Police Brutality and the death of Carol Gotbaum
Carol Gotbaum was a victim of police brutality. It seems that she panicked when she missed a flight and was taken into police custody for disorderly conduct. While under arrest, the police ignored her cries for help and she died, supposedly of asphyxiation. Except, the problem is, the "official story" was that she had a shackle chain around her throat, which is difficult to comprehend given the fact that she was handcuffed the whole time.
Last week, Bob Herbert wrote that the cities that reduced crime in recent years did so by bringing professionalism to their police departments and reaching out to neighborhoods that they did not normally reach out to. It seems that the exact opposite is the case here. At the airports, the security is the last line of defense against a terrorist attack. Therefore, it is vitally important that they are able to gain the confidence of people, something that will not be accomplished by the kind of brutality that seemed to be the case here.
The government should conduct a review of airport security measures and ensure that all security guards are properly trained to handle such passengers and to recognize when medical emergencies exist. They should also ensure that they are all properly trained on when to use force and when not to.
Your info is both inaccurate and OBE.
First of all, she was originally subdued by airport guards, not the Phoenix
PD; they were summoned later; that was in the linked story. Secondly of
all, if the chain was not wrapped around her throat, that only makes the
matter worse as far as the police in this case were concerned.
Obamathon
