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White Worcester police officer charged with beating shackled black man in a holding cell
By adamg on Thu, 04/09/2015 - 6:57pm
The Worcester Police Department reports it has charged one of its officers with assault and battery for an incident Dec. 1 involving a man awaiting a court appearance:
The complainant and witness alleged that during the prisoner release process, the officer made a disparaging remark with respect to the complainant’s “black” skin.
The complainant further alleged that he was in the holding cell, handcuffed and shackled, when the officer entered the secured room. According to the complainant and witness, the complainant was forced against a wall, punched, thrown to the floor and kicked.
After an internal investigation, police say, Officer Michael Motyka was arrested today on charges of assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (shod foot) and violating the man's civil rights.
Worcester Police put the 17-year veteran of the department on paid administrative leave pending a hearing on whether to fire him.
Innocent, etc.
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Comments
Thanks MSNBS
Was race a factor or are you trying to make it one?
You know what makes the Internet wonderful? Hyperlinks
There's a link right in my post to the official statement of the Worcester Police Department. It's not a particularly long statement - why don't you go read it and tell me if I misinterpreted anything, such as the fact that he's charged with violating the man's civil rights by making a deal out of his skin color, in addition to beating him.
You and your blog has a
Long history of being bias, so I made an assumption.
Remember your favorite game, "guess that race."
That's why I made an assumption. That and I didn't see the link.
Now that I have, the cop is obviously a POS.
Easy enough to compile some statistics
"Long history of being bias(ed)".
Really?
Please show your work for the class.
Hallmark of ignorance
Using the noun form of bias as an adjective is always an indicator of someone who doesn't know what the word means. It's usually part of a statement denying that the subject at hand involves any bias, or a concern-trolling accusation like this one.
Don't be a hero
<---------------The Herald is that way
Where is the proof the cop
Where is the proof the cop made racist comments? It's the jailers word vs the prisoner.
Read the WPD statement again
There was a witness.
You and your
......facts.
#NOBAMA
facts are UNAMERICAN
BENGHAZI
WELFARE QUEENS
GUNS!!!!!!!!!
Tonight on Hannity - How long before
Al Sharpton and Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers are in Worcester fanning the flames of anti-Americanism?
Hannity?
You mean that great American who still refuses to be waterboarded and has yet to deliver that "fair and full accounting" of where all the money from his Freedom concerts that was supposed to go to vets went? The guy whose only redeeming quality is that Bill O'Reilly hates him?
That Hannity?
If Sean Hannity
was around in 1925 he'd be on Mt. Rushmore today. He is a great American, he loves country music and the flag.
Sean Hannity
like others of his nauseating ilk, is a creation. A machine that only spits out what it's told to. He is incapable of natural thought. He is a great American, though. Just ask him.
Is your fundamental lack of reading comprehension a factor?
Or are you trying to make it one?
We all know how you roll...
You made a dumb comment and got called out on it, so now your MO is to troll the comments and insult everyone. Just stick to your usual lines: white cops are racist and men in the military are rapists.
Was that one of your friends?
You know, they Cop in South Carolina who is caught on tape?
He's a former Coastie, like you. Seems to have the same attitude toward those nasty "civilians" that you do. Would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for all those meddling civilians with their cameras.
Did MatthewC know Walter
Did MatthewC know Walter Scott? He was a Coastie as well.
See below...
You just keep walking into walls today. I love it. And just for the record, your attitude toward the men and women who choose to serve their country and community is truly disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourself every minute of every day. The best thing you ever did for this country was to stop wearing the uniform that millions have worn with honor, because you have none.
Adam is a shining example of
Adam is a shining example of the liberals in America who suffer from chronic white guilt. He is also the typical Boston journalist who mentions race when it is a white on black crime but never mentions the black on white ones. Here is a prime example: http://www.universalhub.com/crime/20150327/officer-shot-humboldt-and-rut...
Shouldn't it read black man shoots cop in face?
Who is more biased, Adam or the cop in Worcester?
No, it shouldn't
I'm tired, so don't feel like Googling how race crimes are defined for you, but basically, if the guy had been yelling about how he was going to kill whitey or something - or if he pointed a gun at a black cop, then saw the white one and shot him instead - yeah, it'd be a racial incident. But he didn't. Contrast that to what allegedly happened in Worcester.
Adam there is a lack of reporting on what has been the greatest
untold story of crime and violence in US history. The epidemic of white on white crime.
Nonsense!
You don't watch "Law and Order"?
Adam was on Law and Order.
He was a Special Victim of nasty trolls.
Thought the headline was a
Thought the headline was a bit much and it is in Worcester...
