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Family Calls For End of Tasering
MILAN - The family of Jermaine Ward asked for justice Friday and for answers as to who was responsible for his April death while in the custody of Milan police.
The family and other concerned citizens, numbering about 20, held a rally outside Milan City Hall as part of a two-day "Stop The Tasering" demostration of support for Ward's family. Ward died April 27 after being arrested on drug possession charges. The incident started out as a traffic stop.
A march is planned for 9 a.m. today starting at Kefauver Drive and ending at the Milan Police Department on Telecom Drive.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of Ward, whom police stunned with a Taser during a traffic stop.
Milan police have said Ward, 28, was resisting arrest and not complying with orders when they used the device to help subdue him. Authorities said Friday they are still awaiting autopsy results on Ward.
Ward's grandmother, Mildred Osborne, said the family is still in pain over the death and is searching for answers.
"I just want closure, peace and justice," she said. "Whoever is responsible - I want justice."
His mother, Carolyn Nesbitt, said she would like the state to step in and examine the use of Tasers by police departments.
"I'm asking the governor of the state of Tennessee to take the lead and do a moratorium (on Taser use) in the state until more research is done and officers are better trained," she said.
Family attorney Stephen Leffler of Memphis said the family is waiting for the autopsy results before deciding how to proceed.
He said the family could pursue lawsuits against any parties they feel are responsible for the death, including the police department, the city or Tasers International, which made the device used on Ward.
"It may be (the Taser is) a reasonably dangerous product, and if it is we will pursue them as well," Leffler said. "Basically, right now we're just turning over a lot of rocks."
Milan Mayor Chris Crider addressed the family at the rally and said he understood their grief.
"I'm glad you're exercising your rights to speak, and I wish more people would do the same," Crider said. "I'm very sorry for what happened."
Crider said he has begun making changes within the police department and that he wants the doors of City Hall to always be open to citizens with concerns.
On Thursday the city's Board of Aldermen voted to name former Assistant Chief Tim Wright as head of the Milan Police Department. Crider fired former chief Ken Nolan on Tuesday.
Nolan's firing wasn't related to Ward's death, Crider said, but was a part of the new direction he wanted to head in.
"If it comes out that we did something wrong, then I've got to make sure we take care of it," Crider said after the rally.
Renard Ward, 25, who is a brother of Jermaine Ward, said he wanted anyone who felt they had been treated unjustly by any police department to come forward.
He said he believed more people besides his brother have been impacted by police abuse and that the communities around West Tennessee should show their support.
"We need everybody to come and speak out and let their voices be heard," he said.
© 2008 The Jackson Sun
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16 Comments so far
Show Allthe problem is ABUSE. they may as well go back to billyclubs! where is the ACCOUNTABILITY?! if a cop shoots his gun, we can look at the mag a see how many rounds were squeezed off. awsome. cops are using tazers on kids who are trying to run away. so were back to..."STOP, OR ILL SHOOT!!" wonderful. we need to squash this thing, soon, before blackwater/KBR merges with your local PD and takes over your quiet community. they just tazed two minors in ONE week in Eugene, Ore!!! us hippies must scare the shit out of em.
Tasers are NFG and should be regulated as a firearm. There are too many lazy individuals wearing a badge in this country. That is not to detract from the officers who actually put an effort into their day but there are many who would shoot first and check your vitals later. Tasers need a high profile case to draw more attention to the fact that they are deadly in their own right. I pity that star or public figure but there you go. Tasers are NFG.
Family Calls For End of Tasering
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I'm rooting for them, but to the (ir)responsibile authorities who authorize and purchase such devices from enthusiastic corporate sellers-- partners, really-- the headline might as well read: Fly Calls for End of Swatters.
DC police have set up check points in the most troubled neighborhoods. Soon that is all there will be if police violence continues.
Someday the people are going to get mad.
There won't be enough Tasers or guns or police or soldiers.
Unlike waterboards, these instruments of torture are just too portable.
YOU HEAR THAT, COPPERS!! we understand you are people too, but, your abuse has became intolerable again, so........time to pull in the reigns before there IS another brutality riot, IN A TOWN NEAR YOU!! and yer gonna have white, black, and brown people all over your asses if you dont treat us with respect. it is not US against THEM, THEY are using you to brutalize your neighbor. so wake up and join the good fight. not this power control nonsence. we are armed, pissed, and after 8 years of BUSHS WILD RIDE, were at the end of our rope!! DONT TREAD on ME, MOTHER***KerS!
Timeleus June 14th, 2008 5:33 pm
DC police have set up check points in the most troubled neighborhoods. Soon that is all there will be if police violence continues.
Problem there Timeleus is the residents in this neighborhood are complaining of the cops harrassing the kids going home or school and work. It is pissing them off more because it is further proof of profiling. They better stop, the cops, while they're ?ahead?.
We need a return of locally elected Citizen Police Review Boards, to deal with Tasers, etc..
Thousands of these review boards were created by public demand thru local ordinances in localities across the country in the late '60's/early'70's, to deal with brutal police tactics related to controlling civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protests.
Almost all such boards had faded away by 1975, via 'sunset' provisions, once Vietnam and civil rights protests had also faded away.
But a democratic society's need to have direct citizen input into, if not control over, local police instrumentalities and tactics has never faded away and never will in the foreseeable future.
The cops in this country need to be grabed right by the scruff of their necks. They are so out of control-it's incredible.
YOU HEAR , THAT!!!! WE aint gonna let you boot stomp us anymore!!! imagine 1968 on steroids. thats what we will have in store.
Re: ACCOUNTABILITY.
Referring back to the first post in this discussion, actually all modern tasers maintain downloadable statistics of every time they were fired. The stats include the amount of discharge per firing. I don't think all agencies mandate a review of those statistics, but they could.
I live in a town of about 4,000 souls and I'd bet that as a man of 68 years that not one of the cops on the force here could apprehend me w/o a gun or a taser. I'm also almost sure that not one of these Fatassed cops could walk me down let alone run me down. Someone (above) said they were lazy, worse than that they are fat and totally out of shape. Notice how they all want to look like soldiers with their trousers "bloused" and their heads skinned, but don't ask if they can run a block. The fuckin US customs and border protection wimps are the worst however. They are all over this place and are dominated by "bowling pin" shaped ass holes with their trousers "bloused" although they neve rleave the office or pavement. Folks, the Army and Marines "blouse" their trousers (pants are what girls/women wear) to keep the critters out when they are in the bush. Fuck it, I'm preaching to the fuckin choir.
I don't like agreeing with you lefties, and I love arguing about israel, but this is the issue that REALLY gets my white hot rage going. Tasers are nothing but torture and murder devices inthe hands of pathetic cowards, who need six huge guys to bring down one 90 pound woman, among other stories. Cops have become bullying, torturing cowards and these devices are making it that much easier.
Support concealed carry and shoot back!!!! Its GREAT to see so many people ready to take real action on this issue.
Presence I remember you back when I was called j*wBacca (I have to hide the name from common dreams oberstormfurers), and its good to see you are as out there as ever. I do, however, think you have some very good points, but you lose it at the end by saying "peace was already there to begin with". Peace is not there to begin with when murdering thugs in uniform walk our streets with electric torture devices.
Exactly presence. I'm a very nice guy and if you saw me you would never image that I would have any problems with police as I am clean cut and dress nicely. However, the day I see fellow citizens fried by one of those microwave weapons is the day I get stupid.