A Statement From the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality
Detroit, May 5, (PANW)--Now that former police officer Walter Budzyn, who along with partner Larry Nevers beat Malice Green to death in 1992, has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, we are being told that "justice has been served" and it is time to "heal".
But justice has not been served! The over turning of the second degree murder convictions of Budzyn and Nevers was outrageous, based on the racist and ridiculous lie that they couldn't get a fair trial from a mostly Black jury that had seen a clip of the Rodney King beating in the movie, "Malcolm X". Budzyn and Nevers were convicted with overwhelming evidence. Including many eyewitnesses and powerful medical testimony. And who on earth had not seen a video of Rodney King's beating by the Los Angeles police in 1991.
In November 1992, while other Detroit cops stood guard, Nevers and his partner Walter Budzyn- known in the neighborhoods as "Starsky and Hutch" for their brutality- beat Malice Green to death with a flashlight for the "crime" of refusing to open his hand. In his hand was clutched a piece of paper. His death resulted from 14 blows to the head with the metal flashlight.
This was the first time in United States history that white police officers were convicted in the murder of an African-American. It was a small taste of justice for Malice Green's family, the people of Detroit and those on the other side of Eight Mile Road who fought for justice in the Malice Green murder case.
However, it was too much for the power behind the police. As their system drives more people to desperation - through political repression, more prisons, harsher laws, and increasing police terror - this state of affairs have become the order of the day. In the wake of the convictions of Budzyn and Nevers in 1993, Detroit Recorder's Court - with its mostly Black juries and judges - was dismantled by the state legislature and merged with the Wayne County Circuit Court. This was done with the obvious intent of putting more white people on juries and the bench in the city of Detroit. In addition, the purpose of this regionalization of the court system was to attempt to prevent future convictions of police officers in such cases.
Nevertheless it did not work out in this fashion for Walter Budzyn. Even with the above-mentioned measures taken by the state legislature, Budzyn could not get an acquittal. This shows that increasing numbers of all kinds of people find police brutality intolerable. It also illustrates the potential for building a movement against police misconduct that is able to unite the very people that the system is trying to divide.
Immediately after the verdict, the media began to speculate that Budzyn would be sentenced to time served and allowed to walk away from being reincarcerated. Prosecutor Doug Baker did not appear to object to this possibility. This is intolerable as far as the Coalition Against Police Brutality is concerned. Not only was Budzyn convicted twice in the murder of Malice Green, he and Nevers have a long record of misconduct as Detroit police officers - their actions have left a long trail of victims and litigation.
Walter Budzyn must recieve the maximum sentence and should return to prison. Larry Nevers should be sent back to prison and denied a new trial. The Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation, which is an affiliate of the National October 22 Coalition, will join with others to fight for this as part of building the people's resistance to the local and nationwide epidemic of police brutality. The Coalition meets weekly on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm. at the First Unitarian Church, located at Cass Avenue and Forest, in the University Cultural District.*
Issued By the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality
Pan-African News Wire, Weekly Dispatch II, May 5, 1998
Distributed By: The Pan-African Research and Documentation Center
211 SCB Box 47, Wayne State University
Detroit, Mi 48202-- E Mail: ac6123@wayne.edu
[posted May 6, 1998]
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