October 26, 2016
News and Views
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/arizonas-sheriff-joe-arpaio-officially-charged-with-criminal-contempt/
Arizona's Sheriff Joe Arpaio officially charged with criminal contempt
AP October 25, 2016, 7:26 PM
Photograph -- Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio addresses the media in Fountain Hills, Ariz., February 9, 2013. REUTERS/DARRYL WEBB
Play VIDEO -- Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks at RNC
PHOENIX -- The longtime sheriff of metropolitan Phoenix was formally charged Tuesday with criminal contempt-of-court for ignoring a judge’s order in a racial-profiling case.
Prosecutors promised two weeks ago that they would prosecute Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
But the misdemeanor count wasn’t officially filed against the 84-year-old lawman until U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton signed it.
Arpaio, who is up for re-election Nov. 8 seeking his seventh term, could face up to six months in jail if convicted. A misdemeanor conviction would not bar Arpaio from serving as sheriff.
The criminal charges stem from the profiling case that Arpaio lost three years ago that morphed into a contempt case after the sheriff was accused of defying a 2011 court order to stop his signature immigration patrols.
Arpaio has acknowledged violating U.S. District Judge Murray Snow’s order, but insists his disobedience was not intentional.
Snow disagreed, concluding Arpaio knowingly continued the patrols because he believed his immigration enforcement efforts would help his 2012 re-election campaign.
The sheriff’s office deferred comment to Arpaio lawyer Mel McDonald, who did not immediately return requests for comment.
The contempt violation led the judge to order the creation of a taxpayer-funded system for compensating Latinos who were illegally detained when Arpaio ignored the order.
Maricopa County officials have set aside $1 million for funding the system.
EXCERPT -- “But the misdemeanor count wasn’t officially filed against the 84-year-old lawman until U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton signed it. Arpaio, who is up for re-election Nov. 8 seeking his seventh term, could face up to six months in jail if convicted. A misdemeanor conviction would not bar Arpaio from serving as sheriff. …. County taxpayers have spent $48 million so far to defend Arpaio and his office in the profiling case. The cost is expected to reach $72 million by next summer. …. The contempt violation led the judge to order the creation of a taxpayer-funded system for compensating Latinos who were illegally detained when Arpaio ignored the order."
Between the cost to taxpayers and the growing discontent against widely perceived Governmental injustice, I think Arpaio will be restrained, if only because his public SHOULD reach a point at which they won’t reelect him. I’m very pleased to see the taxpayer funded compensation system. If we had something like that for Black people who have been falsely arrested or otherwise abused it would be even better.
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/10/revealed-wisconsin-clerk-limits-voting-near-campus-because-students-lean-more-toward-the-democrats/
REVEALED: Wisconsin clerk limits voting near campus because ‘students lean more toward the Democrats’
Travis Gettys TRAVIS GETTYS
25 OCT 2016 AT 12:51 ET
Photograph -- Kris Teske (WBAY)
Wisconsin city clerk has been complaining for months that she doesn’t have the money or staff to offer early voting — but a newly released email suggests she’s trying to rig the election against the Democratic Party.
Kris Teske, the city clerk in Green Bay, argued that her office lacks the resources to set up an additional polling location near the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay — but an email released as part of an open-records request found her cooking up a convoluted legal claim to prevent students from voting, reported The Nation.
The city made national news during April’s primary election, when voters near the campus endured long lines and “chaos” to cast their ballots.
A federal court in August upheld an earlier decision to allow Wisconsin election officials to offer longer early voting hours, and city clerks in Madison and Milwaukee have done so.
Teske — who was appointed by Republican Mayor Jim Schmitt, a close ally of Gov. Scott Walker — bristled at requests from a “very persistent” Democratic state lawmaker, Eric Genrich, to open an additional polling location near the campus.
The city clerk sent an email Aug. 26 to David Buerger, an attorney at the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, to find a way to legally wriggle out of the request.
“I don’t like the idea at all for many reasons: Staffing, ballot security, budget, etc.,” Teske complained in the email, which was provided to The Nation as part of an open-records request by the One Wisconsin Institute.
“I was reading the statutes and read: No site may be designated that affords an advantage to any political party,” Teske wrote. “UWGB is a polling location for students and residents on Election Day but I feel by asking for this to be the site for early voting is encouraging the students to vote more than benefitting the city as a whole.”
