Free Thought Project – by Matt Agorist
Sacramento, CA — Joseph Mann, 50, used to work for the Department of Corrections until he had a mental breakdown in 2011 following the death of his mother. Since then, this mentally ill man has peacefully lived on the streets of Sacramento — until last July when he was shot 14 times and killed as he fled from police.
Until this week, the only video that existed was a cellphone video that disputed the official police narrative. However, on Tuesday, the Sacremento police department released dashcam video and audio of the killing of Joseph Mann.
The disturbing footage shows cops follow Mann for five minutes before walking up to him and firing 18 rounds, 14 of which went into his body.
It’s unprecedented for us to release video prior to the adjudication process,” Sacramento Police Chief Sam Somers told reporters. “There are times that we’re in today, sometimes it’s important that we come out with this video or this audio.
“It’s a very disturbing situation when you have to see someone lose their life and it’s captured on video.”
According to Mann’s brother Robert, he was a harmless 110-pound homeless man. However, police, who were clearly not trained in dealing with the mentally ill said he was acting erratically and refused to obey their commands as they yelled them from the loudspeaker.
Screaming over a loud speaker at a person with a mental illness is not only futile, it only serves to further confuse, frighten, and provoke said person — especially if that person is schizophrenic.
So, instead of calming down and talking with officers, Mann tried to get away.
“You do not shout at them, you do not give them commands because they are obviously mentally impaired,” said civil rights attorney John Burris, who is representing the family and who released the original cellphone video.
“One could easily say this is an execution because they were not being attacked,” said Burris.
According to the police report, 911 callers allegedly claimed that Mann was carrying a gun. However, no gun was found at the scene. Officers then claimed that Mann charged them with a knife and “reached for his waistband.” Again, video shows this was not true.
The 911 callers also informed dispatch that the man was likely mentally ill, however, police were obviously ill-equipped and uninformed about Mann’s mental state.
“Any reasonable police officer should have noticed that he was mentally impaired” and that his behavior did not warrant him being shot multiple times, said Burris.
As Mann attempted to flee officers, who he likely perceived, due to his mental illness, as monsters, he was gunned down. As the video shows, Mann was simply yelling at the officers, gesturing with his hands — when they publicly executed him.
He died on the scene.
“For them to gun my brother down in the streets of Sacramento like he was vicious dog… They need to be held accountable for this,” said Robert Mann.
Attorney Burris lamented, according to the Davis Vanguard, that “as a result of the officers’ ‘comply or die’ attitude, agitated officers inexplicably left the safety of their patrol vehicles and unnecessarily provoked a close range confrontation with Joseph Mann.” Burris further charges that “non-lethal force was not employed, no beanbags, Tasers, or pepper spray, all of which should have been considered by these officers, who made no attempt to subdue Mr. Mann with non-lethal force prior to dispatching a firing squad.”
Mann’s family has since filed a wrongful death suit against the Sacramento police department for the killing of their family member on July 11.
As we have previously reported, the Virginia-based Treatment Advocacy Center, an organization dedicated to eliminating the barriers faced by those with severe mental illnesses, released a jaw-dropping report, last year. In their report titled, Overlooked in the Undercounted: The Role of Mental Illness in Fatal Law Enforcement Encounters, researchers discovered that people with an untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during an interaction with police than anyone else.
According to the study, by all accounts – official and unofficial – a minimum of 1 in 4 fatal police encounters ends the life of an individual with severe mental illness.
Where official government data regarding police shootings and mental illness have been analyzed – in one U.S. city and several other Western countries – the findings indicate that mental health disorders are a factor in as many as 1 in 2 fatal law enforcement encounters.
Joseph Mann was one of these men.
“For them to gun my brother down in the streets of Sacramento like he was vicious dog… They need to be held accountable for this,” said Robert Mann.
Well sir, how will you hold them accountable? by letting the legal system work? they will get medals, accommodations, promotions and raises to buy that new harley…..all for protecting the community…..you are a worm….and I can’t speak for those with no Spine, but if that was my brother, the outcome for ALL those involved would be something to behold….
One day these retards in costumes will execute the wrong person….and the shit that takes place afterwords may spark the next American Revolution….
Even if this guy had a knife (Which is UNCLEAR in the video) doesn’t matter, they executed him with Prejudice and escalated the situation, well, that is what they do, and they go back and high five each other….
What wonderful Peace officers we have….Maybe they should be called Violence Escalators here forward….Were they following policy? Are they not taught to use less than lethal force ie, tazer or bean bag etc? Do not all these violence escalators have Tazers on their belts..??
It is the enforcers of Tyranny who MUST bare the brunt of the peoples resistance to it…!
Well said, Norm. I’ve never understood how people could allow their loved ones to be murdered and not inflict terrible revenge.
I suppose if I had young children, I’d have to wait a while before putting myself at risk. But otherwise, those pigs would be roast pork in short order. And if I couldn’t get at the specific pigs responsible, I’d vent my wrath on random pigs from that department, since they’re all part of the same Blue Mafia.
I like it Norm, VEOs, Violence escalation officers. I’m adapting the phrase.
Just another day of hunting people and murdering them.
I blame whoever it was who called the police and told them he was armed.
I watched these videos and I noticed something. The pigs didn’t want to get to close to that guy. They thought he was armed and were all hanging back waiting for backup to arrive.
Scared. They were scared.
They only get brave when there’s a bunch of em.
Cowards.
Exactly. Most pigs are TERRIFIED of death. The ultimate weapon of the freedom fighter is to accept and embrace death — not to needlessly throw his life away, but to understand that his (early) death is acceptable if it means that the eternal VALUES he cherishes triumph.
“Any reasonable police officer should have noticed that he was mentally impaired”
Therein lies the crux of the matter.
Reasonable pigs are nonexistent.