Philadelphia Police Misconduct Lawyers: Police Brutality against Black Women

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The “Say Her Name” movement was started as a means to call attention to the police brutality faced by black women. In May of 2015, a report was released by the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) and Columbia Law School’s Center for Intersectional and Social Policy Studies titled, “Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women.” The “Say Her Name” movement argues that police brutality against black women has been widely ignored by the media in the United States and that media coverage has focused only on police violence against black men. At least six black women were killed after encounters with the police in the year 2015.

A 28 year-old black woman who was placed into temporary custody by police in Texas after being pulled over for a traffic violation was found in her jail cell hanged to death in July. Her death was classified as a suicide, but many members of the black community and Americans throughout the country felt there was a cover-up by the police. The woman was a college graduate and civil rights advocate with no documented suicidal tendencies. Just before Christmas, a grand jury declined to indict anyone in the woman’s death.

In February, a woman was killed in her Virginia jail cell after being tased multiple times by police officers. The woman was schizophrenic and was incarcerated after allegedly punching a police officer. She was kept in jail for over a week while the mental health care she needed was being sorted out. When police handcuffed the woman in preparation for her move to a psychiatric facility, she started yelling and it took police over 20 minutes to subdue her. Once subdued, police realized that the woman’s heart had stopped and she died five days later in a hospital.

The study by the AAPF and Columbia Law School highlights black women who have died throughout the last three decades while in the presence or custody of state officials. These deaths have occurred in a wide variety of places and to a wide variety of black women, and occur in many places including schools, in jail cells, at the victims own home, in motor vehicles, at parties and on the street. The study urges lawmakers to set a precedent to ensure “all black lives matter.”

Philadelphia Police Misconduct Lawyers Advocate on Behalf of Victims of Police Brutality and Civil Rights Violations

Police brutality against Americans has become more of a story now than ever before thanks to video cameras and the Internet. Philadelphia police brutality lawyerPatrick G. Geckle, fights for victims of police misconductpolice brutality, wrongful convictions and all civil rights violations. Patrick G. Geckle adovcates on behalf of clients to hold police accountable for their actions and make sure that they are compensated for physical and psychological injuries.

If you, a loved one or someone you know has become a victim of police misconduct, call us now at 215-735-3326 or contact us online. We represent clients throughout Eastern Pennsylvania including Philadelphia County, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County and Montgomery County.