That’s when Teske thought she had found a legal loophole to stop students from casting ballots.
“I have heard it said that students lean more toward the democrats and he is a democrat,” she wrote. “I have spoken with our Chief of Staff and others at City Hall and they agree that budget wise this isn’t going to happen.”
Teske explicitly asked the attorney from the bipartisan state commission whether she could deny students additional hours to vote because they were more likely to cast ballots for Democratic candidates.
“I would like to know your thoughts on this,” Teske wrote. “Do I have an argument about it being more of a benefit to the democrats.”
Wisconsin Republicans have not been shy about admitting they’re rigging election laws against students.
State Rep. Glenn Grothman, who sponsored legislation to cut early voting, bragged after the primary in April that Republicans would carry his state in November thanks to restrictive voting laws he helped put in place.
“I think Hillary Clinton is about the weakest candidate the Democrats have ever put up,” Grothman said. “And now we have photo ID — and I think photo ID is going to make a little bit of a difference, as well.”
Genrich, the lawmaker referenced in the city clerk’s email, said he was shocked by Teske’s comments.
“Whether or not more students voting benefits Democrats is beside the point and that shouldn’t be the position of a nonpartisan city clerk,” Genrich told The Nation. “I don’t know what Kris’s politics are, but it’s really unfortunate to see her echoing the sentiments of Republicans in Wisconsin, who have been making it really difficult for citizens to vote in this state.”
Watch this video report posted online by WBAY-TV:
“Contested races expected to give slight bump to local turnout”
I think when all of our communications were by paper and pen, those of us who do want to cheat and scheme to get our favorites elected were much safer than they are now. The magic of hacking has made these things dangerous. I wonder if such politicos know about the importance of encryption, etc., to prevent tampering and theft such as Clinton and now Kris Teske had, opening up their more or less unethical attempts to cheat!
I don’t’ know what the legal penalty is, but the loss of trust could mean the loss of their good government job! Most Republicans haven’t been this open about what they have done, though they have been fiddling with election procedures in attempts to defeat the opposite party since I can remember. The old issue of gerrymandering is still done, of course, by whichever party is in power in the legislature. What ever happened to working really hard to “get out the vote?”
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/colin-powell-is-voting-for-hillary-clinton/
Why Colin Powell is voting for Hillary Clinton
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS
October 25, 2016, 3:34 PM
Photograph -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell (R) takes part in an onstage interview with Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson (L) at the Washington Ideas Forum in Washington, September 30, 2015. REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNST/FILE PHOTO
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Tuesday said he plans to vote for Hillary Clinton for president, his spokesperson confirmed to CBS News.
Powell, who served under President George W. Bush, revealed his decision to support Clinton at a luncheon on Long Island, according to Newsday reporter Robert Brodsky. There are exactly 14 days left until Election Day on Nov. 8.
At the event, Powell told attendees that he’s voting for Clinton because Donald Trump “insults us every day” and is “selling people a bill of goods,” Brodsky reported.
In September 2015, Powell said he was still a Republican even after endorsing and voting for President Obama twice.
Powell has criticized Trump before, according to emails that were made public by a website called DCLeaks after his Gmail account was hacked into. The emails showed Powell telling a former aide that Trump is a “national disgrace and an international pariah.”
The hacked emails also revealed tensions between Powell and Clinton’s campaign over her use of private email servers as secretary of state.
“Sad thing... HRC could have killed this two years ago by merely telling everyone honestly what she had done and not tie me into it. I told her staff three times not to try that gambit. I had to throw a mini tantrum at a Hampton’s party to get their attention.”
In August, Powell told People magazine that Clinton’s campaign aides had been trying to blame him for her use of private email servers. In September, House Democrats highlighted a newly-released email exchange between Clinton and Powell right after she took over the cabinet position in 2009 in which he talked about skirting State Department servers.
Powell served as secretary of state from January 2001 through January 2005 and had previously served under President George H.W. Bush as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and under President Ronald Reagan as national security adviser.
THE BERN LIFE
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/10/bernie-sanders-popular
Bernie Sanders Is the Most Popular Politician in America
That’s why this Republican ad is so bizarre.
