In 1991, Shakur had been walking at what’s long been rumored as the intersection of 17th and Broadway in downtown Oakland when he was stopped by officers for jaywalking. What happened next was recounted by Shakur in an interview with hip-hop journalist Davey D:
Davey D: Can talk about your recent encounter with police brutality at the hands of the Oakland PD?
2Pac: We’re letting the law do its job. It’s making its way through the court system. We filed a claim.
Davey D: Recount the incident for those who don’t know.
2Pac: For everyone who doesn’t know, I, an innocent young black male, was walking down the streets of Oakland minding my own business and the police department saw fit for me to be trained or snapped back into my place. So they asked for my ID and sweated me about my name because my name is “Tupac.” My final words to them was “f— y’all.” Next thing I know I was in a chokehold passing out with cuffs on, headed for jail for resisting arrest. Yes, you heard right — I was arrested for resisting arrest.
Davey D: Where is all this now?
2Pac: We’re in the midst of having a $10 million dollar lawsuit against the Oakland Police Department. If I win and get the money, then the Oakland Police department is going to buy a Boys Home, me a house, my family a house, and a ‘Stop Police Brutality Center’ and other little odd things like that.
Key Findings:
  • Police killed at least 104 unarmed black people in 2015, nearly twice each week. (See which police departments were responsible for these deaths)
  • Nearly 1 in 3 black people killed by police in 2015 were identified as unarmed, though the actual number is likely higher due to underreporting
  • 36% of unarmed people killed by police were black in 2015 despite black people being only 13% of the U.S. population
  • Unarmed black people were killed at 5x the rate of unarmed whites in 2015
  • Only 13 of the 104 cases in 2015 where an unarmed black person was killed by police resulted in officer(s) being charged with a crime. 4 of these cases have ended in a mistrial or charges against the officer(s) being dropped and 4 cases are still awaiting trial or have a trial underway. Only 4 cases (Matthew Ajibade, Eric Harris, Paterson Brown Jr., and William Chapman) have resulted in convictions of officers involved, with a fifth case (Walter Scott) resulting in the officer pleading guilty.
  • Of the 4 cases where the officer(s) involved have been convicted and sentenced, none were sentenced to serve more than 4 years in prison. Only 1 of 2 officers convicted for their involvement in Matthew Ajibade's death received jail time. He was sentenced to 1 year in jail and allowed to serve this time exclusively on weekends. The officer who killed Paterson Brown was sentenced to only 3 months in jail. Deputy Bates, who killed Eric Harris, was sentenced to 4 years in prison and Officer Cobb, who killed William Chapman, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. Officer Slager, who killed Walter Scott and pled guilty, has yet to be sentenced.
via mappingpoliceviolence.org