Tag Archives: Chad

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VIDEO: Houston police beat helpless 15-year old … Black History


A shocking video released last week shows four Houston police officers mercilessly beating a 15-year old burglary suspect while at least eight other officers looked on. Some kicked him repeatedly in the head and legs, others punched his torso — all while young Chad Holley was lying face down with his hands behind his head in surrender.

The officers who beat Holley have only been charged with misdemeanors, and many of the officers on the scene that day are still working as police officers in Houston.

It’s time to demand real accountability for the Houston Police Department — and when we do, it’ll send a clear message to other departments with a similar problem. It starts with the four officers who brutalized Holley, but it can’t stop there. What happened to Chad Holley isn’t merely an isolated incident — it’s the result of a police culture in Houston (and in police departments across the nation) that places little value on Black lives.

Your voice can help change that. Please join us in calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate Chad Holley’s brutal beating, and the culture that led to it. And please ask your friends and family to do the same — it’s the first step for reform in Houston and can help shine a light on police brutality in other parts of the country:

Chad Holley ran from Houston police following a burglary — but as soon as he was captured, he immediately stretched out on the ground and put his hands behind his head. But before arresting him, a pack of officers descended on him, stomping, kicking and punching the young man until he blacked out, and leaving him with a broken nose.1,2

Despite this, the officers who beat Holley have only been charged with misdemeanors. All four were charged with “official oppression,” while two of them face an additional misdemeanor charge of violating Holley’s civil rights.3 Each charge carries a maximum of a year in prison — a light penalty for such a clear abuse of power and violation of the public’s trust.

But this is bigger than just the actions of these four officers — Houston Police Department (HPD) has a problem. Misbehavior is rampant among Houston police, with more than 14,000 complaints against HPD officers over the last six years — half of which were upheld. But the real amount of misconduct is likely to be much greater, with much of it not being investigated. Because Black residents distrust the process — and even fear retaliation due to holes in the process — many don’t ever file complaints against police officers.4,5

HPD has painted Holley’s beating as an isolated incident of misconduct, but that’s hard to believe if you watch the video of the incident. Officers attacked Holley simultaneously and without hesitation, as if this kind of violence is routine. There were no fewer than a dozen officers on the scene during the beating, yet HPD leaders didn’t learn of the assault until the security video was mailed to the chief of police and District Attorney — all the officers on the scene were silent until then, willing participants in a cover-up.

This speaks to an important reality: Chad Holley’s beating appears to be the product of a problematic culture within the Houston Police Department — one where officers don’t fear punishment, and where they stick together to hide serious incidents of misconduct. Most recently, this led Houston activist Quanell X, who released the Chad Holley tapes to the public, to announce the release of several more videos of unwarranted police violence.6

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division can help. They have the power to bring charges with penalties that accurately reflect the heinousness of the Holley incident. This is not just important for justice in Holley’s case or for reform in Houston — but for helping to send a signal to other departments across the country. The Department of Justice can also investigate the entire police force, and force changes to the culture that allowed this happen.

If there’s enough public outcry, we can push the DOJ to take a hard look at Chad Holley’s case. That’s why it’s important that as many of us speak up as possible. And after you do, please, urge your friends and family to do the same. It takes just a moment:

Thanks and Peace

— James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Natasha, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team

February 16th, 2011

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~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Think Progress … and #ACA


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Yes, People Are Enrolling In Obamacare

Obamacare enrollment has been open for nearly three days now, and the initial interest has been staggering. Millions of people have checked out the health exchange websites, both for the federal exchange at healthcare.gov, and the state exchanges. And while it’s no surprise that opponents of the law are quick to claim that glitches and wait times associated with the demand indicate some kind of failure, the truth is plain: people want to learn more about the law, and people are signing up.

