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Back in June, BOSSIP reported on a case involving a 36-year-old Black man named Randy Cox in New Haven, Connecticut. Cox was left paralyzed and untreated after hitting his head in the police transport van after a hard stop. The case instantly brought Freddie Gray to mind as he suffered a similar injury that ultimately killed him.
According to ABCNews, the five officers involved in the Cox incident have all been criminally charged…with misdemeanors. Officer Oscar Diaz, Officer Ronald Pressley, Officer Jocelyn Lavandier, Officer Luis Rivera, and Sgt. Betsy Segui has each been charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and cruelty to persons. These charges stem from the fact that officers mocked Cox when he told them that he was injured and could not move and subsequently did not provide him expedient aid.
Suffice to say, Randy’s family is disgusted by the cheap charges. Attorney Ben Crump called the misdemeanors a “slap in the face” considering that Randy is now “serving a life sentence” as he is permanently paralyzed. Randy’s mother Doreen Coleman says she visits her son everyday to give him love and physical assistance.
“I catch the city bus from one side of town to the other. It takes about an hour … But I sit there all day,” she said. “He needs somebody to help him get something to drink. He needs somebody to help him get some food to eat.”
At the risk of sounding crass, money is also a major issue when it comes to the city’s culpability for this life-altering injury.
“The life care expert that flew in last week to do an evaluation on Randy assesses that it’s going to be about $20 million … just to give Randy the care that he needs for the rest of his life,” attorney Lou Rubano said. “Time is of the essence here. And if Randy doesn’t get the care, the doctors have concluded that his condition will continue to deteriorate.”
We have no doubt that the city will be writing a check but what of the men and women who are responsible? A write-up, a fine, and then back to duty?
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