The Inner Core; Conversations from the Inner Core; Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Abram's narrative of arrest and jail treatment by Milwaukee police

The Abrams narrative is a tape recorded account by Eugene Abrams and Mrs. Abrams. His arrest by Milwaukee police on September 9th. Mr. Abrams is a counselor at the Milwaukee Educational Opportunity Center which is a federally funded project jointly sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Marquette University and the Milwaukee Institute of Technology. This center is located in Milwaukee's inner core w A-J radio and television are in the process of collecting material for an extensive series of programs on the problems of the inner core. The following accounts by Mr. and Mrs. Abrams came to our attention as a result of our efforts in this area. The recordings were made on the afternoon of September 20th. Saturday night. September 9th My wife and I went to St. Boniface early in the evening. To see if we could be of any assistance from the first aid room. There was no need for us we stayed approximately a half an hour. We came home. We were home by

8:30 watch TV I think my wife was watching this America. I watched the cop show until 10:30. Went back to. St. Boniface. I have been very busy with my work I haven't been marching but certainly in sympathy. Therefore any time I can go back to same buying office. They have a doctor in attendance all the time certainly I'm not qualified for medical aid but I can certainly hold somebody or. Take a sock off while the doctor does the more important thing. So I've. Helped in the first aid given other assistance around the church. Even worse incident and reckless. In retrospect. I had. Not cashed the check I was broke so I took a dollar a quarter from my wife when I left the house and this will come up a story as we go I left same benefits

after about an hour I'd say approximately 11 to 11:30. Spoke with Dr. Randy Pollard in the parking lot for about 10 minutes and. Proceeded to leave three kids were in front and I. Going north I drop going south I dropped him in eleventh and Meineke proceeded to turn left. And just as I approached the corner of 12th and Meineke. With my right turn indicator on a police van crossed the intersection ahead of me. I was forced to stop because of congestion further up the block I don't know what caused it whether they were marches or. Traffic. Trouble. But. It was able to just clear the intersection. And his tailgate probably had just cleared the crosswalk. A red car containing 5 or 6 negroes followed him into the intersection and was forced to stop and there was another car which I do not remember behind the red car.

Eight policemen and a sergeant jumped out of the back of the van and immediately started directing. The red car to turn left told him he couldn't proceed. They were fairly abusive to the kids in the car and the kids were abusive. Right back. A very young officer. Almost looked like a rookie approached me and by the way not one officer at the scene wore a badge. All in uniform and very uniform some in blues some in motorcycles. Uniforms all uniform please but none of them. Had a bad day. There were young. Officer almost look like a rookie he approached me. On my passenger side. And told me I could not turn right I would have to get there go straight or left. And I said Yes sir I will but are you an officer. And he said yes I am a policeman. I said well I don't see a badge. And he looked a little before he just walked away.

A few minutes later coming from the red car where they were. Having a heated exchange. A motorcycle officer in a black jacket approached me on the. Driver's side. And told me I would. Have to turn left. At this point there was still no way to move. The car behind the red car was just barely backing up. A lot of traffic the red car hadn't moved yet so everybody was still sitting there. I. Told the officer that. But are you an officer sir. And this seemed to irritate him. He said Yes I am it says so on my head out. He had a decal on the riot hat I said I don't see a badge are you when I get there sir. With this he said let me see your driver's license. I said gladly. I hope when I show it to you you will show me your badge. And I. Opened the door. Stood up unfair Farrelly fact I had. To stand up to get my driver's

license as soon as I opened the door and step it up he hit me. Knocked me back into. The V between the open door and the door he. Knocked me back and pulled me forward. What other star told in my comment was I just don't believe it. At with this he and two other officers. Jumped right in a bit and I went down. Immediately. I was on my back. And by this time there were at least five. The oldest officer in the group. Had my. Right index finger band completely back. One officer which I probably will never be able to identify had me by the throat and was choking me and had trouble breathing. The officer in the motorcycle jacket was pounding my left ribs. I was being hit on the legs but this. I think

was of minor consequence. I think. Each time I got hit. I'd say I can't believe it and each time I uttered I can't believe I was hit again and hit harder. All this time I was still prone on the ground. On my back. Held down by the throat and somebody. Had what I had and was pounding my head. Later I can remember being turned over on my stomach and I can remember a Billy in my back. I can remember. Feet and hands in my ribs. I can't remember whether it was a Shelley. Witnesses have now told me. There were Billie's. From one of the bruises on the leg. I just don't think that this. Calf bruise would have been a.

Face this probably was a Billy but with the pain I was getting elsewhere this was minor. I can clearly remember one Billie in the middle of the back. But I think that's the later part of the story. I think at this point the worst of it was the choking. I was unable to breathe and passed out. I don't know how long I was out. But when I came to I was rolled over and I came to urinating. It was quite an eerie feeling that I had no desire. To avoid. And yet I felt myself going no control of either. Wanting to or not wanting to. And the warmth just woke me up. And at this time I woke up with one hand tied behind my back but I was still getting in at the ribs. At this this is the point I remember the billy in the back.

Whether I was getting. Again Billy fist. Or feet in the ribs. I don't know. But at this time they had both hands behind my back. Cuffed. Cuffed in a very painful position. I. Don't know whether the cuffs were twisted. But I still have and this is the tenth day I still have some elements of the bruise from the cuff. Certainly I would say that the cuff was put on not for restraint. But to inflict pain. A sergeant was there at the beginning. A sergeant was there at the end. I do not know if the sergeant took part in the beating. But certainly he did nothing.

