Did a $1.4M Settlement, a Black Judge’s Lecture and Sentence Curb Police Brutality?
Former Michigan Officer William Dale Melendez Sentencing
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Answer is NOT REALLY! It takes more than civil suits, embarrassment and jail time to stop the beast that was born out of America’s love affair with institutionalized violence and enslavement. Let’s activate the “Wayback Machine”.
This particular settlement was in 2016 in favor of the victim, Floyd Dent who was brutally beaten, strangled and tased simply because he didn’t come to a complete stop at a traffic sign. Yet we still have more and more cases of police brutality and bloody murder offenders getting off.
Case in point: On January 28, 2015, William Gale Melendez, a former police officer in Inkster, Michigan together with his partner in blue crime, John Zieleniewski pulled over what appeared to them to be yet another easy nibble of kibble to satiate their taste for spilling black blood. These arrogant officers hunted down a 58 year old man (a black man), Floyd Dent driving a Cadillac with a minor traffic infraction. After Dent raised his hands to show he was in compliance the officers decided he didn’t move fast enough for them, so they dragged him out of his vehicle and proceeded to violently beat him and repeatedly slam his head upon their own windshield continuing the woop-ass in plain site of their dash cam. Dent bleeding and trying to survive was then met with backup and more ass whipping, while Melendez was seen removing a plastic baggy from his pocket with something in it. As if this wasn’t enough degradation, these cops proceeded to high-five and fist pump in victory. Victory over who or what?!
On March 04, 2016, Wayne County, Michigan Judge Vonda Evans of the Third Judicial Circuit of delivered a lengthy and impactful lecture to Melendez, then proceeded to sentence the former police officer to 13 months to 10 years in prison. Cost him $858.00 in court fees plus attorney fees, reputation, humiliation, embarrassment of his city, commander, family, friends and a lifetime of regret.
The Sentencing
“Tase the motherfucker” was reported heard by the victim.
Fun and Games at the Precinct
Who’s the man! You the man!
Reference: https://cmspublic.3rdcc.org/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=2466710
Judges Address Transcript: To Follow
Charge: Assault With Intent to Do Great Bodily Harm less Than Murder
Let’s Unpack and Eradicate This Practice (a Multi-Part Series)
In this multi-part series, we investigate historical and on-going case upon case of misdeeds by police officers in the black community nationwide. The purpose of this series is to draw attention to a long standing pattern that has gone virtually ignored for generations. We want to not limit ourselves to pointing to racism, marches and demonstrations of discontent, but to alleviate and eradicate it completely in law enforcement by ongoing education and proactive civil action against it.
Want to take action? Report, report, report what you witness or experience.
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