Another report from the San Jose March to Ban Tasers

The taser is popularly known as an "alternative" to the use of firearms in dangerous situations, however if an officer's wellbeing is threatenned they are trained to shoot at center mass of the suspect with a pistol. That makes the use of the taser simply an escalation of force which police use on anyone they feel to not be complying fast enough or politely enough.

268 people have been killed by law enforcement with tasers since 2001 in the U.S. Police and authoritarian "hang 'em high" types say that the numbers are lower and are irrelevant since the people were not "innocent" because they were drunk or on drugs or just disobeyed the police, however civil libertarians and human rights organizations are starting to take this issue more seriously:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jNtoNb-8KkgY3hUz58buVCxMFdoQ

Community members gathered to hear the stories of survivors of police abuse and to show their support.

Lisa Martinez lost her brother Samuel Martinez to the SJPD when they responded to a domestic dispute where he was initially tased and then shot to death. Lisa continues to work to hold the police accountable for the murder of her brother.

Marlo, his brother, and his mother were attacked brutally by the SJPD this February.

Stephen has been working for police accountability for some time but has been arrested twice while watching the police.

Attorney with the Asian Law Alliance of Santa Clara County. The Asian Law Alliance has been working against police brutality since the killing Cau Bich Tran in 2003 by the SJPD.

Notice the crosshairs in the middle of the logo

Noreen has been organizing to demand a full disclosure of the circumstances of her father's death and has shown tremendous strength in her fight.