Summary

Footage released by the New York Attorney General shows corrections officers at Marcy Correctional Facility brutally beating handcuffed inmate Robert Brooks on December 9.

Brooks, restrained throughout the 15-minute assault, died the next day, with preliminary autopsy findings citing asphyxia and actions of others as the cause of death.

14 staff members have been terminated or suspended. Some officers failed to properly activate body cameras, violating state policy.

Advocates highlight systemic abuse and racial discrimination in New York prisons, while the investigation continues.

  • HellsBelle
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    2 days ago

    The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association issued a statement reading, “What we witnessed is incomprehensible to say the least and is certainly not reflective of the great work that the vast majority of our membership conducts every day… This incident has the potential to make our correctional facilities even more violent, hostile, and unpredictable than ever before.”

    You can take that and shove it up your ass. Fuck every one of these murderers.

    • StupidBrotherInLaw@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      It’s incomprehensible and not reflective of our values, despite how it keeps happening across the nation. The only true response is thoughts and prayers.

      It sounds just like the United States conservative’s standard response to mass shootings: we haven’t tried anything and we’re all out of ideas!

        • StupidBrotherInLaw@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          I wish they’d actually send tots and pears after school shootings. At least the poor children that survived would reliably get fed at lunch.

          The fucking USA has lost the plot.

    • SmilingSolaris@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I am a former correctional officer of the texas department of justice and this exact same situation happened and I too stood by and listened as it happened. I helped escort the man from his cell to medical. I stood by listening to the other guard talk about how much of his ass he would be kicking. I stood there as they took him into a cameraless backroom and listened as they beat that man handcuffed. I stood to stop it, thoughts of pulling my pepper spray and going in there and just letting loose. A sergeant told me to sit back down and I did. I was not physically overpowered. I sat back down, and I listened. The only difference in this is that my victim didn’t die. I reported it afterwards. I reported it to the warden, to the state, to the media. Warden tried to reassign me back under the command of the person I accused in the most dangerous part of the prison. The state sent an investigator but nobody talked but me, not even my victim. I sent everything I had to local media and prison rights groups and heard NOTHING back. No one cared. It happened all the time, it was sanctioned, it happens in every prison in this country. The only difference is that this man died and the countless others did not.

      I look at those 14 names and I cannot help but feel I deserve to be on it. I was never punished for my cowardice. I quit, I say ACAB, I tell my story but I was not and never will be punished for my inaction because no one cares about an inmate being beaten by a guard unless he fucking dies.

      • HellsBelle
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        2 days ago

        Thank you for your honesty. It’s a rare commodity these days.

        • SmilingSolaris@lemmy.world
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          I don’t want to be thanked. What really gets to me was that I never was and never will be punished. No one will ever hold me accountable for it.

          And punishing myself is just self harm insanity. So I would never do it. But I hate that I walked away and those more guilty than me walked away too.

          I want punishment on me because it means they too would be punished

          But instead my own freedom and lack of punishment is a permanent reminder that no justice happened in that situation