James Boyd is Not The First
Posted: 31/03/2014 | Author: The Political Idealist | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Albuquerque, Anonymous, democracy, homelessness, James Boyd, liberty, new mexico, news, police, society, US news |Leave a commentYou may have read in yesterday’s post, the World Review (a weekly feature I prepare for the ShoutOutUK newspaper) about the case of James Boyd, the homeless man who was killed by police officers following a dispute over his “illegal camping” (i.e. sleeping rough) in the foothills outside of the city. After a three hour argument with a gang of Albuquerque Police officers, Boyd was collecting his belongings to leave. In other words, he had acquiesced after what must have been a blunt exchange of views. What appears- and I cannot stress enough that I am not certain- to have happened is that the police officers then detonated a flash bang- a device typically used to disperse crowds by disorientating them. When Boyd attempted to defend himself, he was tasered (more than sufficient force exercised if the police officers felt endangered) and then shot. Boyd died the next day.
What is known for certain is that Albuquerque Police are heavy-handed to an unconstitutional degree. Since 2010, the department has been “involved” in 37 shootings, of which just under two-thirds were fatal. Such a figure would be considered alarming in the UK: if the police are directly involved in the fatal shooting of one person, it becomes a huge national issue. Albuquerque police serve a city of just over half a million people. We’re not talking about a place like provincial Mexico, where the police can be at war, in effect. This is the US, where the freedom of the people from authoritarianism is supposedly paramount. The federal Department of Justice thinks so to, which is why it has been investigating the Albuquerque police for some time. The FBI is now investigating the Boyd case specifically.
Yet an investigation or two is not enough for the people of Albuquerque and much of the world. Anonymous, the hacktivist collective, has brought down the Albuquerque Police’s website, promising “retaliation” over Boyd’s death. Yesterday, students and members of the public held demonstrations around the city. It appears that authorities wisely refrained from attacking protestors, even when some of their more militant opponents threw stones at officers. Albuquerque Police know the world is watching them very closely, and with any luck they’ll realise that their approach must change.
