Daniel Prude: another unarmed black man suffocated to death by police.

George Floyd, the black man whose murder had sparked global outrage, protests all around the world for Black Lives. But did the anger burst protest remoulded anything?

Just 100 days down the line since the incident, a new case, with a new victim face; but the same old story popped up. This raises the question all over again, Do Black Lives Matter to the American cops? Why are police officers being so barbarous with black people?

Daniel Prude, the black man who died of asphyxiation

2 months before the murder of George Floyd, 30 March, Daniel Prude 41 died on a life support system. The matter stayed undercover until now when his family; in a news conference shared a video captured by police body cameras.

Daniel Prude, a warehouse worker and father of five, was visiting his brother in Rochester. Loss of mother and a brother had traumatized Mr Prude. Due to which, he was facing some mental health sickness. His brother, Joe, said in the conference that due to his acute mental health problem he called 911 on 23 march for some help.

The video found, shows him running naked on the road. Police handcuffed him eight-minute before the incident that costed him his life. The police in the streets of New York’s third-largest city covered an unarmed man’s face with ‘spit hood’, for two minutes.

They released him after one of the cops said: “He feels pretty cold” as could be heard in the video. Before putting him in the ambulances, medics were seen performing CPR on Mr Prude in the video.

The case came into light after Mr Prude’s family asked for the postmortem report. In the report, his death was said homicide and the medical examiner reported the reason for death “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint.”

What is police’s say in defence for the black man’s death?

When the same incident depicted by the police’s prospect, it still does not seem any different. One of the police officers amongst all who were present at the spot says, covering his head was for their own safety.

In the video, it can be seen that Mr Prude capitulated when the police instructed him to lie on the ground while keeping his hand at the back of his head. To this on the video, he can be heard saying “sure thing, sure thing.”

Mr Prude seems perturbed, but he was also not offering any scrimmage to the police. The police officer, in defence, said that he was spitting and they were afraid of coronavirus, therefore to defend themselves they covered his face with spit hood.

One of the officers was also seen covering Mr Prude’s mouth with both his hands and shouting, “Stop spitting.”

The case came so late in media concern because not the footage nor the reports were made public. After months of struggle, pressure from the Prude family’s lawyer forced police to reveals the footages and true reason for the death of the victim.

After the case came into light, protestors accumulated outside the Public Safety Building where police had to use pepper spray and pepper balls to control the crowd. The protestors were demanding some strict action against all the police officers involved in the incident that led to the death of an innocent, unarmed black man.

Black Lives Matter

After being hospitalized, Mr Prude was put on life support system but after 7 days from the confrontation on 30 March, he passed away. Now when the case is in media, protests of Black Lives Matter have ragged. Protesters accumulated at different places. A large block party formed at the place where Mr prude was arrested. Protestors said, that they would not leave until the police officers involved, get fired.

9 people were also arrested form the Public Safety Building for crowding the place. Ashley Gantt, one of the organisers of Black Lives Matter says; “We want the larger community to know this is not something that happens in other cities, in other states, it happens right here in Rochester.”

Elliot Shields, Mr Prude’s family attorney also disclosed the name of officers involved in the incident; Paul Ricotta; Officer Andrew Specksgoor; Josiah Harris; Officer Troy Talladay; and Sgt. Michael Magri.

After the pressure build-up by the Black Lives Matter protesters’ straight 2-day protest; the mayor of Rochester suspended seven police officers who were involved in the incident with Daniel Prude.

Such cruel, inhumane behaviour of police for the black man is not new, in the past, there have been many such cases. The unfortunate demise of Daniel Prude, have filled people with anger. The case could have been different if instead of police, medics would have been called who know how to handle people with mental illness. Mr Prude might have been alive today.

Joe Prude, brother of Daniel Prude said in the media conference, “I placed a phone call for my brother to get help, not for my brother to get lynched.”