MD-Cops arrest healthy man, hours later he is near death in ICU, likely got a "nickel ride"

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MD-Cops arrest healthy man, hours later he is near death in ICU, likely got a "nickel ride"

Video Shows Cops Arrest Healthy Man, Hours Later He’s in ICU in a Coma with Severe Injuries

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/ba...-coma-altercation-police/#CLKy8wwBFpP7U7xc.99

freddie-Gray-in-a-coma-after-arrest1.jpg


Baltimore, MD — 27-year old Freddie Gray is now hospitalized in critical condition and in induced coma, after an incident with Baltimore police Sunday morning.

An eyewitness captured video footage of Gray being restrained and hauled into the back of a police van after being chased and arrested by bike cops.

What happened after that is a mystery, as Freddie Gray is now unconscious in Shock Trauma with multiple injuries.

Gray’s godbrother did not want to be identified, but he did give a statement after he left the ICU, saying “I seen police, him handcuffed, him tased while he was handcuffed. I seen the police officer bending his leg to the point where it looked like he broke it. He was completely healthy, fine being carted off aside from his leg. It’s nowhere near how he’s sitting in the ICU right now.”

According to the family, Gray has spinal injuries and is barely alive. Richard Shipley, Gray’s stepfather, told local news affiliate WJZ, “His face is swollen. He just looks really horrible. Like I said, he’s in an induced coma. We’re all praying.”

Police will not say why the bike cops arrested the fleeing Gray, or how he ended up in the hospital in an induced coma. The arrest was described by witnesses as brutal, but Baltimore Police Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said he did not see any use of force by police in the video, adding that the investigation was at an early stage.

“A number of officers made an arrest of a man who fled from them,” Rodriguez stated. “This is a very serious incident, that we are looking at thoroughly. I have been on the phone with the State’s Attorney’s Office and we are going to work jointly on this investigation.”

The officers involved in the mystery incident have been assigned to administrative duties.

While Deputy Commissioner Rodriguez denies any use of force in the video, there is a considerable amount of time not documented. So what happened after Freddie Gray was loaded into the police van to put him in critical condition?

Did Gray receive a “nickel ride” from the fine folks at the Baltimore Police Department?

For those who don’t know, “nickel rides,” as reported by the Inquirer in 2001, were a witness-free way for police to punish unruly, uncooperative, or arrogant suspects – without ever laying a hand on them.

For rogue police, it was a literal way to deliver “street justice.”


Anyone else with evidence of the arrest is being encouraged to contact police. Unfortunately, police have a history of tampering with and erasing video evidence incriminating them. We at The Free Thought Project encourage anyone with evidence regarding this situation to send it to [email protected] or any other media source you trust.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/ba...-coma-altercation-police/#CLKy8wwBFpP7U7xc.99
 
Ever Hear of a “Nickel Ride”? Philly Cops Gave this Man One, Now Tax-payers are Giving Him $490K

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/he...e-tax-payers-giving-490k/#pqBUec7KpQDXfMw0.99

The city agreed to pay James McKenna the money last week to resolve a lawsuit he brought against them after his neck was broken in several places while in police custody.

McKenna alleged that the Philly police subjected him to a form of abuse which has a long and dark history in the department.

The ‘nickel ride’ among Philadelphia police, the ritual of taking suspects for rough rides dates back decades.

The practice even has an archaic name: “nickel ride,” a term that harks back to the days when amusement-park rides cost 5 cents.

The Inquirer reported in a 2001 investigative series, critics said the rides were a witness-free way for police to punish unruly, uncooperative, or arrogant suspects – without ever laying a hand on them. For rogue police, it was a literal way to deliver “street justice.”

The events that led up to McKenna’s injuries began on the night of June 23, 2011. McKenna was at a bar in Center City having drinks. Police claim they arrested McKenna after he punched a bartender.

McKenna says this is not true, he claims that he was jumped by an off duty police officer who didn’t like the way McKenna was talking to a girl at the bar. The off-duty officer then called for his on-duty friends.

When Philly cops showed up in the police wagon, McKenna alleges that the off-duty officer told the police to “Fuck this guy up.” The officer denied saying that.


McKenna was then handcuffed and put in the van, but not strapped in. He said police accelerated and decelerated the wagon, knocking him to the floor four times.

After the last tumble, he said, he couldn’t stand. “I couldn’t muster the strength,” he said.

McKenna’s injuries included three broken neck vertebrae and two ruptured neck discs.

Upon arriving at the hospital police claimed McKenna’s injuries were self-sustained, saying that he beat his head against bars in the cell.

The case was so inundated with lies however, that none of the officers could get their stories straight so there were also reports stating that he “hit [his] head on police car door” and that “while being transported, pt. hit his own head against divider as reported by arriving officers.”

According to Philly.com at trial, an officer testified that McKenna injured himself in a cell. “He banged his face multiple times off the iron steel bar, which caused a laceration, which caused an injury,” the officer said.

