the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Oct 15, 2012
Anthony Anderson was killed by three Baltimore plain clothes police who confronted him on September 21 as he left a bar, crossing into an empty lot. According to eye witnesses, they slammed him to the ground, in front of two of his grandchildren, his children, and his mother. The police claimed he was in a drug deal and choked trying to swallow pills.
And that’s where the situation would have stood, except that his family spoke out. They took part in demonstrations and press conferences. His sister said, “We have a problem with officers who think they’re above the law.”
Eventually, the state medical examiner declared Anthony Anderson’s death a homicide, listing as the cause “blunt force trauma,” which damaged his lungs and his spleen, broke eight ribs and caused internal bleeding. And he indicated he had not choked to death as police had claimed. In other words, the police murdered him, beating him to death.
Anthony Anderson is the thirteenth individual killed by Baltimore police so far this year. Two of the police who killed him had earlier been sued for misconduct and a jury had found one liable of excessive force.
Brutal police are never fully held accountable–but they face no limits on their brutality unless families and others make their anger known. The protest against this murder may have made Baltimore’s streets just a little safer from police violence.