Taser Torture In America - A Call For Congressional Hearings

Sign the Petition : 2,161 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

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

  1. Sat., Mar. 6, 2010 12:24 AM    link danielle s. | Mckinney, TX

  2. Mon., Mar. 1, 2010 2:58 AM    link Ben M. | Noblesville, IN

    I have not personally been in the line of fire of one of these tools of terror, but it does not take a philosopher to see that the potential for abuse (and widespread instances of it) far outweigh any possible positive benefit that these weapons could present. If these things can KILL, read that again, KILL someone, who has not done anything to warrant lethal force (if so, why is the cop not using his Glock), then why take that chance? The police do not know the medial state or history of a person- and that's forgetting that some deaths have been perfectly healthy people. This insanity must be stopped, the police need better training, not to carry 4 means of subduing and killing the people they are sworn to protect!
    I am disgusted watching youtube videos and reading news articles about victims of police indiscretion and brutality, but the most disturbing part is that the mainstream media has made this matter a joke. Tasers are a comedic device now in the media, and not enough people have challenged this unconstitutional tool.
    Their widespread usage is a prime example of money interest. Police departments are approached by a corporation who wishes to make money by selling these things. This corporation convinces the department that they will have lower liability and other such perks if they just adopt this "wonderful invention" to preserve the lives of their officers and the "criminals." In reality, it is about control, money, and the police valuing their lives more highly than those they are trying to protect, rather then THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
    I knew a cop who was in training at the time and about to join a force, and he got his newly issued taser out at a party and was asking who wanted to get zapped! Here was a classic gung-ho trigger happy demented guy who couldn't wait to use this thing on ANYBODY. Do I want a man with that low of a concern for human life to be fully authorized to use this possibly lethal weapon for kicks and have the law behind him? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I acknowledge that not all cops are like him, however as I said, any such officer can get his thrills with no restraint, knowing he is above accountability.

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  4. Sat., Feb. 27, 2010 9:18 PM    link Michael D. | Kill Devil Hills, NC

    I got tasered by police for not responding to verbal commands. I am deaf. I hadn't done anything wrong except refusing to leave the beach due to town pet code. The dog with me was my assistance animal which I had a right to be with me anywhere.

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  6. Thu., Feb. 25, 2010 12:34 PM    link Karen S. | Fair Grove, MO

  7. Tue., Feb. 23, 2010 2:29 AM    link Name not displayed | Minneapolis, MN

  8. Thu., Feb. 18, 2010 11:34 PM    link John S. | Oakland, CA

    Tasers should be illegal.

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

  10. Thu., Feb. 18, 2010 3:50 PM    link Syreeta B. | Canoga Park, CA

  11. Wed., Feb. 17, 2010 9:45 AM    link Name not displayed | Tampa, FL

  12. Tue., Feb. 16, 2010 2:47 PM    link annette k. | Cleveland, OH

  13. Wed., Feb. 10, 2010 8:47 PM    link greg h. | Marshfield, MO

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

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

    Forget tasers. Stick with bullets.

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

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

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

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

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

  21. 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

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

  24. 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

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

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

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