gender ProfilingStop the attacks on youth, people of
color, thehomeless and lesbian, gay, bi and trans people in theWest VillageWhat
Happened at Hudson and Christopher – HalloweenNight 2006According to
eyewitnesses, on November 1st, at around4:30am, at the intersection of Hudson
and Christopher,various African-American and Latina/o people wereapproached by a
van of police officers and told tomove from the corner. Some of these people
werepatrons of a pizza restaurant who were standing out infront, while others
were simply crossing theintersection.As people began to move away from the
corner, a20-year old African-American female remarked on howdisrespectful the
tone had been of the female officerwho had given the order. The same officer got
out ofthe van and began to initiate an argument with the20-year-old woman.
Within seconds, Officer Toccos, awhite male cop, also jumped out of the van and
beganto shout at the 20-year-old female.Then without warning or provocation,
Officer Toccospushed the 20-year-old African-American woman twice inher breasts
forcing her backwards. A witness at the
Shakur Trammel requested the badge
number of OfficerToccos.In answer to that request, Shakur Trammel was punchedin
his face. In a fit of rage, Toccos began punchingTrammel repeatedly in his
chest. He soon threw him ontop of the front of the police van and began
chokinghim with his nightstick. A rampage ensued. Witnessesreport, that between
4 to 6 cops, mostly whiteofficers, began kicking and punching, Shakur Trammelas
he lay on the ground. Throughout the attack,Officer Toccos continuously beat
Trammel with hisnightstick. Covered with bruises and his left elbowdislocated
Shakur Trammel was then thrown into apolice van.During the attack, Trammel could
hear the voices ofseveral people yelling for the police to stop andcalling on
each other to take pictures to document theassault. As many as 20 people, the
vast majority ofwhich were people of color, witnessed the attack. Eyewitnesses
report that the police went into the crowdand began beating another
African–American man,believed to be in his 30’s, who was very vocal abouthis
outrage at the police brutality wielded againstTrammel. Both men were arrested
along with anAfrican–American female who refused to follow thepolice command for
the witnesses to disperse.Once they arrived at the 6th Precinct, Shakur
Trammeltold his arresting officer that he was a Transsexualmale and wanted to be
placed in a separate cell. Thisrequest was ignored. Both of the men, in
desperateneed of medical attention, were initially placed inthe same holding
cell. Already in the cell were twoother men, one Black and one Latino, both
injured andbleeding, who reported that the police at the 6thPrecinct also
assaulted them. After an hour ofdemanding to be taken to a hospital, one of the
four",1]
);
//-->
scene, 23 year old African-American college
studentShakur Trammel requested the badge number of OfficerToccos.In answer to
that request, Shakur Trammel was punchedin his face. In a fit of rage, Toccos
began punchingTrammel repeatedly in his chest. He soon threw him ontop of the
front of the police van and began chokinghim with his nightstick. A rampage
ensued. Witnessesreport, that between 4 to 6 cops, mostly whiteofficers, began
kicking and punching, Shakur Trammelas he lay on the ground. Throughout the
attack,Officer Toccos continuously beat Trammel with hisnightstick. Covered with
bruises and his left elbowdislocated Shakur Trammel was then thrown into apolice
van.During the attack, Trammel could hear the voices ofseveral people yelling
for the police to stop andcalling on each other to take pictures to document
theassault. As many as 20 people, the vast majority ofwhich were people of
color, witnessed the attack. Eyewitnesses report that the police went into the
crowdand began beating another African–American man,believed to be in his 30’s,
who was very vocal abouthis outrage at the police brutality wielded
againstTrammel. Both men were arrested along with anAfrican–American female who
refused to follow thepolice command for the witnesses to disperse.Once they
arrived at the 6th Precinct, Shakur Trammeltold his arresting officer that he
was a Transsexualmale and wanted to be placed in a separate cell. Thisrequest
was ignored. Both of the men, in desperateneed of medical attention, were
initially placed inthe same holding cell. Already in the cell were twoother men,
one Black and one Latino, both injured andbleeding, who reported that the police
at the 6thPrecinct also assaulted them. After an hour ofdemanding to be taken to
a hospital, one of the four
armed with a stun gun.On November 1st 2006, at
the corner of Hudson andChristopher, 2 Black men were beaten, one trans andone
non-trans, and arrested along with one Blackwoman, for refusing to stand idly by
as a 20-year oldBlack woman was assaulted by a white cop. Racistpolice attacks
like the one on November 1st are adaily occurrence in working class and
communities ofcolor throughout NYC. In the West Village, the 6thPrecinct has
become notorious for racist, sexist andanti-lesbian, gay, bi and trans violence
unleashedparticularly against young people of color, thehomeless and transgender
people. The people of colorLGBT youth organization, FIERCE!, has been at
theforefront of fighting on these issues in the WestVillage for several
years.TransJustice of The Audre Lorde Project calls onsocial justice activists
and organizations from acrossthe city to Endorse and Come to an
Anti-PoliceBrutality Press Conference & Picket Line Wednesday,Nov 29th
6:30pm – 7:30pm in front of the 6th Precinct(233 West 10th Street)TransJustice
is a political group created by and forTrans and Gender Non-Conforming people of
color. Wework to mobilize our communities and allies to actionon the pressing
political issues we face. Theseissues include gaining access to jobs, housing,
andeducation; the need for Trans-sensitive healthcare,HIV-related services, and
job-training programs;resisting police, government and anti-immigrantviolence.
To endorse or for more info call 718596-0342 ext 15 or email ikhenry@alp.orgFrank León RobertsDoctoral Candidate, Department of
Performance StudiesGraduate School of Arts and Science & Tisch School of the
Arts, NYU---You are currently subscribed to gender-studies as: zsw201@nyu.eduTo unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-gender-studies-1868526P@forums.nyu.edu",0]
);
//-->
men of color was then taken from the cell by copsarmed with a stun gun.On
November 1st 2006, at the corner of Hudson andChristopher, 2 Black men were
beaten, one trans andone non-trans, and arrested along with one Blackwoman, for
refusing to stand idly by as a 20-year oldBlack woman was assaulted by a white
cop. Racistpolice attacks like the one on November 1st are adaily occurrence in
working class and communities ofcolor throughout NYC. In the West Village, the
6thPrecinct has become notorious for racist, sexist andanti-lesbian, gay, bi and
trans violence unleashedparticularly against young people of color, thehomeless
and transgender people. The people of colorLGBT youth organization, FIERCE!, has
been at theforefront of fighting on these issues in the WestVillage for several
years.TransJustice of The Audre Lorde Project calls onsocial justice activists
and organizations from acrossthe city to Endorse and Come to an
Anti-PoliceBrutality Press Conference & Picket Line Wednesday,Nov 29th
6:30pm – 7:30pm in front of the 6th Precinct(233 West 10th Street)TransJustice
is a political group created by and forTrans and Gender Non-Conforming people of
color. Wework to mobilize our communities and allies to actionon the pressing
political issues we face. Theseissues include gaining access to jobs, housing,
andeducation; the need for Trans-sensitive healthcare,HIV-related services, and
job-training programs;resisting police, government and anti-immigrantviolence.
To endorse or for more info call 718596-0342 ext 15 or email ikhenry@alp.org