August 28, 2022 was supposed to be remembered as the end of summer. There was a back-to-school block party, complete with food, music, and a school supplies giveaway. But for Haneif Booker, the police changed everything.
Cops had Booker’s brother at a traffic stop. 150 people gathered to watch. But after someone in the crowd threw a bottle, the police pulled out their guns and grabbed HIM.
Cops pepper-sprayed bystanders, but they had already recorded evidence of police slamming Booker’s head into the side of a garage, punching him, and stomping on his back. He suffered serious injuries to his nose, skull, and pelvis - and emotional trauma.
Police ended up jailing Booker for resisting arrest. But what was the arrest for in the first place? And why was he denied bail?
In September 2022, five Paterson cops and their supervisor were sentenced for “targeting, abusing and robbing mostly people of color.” The department is also responsible for the 2022 disappearance of Felix DeJesus and the killing of Thelonious McKnight in 2021.
We can have de-escalation reform, bodycam regulations, and even indictments. But cops won’t be afraid to get caught in the act because the system is designed to brutalize us for existing while Black. It’s time for abolition.