Last February an Alabama police officer was indicted on a charge of using unreasonable force against an Indian man, Sureshbhai Patel, 57.   Patel had come from India to help care for his infant grandson; he was stopped by police on the morning of Feb. 6, after a neighbor reported what they thought was a suspicious figure. When police approached Patel, who speaks little English, he was unable to answer their questions about what he was doing in the area, and was suddenly slammed to the ground, suffering severe injuries.

Last Friday a judge declared a mistrial of the police officer, after jurors failed to break an impasse.  The defense attorney said the confrontation was an unfortunate escalation of police tactics and not a criminal offense. Half the jury agreed, despite the fact that Patel was quietly minding his own business and couldn’t understand police questions.  US district judge Madeline Hughes Haikala had asked the jurors to consider how important the case was ( apparently, not very. Ed.), how expensive it has been financially and emotionally for everyone involved (especially for Mr.Patel! Ed.) and the possibility that it’s not certain a retrial would result in a stronger prosecution or defense.

Advice to foreign visitors: do not visit Alabama; if you have to and have dark skin, walk with your hands in the air and have comprehensive medical insurance.  You are apparently not “secure from unreasonable seizure, which includes the right to be free from unreasonable force by someone acting under color of law,” to quote the Justice Department.