The case, which Scene first reported on in 2017, is just one example of the racist policing and excessive force controversies that have plagued the eastern suburban department in recent years. (The brutal beating of Emirius Spencer, by an off-duty Euclid officer, was highlighted on the podcast Serial in 2018. A case on behalf of Luke Stewart, a Black man shot and killed by a Euclid police officer in 2017, is pending.)
Lamar Wright was parked in his vehicle when two Euclid cops came upon him in plain clothes, with weapons drawn. In Cleveland, under the Consent Decree, an officer unholstering and pointing their firearm constitutes a use of force incident that must be documented, for the record. Wright naturally thought he was being robbed and made to drive away, but when he realized that the men were officers, he put his vehicle in park and put up his hands. He had no weapon.
The officers holstered their guns but tased and pepper-sprayed Wright at point-blank range anyway. In the body cam footage of the arrest, the officers tell Wright that they thought he was reaching for a weapon. In truth, he was merely reaching for his colostomy bag. Wright was recovering from recent surgery. The officers, who threw Wright to the ground, caused bleeding around the stapled bag.
Wright was arrested and charged, unthinkably, with obstructing official business, resisting arrest, and criminal trespass. For good measure, he was also issued a traffic citation for driving under suspension, driving without headlights on, and failing to use a turn signal. Wright was then detained for nine hours and subjected to intrusive body scans for drugs. None were ever found.
In the opinion Thursday, Judge John Bush noted that this case occurs at a moment when police brutality is “dominating attention” in the United States. He disagreed with a district judge who ruled that the Euclid officers Kyle Flagg and Vashon Williams should be granted qualified immunity, the doctrine which protects cops and other government officials from civil lawsuits unless their actions violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights.
The evidence that Lamar Wright and his attorneys from Friedman and Gilbert provided to refute the qualified immunity claim included a Chris Rock video, in which Rock discusses Rodney King and police misconduct, which was played for Euclid officers as part of their official use-of-force training, and a cartoon in the city’s police training manual that portrays an officer in riot gear beating a civilian, with the caption “protecting and serving the poop out of you.” Judge Bush called the cartoon “offensive.”
Judge Bush’s opinion explains how a reasonable jury could find the force used against Wright excessive and the arrest, detention and prosecution unconstitutional. The attorneys for Wright are keen to let a jury weigh in on the use of force policies and training procedures in the city of Euclid, “where police brutality is treated like a joke.”
Jacqueline Greene, one of Wright’s attorneys, said that the actions of the Euclid officers, and their attempts to justify them after the fact, were “blatant attempts to criminalize Wright’s blackness.” The officers, for example, claimed that the arrest of Wright was the result of a “drug investigation,” though they found no drugs on him.
“At this moment in history, as streets throughout Ohio, across the country, and around the world swell with protests against racist policing and brutality, this decision symbolizes a realization that police lies and violence against Black people cannot and will not be tolerated,” Greene said. “Now that his case can proceed, Mr. Wright looks forward to his trial.”
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This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2020.
I would get behind the cause if it were just a little more honest. They need to change BLM to NLM and I think you could convince those still on the fence.
If he didn’t drive while under suspension, this probably would not have occurred.
Driving without headlights and not using a turn signal at night invites trouble too.
Anytime you are stopped by the police while you behind the steering wheel of your car, you should keep your hands on the steering wheel and not make any sudden moves.
This should be made part of the Ohio driver’s license test, if African-American motor vehicle operators are unaware of this.
“In Cleveland, under the Consent Decree, an officer unholstering and pointing their firearm constitutes a use of force incident that must be documented, for the record.”
Sam did this incident not take place in Euclid? If so, what do the guidelines in some other city have to do with?
You’re getting as bad as Cleveland dot comical got trying to stuff Tamir Rices name in to any possible article.
” For good measure, he was also issued a traffic citation for driving under suspension, driving without headlights on, and failing to use a turn signal.”
Why was he driving if his license was suspended?
What did he do to get his license suspended?
Sam – do us a favor and get answers to these questions so that we might know the whole story please.
Per the Cuyhoga County Court records, It would seem Lamar Wright is very, very well know to many in the judicial system
Sam Allard’s brain continues to rot the further left he goes. Since he believes his own bullshit, he thinks you’ll fall for it too.
And Up Next, another multi million dollar lawsuit that county residents will be on the hook for!!!
But what the heck, it’s only taxpayer money and there’s ALWAYS plenty more where that came from according to thief Budish and Taxin Jackson!!!