As part of the lawsuit, Thomas J. Gibbons, McKenna’s lawyer, presented an expert opinion from a doctor who said McKenna’s injuries were far too serious to have been self-inflicted.

A person would have one hell of a time breaking their neck in three places by beating their head against cell bars.

In the lawsuit McKenna admitted that his head did hit against the cell bars at one point. However, he was not banging it, he just couldn’t hold his neck up anymore because it was broken in three places after the van ride.

After surgery and 11 days of hospitalization, including six in which he was handcuffed to a bed, McKenna still suffers from limited neck mobility and weakness, and numbness in his left arm and hand, his suit says.

Unable to lie their way out of it, Philly police admitted that they may have been responsible for the injuries in the van ride. But the injuries were sustained as an act of poor driving rather than malice, as this was the first time the officer had ever driven a police wagon.

Either way, McKenna’s lawyer said, police were negligent.

Despite McKenna being found not guilty of the charges and awarded the $490,000, there have been no officers fired or otherwise disciplined.
 
Ever Hear of a “Nickel Ride”? Philly Cops Gave this Man One, Now Tax-payers are Giving Him $490K

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/he...e-tax-payers-giving-490k/#pqBUec7KpQDXfMw0.99

The city agreed to pay James McKenna the money last week to resolve a lawsuit he brought against them after his neck was broken in several places while in police custody.

McKenna alleged that the Philly police subjected him to a form of abuse which has a long and dark history in the department.

The ‘nickel ride’ among Philadelphia police, the ritual of taking suspects for rough rides dates back decades.

The practice even has an archaic name: “nickel ride,” a term that harks back to the days when amusement-park rides cost 5 cents.

The Inquirer reported in a 2001 investigative series, critics said the rides were a witness-free way for police to punish unruly, uncooperative, or arrogant suspects – without ever laying a hand on them. For rogue police, it was a literal way to deliver “street justice.”

The events that led up to McKenna’s injuries began on the night of June 23, 2011. McKenna was at a bar in Center City having drinks. Police claim they arrested McKenna after he punched a bartender.

McKenna says this is not true, he claims that he was jumped by an off duty police officer who didn’t like the way McKenna was talking to a girl at the bar. The off-duty officer then called for his on-duty friends.

When Philly cops showed up in the police wagon, McKenna alleges that the off-duty officer told the police to “Fuck this guy up.” The officer denied saying that.


McKenna was then handcuffed and put in the van, but not strapped in. He said police accelerated and decelerated the wagon, knocking him to the floor four times.

After the last tumble, he said, he couldn’t stand. “I couldn’t muster the strength,” he said.

McKenna’s injuries included three broken neck vertebrae and two ruptured neck discs.

Upon arriving at the hospital police claimed McKenna’s injuries were self-sustained, saying that he beat his head against bars in the cell.

The case was so inundated with lies however, that none of the officers could get their stories straight so there were also reports stating that he “hit [his] head on police car door” and that “while being transported, pt. hit his own head against divider as reported by arriving officers.”

According to Philly.com at trial, an officer testified that McKenna injured himself in a cell. “He banged his face multiple times off the iron steel bar, which caused a laceration, which caused an injury,” the officer said.

As part of the lawsuit, Thomas J. Gibbons, McKenna’s lawyer, presented an expert opinion from a doctor who said McKenna’s injuries were far too serious to have been self-inflicted.

A person would have one hell of a time breaking their neck in three places by beating their head against cell bars.

In the lawsuit McKenna admitted that his head did hit against the cell bars at one point. However, he was not banging it, he just couldn’t hold his neck up anymore because it was broken in three places after the van ride.

After surgery and 11 days of hospitalization, including six in which he was handcuffed to a bed, McKenna still suffers from limited neck mobility and weakness, and numbness in his left arm and hand, his suit says.

Unable to lie their way out of it, Philly police admitted that they may have been responsible for the injuries in the van ride. But the injuries were sustained as an act of poor driving rather than malice, as this was the first time the officer had ever driven a police wagon.

Either way, McKenna’s lawyer said, police were negligent.

Despite McKenna being found not guilty of the charges and awarded the $490,000, there have been no officers fired or otherwise disciplined.


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Unable to lie their way out of it, Philly police admitted that they may have been responsible for the injuries in the van ride. But the injuries were sustained as an act of poor driving rather than malice, as this was the first time the officer had ever driven a police wagon.

You mean, a van? I guess the subtle nuances of driving a van are to blame for the three broken neck vertebrae and two ruptured neck discs.
 
He died today -- Baltimore police are promising a "full investigation" ... :rolleyes:

And I'm sure they will pretend to do so -- but it would take a riot just to get that.
 
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wtf....

might be a long hot summer folks...

and it won't be blamed on any climate change crap either...
 
