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By Dominique Dhombres
October 11, 2005
Original Article (French)
On Saturday evening in New-Orleans, it’s
better not to be black when passing certain of the city’s police officers. Black
of skin, if you see. The city police most courageously deserted, as one knows,
immediately after the arrival of Hurricane Katrina six weeks ago. This past
weekend, members of the force took the opportunity to illustrate yet another
area of American sporting prowess: the beating by white police officers of a
black man, already under control and completely unable to defend himself. A
team of reporters from the Associated Press filmed the scene [See Video on the
Right]. One could see a segment of the video on Monday October 10, on the
Robert Davis, a 64-years-old retired schoolteacher, the color of his skin indisputably black, but who insists that he has not had a drop of alcohol in a quarter of a century, was challenged for public intoxication on a street in the French Quarter. Two white police officers twisted his hands behind his back to put handcuffs on him. And for some unexplained reason, a bit of a tussle ensued, and this trivial encounter degenerated. Did Davis speak up too loudly? It was at this moment that a third white police officer delivered a series of uppercuts that have not yet been seen in the history of boxing. They were delivered from behind, directly to the nape of the neck, and with incredible force.
The man falls to ground. He is covered in blood.
All this time, a police officer maneuvered
his horse in order to block the camera with the body of his animal. The cameraman
nevertheless manages to film the scene. Reinforcements arrive. The journalists
from AP are violently challenged by these brilliant police officers. The producer
of the broadcast is hustled over to and pushed against a car. Witnesses are
physically threatened by other police officers ... "These images are
disconcerting. Obviously these agents used more than the necessary amount of
force," explained Warren Riley, the (black) chief of police the New-Orleans
police. "He has a gift for understatement, the chief," was
the droll comment of Alain de Chalvron of
The three police officers were suspended. But the best came at the end. Robert Davis was charged with public intoxication and ... rebellion.