Certainly tasing and pepper spraying a sick man is a completely reasonable response to a man sitting in a parked car with his hands up, the fact that he was driving without a license makes it all the more right. I swear these idiots in the comments section here will probably think I’m serious.
It’s not completely the officers faults though, its what happens when you militarize the police and give them “warrior” training one week out of the year instead of properly training them to de-escalate violent situations. Maybe a little more schooling to make them a bit less ignorant would help as well, it’d certainly help some of these commenters.
Just fyi, dummies, Black Lives Matter means, simply, that Black lives matter JUST AS MUCH as White and every other type of life. Not more, the slogan isn’t Black Lives Matter More, it’s just Black Lives Matter. Here’s another slogan Ignorance Levels Matter, clearly some of the people in this comments section have a pretty high ignorance level, might want to do something about that….
Just fyi, dummies, Black Lives Matter means, simply, that Black lives matter JUST AS MUCH as White and every other type of life. Not more, the slogan isn’t Black Lives Matter More, it’s just Black Lives Matter. Here’s another slogan Ignorance Levels Matter, clearly some of the people in this comments section have a pretty high ignorance level, might want to do something about that….”
If black lives matter so much dummy, why do blacks kill each other at the rate of 1 EVERY THREE DAYS IN CLEVELAND ALONE? Where are the protests?
How do you expect anyone to buy in to the blm bs where there is overwhelming evidence that you dont give a shit about black lives?
“clearly some of the people in this comments section have a pretty high ignorance level, might want to do something about that….”
Clearly a lot of people in “the community” serious problem with committing violent crimes.
By a ASTRONOMICAL margin, any given black family is more likely to be impacted by black on black crime on any given day.
A group that represents 14% of the population is responsible for 39% of the violent crime.
Get WOKE to the facts before you start blasting you holier than thou blm bs.
It’s amazing that some find jo fault with their own behavior. They take zero responsibility for what happens to them.
Nobody gives a rats wrinkled red ass about your black on black crime statistics and brain dead whataboutism arguments. Period, point, exclamation mark.
So is your stupid ass argument really that because there’s crime in the black community, and black on black violence, that what these racist pigs have been doing for the past 100 years and beyond should just be ignored and should continue unabated? So because it’s “nowhere near the biggest problem” we should just sit back, do nothing, and let it continue? That’s what you’re saying?
With poverty, comes crime, and with over zealous militarized racist cops comes bullshit crime statistics like the ones you keep harping on. Racist over policing of black owned and inhabited areas will generate those numbers you keep harping on. So yeah, you’re ignorant, and what’s worse, you’re willfully ignorant. Go catch Covid and die sputtering so the rest of us can fix the world you’ve been fucking up for the past god knows how many years.
Shut the fuck up with the “Hurrrrr durrrrrrr what about dis” arguments and address the issue at hand, if you’re able….
“Nobody gives a rats wrinkled red ass about your black on black crime statistics”
Yep and that’s the problem.
Nice deflection try though.
And thanks so very much for making my point for me as someone with your obvious eloquence only could.
” that what these racist pigs have been doing for the past 100 years and beyond should just be ignored and should continue unabated?”
You be sure to point out where I said anything like this,
I’m completely against biased policing and believe that bad cops should be booted off the force as as fast as possible and have stated so on many occasions. I’m thrilled that legislation is up coming that will hold other officers responsible that stand by and do no nothing when another cop is breaking the law or violating someones civil rights.
I’m sorry the honest ‘look in the mirror’ I have provided you is distasteful. But you do know the facts to be true.
Every three days in Cleveland alone, a black life is extinguished by another black. If you don’t like those statistics coming from me, you can always watch the news.
You feel free to keep thinking that police or white people are your biggest problem – its working so well for you.
So just to emphasize my point, I go up to fox8 and first up.
“East Cleveland police say they are investigating after a child was shot this evening. Sources tell the I-Team the child rushed to the hospital and is now in surgery.”
“Shut the fuck up with the “Hurrrrr durrrrrrr what about dis” arguments and address the issue at hand, if you’re able….”
That would be a no. The argument at hand is ‘Black Lives Matter’ right?
It would appear that many, many in the black community have not gotten that message and I’m just trying to spread the word and bring this oversight to the light.
“With poverty, comes crime, …”
You know what leads to poverty? Having a ton of kids with no way to support them.
You should tell the cops to stop getting your women pregnant.