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Grandfather hospitalized, temporarily paralyzed, after encounter with Alabama police

February 12, 2015 By Robert Goodis 1 Comment

Sureshbhai Patel Police Excessive Force Brutality
Photo by Chirag Patel showing his father’s injuries after a brief encounter with police in Madison, Alabama

Sureshbhai Patel, 57, flew from India to the suburbs of Madison, Alabama about two weeks ago to visit his son, Chirag, and his son’s wife and 17-month-old son.  Sureshbhai planned to stay and help his daughter-in-law care for his grandson while Chirag was pursuing a master’s degree at University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Last Friday, Sureshbhai went for a walk around his son’s neighborhood, and never came home.  Reports indicate that a neighbor called the police to report a suspicious person walking through the neighborhood.  Police arrived and confronted Sureshbhai, quickly escalating the situation after what they said may have been a “communication barrier” (Sureshbhai speaks Hindi).

AL.com coverage states:

“He was just walking on the sidewalk as he does all the time,” said his son, Chirag Patel, this morning. “They put him to the ground.”

No crime had been committed. Madison Police on Monday issued a statement saying the department had suspended the officer and were investigating the use of force in this case. The police statement wished the man a “speedy recovery.”

Sureshbhai Patel is still hospitalized with serious injuries and temporary paralysis.

This story only highlights the great need for language access, cultural communication, and extensive use of force training among U.S. police agencies.

View further coverage on NBC, AL.com, and Times of India.

 

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Filed Under: Current Events Tagged With: accountability, Excessive Force, language access, law enforce, police, Police Brutality

About Robert Goodis

Robert D. Goodis is a passionate advocate for human rights. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in human rights and sociology from Bard College (2010), a Master's of Public Policy from American University School of Public Affairs (2016) and a Juris Doctorate from American University, Washington College of Law (2015). He is a member of the Maryland Bar and the District of Columbia Bar. His anti-genocide activism gained regional and international coverage in radio and newspaper outlets as early as 2005-2006, and eventually formed the foundation on which The Goodis Center was established.

In addition to his experience with human rights law and policy, Mr. Goodis has experience in IT and law enforcement, and volunteered for 3.5 years with the Red Hook Fire Company in Dutchess County, New York (2008-2012). He has received awards and honors for academic promise and for his commitment to community service and the public interest. A sampling of these recognitions include the Shelley Morgan Award (Bard College 2011), the Public Interest / Public Service Scholarship (American University, Washington College of Law, Class of 2015), Outstanding Service Honors (AU WCL, 2015), Volunteer Law Student of the Year (Homeless Persons Representation Project, 2014/2015), and the Nathan A. Neal Award for Outstanding Advocacy (D.C. Law Students in Court, 2014/2015).

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Trackbacks

  1. A Tale of Two Cities: Police Use of Force in Richmond, CA, and Pasco, WA — The Goodis Center says:
    February 15, 2015 at 1:23 PM

    […] the third degree.  Officer Parker threw a 57-year-old Indian citizen to the ground during a “brief encounter” that left Sureshbhai Patel partially paralyzed.  A spokesman for the Indian government […]

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