Free Thought Project – by Matt Agorist
Delaware County, NJ — On April 3, 2020, Stephen Dolceamore, 29, a father of two, was in need of medical attention. He was reportedly in the midst of a mental health crisis when police officers responded to a call about him. Instead of “help” however, Dolceamore received a savage beating and would die as a result. Dolceamore would spend his last moments alive, face down in a dirt strip in a hotel parking lot, begging for help as cops squeezed the life from his body.
Outside of the release of the body camera footage — six months after the incident — police have released very few details about the case, including all the video which shows what happened before Dolceamore was on the ground and the results of the autopsy. None of the officers involved in his death — Sgt. Anthony Manzo, Robert Furman III, Joseph McCarthy and Vishan Singh — have been disciplined or charged and they are still on duty.
Because the system hasn’t held them accountable, Dolceamore’s wife is now seeking civil action against the city and the department.
Attorney Joseph Grimes, who represents Dolceamore’s widow Kelly, claims cops violated Dolceamore’s civil rights, used excessive force and negligently handled the call, according to the Trentonian.
Doclamore’s wife and two kids suffered emotional and financial hardships because of their loved one’s “wrongful death,” according to a redacted copy of the notice, a precursor to a lawsuit.
More than a year has passed since police killed Dolceamore and officials have kept the details of his death secret. In response to a records request, the city redacted the death certificate and medical records.
Despite the officers returning to duty, the AG claims there is still potential to present their case to a grand jury.
The office claimed that releasing the autopsy report will “adversely impact our investigation and the impending presentation to the grand jury.”
As the video shows, Dolceamore was distressed and not responding to the officers’ orders. He was on his hands and knees as officers told him multiple times to get on the ground and put his hands behind his back.
“Give us your hands and stop,” an officer says. “Give us your hands, big guy.”
“Spray him,” an officer says when Dolceamore won’t give them his hands. Police then shoot him in the face with the chemical agent before unleashing a fury of punches.
They’re “trying to crush my skull,” Dolceamore says as the cops pile on top of him. A few seconds later, police get Dolceamore into handcuffs but continued to shove his face in the dirt and kneel and push down on his back.
“I can’t breathe,” he says. “I’m gonna die, help.”
These would be Dolceamore’s last words as he would then fall unconscious and stop breathing.
Over the next few minutes, officers tell him to “wake up,” and say that “he’s turning purple.” Eventually the police begin chest compressions, administer naloxone and radio for medical assistance multiple times.
None of the life-saving measures helped and police chocked it up to an overdose. Apparently having multiple cops on top of you, hitting you and kneeling on you, has no effect on your health.
Upon releasing the video, Police Director Sheilah Coley pledged that the department would “continue to expand its efforts to be more accountable to the community we serve.”
But that has yet to happen and it’s being written off to an “uptick in crime.” No officers have been disciplined either.
What’s more, the department has been tight-lipped on all the details, including the footage of officers interacting with Dolceamore before he’s on the ground.
As the Trentonian reports, bystander videos previously obtained by The Trentonian showed officers chasing, macing, pummeling, and using their knees to straddle over the emotionally disturbed man’s legs and chest while his hands appeared restrained behind his back.
Remember, Dolceamore had harmed no one and police were reportedly called out simply due to the fact that he was acting erratically. Acting erratically should not come with a death sentence.
Below is a video showing the problem of police training, especially when handling the mentally ill. Orderlies and nurses in mental health facilities deal with dozens of cases like this every day and they manage to do so without killing their patients. But, when your only tool is the escalation of force — coupled with qualified immunity when using it — we should expect nothing less from America’s police force.
If he was Black, you’d never hear the end of it and BLM would be starting riots everywhere. Since he’s White, all you hear is crickets and a brush off.
Typical.