As blksista informs us in her diary, New Orleans beating incident only one example of abuse and forced labor since Katrina”, AP has released a full-length version of video of the arrest of 64 year old Robert Davis in New Orleans.
Warning: The video is very difficult to watch.
Faced with that video tonite on CNN’s Aaron Brown show NewsNight, responding to some very tough questioning by Brown and Anderson Cooper (transcript), the NOPD officers’ lawyer Frank DeSalvo continued to assert that the officers acted properly given the situation. The only point that he conceded was the fact that, contrary to what he has maintained to this point – that the fall to the ground caused Davis’s bleeding – the video shows otherwise.
more on the flip…
Further discussion between Brown and CNN’s legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin explored the defense possibility that it does appear that Davis did resist arrest, since his arms remained free until he was down on the ground. However, if Mr Davis was confused as to whether he was actually under arrest at the time the officers pinned him to the wall and punched him in the back of the head 4 times, he could well have become oblivious as to what was really happening. He has stated previously that he doesn’t remember much of anything after being punched.
As we know with cases like this where video is involved, we can’t prejudge what a jury might ultimately determine and this new video will provide much fodder for the defense and prosecution camps.
Pardon my language
…but that is so fucking wrong. I’m livid about this.
At the start you can see the first horse cop trying to block the cameraman from filming it as if he knows what’s going to happen. I now see where they refer to the 4 punches to the back of his head. The horse almost blocks it but you can see it still.
Watching that video shook me up for a few hours last nite. It’s just disgusting.
Shook me, too. That use of the horse to block the camera certainly is a key factor in understanding the intent.
I heard the cops claimed that Davis reached for his waistband as if for a gun. I never saw that, nor did I see them look in his pants for the gun they ‘thought’ was there.
Put me on that jury. I have no problem diagnosing from videotape.
Frank DeSalvo comes off as a real bully. His arrogance and crass remarks really makes one pause. I recall seeing an article about the corrupt NOPD dated from around a year ago. I never read it, I was doing a search on something else. I think that “history of corruption” piece is missing in all the current coverage of the NOPD. I do wish someone who is familiar with NO would tie all this together for us. (Yoo hoo, Blksista, this is a not so subtle hint)
He was actually smiling when he watched that video last nite (split screen on CNN). If he wanted to look for evidence that might favour his clients, fine, but to smile? That was supremely arrogant.
He creeps me out. Seems like the kind of guy who would love to administer a little roughing up himself. He comes off as a real sleaze bag.
I added a link to the NewsNight transcript which also includes transcription of the video and a discussion with Davis’s attorney, Bruno.