National

Scott Murder Indicative of ‘Culture Of Abuse’

Published

10 years ago

April 10, 2015

Oakland Post

(Courtesy of The Charleston Chronicle)

By Barney Blakeney
Special to the NNPA from The Charleston Chronicle

CHARLESTON, S.C. – North Charleston Branch NAACP President Ed Bryant said Thursday the April 4 shooting death of 50-year-old Walter Scott by a North Charleston police officer is indicative of the culture of abuse that exists in the department when it comes to Blacks.

“What we’re seeing is a culture of abuse,” Bryant said at a news conference. “The video of Mr. Scott’s murder shows the officer slowly walk up to the man he’s just shot in the back numerous times. He doesn’t administer aid or even call for EMS.”

A witness captured the disturbing video account of officer Michael Slager firing eight times at Scott as he ran away. Slager had allegedly stopped Scott for a broken brake light. Initially Slager reported that Scott had fought him and wrestled his taser from him, an account that was proven untrue by the video.

Slager said Scott tried use the taser against him when, in fear, he shot Scott. But the video, which doesn’t show any struggle between the two men, only shows Scott running away from Slager who draws his service weapon and fires repeatedly as Scott runs away, eventually falling after the final round struck him.

Although they expressed concern that Scott was unarmed and running away from the officer, leaders of local civil rights organizations had taken a wait-and-see approach to the shooting before the video of the incident was made public Tuesday. But the video that has drawn national attention to the incident gives incontestable evidence Slager fabricated details. On Tuesday, Slager was formerly charged with murder and was forced to trade his police uniform for prison stripes.

In recent years, complaints against North Charleston police officers averaged about 20 per year in the department of approximately 340 sworn officers. About 25 percent are sustained, an equal number are exonerated and most are determined unfounded. But Bryant says the statistics don’t reflect the reality of the abuse perpetrated against minority citizens.

Racial profiling is blatant, Bryant said. Only 64 of the department’s approximate 340 sworn officers are African American. Blacks are subjected to traffic stops at a rate twice that of Whites in the city.

In 2004 after North Charleston police officers had completed a three-day diversity training workshop, several officers who entered a local law firm didn’t reflect that training. Lisa Cotton was one of two Black female attorneys in the office intimidated by officers attempting to arrest a suspect who had come there as a potential client.

More alarming, the abuse has had deadly results, Bryant contends. In 2000, North Charleston police shot to death Edward Snowden, an African American who had been assaulted by three White men outside a video store. Snowden was returning videos to the store when, without provocation, he was attacked by the men who were leaving a bar in the same strip mall.

In 2003, Asberry Wylder was killed by a North Charleston police officer ‡responding to a call about a shoplifter. Police cornered Wylder in a lot across the street from the store then shot him to death after Wylder allegedly stabbed an officer.

Referring to the video of shooting captured by a bystander, NAACP branch president Bryant said, “He (Slager) commands Scott, who was lying there dying, to put his hands behind his back then handcuffs him although Scott was unresponsive. After that he walks back and apparently picks up the taser gun, and comes back to Scott’s body and drops it. Slager most obviously was more concerned about covering his own butt than that man’s life.”

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

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Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

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BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

Published

1 week ago

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Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.

Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”

The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”