WebQuest : Police Brutality

1. WebQuest:Police Brutality Racquel Pottinger Rochelle Pottinger

2. Robert’s Story 'No Excuse' For Teen's Taser Death, Mother Says Renea Mitchell said her son Robert wanted "nothing to do" with police, a feeling she said is "nothing new" among teenagers in Detroit. But she wants to know why police felt they needed to use a Taser on a scared, 16-year-old, learning-disabled boy with no criminal record... Police said the teen was resisting arrest after bolting from his cousin's car during a traffic stop, and the use of the Taser was justified. But Renea Mitchell calls her son's death "murder. " "They are here to protect us. There's no reason for what they've done," she said. "There's no reason, no excuse…" "I told him not to, but he was real scared," Davis told CNN. "He was petrified. He hopped out the car and started running…"

3. Robert’s Story (continued) "They ordered him several times not to resist, and he continued to resist," [Warren Police Commissioner] Dwyer Dwyer said. "They had no alternative to use what they felt at the time was non-lethal force.” The commissioner called Mitchell's death "a tragedy," but said police who watch someone run from them "can only assume he committed a crime or is wanted for a crime." The officers had been trained to use Tasers on people resisting arrest, "so there was nothing wrong with using that Taser," Dwyer said. The 5-foot-2, 110-pound Mitchell died after being shot once with a Taser, which delivers a 50,000-volt electric charge. The Macomb County medical examiner's office says an autopsy report has not yet been completed. The Warren Police Department's internal affairs office ruled the use of the Taser was justified, and the officers involved in his death are back on the job. But Mitchell's family is suing the department and the city, arguing there was "no articulable reason" to use the Taser on him.   For the full story go to: http://articles.cnn.com/2009-05-28/justice/michigan.taser.death_1_taser-non-lethal-force-dwyer?_s=PM:CRIME

4. Introduction Police brutality does not discriminate against our age, race, or gender. As we have seen with Robert’s story, anyone can become a victim of police brutality. That is why we have to find solutions to end it.

5. Your Task • Students will be divided into 4 groups to complete this research project. Each group will use the links to the newspapers, governmental websites, and national organizations provided to investigate the causes, evaluate the existing policies, find solutions, and choose the best solution that addresses the issue of police brutality. Process • Complete the research project using the PPA steps listed below: • Define police brutality • Gather evidence about the problem of police brutality • Indentify causes of police brutality • Evaluate policies on police brutality • Develop Solutions to prevent and/or deal with police brutality • Select the best solution to address the problem of police brutality

6. Resources Controversy about Police Officers' use of Tasers: • http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=engamr511512007 • http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-06-03-taser_x.htm • http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/nyregion/10rand.html?ref=new_york_city_police_department •   http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/nyregion/15taser.html?ref=new_york_city_police_department • http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/opinion/24tue3.html?ref=new_york_city_police_department • http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/article_99e0d52d-344d-5e96-8b16-6d222a8fce2a.html • http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=1A01E91E134A327080256F190042408D&lang=e

7. Resources (continued) Raising Awareness Of Police Brutality: • http://www.october22.org/ • http://www.cuapb.org/PreventingBrutality.asp • http://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/05/opinion/l-only-tough-penalties-can-halt-police-brutality-722291.html More links about Police Brutality: • Tips For Dealing with Incidents Of Police Brutalityhttp://login.npwebsiteservices.com/CUAPB/TipsforPoliceBrutality.asp • Know Your Rights: Police Encounters and Arrestshttp://login.npwebsiteservices.com/CUAPB/KNYPoliceEncounters.asp • What To Do When You Are Stopped By Police: http://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/11/nyregion/serpico-joins-campaign-against-police-brutality.html

8. Standards • http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/SocialStudies/StandardsCurriculum/default.htm New York State History Standard 1 Connect • Before starting research, identifies the critical components of the information problem. Investigate • Considers and prioritizes possible sources of information based on specific information needs and strengths of different information formats. • Uses specialized reference materials to find specific and in-depth information.

9. Standards (continued) • Actively seeks different points of view and considers the effect of point of view on the facts and opinions presented. • Selects information carefully to give an accurate picture of the research topic. Construct • Critically examines and analyzes relevant information from a variety of sources to discover relationships among ideas. • Draws clear and appropriate conclusions supported by evidence and examples. Express • Uses writing process to develop expression of new understandings. • Decides presentation form based on effective communication of point of view. • Cites all sources used according to style formats.

10. Evaluation Rubric

11. Conclusion Completing this research project has helped each group member understand the problems, causes, and solutions for police brutality. This project has expanded your knowledge about police brutality and allowed you to create solutions that can prevent or reduce the incidence of violence within our community. You have learned that although police brutality is a problem, working together to raise awareness about this issue will make our neighborhoods safer. I appreciate your help in exploring this topic.