Black Father Tasered by Cops After Seeking Second Medical Opinion for Child

Incident at Children's Hospital

• 👨‍⚕️ LaDarius Butler and his partner sought a second medical opinion for their son's shortness of breath at Children's Hospital Colorado.
• 🏥 Hospital staff called the police on Butler after the parents decided to take their child elsewhere due to conflicting medical advice and feeling pressured.
• 📱 Instead of contacting the parents directly, police used a tracking device to locate their vehicle in a Walmart parking lot.

Aggressive Police Response

• 🚨 Police treated Butler as a high-risk suspect, pinning his car with patrol vehicles and ordering him out at gunpoint.
• ⚡ Butler was tased and handcuffed despite not resisting arrest, causing him to fall and scream in pain.
• ⚖️ He was arrested on a false charge of obstruction, which was later dismissed.
• 🗣️ Butler's attorney stated the incident could have been resolved with a simple phone call, criticizing the police department's choice of a "SWAT-style ambush."

Pattern of Police Misconduct

• 💔 The Aurora Police Department has a history of similar incidents, including shooting and killing another Black man, Kylin Lewis, the day after Butler's arrest.
• 💸 In 2019, the department settled a $15 million lawsuit with the family of Elijah Mclan, whom officers killed.
• 📜 The Aurora Police Department is currently under a consent decree due to a "pattern and practice of violating state and federal law through racially biased policing."
• 🔍 Specific officers, including Caleb Carella, have been named in previous lawsuits involving excessive force and misconduct.

Systemic Issues and Reform

• 📉 The frequent changes in police chiefs suggest a failure to transform the department's culture.
• ✊ The discussion highlights the need for deeper reform beyond just changing leadership, emphasizing the removal of problematic officers.
• 🌍 The events in Aurora are presented as a microcosm of a larger, systemic problem within law enforcement that requires national attention and a fundamental addressing of cultural issues.