LETTER: There’s no justification for this police beating

In response to Kenneth Braun’s Thursday letter (“Gas on fire”) justifying the actions of the Memphis police officers when they recently beat a young man to death:

Mr. Braun would have us believe that five police officers could not subdue an unarmed man without beating him to death. There is no evidence that the victim was under the influence of any drugs that would imbue him with superhuman strength. But there is video evidence that clearly shows the victim being dragged from his car and viciously assaulted by the police despite his attempts to comply with their orders.

As for the victim’s attempt to flee, who among us would not have attempted to get away if we were being savagely beaten for no good reason?

Mr. Braun claims to have been a police officer for 20 years. He is the last person in the world who should have been vested with policing powers.