Advertisement

Amnesty International: Ferguson police commited human rights abuses

Amnesty International Executive Director: "This is about accountability. The events in Ferguson sparked a much-needed and long-overdue conversation on race and policing in America. That conversation cannot stop."

By JC Sevcik
Police stand in line with weapons drawn as protesters gather on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri. Amnesty International released a report Friday denouncing human rights violations committed by Ferguson Police during their attempts to control and disperse protests after the shooting of Mike Brown. (UPI/Ray Jones)
Police stand in line with weapons drawn as protesters gather on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri. Amnesty International released a report Friday denouncing human rights violations committed by Ferguson Police during their attempts to control and disperse protests after the shooting of Mike Brown. (UPI/Ray Jones) | License Photo

FERGUSON, Mo., Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Amnesty International released a report Friday detailing a host of human rights violations committed by law enforcement in Ferguson, Mo., against protesters and journalists during the demonstrations that occurred in the wake of Mike Brown's fatal shooting by officer Darren Wilson.

The 23-page report offers firsthand accounts of abuses as documented by the organization's observers present during the protests as well as recommendations from the international human rights group on what actions state and local governments can take to prevent future violations, bringing U.S. law and policy up-to-date with international standards.

Advertisement

In a press release announcing the report, Steven W. Hawkins, executive director of Amnesty International USA, said:

"What Amnesty International witnessed in Missouri on the ground this summer underscored that human rights abuses do not just happen across borders and oceans. No matter where you live in the world, everyone is entitled to the same basic rights as a human being -- and one of those rights is the freedom to peacefully protest.

Advertisement

Standing on W. Florissant Avenue with my colleagues, I saw a police force, armed to the teeth, with military-grade weapons. I saw a crowd that included the elderly and young children fighting the effects of tear gas. There must be accountability and systemic change that follows this excessive force."

Hawkins added:

"This is about accountability. The events in Ferguson sparked a much-needed and long-overdue conversation on race and policing in America. That conversation cannot stop. In order to restore justice to Ferguson, and every community afflicted by police brutality, we must both document the injustices committed and fight to prevent them from happening again. There is a path forward, but it requires substantive actions on the local, state and federal levels."

The report catalogues a long list of human rights violations including unlawfully dispersing crowds and implementing curfews and "keep walking" policies that violate citizens' right to peacefully assemble and move freely in a public space. It goes on to chronicle further abuses, including the use of "non-lethal" -- but still potentially fatal -- ammunition, tear gas, and acoustic cannons on unarmed crowds.

Amnesty International also dedicates a section of the report to intimidation tactics used by police against protesters, offering two troubling firsthand accounts:

Advertisement

Shortly before midnight on Aug. 19, Amnesty International witnessed an officer with the St. Ann Police Department in Missouri point his AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at a group of journalists and threatened to kill them. The incident was filmed by a journalist and went viral on Aug. 20. The video shows the officer walking toward a group of protestors with his rifle raised. Voices can be heard telling him to put his gun down. The video shows the officer approaching the crowd with his rifle raised yelling, "I'm going to [expletive] kill you! Get back, get back." A voice in the crowd asks, "What's your name, sir?" To which the officer responds, "Go [expletive] yourself!" Another officer quickly approaches and escorts the officer away from the crowd. The officer was immediately placed on indefinite, unpaid suspension and resigned several days later.

"Equipping officers in a manner more appropriate for a battlefield may put them in the mindset that confrontation and conflict is inevitable rather than possible, escalating tensions between protesters and police," the report reads.

The report also addresses the restrictions on media and human rights observers, who have a legal right to be present at protests:

Late in the evening on Aug. 18, following the use of tear gas and stun grenades, often known as flash bangs or concussion grenades, to disperse the crowds on the south end of W. Florissant Avenue, Amnesty International decided to leave the scene for the purpose of securing delegation members' safety. The delegation needed to cross a police line in order to reach their automobiles on the other side and approached the police line next to the media staging area with their hands up and clearly wearing shirts which identified them as human rights observers. One officer directly in front of the delegation pointed his weapon at the delegation and shouted "get on the ground!" A staff member at the front of the delegation knelt on the ground and informed the officer, "We are human rights observers." A St. Louis County commanding officer immediately waved the delegation through the police line with his gun in hand. As the police line parted, officers nearest the delegation kept their guns trained on the delegation until they passed through.

Advertisement

"Representatives of civil society organization and other types of monitors have a right to be present at public assemblies and can have a positive role to play in observing compliance with human rights," the report reads.

"Similarly, the media have a right to attend and report on peaceful assemblies, and law enforcement officials have a responsibility not to prevent or obstruct their work," it adds, detailing how 19 journalists were subjected to tear gas, rubber bullets and arrest while carrying out their roles.

The report goes on to offer several recommendations on how local, state and federal government can address these abuses and ensure individuals' rights are respected in future, including the demilitarization of law enforcement, clarification on when the use of deadly force is permitted, and revisions to policies on policing protests, first advocating for justice in Ferguson:

Ensure that all allegations of human rights violations by police officials during the protests in Ferguson, Missouri are investigated effectively, impartially and promptly, including unlawful use of force, arbitrary arrest and detention; and all those found responsible, including commanding officers, are brought to account through criminal or disciplinary proceedings as appropriate, and provide full redress to victims.

Advertisement

Then advising adherence to global rights standards and better monitoring and tracking of the use of excessive and deadly force by police officers:

All states should review and revise their use of lethal force statutes to bring laws in line with international standards and ensure that police departments publish regular statistics on the number of people shot and killed or injured by police officers. Police departments should also provide information on the internal disciplinary process by publishing regular statistical data on the type and outcome of complaints and disciplinary action.

Finally, the report calls on Congress to pass the End Racial Profiling Act and the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act.

Latest Headlines