Kenneth Chamberlain Jr.is the co-founder of theWestchester Coalition for Police Reform. They perversely insisted on "helping" a man who manifestly did not need it, who told them so over and over again, and rejected the intercession of relatives who might have helped calm him down. Gift Article. The alleged shooter, Officer Anthony Carelli, is due in court later this month in an unrelated 2008 police brutality case. Indeed, the officers who responded to Mr. Chamberlains apartment in 2011 were aware that the department had made previous calls to his address. We also posted a 5 part mini-series on the 100th anniversary of one of the most horrific massacres in the history of America. The audio recording which has been preserved shows police cursing and calling Chamberlain the N-word which was totally uncalled for and shows what is permitted by the White Plains police. Emma Camp Democrats and Republicans in Congress are arguing about the details, while more African Americans are being traumatized by police, threatened during protests and attacked by law enforcement for exercising their civil rights. Patterson received the Libertarian Award from the National Book Foundation, A generous supporter of universities, teachers colleges, independent bookstores, school libraries, and college students. It's about taking some of that police department money and giving it to other community leaders, like mental health professionals, to ensure functional environments for everyone who encounters police. COLUMN:Ending police violence begins with cutting Pentagon money, militarization program. Brett Johnson is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based writer and the founder of the music and culture blog VeryArtistical.com. Randolph McLaughlin, the lawyer representing Chamberlain's family, disputed that account, saying Chamberlain was on the floor when he was shot. Chamberlain's relatives allege worse tauntsincluding "motherfucker" and "I don't give a fuck, nigger"that the defendants denied. Chamberlain Jr: Most definitely. A perfect world, I would have my dad back and we would all live happily ever after. 5.1.2023 2:25 PM, Eric Boehm You need someone who is able to respond immediately, Mr. Gurian said, but you also need someone who doesnt feel that its soiling his honor or masculinity to wait for help., Randolph M. McLaughlin, one of Mr. Chamberlains lawyers and a professor at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, appeared confident the evidence would lead a jury to conclude that this wasnt a fair fight that Mr. Chamberlain was not a threat when he was shot.. You do not have to purchase the item in the link, but you help support our work when you use our link, and we greatly appreciate your support! The weight of the evidence indicates that, at the time the shooting took place, the WPPD officers believed that Mr. Chamberlain was threatening Sergeant Martin with a knife and that Officer Carelli believed that Sergeant Martin was in danger of being seriously injured by Mr. Chamberlain. At our age, members of the Class of 48 have an abundance of free timeand Joyce Van Denburgh Doty, MFA 50, made excellent use of it with a detailed response to the Share Your News form.. Perhaps invigorated by the oxygen she uses (though she never smoked, she presumes she inhaled others), she goes beyond her The absence of a mental health professional on that police call is a recipe for escalation,violence and possibly death, as we've seen in the case of my father and many others. I listened to the recorded medical alert call and heard my father pleading for officers to leave him alone. Were going to give our officers more training. No! When I read that line, I was heartened. What followed was an escalating series of events inflamed by demonstrable police mishandling of the situation,explicit racial biasand sheer arrogance that ended when heavily armed police officers wearing tactical gear forced their way into his apartment where one of them shot him. of Mississippi for a police training center. Their actions demonstrated that they had no regard for Chamberlain's life, let alone the sanctity of his home. The burden that Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. and the Chamberlain family have carried has now hit a decade. Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. was killed during a 90-minute confrontation with White Plains cops in his apartment on Nov. 19, 2011. Giving back to the community through a variety of venues & initiatives. The police union has blasted the release of the officers name, saying he deserves the right to a fair and impartial inquiry. Mr. Kim expressed his deep sympathy to the family of Mr. Chamberlain for their tragic loss. In September, a federal judge, Cathy Seibel, dismissed most of the claims contained in the lawsuit and excused several of the original defendants, including police officers. If you are looking for tennis shoes, simply use our link and shop to your hearts content and we benefit and appreciate your support. The police used a master key they obtained from the White Plains Housing Authority, which owned Chamberlain's apartment, to unlock the door. In 2012, a grand jury failed to return indictments against the officers who killed my father. Hundreds of Blacks were slaughtered and 10,000 left homeless in this largely unknown event. Percy Crawford interviewed Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. for Zenger. Chamberlain, who has a chronic heart condition, may have set off the alert accidentally. Anderson Cooper looks at how the confrontation between police and Kenneth Chamberlain escalated before he was killed. Finally, equity had been served. After the Tasers were deployed, one of the officers fired non-lethal beanbag ammunition rounds, striking Mr. Chamberlain in his chest and thigh. Chamberlain Jr: Yes definitely. I was angry and frustrated but pledged to my father that I would not be deterred from seeking justice for him. While the shooting garnered some attention at the time, and again a year later when a grand jury declined to indict the police officer, the case is being closely monitored by civil rights groups in Westchester County and elsewhere. The first thing they did you could see the Taser light up and you could see it