"A Kern County, California, SWAT team shot and killed my father, Lyle Federman, in 1998. He had no criminal record. He was accused of no crime. The police had no warrant. He was an eccentric, nature-loving computer programmer that wanted to be left alone. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a jury could find that the police "used excessive force" and violated his constitutional rights when they broke into his home and shot him 18 times while "he was surrendering...""
"Antisemitism was also at play. Before my father was killed, he was antagonistically asked if he was Christian after the officer had already been told he was a rabbi and Jewish (the officer admitted to this in deposition testimony). That's why it rattled me to learn that Border Patrol field leader Gregory Bovino allegedly mocked a Minnesota U.S. attorney's Orthodox faith and Shabbat observance just one day before six career federal prosecutors reportedly resigned over the Justice Department's handling of Renee Good's killing."
A Kern County SWAT team shot and killed Lyle Federman in 1998 despite his lack of criminal history, accusations, or a warrant. Officers broke into his home and shot him 18 times while he was surrendering, and the Ninth Circuit held that a jury could find excessive force and constitutional violations. Reporting and media have exposed Kern County brutality and corruption. Antisemitic treatment preceded the killing, and recent allegations about a Border Patrol leader mocking an Orthodox prosecutor echo religious bias concerns. Watching contemporary police-violence footage retraumatizes survivors and obscures systemic causes when attention fixes only on final frames.
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