Unarmed Black Veteran Kenneth Chamberlain Shot Dead by NY Police, Yet No Officers Charged
As the Trayvon Martin case draws national attention, we look at another fatal shooting of an unarmed African-American male that has received far less scrutiny. Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., a 68 year-old African-American Marine veteran, was fatally shot in November by White Plains, NY, police who responded to a false alarm from his medical alert pendant. The officers hurled racial slurs at Chamberlain, broke down his door, tasered him, and then shot him dead. We're joined by Chamberlain's son, Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., and two of his attorneys. One of the attorneys, Mayo Bartlett, questions the police response to the shooting, comparing it to the official story that emerged after George Zimmerman shot the unarmed African-American teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida last month. "It's very similar to Mr. Zimmerman suggesting that he had a bloody nose, and now you look at the video and that doesn't appear to be the case," says Bartlett. "That really makes you question what we're being told sometimes by government with respect to these types of matters." Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. struggles through tears to recount his father's final moments, including the way police officers mocked his father's past as a Marine. "For them to look at my father that way, (with) no regard for his life, every morning I think about it," he says.
Guests:
Randolph McLaughlin , attorney for the family of Kenneth Chamberlain. He is a longtime civil rights attorney. He teaches at Pace Law School.
Mayo Bartlett , attorney for family of Kenneth Chamberlain. He is the former Chief of the Bias Crimes Unit of the Westchester County District Attorney's Office. and the former chair of the Westchester County Human Rights Commission.
(recorded March 29, 2012)
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Inquiries about this case may be directed to Newman Ferrara attorney, Professor Randolph McLaughlin, at 212-619-5400