In the last few weeks there have been some highly publicized cases of the officers of New York City Police Department brutalizing the very citizens they have taken an oath to protect and serve [see videos below].  While these attacks have always been commonplace through the proliferation of video cameras they are now being recorded and documented, and can no longer be ignored or denied.  

The NYPD has a long documented history of using excessive force. From the recent Sean Bell shooting to Diallo's shooting to the Abner Louima incident, where an officer stuck a broom stick in his rectum while the whole precinct covered it up.  These are just the most atrocious attacks but citizens of New York City have been dealing with daily abuses from the NYPD on a regular basis.  

Today another report has emerged of a brutal, unprovoked police attack by the NYPD. This one on Walter Harvin (pictured above), 28, an Iraqi war veteran who was merely going to his mother's house.  This incident was caught on the building's security camera.  Although the video has not been released, it allegedly captures the beating and the officer taking a 90 second break to answer his cell phone then resume beating the already handcuffed man.  

Police brutality continues to be a serious issue throughout the country.  One can only hope that the next time a politician or news personality wants to attack a rapper for saying "f... the police" or "cop killer" or any other derogatory remark towards the police, they look at these videos and realize what members of the urban community have been dealing with throughout their lives.  Before they immediately jump on rappers for their remarks they need to take into account, that particularly members of the Hip Hop community, have been oppressed, harassed and brutalized by the police and when a rapper says "f.. the police" they are merely echoing the sentiments of many members of the community.   

This is not to say that all police officers are bad, on the contrary the majority are good, law abiding, respectful officers, but far too often the good ones cover up for the bad ones.  When they see the abuse they often look the other way or lie to protect these bad officers.  Ironically, while the politicians and police officers themselves were criticizing the "No Snitching" movement in Hip Hop, they had their own equivalent in "The Wall of Silence."  This unwritten rule that police officers live by makes them all accomplices, whenever an officer knows or sees another officer abuse his powers and doesn't report it tarnishes the whole law enforcement community and makes them all guilty.

Below are a few videos of the incidents these past few weeks.  

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, well these videos are worth a million words.