, 1951-11-30
EDITORIAL

The case of Reggie Brown has received widespread attention
in the City of Dayton. There have been SC many angles in the case,
that some persons may be confused as to the issues involved and
To begin with, some police officers seeking to arrest a pro-
sttute, became involved in an alteration with an unknown man,
who, in the melee, made his escape, apparently fleeing with one of
the officers gun. This was n October 20.
On October 23 the police arrested Reggie Brown at his home,
at approximately $50 pm. At this time Brown Wa alegedly
in perfect health. AT approximately 1890 of the same evening
Brown was admitted to Miami Valley Hospital, where it was deter
mined that he had suffered five broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
Brown had been in sole custody of the police from the time of his
arrest until his admission to the hospital.
Departmental investigation of the incident wa instituted by
the Chief of Police, during which five police officers were suspend
ed from the force. One other officer resigned at this time.
The five suspended officers were formally charged by the
police department., and granted a hearing before the City Man
ager At this hearing three of the officers were found guilty as
charged, while two were exonerated. AS punishment the three guilty
officers were suspended from the force for ten days.
After having been in police custody for eleven days, Reggie
Brown was released by them, without any charge ever having been
placed against him.
The Dayton Branch, NAACP, was called into the ase by
Chief of Police. himself, on October 26, at which time he revealed
the pertinent facts of the case, and the steps being taken by his de-
partment in the matter.
Thereafter, Reggie Brown filed assault and battery charges
against the six police officers involved. Then and only then did the
the police file charges against Brown for the larceny of a gun.
At the first hearing on the larceny charge against him, Brown
was arrested on a fugitive warrant from the State of Indiana, and
is presently being held by Dayton police, pending an e%xtraditon
hearing n the Indiana charge.
As to Reggie Brown, he is a man with n extensive criminal
record. According to the record, he has been arrested some 80 times
and has several convictions. We hold no brief for him o n this score.
Where proper process is observed, we condone n criminal act. In
this respect we say that the act of the police in beating this man,
was not only in itself criminal, but vicious and uncaled for.
When the police attacked !, Brown, they e knew nothing of his
n honest, law abiding citizen.
The mans civil rights were violated to the point of bodily in
jury It is this point and this point alone, in which the Dayton
Branch, NAACP is interested. 1t will leave no stone unturned to
eradicate this type Of police action. 1t believes that the police force
does not need this type of officer.
We do not believe that any citizen under our American pro-
cess, should be subject to unwarranted attack by police, and more
especially since they are sworn to uphold the law to protect all
citizens. We feel that all right thinking Americans would agree with
this view.
Come what may in the case of Reggie Brown, it is still a
blot on the city of Dayton, that this incident ever occurred.