Talking About Sureshbhai Patel’s Case & Police Brutality: The #Justice4MrPatel Conversation

Pavani Yalamanchili

News, Politics

A national conversation about Sureshbhai Patel and police brutality took place online last week when South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) and 18 Million Rising hosted a Google hangout on March 22. The speakers involved also discussed connections between Patel’s case and the Movement for Black Lives and a broader call for police accountability.

justice4mrpatel

While visiting Madison, Alabama, from India in February 2015, Sureshbhai Patel took a morning walk in his son’s neighborhood. The 57-year-old Patel was seriously injured after an encounter with police officers responding to a neighbor’s call about a “skinny black guy” walking suspiciously in the neighborhood. Officer Eric Parker slammed Patel to the ground, leaving him partially paralyzed. After a national outcry and public apology from the Alabama governor, Patel’s case resulted in two mistrials. In January 2016 a federal judge acquitted Parker in the civil rights suit against him, a case in which the defense attorney made an issue of Patel’s immigration status, lack of ID card on the walk, and English language abilities.

Suman Raghunathan of SAALT moderated last week’s discussion, which included an update from Chirag Patel on his father’s condition, an update on the case, and discussion of how South Asian families and communities can discuss police brutality and the Movement for Black Lives. Watch video of the event below, and check out some of the comments on Twitter from the speakers and others who joined the #Justice4MrPatel conversation.

Speakers included:

  • Bhavani Kakani, president of Asha Kiran, founded to serve people of North Alabama in providing confidential, culturally sensitive assistance and services to South Asians and others that are experiencing “crisis” situations
  • Deepa Iyer, senior fellow with the Center for Social Inclusion, a national policy strategy organization whose mission is to dismantle structural racism
  • Purvi Shah, Bertha Justice Institute director with the Center for Constitutional Rights, a non-profit legal and educational organization committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change
  • Fahd Ahmed, executive director of Desis Rising Up and Moving, an NYC multigenerational, membership led organization of low-wage South Asian immigrant workers and youth
  • Sasha W., director of organizing with the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), a federation of LGBTQ Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander organizations

https://twitter.com/SAPrasanna/status/712358088226041856

https://twitter.com/SAPrasanna/status/712360744675893248

https://twitter.com/taniappleseed/status/712366874474848256

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