Taser Torture In America - A Call For Congressional Hearings

Sign the Petition : 2,141 Letters and Emails Sent So Far

Dear Senator Reid, Speaker Pelosi and Congressional Black Caucus:

We call on our Congress to speak out and organize public hearings on the systemic human rights violations occurring with Federal funding against black, Latino, Native American and other Americans.

While there continues to be considerable media and congressional attention to torture in Guantanamo, there is comparatively little attention to the mounting evidence of human rights violations in the streets of America by a number of police departments across America, including torture and killings of black children, women and men through-out the United States through the use and abuse of Tasers.

We want Congress to stand up with us against the police pre-trial electrocution of black children, women and men by taser.

We believe that few Americans support spending our tax dollars on torture, which violates our moral, religious and legal traditions.
Most Americans expect an American policing policy that ensures the rights of all individuals regardless of race, greed, color, national origin, sex, disability or political or religious affiliation.

We believe most Americans would favor Congressional hearings as to whether our own U.S. police, policing policies and actions violate Federal and International laws prohibiting human rights violators.
Evidence of widespread police abuse of tasers is more than enough to warrant our concern and justify a congressional inquiry.

We propose that Congress undertake serious oversight into the extent to which our taxes are funding human rights violations and torture by tasing, and provide an alternative roadmap to the restoration of our democratic values. We want Congress to make sure that police pre-trial electrocution of black children, women and men by taser stops.

1. We are calling on the U.S. Attorney General and the Justice Department to aggressively fulfill its most basic mandate of enforcing the law. Torture by tasing is a crime, and the Justice Department is the right place to initiate an independent top-to-bottom investigation of the torturing of black children men, women and children by local police jurisdictions throughout the United States. It's important that the general public understand the 'use of force continuum' used by law enforcement officials, and how it is abused by many in the law enforcement community. (See the use-of-force-continuum provided by the blog Electronic Village) Note: Although there is a Justice Department Review of TASER-related Deaths the on-the-spot pre-trial electrocutions continues.

2. Congress should investigate whether US police tasing policies violate Federal or international civil and human right laws, including the U.N. Convention against Torture, and international covenants against cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of citizens even in cases of so-called "state emergencies".

3. Congress should require the effective regulation of Taser use and require police/citizen review panels by Federal, state and local police and security agencies, including strict adherence to international human rights standards, or act to defund all such Federal, State and local police and security agencies who violate taser use regulations that would be established by Congress. No Federal stimulus dollars should be used to purchase tasers.

We ask the Congress to hold congressional hearings to reach its own conclusions regarding the use and abuse of tasers, particularly as it relates to minority group members such as blacks, Native Americans and Latinos.

As you know the UN's Committee against Torture has declared that Taser use can constitute a form of torture, while USA: Amnesty International has an on-going concern about the use of tasers on American citizens. With all the conversation about the Bush torture memos and torture in the United States, we the undersigned bring up the issue of torture of black Americans at the hands of police in the United States. We urge you to stand up against the police pre-trial electrocution of black children, women and men by taser.		Taser Torture In America - A Call For Congressional Hearings

Enter Your Name and Submit to Sign

don't show my name

Vertical Line
 Add your public comments (optional):

People signing the "Taser Torture In America - A Call For Congressional Hearings" petition!

  1. Mon., Feb. 8, 2010 7:22 PM    link Name not displayed | Tampa, FL

  2. Thu., Feb. 4, 2010 1:39 AM    link Jeff M. | Forks, WA

    Forget tasers. Stick with bullets.

  3. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  4. Thu., Feb. 4, 2010 1:39 AM    link Jeff M. | Forks, WA

  5. Wed., Feb. 3, 2010 11:16 PM    link Barbara C. | Charleston, SC

  6. Wed., Feb. 3, 2010 10:17 AM    link Hugh E. R. | Augusta, GA

  7. Sat., Jan. 30, 2010 10:03 PM    link Margaret S. | Carrboro, NC

  8. Thu., Jan. 28, 2010 11:43 AM    link RJ M. | Greensboro, NC

    We are against tasers we continue to have deaths in North Carolina and cases with lawsuits won for families of tasered victims

    Now we have law enforcement officers who say it does not matter it a seven year old is tasered or a seventy year old

    TASERS SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED

  9. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  10. Wed., Jan. 27, 2010 12:51 PM    link Name not displayed | Colfax, WI

  11. Tue., Jan. 26, 2010 1:52 AM    link Name not displayed | Fairdealing, MO

    im a disabled man with a pacemaker if i was tazered it would kill me

  12. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  13. Thu., Jan. 14, 2010 11:21 PM    link Name not displayed | Columbus, MI

