In Essen-Leithe, on the evening of April 8, the police were filmed brutally arresting a naked man in a park. In the video, which was filmed by an eyewitness and "Der Westen" was leaked, you can probably see the defenseless man being beaten bloody with batons by up to seven different cops for six minutes. Tasers and a biting police dog were also used because the police, reportedly outnumbered, felt threatened by the naked and unarmed man. According to the police officers, he behaved aggressively towards them and attacked them. However, this could be refuted in an interview with the filming eyewitness, namely, the man hid in a bush from the cops when the police dog rushed towards him and bit his calf.

The fact that the Essen police are known for their excesses of violence is nothing new, and the fact that the Bochum police are investigating is nothing new in such a case. What is new is the scope of the discussion and the possible punishment of the cops involved. There is no question that it is the result of the long battle that has been and is still being waged on precisely this issue in Essen over the last few years. Because police violence and arbitrariness already have a continuity in this city. There are numerous cases of individuals, mostly migrants and part of the deepest and broadest masses, who have already felt the full brunt of the cops' terror. This violence also ended fatally in two cases. In 2019 Adel B. was shot in his hallway, in 2017 the same thing happened to Mikael Haile.

In order to cover up these acts, video evidence was deleted and lied about in the Adel case. In the Mikael case, important parts of the investigation file were “lost”. Another case came to light in the summer of 2020, when a Nigerian family was beaten, harassed and chased through the city by the cops. The daughter of the family recorded some scenes with the cell phone, which was then stolen by the cops, who demanded that she erase all recordings. And if all that wasn't enough, the police also reported the family.

These cases spawned struggles to demand justice and education for the victims, and to ensure that the police cannot continue to terrorize, beat and murder the masses as they see fit. Demonstrations, rallies and the distribution of leaflets drew attention to the actions of the police in the various cases, and this ultimately created a climate that prevents the police from simply continuing undisturbed as before. For example, the family from Nigeria was able to win their case and was acquitted. And the discussion about the most recent case shows this clearly. Three years ago that would have been unthinkable, the video could still show such brutal scenes - the police would have absolutely nothing to fear. But the fight shows first successes, even if it has not yet ended police violence, because this can only happen through the destruction of the exploiting classes, the police officers have to fear consequences and realize that they are being watched on their fingers and their repressive measures are in vain. It is not due to the good will of a judge, but the result of a long fight and this shows that the fight changes reality.