The National Bar Association Calls For The Immediate Arrest and Indictment ...

[TeeYiYi]

...Of North Charleston Police Officer Clarence Habersham

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Bar Association
>
> WASHINGTON, DC, April 10, 2015 – The National Bar Association is outraged by the attempted cover up of the murder of Walter L. Scott, a 50 year old unarmed black man, who was shot eight times while fleeing from North Charleston, S.C. Police Officer Michael T. Slager after a routine traffic stop involving an alleged broken taillight.
>
> In light of the fabricated statements made by Officer Slager and the incomplete police report filed by Officer Clarence Harbersham, the National Bar Association (NBA) is demanding the immediate termination and indictment of Officer Harbersham and any other North Charleston police officer who filed a false police report.
>
> OFFICER SLAGER’S FABRICATED ACCOUNT

> On April 5, 2015, Officer Slager executed Mr Scott. In an attempt to escape prosecution and deceive the public, Officer Slager made false statements to numerous North Charleston police officers regarding the incident. In addition, Officer Harbersham deliberately left material facts out of his report.
>
<snip>

> Thereafter, he returns to the location of Mr. Scott’s body. Upon his return, the video shows Officer Habersham standing next to Mr. Scott’s body and at times touching and/or examinig it. Moments later, Officer Slager drops an object which appears to be a taser near Mr. Scott’s body.
>
> In his report, Officer Habersham does not describe Officer Slager’s actions, but said that he gave aid to Mr. Scott and tried to give directions to the scene. However, there is no evidence on the video that show Officer Harbersham, or anyone else, administered CPR to Mr. Scott.

http://www.crewof42.com/whats-going-on/national-bar-assoc-calls-for-arrest-of-black-cop-in-walterscott-case/

TYY

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

1. Was Harbersham the one seen at the end of the video when the two cops stand over their

fallen prey?

[TeeYiYi]

2. Yes...

I'll add a pic to the OP.

TYY

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

3. Yes, indict him today. Sadly all cops lie whenever they want, or if not all VAST majority

[Politicalboi]

4. What he did was wrong

But, he's a black cop working with neanderthals. Maybe if he didn't do the "right" thing, he could have faced consequences for him or his family. He should be fired IMO and some small amount of jail time. If his boss was white, who they gonna believe, the white cop, or the black cop?

[TeeYiYi]

5. It looks like they're going after...

...anyone who filed a false report surrounding Walter Scott's murder. Good for them.

According to a statement the organization released Friday, members are also demanding Habersham and any other North Charleston police officer who allegedly filed a false police report be terminated.

The organization claims Habersham “deliberately left material facts out of his report” after officer Michael Slager shot and killed Scott, and made false statements about the incident.

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150410/PC16/150419888/1177/national-bar-association-wants-second-officer-in-walter-scott-shooting-video-fired-arrested

TYY

[Politicalboi]

9. It has to be rough being a black cop among your fellow white officers

What was he supposed to write? Do we know if he was pressured into lying on his report? They arrest people who film their murders, being a black cop on a mostly white force can get you killed on duty by a stray bullet one day if you don't march with your "Brothers in Blue"

There may be more to this cops story. I'm giving him some room to speak up if he was pressured or threatened. And I'm surprised more here aren't thinking like I am. They shoot black men like dogs. Is he going to risk his life being the possible ONLY one with a different take on things. When 10 or so white cops surround you and tell the "story" what are you going to write?

[TeeYiYi]

11. Not mentioning...

...the planted evidence is a lie of omission but stating that he administered CPR is a complete fabrication.

I think he's going to have to take some responsibility for his own actions...unless someone else filled out his police report for him.

TYY

[Politicalboi]

13. Sure, but it's got to be hard

He may have wanted to do the right thing, but felt threatened even without words being spoken. He now became a witness to a murder. And the bad guy is a cop he works with. He is a threat to the Blue Line , even if he does go along with them. Because he really knows what happened. He's the prosecutions best witness other than the video.

[TeeYiYi]

19. I don't think he...

...actually witnessed the murder. He was probably as surprised as anyone when the cell phone video popped up. Before that, he only knew what he had been told.

I wondered what Habersham was thinking when Slager first planted the evidence. It felt completely awkward for those few minutes until Slager picked the taser back up and holstered it.

I completely understand where you're coming from, I just think that Officer Habersham is going to have some 'splaining to do.

TYY

[Politicalboi]

21. Yes he does have some explaining to do

He witnessed the drop, and I would think he thought that was wrong, but like I said, he may have felt threatened if he didn't go along with the murderer. The drop off says a lot about what really happened, and that's all Officer Habersham had to tell for this whole thing to unravel. But was it worth his life possibly? These cops aren't afraid anymore. We don't know what happened after the video stopped.

[TeeYiYi]

23. By not saying anything about the drop...

...it kind of makes him complicit. Maybe he figured that since Slager finally picked it back up, he wouldn't have to say anything. Life's a gamble. Who could have guessed that a cell phone video of the murder would surface...?

