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Wednesday, June 23, 2010 | 6:28am
Video Surfaces of NYPD Cop “Needlessly” Beating Iraq Vet 20 Times
Tape shows Officer David London beating Walter Harvin with a night stick in the head while handcuffed
@nypdnews #policebrutality
Ok. Over the last two weeks we’ve been spending a good deal of time discussing the relationship between Law Enforcement and the black community following the surfacing the a video of a Seattle teenage girl who was duffed in the grill by a police officer after a jaywalking infraction. While we’ll continue to debate the why such incidents seem to disproportionately take place in the black community, I do believe that we’ve come to a consensus that the 17-year-old girl were in the wrong in this case, inciting the altercation and as we learned yesterday the local black police lobby group in Seattle concurs leading to a subsequent apology.
Officer David London
But just as quickly as we put a bow on that case, a new one surfaces, this one closer to home. Yesterday, The Manhattan (New York) District Attorney’s office released footage of a New York City Cop beating an Iraq war veteran in the lobby of a housing project. Officer David London, a 15-year NYPD veteran and married father of three kids is on trial for assault and falsifying a police report after being caught on tape beating Walter Harvin with his baton even after the vet had been handcuffed. He is facing is facing 7 years in prison if convicted
In addition to the release of the damning video, London’s partner Mohammed Khan who can be seen on the video tape watching as his partner spazzed out, testified Monday that Harvin was “needlessly aggressive” before, during, and after the incident.
“I’ll kill you mother–er,” and “I’ll f- you up,” Harvin yelled as London hit him repeatedly according to Khan’s testimony.
The 28-year-old Harvin, who is a recently discharged Iraq vet, was stopped by officers after trying to enter the Hostas Houses on West 93rd Street where his mother lived. Harvin, who did not have a key, is seen on the tape rushing to enter the building before London shuts the door.
Although the video has no audio, the housing-project hallway cameras clearly capture Harvin pushing past the cop to enter the lobby which leads to an exchange of angry words which is where Khan enters to offer support. As Harvin tries to enter the elevator, London prevents him leading to the beat down.
“I came from Iraq!” Khan recalls Harvin shouting during the beating.
“I was in the Air Force, too!” the cop answered, still swinging.
London strikes Harvin at least 20 times in the head and neck area with his baton repeatedly all while partner, Khan tries to cuff him. Traumatized by the turn of events, Harvin has reportedly disappeared and is not expected to testify. Khan also faces lesser departmental charges for his role.
So there you have it folks. The floor is yours. While Malcolm yesterday contended that black cops controlling black neighborhoods might quell these incidents this is evidence contrary to that as both parties are black. What does however remain consistent is that its yet again another black man at the other end of the night stick.
Via: New York Post
FILED IN News
Side Note: Even though it’s profiling, I still think that black cops in black neighborhoods would cut down on the racially-motivated tension between the cops and the people.
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On to this case: the police have the right to use force to stop a perp from resisting. It doesn’t give them the right to beat a man once detained. I don’t see the perp in handcuffs in this video, but I’ll assume that it happened.
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Any cop who continues to beat a handcuffed man should be fired, arrested, sued, etc. No excuse.
The New York Post Story says that was the only portion of the video not released to the public but apparently it did happen.
I wish we were lack the brothas back in the day. At least they marched and faught against stuff like this. we dont have any more black panthers or organized groups willin to get out there and fight. we need to take some kind of stand! the president is not gonna help us so forget about that, we gotta do it. hell it seems like its goten worse since he took office. i dont have the answers but im readyu to be a soldier if need be to fight this particular cause. all brothas go thru it. you may have never beeen beatin but we all have been profiled. and im speakin on all races of cops. they crooked period and sometimes i dont blame them. it has to stop i dont care what color the cop is.
Man, people get tired of trying to help people who don’t want to help themselves! I hear what you are saying, but I was a part of a group that did all that: marching, boycotting, door-to-door, voting registration, speaking to people on street corners, bringing in speakers from out of town, etc. But, when it came time to do work, it was always a very small group of people willing to do it. The massess were too busy, or wanted to smoke their weed and drink their beer and complain about “Da man”. I get that, too. However, at some point people have to realize that until we do something different, we are always going to get the same results. To this degree, I think Black people were better off during segregation than today: UNITY. Back then, Black people knew what they were going up against, and there was more of a sense of unity. Also, we still had values that seem to be lost today: RESPECT AND ACTING LIKE WE HAVE SOME DAMN SENSE! But today, Black people have scattered all over the place and since “everyone is the same” we always come in last! (except in sports and entertainment). We seem to have lost our sense of purpose and direction. People have stopped listening to Min. Farrakhan because the things he continuously talked about were never taken to heart and inplemented. What happened to the MILLION BLACK MEN who marched on Washington D.C. on October 16, 1995? I’ll tell you: we bought the okey-doke of a dollar and a dream, without realizing that to make it in this society, you have to work! First, in the classroom, then at your job and then continue to improve at your craft…..
Just venting, man….
you serve your country to have ass beaten as a homecoming… I hope they take both of their badges…
damn that didn’t make sense… editor would like to make some corrections… you serve your country and come home to a ass beating… I hope they both lose their badges….
Its not going to stop Juan, but I’m sure you know that. I’m Hispanic but I still deal with racial issues as well and I sincerely don’t think there was a need to beat the man down like that. You know what I think? ALL COPS, no matter what their race is, have that position of power and take it to the extreme. They think they can beat people up by any means necessary. Well it sounds like a far stretch but I hope this officer gets behind bars. I doubt it though, he’ll be on administrative leave WITH PAY for a few months and he’ll be back on the streets before winter.
Cosign
I guess he didn’t think that no one was wacthing.
Man, watching that video made my stomach turn. That just don’t make no damn sense!
NOT GUILTY!!