Let’s kick off this edition with the 1995 story of a Black undercover police officer named Michael Cox who was chasing a shooting suspect in Boston when he was hit from behind by another cop on scene. “Several police officers punched and kicked him after Cox fell to the ground, beating him until he fell unconscious. After realizing Cox was actually one of them, the officers ran away. Cox spent six months recovering from the beating, according to the Boston Globe. His attempts to report what happened to him and figure out who was responsible resulted in years of harassment from his fellow officers, including slashed tires and late night telephone calls to family members.” Why focus on a case of police brutality that took place nearly three decades ago? Because Michael Cox was just named as the new Commissioner of the Boston Police Department. Cox encountered the blue wall of silence and he climbed right over it.

+ Boston Globe: Michael Cox named new Boston police commissioner.