Analysis: Police Brutality on Urban Youth
Derrick Ashong analyzes police brutality on youth citing Israel Hernandez case.
AUG 22, 2013— -- Last week I had the opportunity to speak with Raphael Lynch - a close friend of artist and skater Israel Hernandez who died after being tased by police officers on Miami Beach on August 6.
His crime? Spray-painting his name on a wall.
See Also: Teen Killed by Cops’ Taser Made Music, Dreamed of a Skate Empire
While the debate ensues around what happened and who's at fault in this case, the recently released movie "Fruitvale Station," reminds us of the murder of Oscar Grant by BART police in Oakland on New Year's Day in 2009.
In seeing the similarities between these two cases from opposite ends of the country, I think it's worth considering how we are training our police officers, and whether or not such training is empowering them to truly serve and protect our communities.