This account says "his legs dragged listlessly behind him" as he was carried to the paddy wagon -- as if he sustained the spinal injury in the initial take down. It sounds like what happened to the Indian man taken down in Madison, AL a while back, but at least in that case they called EMS instead of taking him for a ride. Maybe Mr. Gray continued to complain on the way or at the station, so maybe they gave him a "little extra" to shut him up.

Just another "accidental" police death -- don't run from the police and this won't happen to you.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/20/us/baltimore-freddie-gray-death/

Painful wailing

When officers approached Gray, he ran. They pursued and caught him quickly, at 8:40 a.m., according to a police timeline.

The officers called for a prisoner transport van. Cell phone video taken from two separate positions showed officers lifting Gray, whose hands were cuffed, up by his shoulders and dragging him to the back of the van.

His legs dangled behind him listlessly as he wailed.

Officers put more restraints on Gray inside the van, police said, while surveillance video recorded him conscious and talking. The video has not been released to the public.
 
This account says "his legs dragged listlessly behind him" as he was carried to the paddy wagon -- as if he sustained the spinal injury in the initial take down. It sounds like what happened to the Indian man taken down in Madison, AL a while back, but at least in that case they called EMS instead of taking him for a ride. Maybe Mr. Gray continued to complain on the way or at the station, so maybe they gave him a "little extra" to shut him up.

Just another "accidental" police death -- don't run from the police and this won't happen to you.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/20/us/baltimore-freddie-gray-death/

Obey harder.
 
why can't you run from the Police?...why is it acceptable to shoot someone running?...
 
From the article Sean posted:

"The officer was very professional, was talking to her calm, he wasn't excited, he wasn't angry," (police shief) Banks told KVUE-TV. "It's unfortunate, the fact that this lady did what appears to hit her head and was knocked unconscious, but I'll tell you, the officer did what he was supposed to do in a situation like that."

Of course, being the NYC Daily News, most of the commenters are just fine with what happened as well.

They should have beat her more, was the general consensus.
 
this lady did what appears to hit her head and was knocked unconscious

There's that "curious grammar" again:

Not "she was violently body slammed to the ground, knocking her unconcious, by the responding officer".

No, she did this to herself.

Obey harder.
 
Confirmed.

He got a "Nickel Ride"


Rough ride? Lawyer says fatally injured arrestee lacked belt

http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Police-may-have-ignored-seatbelt-policy-with-6219667.php

BALTIMORE (AP) — No video captured what happened to Freddie Gray inside the police van where officers heaved him into a metal compartment after pinning him to a sidewalk. The cause of the fatal spinal injury he suffered in custody has not been revealed.

But a troubling detail emerged as protesters converged on Baltimore's City Hall Thursday: He was not only handcuffed and put in leg irons, but left without a seat belt, according to a police union's lawyer.

That may seem innocuous, but unbelted detainees have been paralyzed and even killed because of rough rides in police vans, which used to be called "paddy wagons." It has happened often enough to have a name: "nickel rides," referring to the amusement rides that once cost five cents.

Just six months ago, Baltimore officials released a plan to reduce police brutality and misconduct, some of it involving prisoners transported in police vans. And rules were updated just nine days before Gray's arrest, clearly stating that all detainees shall be strapped in by seat belts or "other authorized restraining devices" for their own safety.

Gray was not belted in, said attorney Michael Davey, who represents at least one of the officers under investigation. But he took issue with the rules.

"Policy is policy, practice is something else," particularly if a prisoner is combative, Davey told The Associated Press. "It is not always possible or safe for officers to enter the rear of those transport vans that are very small, and this one was very small."
 
It has happened often enough to have a name: "nickel rides," referring to the amusement rides that once cost five cents.

So the word "often" is wrong here.

This should read: "They are called 'nickel rides' because they have happened since the time when amusement park rides cost a single, solitary nickel, which was so long ago that barely anybody alive can remember it - thus showing that police have always been what we are now finding out, that this is the function of police, and that anyone who thinks there is a baby to throw out with this bathwater just plain isn't fucking paying attention."
 
"Policy is policy, practice is something else," particularly if a prisoner is combative, Davey told The Associated Press. "It is not always possible or safe for officers to enter the rear of those transport vans that are very small, and this one was very small."

Bullshit.

 
So the word "often" is wrong here.

This should read: "They are called 'nickel rides' because they have happened since the time when amusement park rides cost a single, solitary nickel, which was so long ago that barely anybody alive can remember it - thus showing that police have always been what we are now finding out, that this is the function of police, and that anyone who thinks there is a baby to throw out with this bathwater just plain isn't fucking paying attention."

Yup, stuff like this has been going for decades.

What's new is the SWATTing, the militarized presence and mindset and the random killings.
 
A lot of information in this video about the constant harassment and constant beatings... people harassed when just sitting on their front steps...

 
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