What Is Abner Loima A Victim Of The Worst Crime

INTRODUCTION

On Saturday, August 9, 1997, nearly twenty (20) years ago, Haitian immigrant Abner Louima made a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life. When he left his apartment in the East-Flatbush section of Brooklyn, accompanied by his younger brother and an older cousin, he had no idea that his life would be forever changed. He would become victim to an unspeakable, grotesque, dreadful and inhumane act of violence that would not only shock the conscience of the world community but would forever leave him with the stigma of having been the victim of the worst crime in the history of police brutality in New York City.

Abner Louima was born in Haiti. He immigrated to the United States. Like most immigrants from Haiti, Louima was looking for an opportunity for a better life. He settled in East-Flatbush section of Brooklyn, an enclave of Haitian immigrants. He worked as a security guard to support himself and his young wife. He was a happy-go-lucky young black man from Haiti, impervious to police brutality or crime in general.

The Rendez-Vous night club is located on Flatbush Avenue. It was known for its dance parties with

I then threatened to kill him if he told anybody." (Justin Volpe Guilty Plea - Trial record, 5-26-99).

Judge Nickerson inquired further: "When you hit him were his hands cuffed behind his back" to which Volpe responded, "I believe they were your honor." The Judge continued "Were his hands cuffed behind his back when you inserted the stick into his rectum in the station house bathroom" to which Volpe responded "Yes." Judge Nickerson asked Volpe whether he had forced the stick into Louima's mouth after ramming it into his rectum. Volpe admitted putting the stick into Louima's mouth.
What possessed a man to commit such heinous crime against another human being is a question that social scientists could be debating for