Police Brutality

09/19/2011

ACLU Police Brutality Video Showcased By Witness.org

By Molly Kaplan, ACLU at 1:52pm

Today, Peter Garbriel’s video advocacy non-profit Witness.org used the ACLU’s montage of protest footage from Puerto Rico as an example of effective video advocacy on its blog. The post dissects how the video contributed to the ACLU’s larger effort to bring awareness to police brutality and other civil rights abuses in Puerto Rico, an effort that scored a major win with the recent release of a scathing Justice Department report on the abuses of the Puerto Rico police department. Watch our latest video:

09/08/2011

Police Brutality

ACLU Lens: Justice Department Report Accuses Puerto Rico Police of Abuse, Corruption and Illegal Conduct

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 11:38am

The investigation was spurred in part by ACLU complaints to the DOJ.

07/19/2011

Excessive Force

Turning a Blind Eye: The Human Rights Crisis in Puerto Rico

By Deborah J. Vagins, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 12:26pm

Today, there are American citizens who are being assaulted by police during peaceful protests, but you likely have heard very little about it. The Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD), the second largest police department in the country, is out of control, with a broken and inadequate system for investigating, or even recording, acts of severe police brutality — including lethal force — perpetrated against the communities it is meant to protect. While all of this is occurring in the public eye, none of it is making headlines.

06/21/2011

Excessive Force

Sky-High Murder Rate in Puerto Rico Puts Police Under Scrutiny

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 2:28pm

Today's New York Times reports the sky-high murder rate in Puerto Rico has put the territory's police department — the second largest in the nation behind New York — under pressure to ramp up training and instruction, as well as coordination with federal authorities.

But it appears the pressure to crack down on crime may have come at the expense of civil liberties. The article mentions the ACLU's pressure on the Justice Department to complete its investigation into allegations of police brutality and suppression of First Amendment-protected protest.

American Civil Liberties Union