going directly toward him.. Because the officers couldnt get access to his apartment, they created imaginary scenarios in their heads that the man was up to no good. The officers called for additional back-up, and four additional officers were dispatched to the apartment with tactical gear, including Police Officers Anthony Carelli and Steven Hart, and Sergeant Stephen Fottrell. WebAccording to police, Chamberlain charged at them with a knife and he was tasered, and then fatally shot. I never heard fear. The autopsy report indicates that Mr. Chamberlains death was caused by the bullet shot by Officer Carelli. Police officers sometimes forget that their job is to defuse a situation and not create one. These links take you to affiliate partners and we receive a small royalty paid by the affiliate without costing you a single cent. Answer: no, the important part is to use the links. His father, who had bipolar disorder, was fatally shot by the police in 2011. The group has called on officials in White Plains to appoint an independent civilian review board for the Police Department. Despite my lawyers valiant efforts, the judges pretrial rulings meant that the jury did not hear the full story of how and why my father was killed. Officer Anthony Carelli fired the fatal shot. The last time I actually really saw my father other than the funeral was at the hospital with his eyes wide open, his tongue hanging out of his mouth and two bullet holes in his chest. We care about your data. Documented in audio recordings, the White Plains police reportedly used a racial slur, burst through Chamberlains door, tasered him, then shot him dead. Theyhad no business taunting him and calling him the N-word. The City of White Plains, he said, jabbing a finger in the air, will be on trial inside the courtroom and outside the courtroom., Police Killing of Mentally Ill Black Man Is, 5 Years Later, Headed to Trial, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/01/nyregion/police-shooting-of-mentally-ill-black-man-kenneth-chamberlain-trial-set-to-begin.html. Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. opens up about his fathers killing, gives his thoughts on the film, and explains his perfect case scenario in the aftermath of his fathers death. At that point, Officer Carelli shot his pistol twice from inside the doorway. The shooting was the topic of the film The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain. Morgan Freeman the renowned actor and director has made a film about the life of, including the tragedy of being a Black man in America. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. But outside of that, as far as the film goes, if nothing else, let it be a teaching tool of what not to do. But the officers insisted on checking on Mr. Chamberlain in person. Cop in Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain IDd, Sued in 2008 Racism Case. To comment or make suggestions on future posts, use Contact Us. This is a video that you can buy or rent. Zenger: Was listening to the Life Alert audio and actually hearing your fathers voice one of the more difficult parts of watching, The Killing Of Kenneth Chamberlain?. For what reason arent different officials included being indicted for not mediating? "The law was clearly established at the time of entry that a warrantless entry into a private dwelling, absent exigent circumstances, is unlawful," the 2nd Circuit says. Seeing the heavily armed officers breaking into his apartment despite his insistence that they had no reason to be there, Chamberlain was understandably alarmed. Of course, when we watch this film, it just brings up those feelings. Throughout this time period, the officers continued to explain that they were not there to hurt him, but just wanted to see him to make sure he was fine before they could leave. Most people regularly shop Amazon and our links ca be used for this purpose. As seen on the video recorded by Sergeant Fottrells Taser, Mr. Chamberlain was standing about six to seven feet from the doorway when the door was opened and there appeared to be an object in his right hand. And I am staring at my father wondering, what happened? Attorney Abdulwali Muhammad notes that audio recordings of the incident were key in debunking police attempts to cast Kenneth Chamberlain as a hatchet-wielding, mentally disturbed man, while ignoring the fact that he was shot in his own home after accidentally triggering a medical alert. Mr. Chamberlain was 68 years old at the time. WebThe Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain is a 2019 American thriller drama film written, produced and directed by David Midell and starring Frankie Faison as the real life titular character. Are the jurors sequestered? Chamberlain Jr. received a call from a friend who was a On Nov. 19, 2011, White Plains police were called to the home of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. after his medical alarm went off. He later died at the hospital. Kenneth Chamberlain, Jr. reacts to the news that his fathers alleged killer has been accused of beating people in the past, saying it triggers memories of his fathers death. If the leading exemplar of chutzpah is the legal strategy of a man who murders his parents and pleads for mercy because he is now an orphan, the defense used by the cops in this case has to count as a close second. Terms Of Use, Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., whose father was killed by White Plains police in 2011 (Bryan Smith/Zuma Press/Newscom), As Oklahoma's Attorney General Calls for Clemency, the State Keeps Planning to Execute Richard Glossip, Rivian Continues To Hemorrhage Money Despite $1.5 Billion in State Incentives, Minnesota Is Poised To Join 22 Other States in Legalizing Recreational Marijuana, Oren Cass Notices One of Industrial Policy's Fatal Flaws, Regulators Seize First Republic Bank and Sell It to JPMorgan Chase. The actions that led to your fathers killing, and the way things are being handled now could be handled better. Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. Seeks Accountability And Closure In Fathers Killing By Police. But the sad truth is, 4,400 were only the reported ones. Much centers on the subject of Qualified Immunity. Officer Carelli grabbed the knife with bolt cutters and tossed it out of reach. As you see affiliate offers, keep in mind that this helps support our work without cost to you. See the videos that accompany this post. But in this case, the cops were supposed to be protecting Chamberlain, the man they killed. Ninety minutes later, after he had been taunted with racial slurs and subdued by both a taser weapon and beanbag rounds, Chamberlain was shot and killed. Information includes the victims names, ages, race/nationality, date killed, location, and a description of the circumstances surrounding their deaths. At approximately 5:25 a.m., Life Aid received a second call from Mr. Chamberlain, who stated, I have the White Plains Police Department banging on my door and I did not call them, and I am not sick. Life Aid attempted to cancel the dispatch, but the WPPD dispatcher informed Life Aid that the police officers needed to enter the apartment to make sure Mr. Chamberlain was not in distress. In Westchester County, where my father was killed, themobile crisis prevention and responseteam doesn't have enough of a presence in the community. Joy is also joined by Frankie Faison, the actor portraying Kenneth Chamberlain, and Chamberlains son, Kenneth Chamberlain, Jr. Dont be intimidated, whether it is the know it all that thinks he/she knows everything or just so you protect your rights, the place to get the knowledge is with our link. Please click here for further information. Chamberlain repeatedly told the cops at the door he had not called for help and did not need it. Public Service Announcement on Sexual Assault in Public Housing. The police dismissed the offers of help from the Niece of Chamberlain and even his son. But for the fact that we have the tapes, we would not be able to present this story that weve had to the public and make our demands that the tapes be released (and) that the officers name be released as well.. The WPPD dispatcher also ran a computer check on Mr. Chamberlain and his address, and learned that there had previously been calls from that address that had been described as involving a person who was potentially emotionally disturbed. The jury was not allowed to consider the reasonableness of the police officers siege outside his door, their refusal to listen when my father repeatedly told them he was OK, their removal of his door from its hinges with a sledgehammer or the firing of a Taser and beanbag shotgun within seconds of entering his apartment. That's when police tasered then fatally shot him. They have been overpoliced and aggressively policed and policed in discriminatory and abusive ways, which would not be tolerated in white communities.. No charges were filed in the fatal shooting. They got tasers. After the shooting, Mr. Chamberlain, Ms. Khader and others formed the Westchester Coalition for Police Reform. After his LifeAid medical alert was accidentally triggered, police came to his home But now the family of Mr. Chamberlain, who was black and mentally ill, will have its day in federal court next week in a newly charged environment, in which the Black Lives Matter movement has gained notice across the country and protests against the police have focused attention on how law enforcement conducts itself in African-American neighborhoods. WebThe burden that Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. and the Chamberlain family have carried has now hit a decade. We get an update on the Chamberlain case from the victims son, Kenneth Chamberlain, Jr., and his two attorneys, Mayo Bartlett and Abdulwali Muhammad. Chamberlain called LifeAid, saying, "The White Plains Police Department [is] banging on my door and I did not call them and I am not sick." But even before we got our day in court, a federal judge's reliance on qualified immunitycut out the heart of our case. The racial bad form has consistently been a piece of dark life. We believe that information is necessary for a well run society and we are dedicated to that end. Nine years later, Chamberlain's family is still trying to hold the officers who shot him dead after breaking into his home for no discernible reason accountable for their egregious actions that day, which needlessly turned an erroneous medical call into a lethal confrontation. The crash happened on April 24 around 4 a.m. on Ga. 286 in Murray County. Its just that powerful, and each time I have the same reaction, especially at the end. Democracy Now! Suicide Note Revealed After Shocking Death, To Alabama Gov. Mr. Chamberlain can be heard on the audiotape, made available by the medical-alert agency that recorded the encounter, telling the officers that he was all right and asking them to leave. Someone outside the apartment reportedly screamed, I dont give a fk, n-r, open the door!. WebOn Nov. 19, 2011, White Plains police were called to the home of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. after his medical alarm went off. Zenger: When I spoke with David Midell about the film The Killing Of Kenneth Chamberlain, he told me that you felt it was too late to get justice for your father, but instead, you were seeking accountability. Accordingly, the Department of Justice cannot conclude or prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there was a federal criminal civil rights violation. At least one officer acknowledged that information, saying, "Mr. Chamberlain, your medical alert went off accidentally." | Chamberlain "shouted repeatedly that he was convinced that the police were there to kill him." According to all four officers who entered the apartment, the object in Mr. Chamberlains right hand was a knife. Sgt. In 2013 a federal judge dismissed several claims against the White Plains officers based on qualified immunity, which shields officials from liability when the rights they allegedly violated were not "clearly established" at the time. Please note that this is NOT a reflection on the medical alert, it is 100% on the White Plains, New York Police Department. Zenger: I love the attention this film is receiving and all of the awards it is generating because it continues to shed light on your father and the unjust treatment he received, as well as the obstacles you faced in seeking accountability.

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