TYY

[Politicalboi]

24. I realize that

But he may have been scared to tell the truth. But you're right, he may have thought the taser wouldn't be a defense for shooting Scott. But when he found out it was, then he probably knew it was murder, and he's a witness. I'd be scared to death. I would be a loose end that some day would need fixing. Even though this cop got caught lying, IMO he's actually lucky they were exposed. It may have saved his life.

[TeeYiYi]

25. I agree with that...

He's lucky the phone video appeared. Now, he just needs to be completely honest about what happened and what he saw. Without the video, his life would definitely have been in danger if he wasn't willing to go along with the planted taser ruse.

TYY

[Politicalboi]

26. That's what I'm thinking

He's still a black man under his uniform.

[demwing]

34. Maybe maybe maybe

maybe the 2nd cop shouldn't have helped cover up a fucking murder, and maybe you shouldn't make so many excuses, regardless of the color of his skin. Wrong is wrong. Murder is murder.

[Politicalboi]

40. Murder is murder

I'm not making excuses. If this cop was threatened, what is he supposed to do? There may be more to this story. I'm not too quick to convict him. We don't know how the 2nd cop was treated by other cops on that day, or for as long as he's been a cop.

[demwing]

42. More Ifs and Maybes

would you give him that leeway if he weren't black?

[A Simple Game]

43. He may have felt threatened and I wouldn't doubt that was how he felt but it could

also have been "standard procedure" for him. They may have even coordinated their reports.

But here is the sad truth, he and many more after him have to pay the price for lying about these incidents. After enough lose their jobs and even do jail time the tide will turn and none will dare falsify a report to protect a fellow officer. With the knowledge that you can't depend upon your fellow officers to back you up in a lie, fewer cops will dare to take being judge and jury into their own hands.

But we also have to do our part, when clear video evidence as in the New York choking case comes before you as a juror you must vote to convict. In the Garner case there must have been about 10 cops there, where was the need for a choke hold and how could any one cop feel threatened? If you have a camera use it when you see a cop engaging someone, that could be enough to prevent an incident in the first place.

[Maraya1969]

55. Why the hell didn't he try and resuscitate? Did he know the other cop just want that guy dead?

Plus as strange as it sounds Slanger should have tried to resuscitate him also. The fact that he doesn't shows that he deliberately killed that man.

[TeeYiYi]

56. I think Walter Scott was dead on the ground...

...and they all knew it. Yes, that pig deliberately killed him. There's no question about it. Handcuffing him was a ruse. You can see on the cell phone video when the life leaves Walter Scott's body. He never had a chance.

TYY

[Maraya1969]

58. Even if they think the person is dead don't they have to do CPR until an ambulance comes?

[fbc]

37. He wasn't drafted. He joined willingly.

[Politicalboi]

41. Yes, I know

But what is he supposed to do now? We'll find out soon enough if he was threatened by other officers to follow along.

[DeSwiss]

46. ''But what is he supposed to do now?''

- I dunno, finally tell the TRUTH? Stop living a lie and making other people pay for it?

Now there's an idea......

[Mariana]

47. How long has he been a police officer?

Do you think this is the very first time he's been in a position where he knew about criminal behavior by one of his colleagues?

[brewens]

54. He could be Clarence Thomas type and not give a shit. May never even talk to anyone outside

the cop bubble.

[Nye Bevan]

6. Hard to argue with that.

The only way the "blue wall of silence" will be penetrated is to come down hard on cops who lie to protect fellow cops.

[Wilms]

7. THIS is what I waiting for!

And what about the morgue?? Do they need five days to figure out the guy was shot in the back, multiple times, from a significant distance?

There's probably enough evidence to convict without the video.

[1StrongBlackMan]

8. This is interesting ...

The Black Bar Association calling for the Black Officer's indictment?

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. My apologies

[TeeYiYi]

12. Its members are primarily black...

The National Bar Association is the nation's oldest and largest national association of predominantly African-American lawyers, judges, educators and law students. It has 84 affiliate chapters throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Africa and the Caribbean. It represents a professional network of more than 65,000 lawyers, judges, educators and law students.

http://www.nationalbar.org/?mc_cid=912f895723&mc_eid=113206fcfc

TYY

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. For some reason my mind went to the ABA

that is why I apologized after my brain ended that fart.

[1StrongBlackMan]

29. None required ...

I guess I should expand on my comment ... This shows that the NBA is serious in stopping this crap, when they call for the indictment of someone, they typically would defend/cry mercy for because his involvement was tangential (i.e., the cover-up).

They can't call for the heads of the other "go alongs" without calling for the head of the Black guy.

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. Fully agreed

We have been covering this in depth, so the next to watch is the NAACP. For some reason the NAACP is trailing on most of these matters.

If things are as divided as locally, I expect the young leaders to go there first though.

On a slightly related matter, Riverside led the Chris Hayes show... and the calls for systemic reform are getting louder.

[1StrongBlackMan]

33. Well ...

{Pulling back the curtain just a bit}

With all the stuff we, PoC, face from the others ... whether right or wrong, it's difficult to pile on, knowing that the PoC will (likely) pay a higher price than the guy that pulled the trigger ... because of his race.