Over at Think Progress, Tara Culp-Ressler has a round-up of five people who have successfully signed up for Obamacare online:

Leslie Foster from California: 28-year-old Foster enrolled in California’s state-run exchange on Tuesday night, when traffic was a little slower and the site worked better. He told the Wall Street Journal that he settled on his choice on Wednesday morning. Foster is eligible for federal subsidies and will only end up paying about $62 each month for his new insurance plan. “It’s a great deal,” he said. He noted that people on other places have been experiencing more glitches, and said he’s glad that his state embraced health reform. “I’m grateful for being in California. They were definitely ahead of the ball,” he said.

Chad Henderson from Georgia: 21-year-old Henderson successfully enrolled in his state’s federally-run exchange early Tuesday morning. Hetold Wonkblog that he wanted to be one of the first people to sign up for Obamacare because he had read a few articles that said young people would be critical to the health law’s success, and “really just wanted to do my part to help out with the entire process.” He did experience delays with the HealthCare.gov site, and waited about three hours before he could create an account. But he said it was “pretty smooth sailing” from there, and enrolled in a plan with a $175 monthly premium.

Bill Henderson from Georgia: Chad Henderson’s father, Bill, also enrolled in Georgia’s exchange on Tuesday morning. In an interview with the Huffington Post, the younger Henderson said his dad has been uninsured for years, remarking, “I can’t remember a time when my dad has gone to the doctor. He’s just sucked it up.” The two enrolled in separate plans even though Obamacare allows Chad to remain on Bill’s plan until he turns 26. Chad said his father wanted him to take responsibility for his own insurance plan.

Kathy Kanak from Illinois: On Wednesday evening, Kanak tweeted that she had successfully enrolled in a plan on her state’s partnership exchange. Illinois worked with the federal government to set up its insurance marketplace, so Kanak used the federal HealthCare.gov site to enroll. “Success at Healthcare.gov! I’m enrolled!” she tweeted around6:50 pm on Wednesday, adding, “Just took patience. Works great once you are in. People at phone center answered right away and were so nice!”

Leslie Peters from Rhode Island: Peters, who has been uninsured for five years due to her pre-existing conditions, was one of the first people to enroll on Rhode Island’s state-run exchange. She said she was “chompin’ at the bit” to sign up, and was surprised at how easy it ended up being. Peters didn’t encounter website glitches and completed the process in about 15 minutes. “It feels great to know I will soon have insurance and not have to worry about this anymore,” she told Kaiser Health News. “Not having insurance is something I worried about all the time.”

BOTTOM LINE: Republicans fear the successful implementation of Obamacare so much that they are willing to shut down the government over it. But even the government shutdown can’t stop the enrollment process and can’t stop people from getting affordable health care coverage. Obamacare is here to stay.

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Cameroon, Stop killing protected wildlife – Elephants

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care2 petitionsite actionAlert

In less than a month over 200 elephants have been killed in Cameroon. These poachers are going into the Bouba Ndjida National Park from Chad and killing these protected elephants.

Tell Cameroon that it has to step up to protect its wildlife. »

With Cameroon’s elephant population estimated to be a maximum of 1500 elephants, this recent slaughter is a devastating loss to the population.

Furthermore, these elephants were supposed to be protected: they were in a national park!

Mongabay.com reports that these elephants have been killed for their tusks and that these ivory poachers are Sudanese.

Tell the government of Cameroon that they need to do more to protect their elephants and to put a stop to this atrocious elephant slaughtering. »

Thanks for taking action!Kathleen
The
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Fwd: SHOCKING VIDEO: Houston police beat helpless 15-year old


Last week, we told you about Chad Holley, a Houston teenager who was brutally beaten by police in that city.

Since then, more than 35,000 ColorOfChange.org members have spoken out, demanding real justice for the officers involved and a federal investigation of Houston Police Department. Can you help us get to 50,000 signatures?

You can add your voice by clicking the link below. After you do, please pass this information along to your friends and family so that they can join our campaign as well. You can read the original email we sent below.

http://colorofchange.org/campaign/houston-police/

Thanks and Peace,

— James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team