All Of Us Need To Be Very Afraid Now: "Peace Officers" Who Beat Homeless Mentally Ill Man To Death Found Not Guilty

Abby Zimet

Common Dreams

Kelly Thomas

Astonishingly, infuriatingly, two former Fullerton Ca. cops have been acquitted on all charges after savagely beating to death Kelly Thomas, 37, a mentally ill homeless man, who died five days after being set upon by Manuel Ramos, Jay Cicinelli and four other officers. The attack, caught on surveillance video, led to days of protests, the recall of three City Council members and the resignation of a police chief whose department has a long history of violent abuse. Thomas' father Ron, a former deputy sheriff, said the defense "lied continuously" during the trial and the family will likely pursue civil charges in the death of his son, who a year after his death was cleared of the stupid bogus charges - trying to get into locked cars in a bus parking lot - police came up with in a pathetic attempt to justify their cold-blooded, fist-punching murder. The FBI also says it will review the evidence for federal civil rights violations. There is both raw and edited video: It captures Ramos snapping on rubber gloves, smacking his fists together and sneering to Thomas, "See these fists? They're gonna fuck you up," and Thomas later writihing on the ground repeatedly screaming for help and his father. Warning: stomach-churningly graphic and heart-poundingly disturbing, all of it.

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