VIDEO: Press Conference at RCC in response to DA's judgement on controversial arrest
As you may have read last week - that is if you're one of the few people who pay attention to breaking Friday afternoon news - after months of deliberation Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley found that there was no excessive force used in the controversial 2010 arrest of a 16-year-old male on the campus of Roxbury Community College.
If you thought that this would strike a major nerve in the black community - or in the human community, for that matter - then you were right. This afternoon dozens of people showed up at RCC for a press conference held by Roxbury activist Jamarhl Crawford and others who remain convinced that what they saw in the video seen 'round the world is unacceptable.
This is only the beginning of the second leg of this fight. In the coming weeks, here are some things to note as the showdown over police brutality in Boston continues:
- The ACLU is pissed off, and we all know what a pain in law enforcement's ass they can be. Expect some noise from their attorneys.
- DA Conley is going to keep getting ripped for the so-called investigation he conducted, which, according to several folks who spoke today, was not only negligent in collecting adequate community data, but was also done in a manner that made potential witnesses feel intimidated by law enforcement.
- Nobody believes that the DA conducted a fair investigation of the BPD - or that they could under any circumstanes since the two entities work so closely with each other on a daily basis. As noted at today's event, Conley has a history of letting cops off the hook in these types of situations.
- There will be constant reminders of the history of the arresting officers.
- And finally, the DA's own track record will be brought into question.
Stay tuned...