Reason.tv has a powerfully moving video about the brutal and fatal police beating of Kelly Thomas (a schizophrenic young man who cried out for his father as Fullerton, CA police beat him to a literal pulp) and the importance of citizen-produced public information to keep the government in check.
NOTE: Because of violent images, viewer discretion is advised.
The autopsy results from the death of Kelly Thomas, a schizophrenic drifter who was allegedly beaten to death by Fullerton, California police will be announced today by Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.
Rackauckas will also announce whether he will file charges against the officers involved in Thomas' death, following the office's investigation. The confrontation with police took place at a municipal bus station on July 5, with Thomas dying in the hospital five days later. This press conference comes weeks after the Fullerton police refused to answer questions about the case.
Regardless of today's announcements, Thomas' death is a case study of how ubiquitous phones with cameras and the Internet are transferring power from the government, police, and the media to the masses. Images and word of the beating spread not because of official communications but by viral cell phone video of the incident and a horrific hospital photo taken by his father of Thomas in a coma.
After the photo and video were released, the Fullerton community reacted in outrage at city council meetings and at protests outside the Fullerton police department. Whatever charges are filed (or not) today, the death of Kelly Thomas will remain an example of how new media is changing the old guard.
Here's the latest from the LA Times. There's a photo of masked Anonymi attending the coroner's report meeting.
Cops Vs. Cameras: The Killing of Kelly Thomas & The Power of New Media
