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Hi there,

What’s Happening?

Leaked BPD body cam footage captured a wide array of police misconduct, including a Boston Police Officer bragging about running down protestors with his police vehicle. The footage was from the night of May 31st, which was the largest BLM protest of the summer.

 

Why does it matter?

The footage highlights the exact behavior the protests sought to end.

Beyond simply documenting police violence, this footage comes to light as both Gov. Baker (see last week’s newsletter) and Mayor Walsh have police reform bills on their desk awaiting their signature. Those bills are necessary to curtail the very culture of violence documented in the footage.

The Appeal has a full breakdown of the footage, but here are some notable points:

  • Police excitedly talking about ramming protestors with their SUV
  • Police pepper spraying and batoning protestors who were standing still, even targeting specific protestors
  • Police talking about arrest quotas for the night, suggesting they could “always grab more”
  • A police officer apparently pocketing a looted tie (No evidence log for the tie exists)

Smoke rose around police as they shot pepper spray during clashes with protesters near Downtown Crossing after a demonstration over the death of George Floyd on May 31.

“Dude, dude, dude, I fuckin’ drove down Tremont—there was an unmarked state police cruiser they were all gathered around...So then I had a fucker keep coming, fucking running,” he continues. “I’m fucking hitting people with the car, did you hear me, I was like, ‘get the fuck—'”

-Transcript of the audio

 

 

How you can help:

The footage is disturbing but it came at an opportune time. Contact Gov. Baker’s office & Mayor Walsh’s office and request they sign the police reform bills.

 

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We appreciate your help,

A Better Boston team

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