Police Killing of Black People in the US: A New Terrorism?

Police Brutality in Numbers

Alton Sterling

Alton Sterling Shot Dead While Being Held on the Ground

The 37-year-old Alton Sterling was shot multiple times in the chest and back while he was being held on the ground. The attack in Louisiana was captured on video camera. In the clip, an officer can be heard yelling “get on the ground,” and then the officer is seen charging at Sterling, grabbing him and tackling him onto the pavement. READ MORE

Freddie Gray

Freddie Gray, Victim of Police Terrorism

Freddie Gray's death in Baltimore in 2014 led to nationwide protests against police brutality and institutionalized racism. The 25-year-old Black man died from extreme spinal injuries after being arrested by Baltimore police, shackled to a van and taken for what is known as a "rough ride." Of the six officers standing trial for manslaughter and other charges, three have been acquitted. READ MORE

Sandra Bland

Sandra Bland, Killed over a Traffic Ticket

Bland was arrested July 10, 2015 after being pulled over by a state trooper for allegedly making an improper lane change. According to dashcam video footage, the interaction between Bland and the trooper became confrontational when Bland refused to get out of her car, with the official pointing a stun gun at the woman and yelling “I will light you up!” Bland spent three days in a jail in Waller County, Texas after she was unable to pay the US$500 bail. On the third day she was found dead in her cell. No jail employees were indicted for her death. READ MORE

Tamir Rice

Officer Kills 12-Year-Old Boy in Park, Doesn't Get Charged

12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot by police in Cleveland in 2014. The city of Cleveland agreed to pay US$6 million to the family of Tamir Rice, who was shot while holding a toy gun in a public park. A grand jury cleared the officer responsible of all charges. READ MORE

Michael Brown

Shot 12 Times and Left to Die on Street

Michael Brown was killed in 2014 by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. The unarmed Black teen was shot 12 times by Officer Wilson.The incident launched Ferguson into the spotlight as a symbol of the then-emerging nationwide movement against police brutality. Solidarity protests also sprung up across the country, with activists popularizing the rallying cry “Black Lives Matter” in their fight against police violence and bringing attention to the structural discrimination against Black people in local police forces and the larger U.S. criminal justice system. READ MORE

Eric Garner

'I Can't Breathe!'

Eric Garner was wrestled to the ground by Officer Daniel Pantaleo after he refused to be handcuffed for selling loose cigarettes on the street on Staten Island in New York. In a video of the attack, his voice was clearly heard as he repeatedly said “I can’t breathe,” while Pantaleo applied an illegal chokehold on him. The father of six, who was unarmed, lost consciousness and died one hour later. A grand jury did not to indict Pantaleo. READ MORE