Community protests acquittal of cops by all-white jury

In response to an all-white jury’s acquittal of three white cops charged with the savage beating of Frank Jude Jr., an African American, thousands have taken to the streets of Milwaukee and other community spaces to demand justice.

Frank Jude Jr. shortly after police beating.

On April 18, in the biggest protest to date, more than 4,000 marched from the Mil waukee County Courthouse to the steps of the Federal Building chanting “Justice for Jude! Justice for all!” The protest was spon sored by a coalition founded by Jude’s aunt, Doris Jude Porter. A wide range of multinational participants, including civil rights pioneer Vel Phillips, took part in the weekday morning protest.

“I feel now like I felt with Rodney King. It reminds me of Jim Crow, like we don’t exist. I’m outraged,” said a Black member of the United Transportation union at the protest.

Fully recovered.

The protest comes just days after a March 23 “Day Without Latinos” Mil wau kee demonstration of 30,000.

Over the April 14-16 weekend many other actions took place, including press conferences, protests and anti-police brutality events at local churches.

The three officers charged—Andrew Spengler, Daniel Masarik and Jon Bart lett—were acquitted on the evening of April 14. All three have a history of police brutality, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Bartlett has been charged at least three times with “excessive force” against Black men, including a fatal shooting. Masarik used a Taser stun gun on at least six people over a three-month period in 2005.

Thousands protest.

A savage beating

Frank Jude was nearly killed in October 2004 when he was savagely beaten during a party by as many as 15 off-duty white cops. They claimed Jude stole the wallet and badge of one of the officers, who hosted the event at his house.

After leaving the party and getting into a vehicle with three friends, one Black and two white, Jude was ripped from his car and repeatedly punched and kicked in the head and body. His friends were able to escape.

According to testimony at the trial, Jude’s fingers were pulled back, a knife was put to his neck and anus, his pants were cut off and objects such as pens were jammed into both ears. An emergency room doctor who treated Jude testified he had the worst ear injuries she had seen in 15 years of practice. The doctor also testified Jude had two fractures to his sinus and nasal bone; an eye swollen shut; a grossly swollen hand; marks on his neck consistent with choking; and cuts and bruises over much of his face and body. His left eye was swollen shut and continued to bleed for 10 days.

It took four months for minor criminal charges such as felony battery to be filed against Spengler, Masarik and Bartlett by District Attorney E. Michael McCann. Many in Milwaukee accuse the DA’s office of covering up dozens, maybe hundreds, of cases of police brutality and murders dating to the 1970s.

According to Jude’s aunt and also his civil attorney, Jonathan Safran, McCann only moved after pictures of Jude’s pulverized face and body were published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Feb. 6, sparking massive protests and the possibility of rebellions.

McCann engaged in stalling tactics and purposely muddled the trial, according to Safran and Jude Porter. Numerous affronts to the Black community took place, one of the most prominent being the selection of an all-white jury without the prosecution objecting. According to 2004 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, Blacks make up 40 percent of the total Milwaukee city population of 600,000. Latin@s are 13 percent and whites 47 percent.

At the trial, all the off-duty cops at the party said they didn’t see anything, but numerous civilian witnesses and one on-duty cop who arrived at the scene gave detailed eyewitness accounts of the beating. Some cops even implied that Jude somehow inflicted his own injuries. The crime scene wasn’t secured, clothes and shoes weren’t analyzed for blood, photographs were taken hours later and one of the charged officer’s hands and clothes were never analyzed or photographed.

For public relations and political strategy, the Milwaukee Police Department fired various officers after Jude’s beating became public. But the cops involved continued to receive pay and benefits while they appealed their dismissals—including the three sent to trial. Under a Wisconsin state law the three can now begin an appeal before the Fire and Police Com mission and continue to be paid because they have been acquitted.

U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic, Mil wau kee Mayor Tom Barrett, District Attorney McCann, Milwaukee Police Chief Nan nette Hegerty and other political servants of capital are now claiming “shock” regard ing the verdict. At the same time, in concert with influ ential capitalists, both Democrat and Republican, they are moving fast in an attempt to channel the people’s anger into non-threatening avenues. They are trying to forestall rebellions and appease the com munity with promises of federal “investigations” and “reforming” the police department.

Many protesters clearly weren’t waiting for a so-called federal investigation into Jude’s beating, which will take months. They want justice now