Sign up for our newsletter.

Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.

Follow us:

We know how much you value the nonprofit, independent journalism of Common Dreams. The only thing that keeps us going is support from readers like you. As some have been forced to cut back on giving, your contribution becomes even more important. So please, join the small group of generous readers who donate, keeping Common Dreams free for millions of people each year. Help fill the gap created by those who have been forced to cancel their monthly recurring donations. Without your help, we won’t survive.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to support our work—that time is now.

Our mission is simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.

But without the support of our readers, this model does not work and we simply won’t survive. It’s that simple.
We must meet our Mid-Year Campaign goal but we need you now.

Please, support independent journalism today.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Join the small group of generous readers who donate, keeping Common Dreams free for millions of people each year. Without your help, we won’t survive.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Police officers in Buffalo, New York shove an elderly man to the ground during a protest on June 5, 2020. (Photo: Screengrab/WBFO)

Jayapal Condemns 'Autocratic Frenzy' of Police After Video Shows Cops Shoving Elderly Man to the Ground, Knocking Him Unconscious

"Absolutely horrific."

Jake Johnson

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, condemned the behavior of law enforcement across the U.S. as "an autocratic frenzy" after two police officers in Buffalo, New York on Thursday shoved an elderly man to the ground, knocking him unconscious—just the latest example of police violence against peaceful demonstrators.

A disturbing video posted to Twitter by a local NPR affiliate late Thursday shows two cops in riot gear pushing a 75-year-old man—causing him to fall backward and slam his head on the concrete—as a group of officers advanced on protesters rallying against the police killing of George Floyd.

The footage shows blood trickling from the man's ear as he lay unconscious on the sidewalk. The man was later hospitalized with a head injury and is reportedly in serious condition.

"Absolutely horrific. A peaceful elderly man is pushed to the ground by cops, hits head and starts bleeding out of his ear," tweeted Jayapal, a Washington Democrat. "This is an autocratic frenzy from law enforcement with extreme violence in incident after incident against peaceful protestors."

Watch the video :

Before video footage of the incident went viral on social media, a spokesperson for the Buffalo Police Department claimed in a statement that the man "tripped & fell."

The two officers who shoved the man were suspended without pay Thursday night.

"These officers must be fired and charged," tweeted former Housing Secretary Julián Castro.

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Comments

"I'm sure this will be all over the corporate media, right?"
That’s what one longtime Common Dreams reader said yesterday after the newsroom reported on new research showing how corporate price gouging surged to a nearly 70-year high in 2021. While major broadcasters, newspapers, and other outlets continue to carry water for their corporate advertisers when they report on issues like inflation, economic inequality, and the climate emergency, our independence empowers us to provide you stories and perspectives that powerful interests don’t want you to have. But this independence is only possible because of support from readers like you. You make the difference. If our support dries up, so will we. Our crucial Mid-Year Campaign is now underway and we are in emergency mode to make sure we raise the necessary funds so that every day we can bring you the stories that corporate, for-profit outlets ignore and neglect. Please, if you can, support Common Dreams today.

 

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Latest News

See all
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) attend a Senate Health, Education Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. on September 25, 2018.

'We Need Action': Biden, Democrats Urged to Protect Abortion Access in Post-Roe US

"The Supreme Court doesn't get the final say on abortion," Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith wrote in a new op-ed.

Kenny Stancil ·

A driver is seen running into abortion rights defenders in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on June 24, 2022.

Motorist 'Tried to Murder' Abortion Rights Advocates at Iowa Protest, Witnesses Say

Although one witness said the driver went "out of his way" to hit pro-choice protestors in the street, Cedar Rapids police declined to make an arrest.

Kenny Stancil ·

People lay Pride flags and flowers outside the gay bar where a gunman in Oslo killed two people and injured 21 on June 25, 2022.

'A Hate Crime': Oslo Pride Parade Canceled After Deadly Shooting at Gay Bar

A 42-year-old gunman has been charged with terrorism following what Norway's prime minister called a "terrible and deeply shocking attack on innocent people."

Kenny Stancil ·

Roe protest

'We WILL Fight Back': Outrage, Resolve as Protests Erupt Against SCOTUS Abortion Ruling

Demonstrators took to the streets Friday to defiantly denounce the Supreme Court's right-wing supermajority after it rescinded a constitutional right for the first time in U.S. history.

Brett Wilkins ·

Abortion rights activists hoist their signs outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on June 24, 2022.

80+ US Prosecutors Vow Not to Be Part of Criminalizing Abortion Care

"Criminalizing and prosecuting individuals who seek or provide abortion care makes a mockery of justice," says a joint statement signed by 84 elected attorneys. "Prosecutors should not be part of that."

Kenny Stancil ·

Common Dreams Logo

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.