St. Louis Riots as Killings by Police Touch Off Fury Across U.S.
By Toluse Olorunnipa Aug 12, 2014 12:01 AM ET
Riots and looting after police shot and killed an unarmed teenager near St. Louis are adding to mounting tension over law-enforcement tactics even as crime rates fall in America’s largest cities.
The death of Michael Brown, 18, while walking near his grandmother’s home in Ferguson, Missouri, Aug. 9 follows police killings from Miami to Albuquerque, New Mexico. In New York last month, Eric Garner, 43, died after officers used an apparent chokehold while questioning him about selling illegal cigarettes. Last week in Beavercreek, Ohio, officers shot a 22-year-old man carrying a toy gun.
The events raise questions about the use of force and abuse of civil rights. The face-off between hundreds of residents in Ferguson and police in riot gear also highlights the friction that exists between law enforcement and blacks nationwide, said Eugene O’Donnell, a former New York police officer who teaches law at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
“The minority community is on heightened alert because they believe, rightfully, when it comes to law enforcement, that the brunt of it takes place in poor and minority communities,” he said. “They’re going to say at the end of the day, ‘Why is it that people of color disproportionately end up on the ground, dead?’”
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-12/st-louis-riots-as-killings-by-police-touch-off-fury-across-u-s-.html