Taser torture in America- A call for Congressional Hearings -

Today is called, A blogging for justice: Standing up against the police pre-trial electrocution of black children, women and men by taser."

Black political and social bloggers have been discussing the epidemic of being Tasered While Black for some time. There is even two blogs devoted to the Tasering Black folks, and the Electrocution of black folks by Police with Tasers. Did you know that Tasers have been involved in more than three hundred deaths? Well that was back in July of 2008, when Carmen Dixon reported on the issue of being Tasered While Black in America. Since then things have changed - For the worst! Just in the past few weeks, Michael Jacobs Tasered to Death by police in Fort Worth, TX. and a Michigan 15-year-old was killed by police with a taser.

Now we learn as black folks are being tasered to death, there are cops, who do it and laugh at the tasering and killing of black folks.

Well, a group of black bloggers are saying enough is enough, and are calling on Senator Reid, Speaker Pelosi and the Congressional Black Caucus to begin hearings on what has been called, the pre-trial electrocution of black children, women and men by taser.

In an online petition, a group of black bloggers are calling on Congress to speak out and organize public hearings on the systemic human rights violations occurring with Federal funding against black, Latino, Native American and other Americans. The bloggers say: While there continues to be considerable media and congressional attention to torture in Guantanamo, there is comparatively little attention to the mounting evidence of human rights violations in the streets of America by a number of police departments across America, including torture and killings of black children, women and men through-out the United States through the use and abuse of Tasers. We want Congress to stand up with us against the police pre-trial electrocution of black children, women and men by taser.

We believe that few Americans support spending our tax dollars on torture, which violates our moral, religious and legal traditions.

Most Americans expect an American policing policy that ensures the rights of all individuals regardless of race, greed, color, national origin, sex, disability or political or religious affiliation.

We believe most Americans would favor Congressional hearings as to whether our own U.S. police, policing policies and actions violate Federal and International laws prohibiting human rights violators.

Evidence of widespread police abuse of tasers is more than enough to warrant our concern and justify a congressional inquiry. This is a brief summary of the evidence thus far:

1. Anderson Cooper 360: Accused, arrested, tasered ...

2. Tasered While Black – Black Voices

3. New Houston Epidemic: Tasered While Black | NewsOne

4. Michael Jacobs Tasered to Death in Fort Worth, TX.

5. Wheelchair-Bound Black Woman Dies After Being Tasered 10 Times To Death, Family Files Suit

6. Michigan 15-year-old dies after police Tasered him: CHICAGO SUN ...

7. Man dies after cop hits him with Taser 9 times - CNN.com

8. Pregnant Black Women Tasered In Ohio

9. WPD Officer uses a Taser gun on a deaf man who could not hear verbal commands

10. NC: More freestyle law enforcement death-by-Taser

We propose that Congress undertake serious oversight into the extent to which our taxes are funding human rights violations and torture by tasing, and provide an alternative roadmap to the restoration of our democratic values. We want Congress to make sure that police pre-trial electrocution of black children, women and men by taser stops.

1. We are calling on the U.S. Attorney General and the Justice Department to aggressively fulfill its most basic mandate of enforcing the law. Torture by tasing is a crime, and the Justice Department is the right place to initiate an independent top-to-bottom investigation of the torturing of black children men, women and children by local police jurisdictions throughout the United States. It's important that the general public understand the 'use of force continuum' used by law enforcement officials, and how it is abused by many in the law enforcement community. (See the use-of-force-continuum provided by the blog Electronic Village) Note: Although there is a Justice Department Review of TASER-related Deaths the on-the-spot pre-trial electrocutions continues.

2. Congress should investigate whether US police tasing policies violate Federal or international civil and human right laws, including the U.N. Convention against Torture, and international covenants against cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of citizens even in cases of so-called “state emergencies”.

3. Congress should require the effective regulation of Taser use and require police/citizen review panels by Federal, state and local police and security agencies, including strict adherence to international human rights standards, or act to defund all such Federal, State and local police and security agencies who violate taser use regulations that would be established by Congress. No Federal stimulus dollars should be used to purchase tasers.

We ask the Congress to hold congressional hearings to reach its own conclusions regarding the use and abuse of tasers, particularly as it relates to minority group members such as blacks, Native Americans and Latinos.

As you know the UN's Committee against Torture has declared that Taser use can constitute a form of torture, while USA: Amnesty International has an on-going concern about the use of tasers on American citizens. With all the conversation about the Bush torture memos and torture in the United States, we the undersigned bring up the issue of torture of black Americans at the hands of police in the United States. We urge you to stand up against the police pre-trial electrocution of black children, women and men by taser.

Want to sign the petition 2 congress on taser torture in America- A call for Congressional Hearings Visit this website HERE