Police Cruelty to Disabled Resident

In light of the recent police issues, although this incident occurred since last August, it is one that needs to be brought back into the limelight.   It is surprising that the investigations on this case are still pending since the matter clearly demonstrates unconscionable cruelty of certain Miami-Dade County police officers towards a disabled resident. Those officers were part of a police task force that went on one of their many harassment raids of a Black community. On this assignment, they arrested three Black men on suspicion of smoking marijuana. Two of the men were released after they signed tickets to appear in court. The third man, Tannie Burke, who more than likely could not sign the ticket was not so lucky. He was handcuffed and lead to an unmarked car where he had difficulty walking towards the car. The difficulty was because he has been blind since birth. The crowd's plea for this man to be released made it quite clear to the police officers that the 21 year old young man has a visual impairment. Yet, having no conscience, this did not prevent the officers from placing the man in the back of their car.  But, what occurred later was not only bizarre but cruel. Burke told the officers that he was blind, yet they drove him around for approximately 20 minutes, then put him out of the car in a desolate area. Now, anyone familiar with the Goulds area of Miami-Dade county will know that there are not only bushy areas with no street lights and no residences in sight for miles, but Goulds is not far away from the alligator swamps. Burke, says he makes his way around the community during the daylight but is afraid to do so during the night. So, it cannot be imagined how scared he must have been. However, he kept walking until it seemed to him that he came to a road. Unsure of where he was or was going, Burke said he kept his right foot on the road and his left foot in the weeds to prevent himself from wandering into the middle of the dark road where he could get hit by a car. Eventually, the road lead to a lighted area where he was helped by a stranger.  Burke assumed from the cops' conversation in the car that they wanted to pay back his step father who was videotaping them. This is such a sad story of man's inhumane treatment to another with a disability. It also indicates that having a disability will not even prevent Black men from experiencing police harassment.