Justice moves sometimes

It depends upon the victim, but in this case it was just under a month after the incident, rather than the years it sometimes takes. Go to Rikers Island and other hell holes for that duration.

Shaun T Porter was arrested on May 19 for a domestic violence incident. While at the Erie County Jail, located in the basement of Buffalo City Court, he was slammed into a door at the cell block by Mattew J Jaskula, for no good reason. (There is never a good reason to use violence against a restrained inmate. Any person that is arrested needs to be treated with dignity and respect as a citizen of this nation.)

He was then dragged down the hall and to an open cell where his head struck the door frame. Not a wooden frame – but a metal frame. Jails and prisons are built for security. There were injuries to his face and head as a result of Jaskula's unreasonable and unnecessary use of force.

He (Porter) was put into a restraint chair and restrained (presumably). He was left there and denied medical care for two hours. Jaskula told the supervising lieutenants that Porter had a bloody nose and refused treatment. (Well, I've been tossed around in my time and after a good head shot I'd deny any treatment too. Reason – I was too stunned and in shock to know what was going on. Thankfully others has their heads on straight and I received treatment.)

Porter eventually complained of chest pains and was taken to ECMC where he was treated for a broken nose and a cut to his face.

Now, to give the Buffalo PD some credit, it took less that 3 weeks for these individuals to be dealt with. Not years, but weeks. This is because lieutenants at the Jail became suspicious of the injuries to Porter and reviewed the videos that showed his jailing.

Porter's mistreatment was caught on video and Jaskula was arrested and released on (only) $5000 bail. He faces up to ten years in prison for his actions. I doubt he will receive anything more than five.

Now, justice moved again because two officers that witnessed the assault are now suspended form the force (without pay) pending an investigation. Evidently one, laughed as Jaskula slammed Porter into the metal door. The other one was shocked.

Why the one laughed is beyond me. I have no comment on him and he deserves his suspension and more. Someone who acts like that is unfit for the uniform and should be stripped of his badge and terminated with extreme prejudice, if not jailed as an accomplice to the crime. His degree and certification also need to be stripped from him as well.

The one that was shocked – why didn't he report the event himself? Why, or how, was he silenced? His silence leads me to question his ability to represent the citizens of Buffalo and Erie County as a law enforcement officer. He deserves a demotion, at the least, and some degree of sensitivity and backbone training.

To the credit of the lieutenants that viewed the video – they reported the incident to Internal Affairs and the FBI and the US Attorney's office. William Hochol is prosecuting this case and we will see some amount of justice. Jaskula is finished with the force most likely. If convicted. With the video, this should be a slam dunk. Key words = “should be.”

The two other officers will receive reprimands at the most, sadly. Granted they are suspended without pay, but that does not stop them from working as bouncers at bars or in other security positions. (Guards at concerts, etc.)

Now, compared to events that we receive about Rikers Island and other places, this is the Road Runner racing a snail.

The fact of the matter is that this incident should never have happened in the first place.

Police officers, as representatives of the community, need to be more mature and responsible than the average citizen. I do not know what Porter said to Jaskula, but a mature individual would have blown it off and ignored it, At most, he should have reported the comments to the lieutenants on duty for documentation during a court hearing.

Because he took action on his own (and outside of the law) he is now going to face the law that he is supposed to uphold.

Buffalo does have a bad reputation because of incidents at the Erie County Holding Center. Because of the numerous protests by many organizations, including BLACKlife585 (from Rochester, NY), about the criminal behavior of law enforcement justice moved a little faster in this case.

Note – just a little.

My question – Why did this take three weeks?

It should have taken less than one.

We're still waiting on justice for India Cummings.
Is this event a harbinger of change for the Buffalo Police & law enforcement?