PRESS RELEASE
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Xavier Ingram vs. Camden City Police Department
Zav Ingram was a 20 year old young man in the summer of 2014. He lived in an area of Camden that still resembles parts of war torn Afghanistan. If you stand at the corner of 7th and Chestnut Streets and draw a 5 block radius you will not see a playground, basketball court, pal center, community center, park bench, blade of grass, flower, bush or tree. There was nothing there that hot summer evening and Zav and his friends did what they always did: they hung out in the courtyard.
Only on this summer day three Camden County Policemen dressed for battle marched into the court and caused the kids to scatter. Zav knew he had an outstanding warrant on a dmv charge and so he calmly walked toward the corner Bodega to wait for a friend and avoid the cops. But the cops followed him. When he came out of the Bodega he was rushed by them and he panicked. So he ran. But not a long way. He ran down the street and ended up slipping onto the ground where he raised his arms in surrender. After all – it was just a motor vehicle violation.
But the cops were not satisfied. They kicked and punched him and stomped on his back and neck. When he screamed that he hurt and couldn’t feel his legs they hoisted him up to pat him down and look for the non-existent drugs and the non-existent gun and they dropped him on his face in the middle of the street. He was paralyzed and couldn’t hold his own body weight. Eventually, after leaning him against one of the cops knees for the “pat down” he was lowered to the ground and the ambulance arrived.
Zav would never walk again. Or move his arms. Or move his feet. Or hug his grandmother or his girlfriend. He has been in this awful state of demise living in nursing care facilities for 8 years while the officers of the law who caused this tragedy got merit badges for doing a great job and lied on police reports to cover their own butts. They claim he fell and caused his own injury. He broke his own neck and his own back because he was such a klutz; all 6’ 160 lbs of sinew and youthful muscle.
It took 8 years to get this case to trial. 8 years during which people protested about George Floyd, Amad Arbury, Breanna Taylor and every other cop killing. Maybe if he had died he’d get the recognition he needed. Instead he is living a hell on earth as his body deteriorates and the police claim it was his own damn fault.
That trial started today. It will go on for 4 weeks in Courtroom D4 of the Federal Court House in Camden. Hopefully the jury will recognize the dirty tricks, lies, improper police procedure, improper training, and atmosphere of duplicity that surrounds these three officers, the head of the department and the entire system that has covered this up while he rots in bed unable to do anything on his own.
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Editor’s Note: After several weeks of trial, the jury is hung, click here for the latest update: https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/2022/03/29/xavier-ingram-camden-county-police-paralysis-lawsuit-deadlock/7210840001/