NYPD Oficer Shot in the Face, Were's the Outrage?...
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Where is the outrage? Who in the black communities across America is protesting or rioting because of this criminal act of violence by a black man against a 25 year old police officer simply doing his job? Where are the voices of black reason crying out against this heinous act of unprovoked violence? Where I ask. Who is standing for the good officers that do their jobs honorably protecting citizens daily. Where? Who?
Continue reading the story BELOW THE FOLD.
Via: Memeorandum
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Purveyor of Truth
The New York Times - A New York City police officer in plain clothes was shot in the face and critically wounded on Saturday in Queens after driving up in an unmarked car to question a man on the street, officials said.
The officer, Brian Moore, 25, was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was listed in critical but stable condition, the police commissioner, William J. Bratton, said at a news conference at the hospital late Saturday as Officer Moore remained in surgery.
On Sunday morning, Demetrius Blackwell, 35, was charged with one count of attempted murder, one of assault and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called the shooting an “unconscionable act of violence” and “a reminder of the dangers that all of our officers face every single day.”
Officer Moore was shot around 6:15 p.m. on 212th Street in Queens Village, said the police. He and Erik Jansen, both anti-crime officers, were in a car with Officer Moore at the wheel near 104th Avenue when they approached a man who was “walking and adjusting an object in his waistband” and began speaking with him, Mr. Bratton said.
Almost immediately, officials said, the suspect fired at the plainclothes officers before they could step from the car or return fire. Witnesses described hearing at least two shots, according to the chief of detectives, Robert K. Boyce. The wounded officer was rushed to the hospital by other officers.
By late Saturday, Mr. Blackwell had been taken into custody at a house near the shooting after an intensive 90-minute search, Mr. Bratton said. “He resides on that block,” Mr. Bratton said, but was located in a home that was not his own.
Mr. Bratton described Mr. Blackwell as a man with a history of arrests — including robbery and criminal possession of a weapon — and said that he had served time in prison.
Mr. Bratton said that officers had been seeking Mr. Blackwell, who lives a block away from the site of the shooting, on 104th Avenue, to speak with him in connection with a crime, though whether he was a suspect or a witness was not immediately clear.
Where is the outrage? Who in the black communities across America is protesting or rioting because of this criminal act of violence by a black man against a 25 year old police officer simply doing his job? Where are the voices of black reason crying out against this heinous act of unprovoked violence? Where I ask. Who is standing for the good officers that do their jobs honorably protecting citizens daily. Where? Who?
Continue reading the story BELOW THE FOLD.
Via: Memeorandum
Visit this linked site and consider deeply the message the post is sending. It should move us all.
It sounds like the man who did it has been arrested and charged. That's the way the system is supposed to work. Outrage occurs when the perpetrators are continually allowed to get away with their crimes. Am I missing something here? Am not sure why you are even asking the question.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Jerry. The police can and do expect violence from criminals. But should unarmed citizens expect violence from the police? If you make eye contact with a cop and run away or run when pulled over for a nonfunctioning brake light should you expect to have your spine severed or get shot in the back? Aren't the police supposed to be preventing violence rather than perpetrating it?
DeleteAnd the police are paid with our tax dollars and therefore work for us. So protesting police violence might actually have an effect. Whereas I doubt criminals are going to listen if citizens protest their unlawful behavior.
So, yeah, the point of asking why nobody is protesting is definitely lost on me.
Just making a point. No big deal. One I'm thinking will be lost on many.
ReplyDeleteOh well, it is what it is.
Kind of thing happens, Les, when you get the blatant racism of protesters with signs who insist that only the lives of members of one race matter. And... such hypocrites... the protesters show up to protest when the police kill someone, but when criminals/gangs kill someone (far more numerous) it's no big deal at all.
DeleteAnyway, let's look at the problem of killings in the US by cops. According to the FBI and other sources, in 2011, an example year, the count ranges from 166 to 607 of those killed by cops.
How many were killed by gangs in 2011? The National Gang Center reports about 1700 killedby gangs that year. This is three times the number killed by cops. While not a single incident of police brutality/abuse/etc should be excused or go unprosecuted, why are the protesters ignoring a source of deaths in their communities which is significantly worse than what the cops are doing? If they thought any lives mattered at all, they'd be protesting against gangs a lot more than the police, wouldn't they? These anti-gang protests do happen, but they are a lot more peaceful, and a lot less frequent.
For what they do daily and what they are paid, we ask more from police officers than any other profession I can think of.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree BB Idaho. For what we ask of them day after day, and the disrespect they are shown by criminals and street thugs of all races I frankly wonder why anyone would want to be a police officer or detective these days. There are FAR more good decent officers.