  14. Wed., Jan. 13, 2010 12:28 AM    link benjamin p. | Snow Camp, NC

    I can't believe we still call thia AMERICA!! I have been targeted since 2004(i pissed off the sheriff,told him get of his tail and follow up on leads i had given them,TO MY EXTREME CASE OF IDENTITY THEFT) i had a whole box of checks stolen from my mailbox,two weeks after pissing off the sheriff,had 5 frivolous warrants! I have called FBI,SBI,CONGRESS,YOU NAME IT,WHAT DO I GET,A RUN AROUND AND MORE HARASSMENT(AS IF THEY JUST NOTIFY EACH OTHER I MIGHT SOMEHOW GET VIRAL WITH MY INFORMATION,AND I HAVE MANY RECORDINGS) BUT MY LATEST BOUT HAS BEEN THE WORST BY FAR!!!OCTOBER 5TH MY AUNT DIED SUDDENLY, OCTOBER 16TH,MY WIFE HAD TO BE RUSHED TO HOSPITAL(WAS MY DAUGHTER'S 13TH BIRTHDAY,SO I HAD TO WORRY AND ENTERTAIN MY CHILD,GUESTS,ETC.)HER MOTHER WENT WITH HER AND ENDED UP ADMITTED(SHIPPED TO WESLEY LONG,THERE FOR ALMOST A MONTH) THEN OCTOBER 23RD I GOT A CALL FROM MY COUSIN(MY FORMER AUNT'S SON,MY MOTHER HAD BEEN STAYING OUT THERE AND HADN'T YET WENT BACK TO HER OWN LONELY HOME) ANYWAY,MY MOTHER LOOKED TERRIBLE AND HE THOUGHT I NEEDED TO CHECK HER OUT(I WAS DOG DIRTY,BEEN WORKING ON ONE OF MY HOT-RODS) I HURRIED THERE AND CALLED AMBULANCE!!! I THEN HURRIED TO HOSPITAL,EVERYTIME SHE GETS ADMITTED,THEY TRY TO JACK UP HER OXYGEN,AND IT CAN'T GO PAST 2 LITRES BECAUSE HER CARBON DIOXIDE WILL GET OVER 100(NEARING BRAINDEAD) TWO TIMES WE HAVE ALMOST(MY SISTER AND I)LOST OUR MOTHER BECAUSE THEY JACKED UP HER OXYGEN,SHE WAS PUT ON A VENTILATOR(AND EXSPECIALLY WITH HER EXTREME COPD,HER LUNGS ARE LIKELY NOT TO WORK ON THEIR OWN, AFTER DEPENDING ON THE MACHINE)SO I GOT THERE AS DID THE AMBULANCE,I HAD TO ENTER REGULAR ENTRANCE,BUT EXPECTED TO GO BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WAS TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO THE RECEPTIONIST,OR WHATEVER YOU CALL THA T PERSON AT THE DESK,AT ALAMANCE REGIONAL ER ENTRANCE,SHE WAS CHECKING WITH THE NURSE ABOUT ME COMING BACK(MEANWHILE,THERE WAS AN OFFICER SITTING BESIDE HER,MAYBE BECAUSE I LOOKED LIKE A TOTAL BUM,A NO-BODY,MAYBE TO IMPRESS THE STAFF,HE LOOKED AT ME LIKE I **** IN HIS FACE!!! I ASKED THE LADY,"WHY'S HE LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT"? HE GOT UP.WALKED AROUND THE DESK,GOT IN MY FACE AND SAID; "IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL I AM LOOKING AT,ASK ME"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO I DID,THEN HE SAID,YOU WALK,GO SIT DOWN NOW!!!! WE WENT BACK AND FORTH ACOUPLE OF TIMES THEN I DECIDED TO TURN TOWARD THE LADY AND IGNORE HIM,HE ATTACKED ME,IMMEDIATELY TASERED ME,AFTER ABOUT A MINUTE INTO THE STRUGGLE(HE WAS TRYING TO SLAM ME TO THE FLOOR) HE FINALLY TOLD ME I WAS UNDER ARREST!!!!!!!!!! TWO OTHER COPS JOINED IN,AND EVEN AFTER THEY GOT ME IN CUFFS(FOR 5 MINUTES THEY TORTURED ME,TASERED ME IN THE NECK,FACE,CHEST,SIDE AND KEPT PULLING MY HEAD BACK UNTIL I COULDN'T BREATHE,THEN SLAMMED MY HEAD INTO THE FLOOR!!! EXCEPT FOR THE INITIAL PROBLEM,WITH HIM LOOKING AT ME TERRIBLY THEN GETTING IN MY FACE,I HAVE THE REST ON RECORDING,INCLUDING MUCH OF THE STAFF LAUGHING ABOUT THE EVENT,AND THREE(TWO WOMEN AND ONE MAN) RECORDED TRYING TO DELETE MY RECORDING AFTER THEY TOOK POS

  15. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  16. Mon., Jan. 11, 2010 12:09 PM    link johnny g. | Osceola, IN

    i am a friend of delano smith, the latest taser torture victim

  17. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  18. Thu., Jan. 7, 2010 8:50 PM    link Name not displayed | Vineyard Haven, MA

  19. Thu., Jan. 7, 2010 6:37 PM    link Karen W. | Alpharetta, GA

    Too many people could have been sudued without tasers and they would still be alive. Any police officer using one should be investigated and should be considered for for possible assault charges.
    70 people died from police asters in 2004 alone.
    http://mydeathspace.com/smf/index.php?action=printpage;topic=18308.0

  20. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  21. Mon., Jan. 4, 2010 2:24 PM    link Animal Rights C. | Cuyahoga Falls, OH

    deaths, injuries and profiteering from
    tasers must stop

    We ask God who answers to all names to
    answer this prayer

  22. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  23. Sun., Jan. 3, 2010 4:07 PM    link Name not displayed | Lexington, KY

  24. Sun., Jan. 3, 2010 3:27 AM    link jean claude g. | Seattle, WA

    I had never heard of a taser until the Bremerton Police used it to repeatedly torture kedra bryant on 12/25/2009 during an arrest on suspicions of DUI.

  25. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  26. Fri., Jan. 1, 2010 9:19 PM    link Christie S. | Dallas City, IL

  27. Sun., Dec. 27, 2009 8:09 AM    link delisa p. | Brookings, OR

  28. Sat., Dec. 26, 2009 4:04 AM    link Name not displayed | Chicago, IL

    This happens too many times! Very Very Sad commentary on our very violent American Way of Life!!!

  29. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

View More Petition Signers and Comments

Frequently Asked Questions | Printer friendly .pdf

Petition created by Petition2Congress

Powered by Rally Congress    Have questions or feedback?