To stop it. After I found that it was useless to say that I can't believe it. And each yell of help brought more. Blows. I remember before passing out saying where is your officer. And I think after that I passed out. I came to being dragged up. Put into a van and at this time I saw the only two bad officers. In the whole experience. The bad officers were just in the receiving way and they took no part in the. Beating. On the way down. The officer that hit me first came to the station. He said the charges were profanity to an officer also on the way down.

At this time I still wonder whether they knew I was white. Or whether they thought I was dark. Certainly Mr. Finlay who was in from the end a boy CPA in Chicago was probably as light as I am. In fact some witnesses think that I may have been mistaken for him. We both. Approximately the same complection. But the officer took a great deal of delight in the way I got him as far as saying. That the Communists were trying to take over. And there were many derogatory remarks towards the civil rights movement in general. We got to the station. And probably five minutes elapsed between arriving at the bottom. In the garage on the drive in level and waiting for the caged elevator to go up stairs. Approximately 30 to 40 officers are in this area coming and going

and when the remark was made that he was brought in from the vicinity of St. Boniface us. Obscenities were being yelled out. Officers would start shouting I want my freedom now. Ain't nobody going to turn me around. Singing excerpt from civil rights signs. Looking at this I can really now understand the hate that is bred within the kids that I deal with. Something I have sensed I felt I've articulated I've lectured at. Any chance I had but I really have had the first experience. In seeing how. The youngsters feel that the law doesn't pertain to them.

I could understand that if I were a black man. I would walk out of that building. With absolutely no confidence in the structure of law or the police department or frankly what. I have very little. All of these obscenities took place within earshot of ranking officers sergeants lieutenants in the site. We went upstairs and I was fairly groggy. Fairly quick being booked again. And I was booked on a charge of disorderly conduct. At this time I asked for a phone call and I was rather afraid to call my wife. I thought she'd get panicky and I knew there is only one call. I called Reverend. I work with him at the university and I felt that he could call a lawyer a doctor and my wife. I reached the IC. I repeated three times four times that I was at the fifth floor of the safety

building. And. I told him that I needed medical help I told him to call Dr. Pollard because I had just left Dr. Pollard. I tell and again fifth floor safety building. While I was on the phone I passed out. The next thing I can remember was being dragged by both arms on the floor. From the phone. Came to being dragged. And both officers are yelling bull. We've seen the fake before. And both you're faking. I must of passed out again because I. Was on the floor. In cell number five in a very painful position. I was able to get myself to the Banshee I was unable to lay out the bandage but I. Was able to find some comfort propping myself into a

position. As long as I kept my ribs upright. I had some comfort. I was there approximately an hour hour and a quarter hour and a half. When. The officers came. And said someone is here to see. I extended both hands asking for help in getting up. And again I get the same reply. You're faking. They took me to the window to see. Rev.. And he had told me what a difficult time he had in locating. He had called First District. I was told I wasn't there. Told to try Forth and Locust 24th and Wells someone told me my wife was trying that he had located Dr. Pollard but Dr. Pollard was staying at home. Until they could advise him of the location and he would proceed to meet us and no one could identify where were at

and he had finally found my car and found a witness and the witness told him that it was 1st District and finally insisting that the First District. He got up to see me. I was very uncomfortable on my feet and I passed out. Again. Laying there on the floor I came around when I felt him grab my arms are a very sharp pain and movement of arms. This brought me around. I could hear Dick yelling that man needs help. And again the officer One officer is yelling both He's faking. And the other one. Venomously is yelling I'm your knees and pray to the priest. And repeating this about five times to the cell. Got back in the saddle again. And no help in getting the bandage. About. 10 to 15 minutes later two

uniformed badge on badge officers by the way. The officers inside the lockup who shouted the obscenities were badness. But I could certainly identify one. The look of hate anger ignorance in his face. I will always remember two uniformed bad officers came into the cell and said they were taking me to a doctor. And I said notify the family where you're taking me. I knew that they had had a great deal of trouble locating me and I knew that. Once they had found me it shouldn't be long before we had a doctor and a lawyer. So he said this will all be taken care of and I said no. Call them now. He said we can't do that we're only taking you. I said please call them all pay for the call he said this is all automatic. I said if you don't call them I won't go he said then you're

refusing medical attention. I said I'm not refusing medical attention I need it but I want them to know where what hospital I'm going to. He said they will find out. I said I will not go. He said All right I'm going to mark your card refusing medical attention. And they took me back to the cell. Again the jailer started he was faking all the time he doesn't need. A doctor. At this point it only took 15 or 20 minutes until they came up. And took me down for release. My family was down there arranged bond. And they took me right into Deaconess Hospital Dr. Pollard and made arrangements to be examined and then he came in and met me there. And. After I checked in about 4:00 between 4:00 and 4:30 in the morning. So this whole ordeal went through from about roughly 11:30 at night.

Until 4:30 in the morning without medical attention. And the only reply to any pain at all with fake. I had three broken ribs. I'm completely bound right now I'll be bound for another three weeks. The. Bruises on my hand. Thumb was completely discolored and unable to move for about the first for not thumb but index finger black and blue on one. One legged neck was completely. Very great difficulty in swallowing almost stayed liquid. As far as food the first day just. Barely able to swallow. By the way I was booked on. I was booked on. Disorderly conduct. The human responded I said there would be something universe at the beginning of the story my wife's first contact with the lieutenant.