By Davy V.
The man who recorded Buffalo, NY cops beating a handcuffed African-American man lying face down on a city sidewalk says that Buffalo, NY Police officer John Cerulli asked him to delete incriminating footage showing him and other officers beating the man.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation by Buffalo Police, says that as soon as he saw Buffalo Police officers push the man, who has been identified as John Willet, to the ground, he began recording with his cell phone.
And that's when officers saw him recording.
The man says that one of the officers in the video tapped a fellow officer on the shoulder, when he saw the man recording them.
And according to the man, that's when a Buffalo, NY Police officer, the same one seen in the video kneeing, kicking, and striking the handcuffed man, walked over to him.
That officer is John Cerulli.
The man says Buffalo Police officer John Cerulli gave him an ultimatum.
"Give me your phone, or delete the video, or I'm going to take your phone as evidence," the man says Cerulli told him.
The man, thinking ahead, had already switched phones with a friend who was with him.
He then told officer Cerulli that he had deleted the video.
Officer Cerulli then grabbed the phone checked it, and thanked the man.
Thanks to the man's quick thinking, a video of Buffalo, NY Police officers beating an innocent, handcuffed man is now going viral.
Unfortunately what Buffalo Police officer John Cerulli did, intimidating the man, in essence threatening him if he didn't delete the video, is a very common practice among law enforcement officers.
Especially when the cop knows he of she has just been captured on video, beating someone.
Perhaps more disturbing than the typical, well known police intimidation tactics, is that many people don't realize that not only is it perfectly legal to photograph and video record law enforcement officers, protected under the first amendment, and many folks don't know that a police officer can't just take your phone away, especially without a warrant.
Not only is a police officer ordering a citizen to let them see their phone, or asking that citizen to delete photos or videos improper, but it's in clear violation of the first amendment, but also the fourth amendment, which protects against illegal search and seizures, as well as the fourteenth amendment, because that police officer would be taking someone's property without due process.
So, like I always say... COPS LIE. RECORD EVERYTHING.
Click the link below to read my original piece on the Buffalo, NY Police officers caught on video beating man.
http://davyv.blogspot.com/2014/04/handcuffed-man-pleads-with-buffalo-ny.html
WARNING: The video is especially disturbing to watch, and hear, as the blows to the man can be clearly heard, as can his cries for help.
WARNING: The video is especially disturbing to watch, and hear, as the blows to the man can be clearly heard, as can his cries for help.
