If the people are going to hold their government accountable, they need to know what that government is actually doing. A big part of the recent public outcry over policing reflects the concern that when police violate the law, or shoot someone, the public doesn’t get the full story.
It’s been a difficult, painful year. Many feel increasingly heartbroken and outraged with each new death of an unarmed person of color at the hands of police. But that feeling isn’t enough.
While students, parents, faculty and school staff gear up for the excitement of a new school year, a critically important process is unfolding largely out of public view.
The numbers should be a wakeup call, but Orange County officials slumber on.
Three years ago, a San Bernardino County grand jury found that Taser-related deaths “are not uncommon” in the county, and that the “vast majority” of deaths occurred when a person was shocked more than once.
On the same day a female Los Angeles Police officer was sentenced to 36 months for delivering hard kicks to the groin of a handcuffed woman who later died, a homeless woman with mental illness was facing 25 years to life for merely picking up a police baton. How do we account for this disparity?