If this bothers you so much,
If this bothers you so much, why are you here?
Lets hope the police union
Lets hope the police union doesn't bale him out of this one
Herald like misinformation.
Labor law requires a union represent a member if the alleged act was performed during work hours under collective bargaining agreement. There is no choice on whether the union wants to represent the nit wit or not. The member may decline representation the union may not arbitrarily deny it.
Hay!
The WPD charged him with assault. Hopefully that makes a bit of a difference.
It is a shame that race is
It is a shame that race is always a factor but it is more of the police mentality.
Normally I'd agree
Normally I'd agree - but given the cop actually referenced the color of the man's skin as he beat him, it seems fairly clear that race was a factor.
I'd like to compare this situation to my job
I too have been working in an industry for over 17 years (25 really).
Nevermind that a person is confined and shackled (something not intrinsic to my job).
If I followed the same course as this officer I would be fired.
Fired with no pay, no notice, no references, nothing...
This cop will do federal time and will be fired.
That's my guess anyway.
You might do some time and get fired quicker, but in the end you would probably fare better than this cop will.
From your lips to God's ears, Pete.
Time will tell.
About 20 years ago......
A Boston police officer punched a prisoner in the face in the booking area. He did 10 years in federal prison for it. I'm sure it happens and the cops don't get charged with it, but when it does happen and the cops get arrested, I've always seen harsh penalties.
Thank you police union (I
Thank you police union (I know, I know, this makes me a bad guy)
No, it's not that
Saying that does not make you a bad guy. Looking at this situation from that perspective does raise some questions about your motives, though.
Here's the plan:
We release vast numbers of men from the various prisons and jails, and most will be released into your neighborhood (no, not Dorchester, Roxbury....think Brookline, Cambridge, Canton, Wellesley, Medford, etc., etc.). And we create a vast increase in public and subsidized housing outside the usual neighborhoods and cities. And when violent crime massively increases and daily life becomes unbearable, we call everyone who whines mean spirited, hateful, fill-in-the-blank.
And why the sudden stories about cops acting badly, especially 'racist'? Because another thing I've noticed is when 'victim' (some really are victims, and some aren't) isn't, especially, black, these stories quickly fade away. The people who call themselves 'progressive' seem to have far less of an attention span when the victim is a non-person of color. Why is this the case? I'm aware of just as many stories (some perfectly legit) of dreaded white males being victimized by police, even killed, yet no #whitelivesmatter meme....no 'progressive' protests shutting down highways, etc.? Why?
Racists gonna race?
The cops who do this sort of thing (and I'll agree it's a very small number) have been getting away with stuff like this for a long time. The difference now is cell phones, cameras and witnesses coming forward.
Can you point to a summary of cases involving white people getting beaten by cops?
Yes, attention begets attention. I don't write very much about Worcester, but this story struck me because sometimes it seems like we live in a bubble of sanity here, where we don't have to worry about people with a gun and a uniform doing something like this (or worse), and then something like this happens right here in our little Commonwealth.
Yes, the officer deserves his day in court and I'm sure he will give a different story, but you do realize how rare it is for a police officer to be charged with any crime, right? If you're old enough, you might remember the Michael Cox case.
Not good enough, Adam
You must explain why there's no widespread discussion of the systematic oppression of white males in this country. Sure, it doesn't exist, but that's no reason to ignore it. And if you disagree, well......you're just an elitist, white-guilt-addled, w-suburb-dwelling, Prius-driving, biased-website-writing hipster who's not really from Boston. The anons have spoken.
There is systematic oppression
of socioeconomically deprived persons of color and non-color, including non-color males (white males). I would agree though, there is no oppression of upper middle class and wealthy persons of non-color and color. Tenured professors, teachers, yuppies, etc., are not oppressed, most likely, neither are their children or grandchildren.
And if you can show any example of legalized descrimination that favors persons of non-color (such as employment, education favored status, even tax credits for hiring 'oppressed' (as long as they aren't persons of non-color) people, please show me. There are many government 'programs' and some laws that grant favored status to persons of color (regardless of their socioeconomic status) that give them unfair advantage over socioeconomically deprived, even middle class, persons of non-color.
Yes I remember Kenny Conley
getting screwed.
When a white male is
When a white male is victimized by police, is it racially motivated?
Are white males racially profiled?
When I was sixteen...
I caught a vicious beating from the BPD in a room off of the garage at District 4.Afterwards, I was thrown into a door as they took me back to process me with my friends, so that my friends could corroborate that I "tripped" into the door in case I made a beef about the trimming.
