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Michigan: Judge Slams “Racist” Officers During Sentencing over Beating of Black Man

HeadlineFeb 05, 2016

In other news from Michigan, a judge has sentenced former Inkster police officer William Melendez to at least 13 months and up to 10 years in prison for pummeling unarmed African American Floyd Dent in the head 16 times during a traffic stop last year. Melendez, nicknamed RoboCop, has been sued repeatedly for excessive force. Judge Vonda Evans spoke for nearly 30 minutes at Melendez’s sentencing Wednesday.

Judge Vonda Evans: “But the one image that struck [sic] out to the court was looking at Mr. Dent in his cell shaking his head in disbelief of what had occurred to him. If his conduct was indicative of what he was thinking, I would have thought this: What crime did I commit? Being a black man in a Cadillac, stopped for a minor traffic offense by a group of racist police officers looking to do a [N-word].”

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