Source: NurPhoto / Getty
Law enforcement is once again under fire for abusing their powers, leading to the death of a Black man.
The most recent was at the hands of New York prison guards’ involvement in inmate Robert Brooks’ death. Bodycam footage of them beating him recently hit the internet and displays how brutal things got at Marcy Correctional Facility.
Video released by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James shows a cuffed Brooks sitting down when two corrections officers begin punching him in the face. At the same time, a third holds him down after a failed attempt at gagging him. Then the officer sat him back up, only to lift him up by his neck before shoving him back down.
The officers continue to restrain him when one shoves his boot into Brooks’ stomach as his legs flail. Between four and five, officers surround a bloody Brooks before he’s punched in the chest again. As the beatdown comes to a close, he’s dragged out of the room, appearing unable to walk on his own.
The assault took place on Dec. 9, and 43-year-old Brooks —who was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault— succumbed to his injuries by dying in the hospital the next day.
Outrage followed after the video was released, prompting Governor Kathy Hochul to launch a full investigation into Brook’s death and urge that the 14 people involved —including a prison nurse— be fired.
Brooks’ family has hired lawyer Elizabeth Mazur to represent them and told TMZ that the gruesome video should prove that prison guards can’t get away with ruthlessly beating up prisoners.
“With the Attorney General’s release of these videos, members of the public can now view for themselves the horrific and extreme nature of the deadly attack on Robert L. Brooks. As viewers can see, Mr. Brooks was fatally, violently beaten by a group of officers whose job was to keep him safe,” read her statement. “He deserved to live, and everyone else living in Marcy Correctional Facility deserves to know they do not have to live in fear of violence at the hands of prison staff.”
See how social media is reacting to the video’s release below.