DeleteAre there bad cops, yes, and they should be rooted out and dismissed from from the force. It is true a few bad apples puts a stain on the whole. That is systemic and political. Good cops need to stand against the bad cops more aggressively. What's the saying? A fish rots from the head?
BB,
DeleteWe not only ask it, we demand it. They are the ones with all the power. We give them the power, and in return we DEMAND they do their fucking job!
Jerry please observe the no profanity policy.
DeleteAn occasional sh*t, or dam*, or he*l might be allowed through. However any future F bombs will meet the spam or delete button.
I apologize for my language. However, I am glad that swearing is the biggest complaint you have with my comment.
DeleteThe politicians are the ones with all the power too but we only demand certain ones do their f---- job. Sometimes the miscalculations they make also get people killed also.
DeleteAbsolutely Lisa. Like the miscalculations of Vietnam and most recently Iraq.
DeleteAnd Libya,Egypt and drone strikes. Don't Brown people matter too?
DeleteTrite comment Lisa.
DeleteWhat color are Asians and Iranians, are they light skinned Caucasians like you?
Why are you asking these irrelevant questions? A hardened man did a horrible thing. It happens all the time. Why would the black community have to stand up to violent crime any more or less than other group? Given that economic class is far more predictive of crime rates than race, why bring up race at all? Why aren't you demanding all the poor people rise up? Oh, right...
ReplyDeleteWe kill around 15,000 of each other every year. The problem is most acute among the poor. The drug war is certainly exacerbating things as well. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised this guy came through the prison industrial complex for some petty nonsense to become the cop shooter he is today. These are things we all should be addressing, not telling other groups what we think they should be protesting.
JMJ
Is the question irrelevant? Or is it oh well, it is what it is?
DeleteThings need to change. But it's late and I believe I've talked about that.
Well, at least see the irony of all this. These incidents are not mysterious phenomenon born of whole cloth in a vacuum. You're asking why black folks don't rise up to complain about a symptom of what they're already rising up about in the first place.
DeleteAnd I've heard plenty of black folks, including a huge march to Washington some years ago as I recall, on the pulpits, the media, cry out for reform of the criminal culture among them. It's not like they're thrilled with it.
JMJ
That's fair; and balanced.
DeleteBlack on black crime is a serious issue for the black community.and must resolve it.
Equality within our system of justice and eliminating corruption and real or perceived racism is everybody's problem.
Racism is s two edged sword that cuts both ways.
There's a huge number of hooligans that "ride along" with legitimate protests against police abuse and other very real problems. Whatever someone said about riots being the language of the unheard: they were very wrong on that. Riots are the language of the greedy, the violent, debased, the savage: those who just want to steal stuff and commit savage acts of violence. I see a huge difference between protests and these orgies of violence against innocent people..
DeleteAnd most whites commit crimes against whites. What's the point?
Delete"Black on black crime" is a right wing talking point that sounds like the same old racist, eugenics nonsense of a century ago. And what else does it tell you? That we still live in a very segregated society? That, since poverty is more predictive of criminality than race, that black people are poorer than whites? That maybe the former question gets to the latter?
Crime is crime, and the race of the criminals is far less predictive of criminality than economic class. Want to reduce crime? Better education, healthcare, infrastructure, parks and recreation, after school activities, etc, etc. It's not some mystery. It's a lack of investment and care for our poor, working class - a class that is growing by the day, by the way.
JMJ
I stand by my statement Jersey.
DeleteI do not disagree that economics has an impact on crime. The worse an individuals economic plight the more likely they are to resort to criminal activity to survive, maybe. But stealing a loaf of bread, a chicken or some vegetables so you and your family can eat, or stealing money from an open cash drawer or pickpocketing someone for the same reason is one thing. Blowing people away over drugs, booze, sex, gang activity, because you feel disrespected, or you just don't like authority is something of a different nature. This includes rioting with the purpose of destruction of another's property or causing bodily injury to others, often innocent non violent people.
Yup, we still live in a segregated society, and the responsibility for changing that rests with both whites and blacks. Whites need to lead my acknowledging certain realities, beginning with understanding the effects the past has yet today in the present. Obama is correct, an honest discussion is needed and it must include all; because both sides in 2015 bear responsibility to some degree for today's realities.
I find myself in agreement that we spend billions unwisely and unproductively on unnecessary war toys. We would be better served transferring 15 or 20 billion a year (an arbitrary number) to productive domestic programs that give us a bang for our buck.
...when you get the blatant racism of protesters with signs who insist that only the lives of members of one race matter.
