The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-07-01
P. WALSH DEN0UNCES POLICE BRUTALITY IN
NEW YORK NEEDLE TRADES STRIKE

Continued from Page Oae)
of organized civil law, both in execu-
ton and administration.
2. What began as an industrial
dispute, marked by the ordinary diff
ficulties therein inherent, has degen-
Grated into a state of organized
crime which in recent days includes
numberless cases of criminal as
saults, attempted assassinations, acts
of mayhem, outrageous treatment OF
citizens, men and women, and count
less other felonies and misdemeanors.
8. Scores of victims have been and
are confined in hospitals and homes
in the cities with injuries ranging
from contusions and bruises to frac-
tured skulls, broken bones and in
iuries which will render them, in
some instances, helpless for life and
charges upon their friends or the
community.
4. The crimes, almost without eX-
ception, have been committed by no
torious criminals and professional
assassins whose criminal histories are
matters of public record, and whose
personalities are familiar to many
police officials in the district.
5. Police officers have committed
brutal assaults upon innocent and
law-abiding men and women before
and after arrests.
6. In a shameful number of in
stances these crimes have been COM
mitted in the presence of police Of
ficers, sworn to uphold the law, who
not only failed to interfere with their
preparation but have oftimes openly
sanctioned the offenses or given ac-
tive cooperation to the extent which
would make them accomplices under
the law.
7. Criminals captured in the COM
mission of these crimes have been
freed by police officers against the
earnest protest of the citizens pres
ent.
s. A thousand citizens or more
have been arrested without warrant
and absolutely innocent of any Of
Tense against the laws of the state
or ordinances of the city.
9. False arrests, baseless and
malicious prosecutions, expressions
of law-abiding citizens and gross
abuses of police authority are being
perpetrated daily.
10. The declared policy of the police
department, i. e., the indiscriminate
and concurrent arrests of hundreds Of
citizens, men and women, constitutes
in itself vast machine of cruelty and
a vicious assault upon the legal rights
and persons of our citizens. The ar
rests include vast numbers of inno-
cent business people, employees and
householders of the neighborhood, in
no way connected with the industrial
dispute. 1t renders it impossible for
the Magistrates to accord the defend
ants the deliberate and impartial
hearing to which the humblest citi-
zen is entitled before being deprived
of his liberty or his property.
Violation of Constitution.
! These repeated violations of the
sacred constitutional rights of great
section of our citizenship, respect
fully submit, constitute serious men,
ace to organized society, which, if
not speedily corrected, must have a
baleful influence upon the well-being
and reputation of our community and
state.
l hope you will accept my sincere
assurances that l am bringing this
shocking condition to your attention
primarily as citizen of New York
Jealous of it's good name and anxious
that the useless tragedy and suffer
ing entailed by these conditions may
be speedily ended.
| might add that it has been part
of my professional duty, as counsel
, for the Joint Boards Of Furriers
, Cloak and Dressmakers' Unions, to
, conduct an investigation into many
J of the occurrences herein set forth.
! These crimes, in the main, have
; been committed against the persons
Of the official representatives anC
members Of these unions.
Likewise, an intensive investiga-
: ton has been made Of the charge
that these organizations have resorteC
to the use of hired thugs and gun
: men. We are prepared TO prove, ! be
= = lieve to Your Honor's satisfaction
! that their picketing is entirely within
: the law, as expressed by the highes
y courts of the State and Nation, an,
that in no instance has any individ
$ ual been used as a picket or for an,
h other purpose, who is not law-abid
ing citizen, long time worker in tn