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. Trust me, I have had that curtain pulled just beyond a little

Right now finishing my research into the criminalization of RAP, I am willing to go further than academics, and all it what PoC call it locally, the criminalization of black inner city youth.

Lets just say, I cannot swing a live or dead cat and not find issues.

[1StrongBlackMan]

38. I believe you ...

And, BTW ...I'm glad you are still writing ... and more, selfishly, that you've found a niche that I have an interest in.

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. It is one of the things we are covering

after all, very little is done outside of the ethnic press... I was looking for a better term, but it is what it is, the Jewish Times has the same problem getting it outside the constraints of the community, and towards a more general audience.

So we have been doing quite a bit of race relations... and police issues, and energy and general policy.

By the way, watch this video. I was astounded by what this gentleman dares say in this video, given where he lives. I just shared it as well, with one of my young local leaders, and my BIL. He is correct, but that distills many months of academic research.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="

" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Mariana]

49. If he lied in his report to cover up for his colleague

then what he did is tangential to the murder, BUT it is (or should be) a very serious crime in and of itself.

[1StrongBlackMan]

51. Agreed. ...

My point is ... for a Black organization to call for his prosecution, knowing that he will likely suffer more seriously than than the guy that pulled the trigger (in relative terms) ... then we can tell they are serious.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

15. If he did what they're saying he did

why not?

[kelly1mm]

32. And? nt

[malaise]

14. Ferguson was the last straw - more and more folks are fed up

This is huge - bravo Bar Association. Enough with the cover-ups - it's supposed to be 'rule of law'.

[Rex]

18. I wonder why the ATF, FBI have still not bothered with that outlaw Cliven Bundy fellow?

I mean, if THIS happens over a minor traffic violation - what about threatening law enforcement with lethal force?

[malaise]

20. They're going to get the surprise of their lives one of these days

Mark my word

[Rex]

22. No doubt, they already think they won some stupid war against the regulators. nt

nt

[Rex]

16. My the difference a cell phone makes, as opposed to a million dollar media studio.

No wonder they hate us internet people. They can't shut us up. Yet.

GOOD! I really can't believe we were watching two cops manhandle a DEAD man. He was probably dead, his face was buried in the ground so not much breathing going on there!

NBA calls for arrest. Wow. How about the arrest of Cliven Bundy? Clearly he is much more dangerous than the dead man on the ground. Who, had a broken tail light. YEP. Dead for a minor traffic violation.

[Omaha Steve]

27. YES!!!

K&R!

[itsrobert]

28. I was thinking if the video was held back for a few more weeks

We might have the whole corrupt system in play. From the police to the court system. Imagine, after all the lying to cover up, the video exposes all the corrupt people and their online trolls.

[drray23]

30. good call.

The only way this will stop is to indict any cop who lies in order to cover up their colleagues.

Police academies need to be reviewed as well. I know for a fact that they teach you to immediatly take control of the situation.

What this means is yell at the people and do not listen to them. If they dont comply within seconds use force.

That is what is taught to cops nowadays, not to defuse the situation. Couple that with over militarization and the propensity to attract rw racists and we get the slaughter of citizens in general and minorities in particular.

[blackspade]

36. Good for the National Bar Association.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

44. Is it THAT hard to be human in that job?

[spanone]

45. k&r... agreed.

[TeeYiYi]

48. Kick with a cartoon...

TYY

[TeeYiYi]

50. Here's the complete sham...

...of a police report:



TYY

[rhett o rick]

52. I feel bad for Officer Habersham. It must be extremely tough watching the racism day

after day. I sympathize with his predicament, but I feel much more sympathy for the victim and his family. This wasn't malfeasance, it was cold blooded murder that he was helping cover up. We need to make it clear that looking the other way is as bad as the actual crime.

[bronzegirl]

53. Damned if he tells the truth...

...and damned if he lies. This is the problem for black cops. Slager KNEW Habersham would go along with his murder because if he didn't, the force would ostracize him and he could lose his job or worse. We all know that so don't play dumb. Racism cuts deep.

[Nevernose]

57. I feel ZERO sorry for Habersham

And I hope he goes to jail, too, for the cover up. It's the only way these criminals will ever learn. Some people assume that the reason he didn't tell the truth about the other cop was that he was afraid of racism, but since when has it been okay for a cop to step over the "thin blue line" regardless of race.

That's the big problem here: the culture at play in so many police departments.

Can you imagine a teacher covering up for another, child-molesting teacher? Hell no. They might not snitch out someone who comes in hungover everyday, but they'd sure as hell report another teacher for abusing a child. Can you imagine one doctor at a practice knowingly work with someone they had direct knowledge was dangerous to patients?

Can you imagine a pharmacist knowing that another pharmacist had accidentally killed a patient with the wrong medicine, watch that other pharmacist cover it up, and then lie (by omission) to assist in the cover up? Hell fucking no.



I have zero sympathy for a cop who knowingly, willingly let a murderer walk free because he was afraid for his job. That's bullshit.