US & Canada
5 December 2014
Last updated at 15:59 ET
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in protest over the deaths of two black men at the hands of white officers in recent months.
Grand juries in Missouri and New York failed to charge either officer.
"I am concerned by the grand juries' decisions and the apparent conflicting evidence that exists relating to both incidents," UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsak, said in a statement.
A trial process would ensure the evidence is considered in detail, she said.
"The decisions leave many with legitimate concerns relating to a pattern of impunity when the victims of excessive use of force come from African-American or other minority communities."
Human rights expert Mireille Fanon-Mendes-France, who currently
heads the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent,
said the cases add to existing concerns.
She pointed to "longstanding prevalence of racial discrimination faced by African-Americans, particularly in relation to access to justice and discriminatory police practices".
The UN findings come amid ongoing protests over the death of Eric Garner, a black man held in an apparent chokehold by a white New York police officer.
Politicians have pledged to increase police training in the wake of the incidents
Protesters have demanded justice following the death of a black man at the hands of a white police officer
Protesters have taken to major city streets, disrupting traffic
and holding sit-ins after a grand jury last week decided not to press
charges against the officer involved.
Civil rights activists are pinning their hopes on a federal investigation into the case.
After two nights of protests in New York, the city is preparing for the funeral on Friday of a man apparently inadvertently shot by a policeman in a dark stairwell.
Akai Gurley was unarmed when he was killed and his parents are demanding justice.
Akai Gurley
On Friday, the Brooklyn district attorney's office said a grand jury will consider bringing charges in the case.
Following the outcry over the Garner case, the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio ordered the city's 22,000-strong police force to be retrained in how to better communicate and remain calm when making arrests, and they will be fitted with body cameras.
Continue reading the main story
Elsewhere in the US several other racially sensitive cases appeared this week:
Streets in New York were shut down by rolling protests
Protests popped up across the US, including in Oakland, California
"People are sick and tired of the systemic problems of racism
in this country," said one protester, Jason Pollock. "We are out here in
the streets to say that black life matters."
Smaller-scale protests were held in cities including Chicago, Washington, Denver, and Boston. In Minneapolis, some protesters blocked traffic by marching or lying in the middle of a highway.
Activists have called for another march in Washington on 13 December, followed by a summit on civil rights.
by Biodun Iginla, Political News Analyst, BBC News Website
UN
human rights experts have expressed "legitimate concerns" about US
juries failing to charge policemen involved in the deaths of two black
civilians.
It is part of a broader "pattern of impunity" concerning minority victims, the UN said in a statement.Thousands of people have taken to the streets in protest over the deaths of two black men at the hands of white officers in recent months.
Grand juries in Missouri and New York failed to charge either officer.
"I am concerned by the grand juries' decisions and the apparent conflicting evidence that exists relating to both incidents," UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsak, said in a statement.
A trial process would ensure the evidence is considered in detail, she said.
"The decisions leave many with legitimate concerns relating to a pattern of impunity when the victims of excessive use of force come from African-American or other minority communities."
Watch: How the protests unfolded in a number of US cities
She pointed to "longstanding prevalence of racial discrimination faced by African-Americans, particularly in relation to access to justice and discriminatory police practices".
The UN findings come amid ongoing protests over the death of Eric Garner, a black man held in an apparent chokehold by a white New York police officer.
Politicians have pledged to increase police training in the wake of the incidents
Protesters have demanded justice following the death of a black man at the hands of a white police officer
Civil rights activists are pinning their hopes on a federal investigation into the case.
After two nights of protests in New York, the city is preparing for the funeral on Friday of a man apparently inadvertently shot by a policeman in a dark stairwell.
Akai Gurley was unarmed when he was killed and his parents are demanding justice.
- The 28-year-old father (daughter Akaila above) was killed in November in a Brooklyn apartment building as he walked with his girlfriend
- he was shot by a rookie New York police officer
- New York Police Commissioner William Bratton later said Gurley was a totally innocent victim
- Gurley's family have demanded justice in the incident
Following the outcry over the Garner case, the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio ordered the city's 22,000-strong police force to be retrained in how to better communicate and remain calm when making arrests, and they will be fitted with body cameras.
Continue reading the main story
13%
of the US population is black-
28% of suspects arrested in the US in 2010 were black
-
32% of people killed from 2003 to 2009 in arrest-related incidents were black
-
42% of inmates on death row in 2012 were black
US President Barack Obama welcomed the
mayor's commitment to act, and said "too many Americans feel deep
unfairness" in how the laws are applied.
The latest wave of race-related unrest began last week over
the decision not to indict another white police officer who had shot
dead a young black man, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri.Elsewhere in the US several other racially sensitive cases appeared this week:
- in Phoenix, Arizona, protesters demonstrated after a white police officer shot dead a black suspected drug-trafficker, after apparently mistaking a pill bottle in his pocket for a gun on Tuesday
- in South Carolina, white ex-police chief Richards Combs was charged with murder over the 2011 shooting of an unarmed black man, Bernard Bailey
- The justice department and the city of Cleveland, Ohio, agreed to overhaul city police after federal investigators found frequent use of excessive force caused deep mistrust, especially among black people.
Streets in New York were shut down by rolling protests
Protests popped up across the US, including in Oakland, California
Smaller-scale protests were held in cities including Chicago, Washington, Denver, and Boston. In Minneapolis, some protesters blocked traffic by marching or lying in the middle of a highway.
Activists have called for another march in Washington on 13 December, followed by a summit on civil rights.
New York chokehold case
Key material
-
Police in the US rarely face charges for killings on-duty but in some instances, officers are put on trial for murder or manslaughter.
Cases where police were charged
-
Will 'chokehold' prosecution succeed?
-
The cigarette taxes debate
-
Profile: Eric Garner
-
Policing and race in numbers
-
Protests across US
-
Police rally around officer
-
Waiting for a fair deal
-
'Criming While White'
-
Civil rights inquiry
-
What is a chokehold?
-
Footage of arrest
-
Viewpoint: Civil rights fight
-
Why #ICantBreathe is trending
-
How the US reacted
-
Protests in pictures
Do you need to increase your credit score?
ReplyDeleteDo you intend to upgrade your school grade?
Do you want to hack your cheating spouse Email, whatsapp, Facebook, instagram or any social network?
Do you need any information concerning any database.
Do you need to retrieve deleted files?
Do you need to clear your criminal records or DMV?
Do you want to remove any site or link from any blog?
you should contact this hacker, he is reliable and good at the hack jobs..
contact : cybergoldenhacker at gmail dot com