Thursday, May 27, 2010

Detroit Demonstration at Police Headquarters Today: Demand Justice for Aiyana Jones, 2:30pm, 1300 Beaubien

Group: Detroit police squads use excessive force

By ZLATI MEYER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

The Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality is planning to demonstrate outside the Police Commission meeting this afternoon.

The coalition is questioning whether police should have used a flash-bang grenade during a May 17 raid that killed 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones and wants U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate what happened that morning.

The group also is calling on the Police Commission to look into “other instances of violence which have occurred during the past six months as a result of the actions of specialized units." Coalition spokesperson Ron Scott said that complaints against the Detroit Police Department’s gang squad have increased 300%.

"This policy of militarization that uses federal monies specifically designated for special units deepens the mistrust of citizens for police,” he said. “We want an end to the use of incendiary devices such as flash bang grenades and other ordinance primarily used in military combat.”

A DPD spokesperson could not be reached immediately for comment.

And, in a rare instance of agreement, the coalition has announced that it supports Mayor Dave Bing’s ban on reality TV crews videoing police raids.

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