Cops Kick, Beat, Set Dog Loose On Unconscious Black Man

Another story gaining national attention for its implications of police brutality and cruelty has occurred in Vineland, NJ.

photo courtesy of the Shaun King/Daily Kos

According to one witness, Phillip White, was approached by police when he was spotted “stumbling near a fence.” This witness states that White did start yelling and kicking but other witnesses have given a more graphic and barbaric view of what took place after the initial confrontation. According to a bystander who saw the event, the police punched White, stomped on him, and kicked him. What happened next allegedly, was truly horrifying. The witness says that while the man was handcuffed and apparently unconscious, the cops let their dog out of their patrol car and it attacked White, biting him on his face and his body. The man who gave the above comments, Ricardo Garcia, states that he believes the incident was “uncalled for” and that they should have stuck the unconscious White in their car. Another witness, Agustin Ayala, said that White did initially resist arrest, but that at one point?he?became so worried about?White’s condition that he tried to intervene. The Cumberland County Prosecutors Office is currently investigating this situation, which caused Mr. Phillip White to die. Many from the #BlackLivesMatter movement and beyond have taken to social media to discuss their outrage. #PhillipWhite was trending on Twitter, which sadly has become an indicator that a minority person has been wrongly abused or killed by the police. It is not just deaths that have gained national attention however. This incident of police brutality resulting in the death of White comes on the heels of a video showing the odious beating of Floyd Dent by Inkster police in Michigan.

This is a tragic reminder of the problems we are still facing with cops and their degrading behavior towards members of society, particularly those of color. I hope we get to the very bottom of what happened with Mr. White and why, and that justice?will be?served. With everything we have seen so far?concerning outrageous behavior by cops going unpunished, I don’t have much hope in any of these cases.

I was born on January 13, 1990. I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. I moved up north and attended the University of CT from 2008 to 2012. I currently also work at a law firm in Uptown Charlotte and have been helping with this organization entitled the National Independent Voter Coalition. My interests include: Politics (obviously), Basketball (playing and watching) and watching almost any sport, movies, reading, the law, human rights, entertainment, mostly Angelina Jolie and Beyonce. I am fun, caring, passionate, intelligent, and unique!