At-large council candidate Stephen Ward hosted a press conference May 18 to decry the actions of two Toledo police officers.

Ward said Toledo police beat up 14-year-old Trevor Casey on May 15 at the Brand Whitlock housing projects because he allegedly did not move fast enough when police told him to get off an apartment stoop.

Ward, a minister, said not all police are bad, but some are abusing their powers.

“This is not an issue of race; it’s an issue of power,” Ward told the media and residents who gathered where the alleged assault took place. The two officers involved were black.

He went onto say that the city needs to get rid of those who abuse their power. Police are supposed to protect and serve the citizens of Toledo, even if morale is low and stress is high because of the recent police layoffs, he said.

Casey’s older brother, Vincent, spoke at the press conference, too. He said the family has retained attorney Lafe Tolliver and referred questions to him. Vincent did say that his brother is not an angel, but he is not a criminal, either. The family has filed a complaint with the police department.

“He never caused too much trouble,” Vincent said … “I believe he didn’t move as fast as [the police] wanted.”

As of this posting, no official response has been issued by Toledo Police.

The press conference may be viewed here.

Part of the alleged abuse, caught on videotape by a neighbor, may be viewed here.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 18th, 2009 at 3:42 pm and is filed under Breaking News, City of Toledo, Community.
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