Victim of Police Brutality to speak at CSU-Pueblo March 2

PUEBLO - A Denver man who survived an extreme case of police brutality in 2009 will share his experience on March 2 during an evening of truth and justice sponsored by the Colorado State University-Pueblo Library, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and the Office of Diversity & Inclusion. Alex Landau and two poets, Jibrail Dibble and Samantha Cush, will be the featured speakers beginning at 7 p.m., March 2, in Library and Academic Resources Center 109.

Alex Landau survived an extreme case of police brutality in 2009 in Denver. Adopted by a white family at a young age and never having a "bad" experience with police, Landau could never have imagined the events that would happen to him. Landau was pulled over for what officers stated was an "illegal left hand turn." The officers asked him to exit the car, where he was pat down and asked to wait on the sidewalk while the passenger, a white male, also was asked to exit the car. The officers found marijuana on the passenger and proceeded to handcuff Landau and search his car. When Landau asked if they had a warrant, the scene changed as the enraged officers began their brutality.

On March 2, Landau will account for the violence that ensued that evening, his recovery from the many physical injuries, the hurt his family experienced, and his current mission to advocate against racism and police brutality. His mother, Patsy Hathaway, never dreamed that she would have to teach her child "how to act with police." Now a retired teacher, Hathaway joins her son in advocating against police brutality.

The night also will feature two CSU-Pueblo poets, Jibrail Dibble and Samantha Cush, to help express the importance of Landau's fight against injustices, particularly those affecting communities of color.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Assistant Professor Colleen Hackett at 719.549.2138 or at colleen.hackett@csupueblo.edu.

Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.