ReplyDeleteYou can link to a photo where a protestor is holding a sign that say "only Black lives matter"? Or perhaps you can link to a video where someone is chanting this? I haven't heard anything about anyone suggested this at all. But I'm surely willing to consider any evidence... If it exists.
dmarks, there is no problem with peaceful non violent protest. Certainly anything that raises awareness of a system that is flawed and unjust is justified. But violence actions, burning private property, looting businesses, endangering the safety of other innocent citizens has no place in a civil society. Period.
ReplyDeleteJustice is never served by an eye f poo r an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Rational people understand this and rational protesters do not riot. They make their voices without violence against properly or people.
Having said this, conservatives and the rightwing extremists need to understand the deep seated mistrust many in minority communities have towards predominately white authority. It is understandable given the long history of racial inequality and the social and economic inequality that acompanied it.
More change is needed if the nation is to ever acheive true racial harmony. It will come only if everyone in every community takes a long hard look at themselves and is willing and able to put things being them and walk forward together.
I wish I had more hope that will eventually happen.
That's a well said, very balanced statement.
Deletedmarks, there is no problem with peaceful non violent protest. Certainly anything that raises awareness of a system that is flawed and unjust is justified. But violence actions, burning private property, looting businesses, endangering the safety of other innocent citizens has no place in a civil society. Period.
DeleteJustice is never served by an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Rational people understand this and rational protesters do not riot. They make their voices heard without violence against properly or people.
Having said this, conservatives and the rightwing extremists need to understand the deep seated mistrust many in minority communities have towards predominately white authority. It is understandable given the long history of racial inequality and the social and economic inequality that acompanied it.
More change is needed if the nation is to ever acheive true racial harmony. It will come only if everyone in every community takes a long hard look at themselves and is willing and able to put things being them and walk forward together.
I wish I had more hope that will eventually happen.
We are free to critique law enforcement and certainly there are bad police officers. IMO, the job has always been difficult, but perhaps a review of last month's listing of people shot and killed by police
ReplyDeletedemonstrates the type of split second judgements they make. We note the high number of domestic
violence and mental illness incidents: whether shooting a deranged person attacking you with a knife
is justified, we leave to those that demand more from police officers. I would think that the traffic
officer in Texas last night, who under fire by two assault weapons used his service pistol to down both,
may possibly meet the high standards of some?
dmarks: Whatever someone said about riots being the language of the unheard: they were very wrong on that.
ReplyDeleteThat would be MLK who said that. Funny that Republicans often claim MLK was one of them.
Mr. Sanders: I'm not sure of the context in which Dr. King made that statement. I find it hard to that this American saint of nonviolence was supporting such orgies of violence against innocent people. When I think of riots, I think of this, this, this and this. I'm really not sure of the ones he had in mind specifically when making this statement. Anyway, so many riots. So many of these riots are by the "heard", anyway.
ReplyDeleteMLK identifying that people riot because they feel they are unheard doesn't indicate he supported it. And, obviously they are not being heard, as the police killings continue. Although I believe (part of) the solution is for people to vote (instead of rioting). People need to participate in selecting who is in charge if they want change.
ReplyDeleteMLK identifying that people riot because they feel they are unheard doesn't indicate he supported it.
ReplyDeleteTrue and agree completely.
People need to participate in selecting who is in charge if they want change.
True and agreed. Hopefully they are educated and rational.
obviously they are not being heard, as the police killings continue.
Irrational. Nothing justifies the wanton taking of another's life! Only actions of self defense against an aggressor justify the taking of another's life.
Two of three ain't bad Dervish
Of course nothing justifies the wanton taking of another's life. THIS WAS MY POINT. That the police are still killing Black men who are not a threat to them. Walter Scott ran away and was shot in the back. He left his car behind. Obviously the police would have been able to find him later. Instead of letting him go, towing his car, and picking him up later (which they could have easily done if they wanted to), the police officer shoots him in the back. And Freddie Gray looks at a cop and runs, and for that he is manhandled, hog tied, and given a rough ride. The police should have given consideration to the possibility that their actions might cause him harm (including death). The taking of Freddie Gray's life involved no self defense.
DeleteGlad you agree with me Dervish.
ReplyDeleteSitting in an armchair, after reading volumes of reports, it is easy to criticize the decisions law enforcement officials make in difficult situations, often ones that must be made in a split second. Until you've been there and done that you have no idea of the stress.
There are many more good officers than bad, just like the one depicted in this post. I salute them, and the forces they are on for keeping the streets and homes as safe as they are.
Now, to the other point. Yes there are bad and or unqualified officers. When circumstances occur like the ones you cited certainly a full, complete, unbiased investigation must be done. Rushing to judgment and condemning officers prior to the completion of an investigation and all the knowable facts available are known is, IMO, inappropriate; and, that is, what you often do in these situations.
It is unlikely you will change your views and it is certain I won't be changing mine.