Police repression of the African-American community

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War on crime
By Christian Parenti, San Francisco Bay Guardian, 18 November 1998. The SFPD used SWAT-style equipment to raid a Western Addition housing project. Does military gear encourage military policing?
For black cops, trust hard to gain: Diversity doesn't close credibility gap
By James Hill, The Chicago Tribune, 19 July 1999. In recent decades, police departments in large urban areas have recruited minorities in hopes of improving relationships with the community. But those efforts have had an unexpected effect.
Letter to the editor of the New Britain Herald
By Sadu Nanjundiah, 26 February 2000. The message this verdict sends to people of color, especially African-Americans, is that racism is alive and well in the U.S.A. They are fair target for the police, and are presumed guilty until proven innocent.
Why Benton Harbor Exploded
By Jerry Goldberg, Workers World, 3 July 2003. Benton Harbor, Mich., was rocked by rebellion in mid-June after police killed a Black man. This brought into national focus police brutality, racism and economic devastation in African American communities.
Police secretly watching hip-hop artists
Miami Herald, 9 March 2004. Miami and Miami Beach police are secretly watching and keeping dossiers on hip-hop celebrities and their entourages. Hip-hop experts criticize as unnecessary stereotyping. The policy was created, police say, to protect the public and musical celebrities.
Threatened by those sworn to protect: realities of racism in institutions
By Earl G. Graves, Jr., Publisher, Black Enterprise, April 2004. The time has long passed since we were surprised by news of an innocent black person being gunned down by law enforcement. The fundamental behavior of police toward black men remains unchanged. Those sworn to protect can at any time become a deadly threat. We must move past our anger and resignation and deal with this issue.
The Historic Role of Police Brutality in the Black Community and African American Oppression
By Roland Sheppard, Labor-L, [17 February 2005]. A brief history of police brutality since Reconstruction, originally written several years ago.
New epidemic of racist police brutality
By Bryan G. Pfeifer, Workers World, 11 March 2006. Police brutality has reached epidemic proportions in communities of color across the nation. Police terror is institutionalized within this capitalist society especially in relation to oppressed communities and youth, including lesbian, gay, bi and trans youth.
The FBI's War on Black Liberation: COINTELPRO and the Panthers
By Ron Jacobs, Counterpunch, 21 October 2007. The history of relations between the Black liberation movement and law enforcement has always been adversarial, at its best. At its worst, it is a history of murder, beatings, lies and frame-ups.