Report uncovering biased policing in Phoenix prompts gathering in support of the victims

By TERRY TANG
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Supporters of over two dozen alleged victims of civil rights violations at the hands of Phoenix police plan to speak out a day after a scathing Justice Department report. Jarrett Maupin, a Phoenix activist known for working with victims alleging police brutality, will hold the gathering in the city’s downtown Friday afternoon. The sweeping federal probe accuses the police force in the nation’s fifth-largest city of discriminating against Black, Hispanic and Native American people, unlawfully detaining homeless people and using excessive force. The union representing the Phoenix Police Department’s rank-and-file officers has called the report a “farce.” The report does not mention any plans for court-enforced reform.