So while I caught the beating for mouthing off to the cops, I did not feel it was racially motivated, I felt like I mouthed off and was taken to school.
Cool story, bro.
What does it have to do with anything?
Maybe it has something to do
with the comment I was replying to? I am a white man who caught a beating by police that was not racially motivated. It might also have something to do with the fact that apparently I'm the only person here who has actually had his ass handed to him by the cops.
No one is saying that cops
No one is saying that cops don't beat on whites as well, most would agree that US cops have a problem with rage and violence. The issue here was that the unarmed person did not incite the police (as you say you did) and the cop, in addition to beating the man, berated him for being black (did the cop berate you for being white?). In summary, your anecdote is not relevant here because the variables are different and not useful statistically because the sample size (1) is so small. Why are so many people siding with the racist cop here?
White males are racially
White males are racially profiled, they are more likely to be given the benefit of the doubt and not arrested for smoking pot or not pulled over for a broken taillight.
what parallel universe do you live in?
I am a male of 'non-color' and like MANY other similar people, I've been stopped, even ticketed, by fellow persons of 'non-color'.
BTW: Anybody, in certain high crime areas, will be profiled by law enforcement. Guarantee you, if you're a male or female of non-color in these areas, you will be profiled, especially regarding drug transactions and prostitution.
Yes
You do realize there are 'racist' non-white pilice, just as much as there are 'racist' white?
"non-person of color"
I realize it's just an error in your writing, but you managed to show your racist ass with that one phrase.
LOL
Not at all boss. That's exactly what I meant. Why does it bother you? There's NOTHING 'racist' with what I said. You just can't adequately respond, so you resort to using the race card (are you a 'person of color', or a 'person of non-color'?). What's that phrase about patriotism being the last refuge of a scoundrel. ..yeah, so isn't the race card.
And I didn't create the stupid, obnoxious, racist phrase 'people of color'.
check your hyphens
before you wreck your hyphens:
non-person of color means [[an unperson, not a person] of color]
.... boss.
er...
No, but you came out with "non-person" without much effort, didn't you? The defensive tone & silly counter-accusations don't help much.
I have to agree, though, I imagine you simply wrote in haste. I don't know.
I rarely post here because I'm usually here during working hours, when I often don't have the time or attention span to craft my posts carefully enough to avoid being slammed by someone. (welcome to the internet, right?) When that's happened, it's usually for failing to express my main point carefully enough to avoid alternate (mis-)readings of minor points, and usually by someone with whom I ultimately agree. There are an impressive number of wordsmiths who post here regularly. I find this both curious, inspiring, & a big relief from threads at other news outlets. Those are less intimidating & more repulsive for their lower standards of ethics, anger management, writing, all of it.
exactly what you meant, eh?
You're right. I only care because I am a person of color, and it just hurts my poor little feelings when you tell me I'm a non-person :'(
Please note sarcasm above. Sometimes people other than the ones being marginalized care about that marginalization.
btw I googled "person of color" for you so you could learn more about its origins as a phrase: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person_of_color. I hope this has been an informative day for you, anon! Lots of love!
You are full of it
looking for signs if 'disrespect' everywhere. I OBVIOUSLY made a typo, and no, nothing subconscious was at play, you're just hyper-sensitive and/or looking for attention.
There is also this
https://www.google.com/search?q=blacks+more+harshly+punished+for+same+cr...
Meaning: we already have a lot of white people released back into our communities who have done things that are as bad as those that minorities are serving time for.
What you fail to mention
Is black males commit a GROSSLY disproportionate level of violent crime vs their percentage of the population. White and Asian do not, it's actually lower than their percentage of the population.In most urban areas of the U.S. , where most violent crime including gun related occur, both percentage wise and proportionately, males 'of color' commit grossly disproportionate levels. Recent statistics out of Atlanta (notorious city for not cooperating with federal agencies regarding crime stats)Atlanta police publicly stated 100% of murders in Atlanta were committed by black males! Astounding. In NYC the vast majority of violent crime is committed by males 'of color', especially gun related.
SOCIOECONOMICS is the dominate factor if all else is equal, not race. In fact, you could say defendants 'of color' are a step above socioeconomically deprived white defendants, since they have far more 'advocates' vs defendants of 'non-color'.
Do they really?
Or are they simply more likely to be arrested, charged and jailed for it.
You might want to look up "confirmation bias".
Confirmation bias
Overweighting the value of new information which confirms your personal beliefs, as well as underweighthing (or probably more commonly, completely ignoring) the value of new information that disproves your beliefs.
Confirmation bias is not limited to the former.
Which camp do you fall into?