TIM MURPHY OCT. 25, 2016 8:49 PM
Photograph – Sanders gesticulating
One of the tightest House races in the country this year is in New York's Hudson Valley, where Democrat Zephyr Teachout and Republican John Faso are vying to replace retiring GOP Rep. Chris Gibson. Faso, a former assemblyman and pipeline lobbyist, and Teachout, a fiercely anti-fracking Fordham law professor, are natural rivals. But it's the flood of outside money that has defined the race. The latest effort: a new spot from the National Republican Congressional Committee, attacking Teachout as an ally of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders:
As a narrator explains that Teachout is supported by "socialist senator" Bernie Sanders, the actress playing Teachout reads a book called Socialism for Beginners (shouldn't an actual socialist already know what socialism is?). The ad has it all: a Bernie Sanders bumper sticker, a Bernie Sanders mouse pad, a photo of Sanders and Teachout together—even a pair of Birkenstocks.
There is one major flaw with this message, though: Bernie Sanders is super popular. As of this writing, he is the most popular politician in America. His favorable ratings are two points higher than those of President Barack Obama (who is currently enjoying his highest numbers in 45 months). They are 10 points higher than Hillary Clinton's. They are 19 points higher than those of both Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
Those are just the national numbers. There is good reason to think that in New York's 19th Congressional District, a slightly-Democratic-leaning area where the Vermont senator traveled to campaign with Teachout last month, Sanders is even more popular. Sanders won the district overwhelmingly in the April primary, with 58 percent of the vote—one of his best districts in the state.
Like the 1960s and ‘70s, we are in a social and economic crisis, and an honorable Socialist, such as Sanders, looks like a good deal to me. Truthtellers are IN. Nuff said!
https://mg.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=dj7520f6g7rkv#7903825612
Driving with Bernie
Pearson for Senate
To
Lucy
Lucy,
Soon after I graduated from college I was lucky to get a job with then-Congressman Bernie Sanders. Over two years we drove all over the state and at times I pressed him about how he avoided getting depressed working in Congress. His answers still help me through the tough days.
This weekend I stood with Bernie at a rally at my alma mater, the University of Vermont. It was a thrill to give a speech to hundred [sic] of students as I stood next to my political hero. I decided to share Bernie’s response from many years ago because I figured we could all use help countering the depressing political scene during these last two weeks.
Take a look:
As Bernie says, we can't give up. Wall Street, Pharma, Big Oil and the billionaires are all itching for us to turn away in disgust. Keep your chin up, there's only two weeks to go!
Sincerely,
Rep. Chris Pearson
Candidate for Vermont State Senate
Progressive/Democrat
Bernie is honest, trustworthy, thoughtful, highly intelligent, not to mention KIND and DECENT. He is so refreshing after the last 40 years of politics that I really can’t help loving him – yes, even as a man. I don’t care that he’s 73 years old. I’m 71. I was watching the convention in July and when his name was announced, he stepped (modestly as always) from behind the curtain, and the crowd simply roared with applause and cheers.
He isn’t just a hero to Chris Pearson. He’s a hero to every real Progressive (except to Hillary, who CLAIMS to be a Progressive). She should be very grateful to him for not stopping the Convention that was supposed to “crown” her President by having his people get really rowdy. He had promised that he would support her if she were selected for the party rather than being a “spoiler,” and he has done that. He is, as he said he would be, actively doing everything he can to get her elected – and to defeat Trump “badly,” as he said with some vehemence a couple of months ago. I do hope that all the DEMS will get out the vote, and that all conservatives of good conscience will vote for Hillary too, as several have promised to do.
This has been a very emotional time for me. I voted for Hillary yesterday, and after this election I will rarely if ever give money to the DNC again unless they put Sanders forward as their candidate, and they simply won’t do that. They hate him too much. Not only are they jealous of him, he just wouldn’t “play the game.” He will cooperate, but he is not a toady. I already “done my dooty!” and voted for Clinton yesterday. I’m at peace.
See the following for the words of another smart and well-spoken true Progressive, Ron Briley.
GO, RON!!
https://www.laprogressive.com/making-america-better/
Keep Making America Better
BY RON BRILEY
October 23, 2016
I must confess that I do not quite understand the campaign slogan “make America great again” When exactly did America stop being great? We certainly have some major problems that need to be addressed, but as a retired baby boomer, I find the America of today to be a vast improvement over the society into which I was born and raised. And while reflecting my age in not “getting” social media, I believe there is a new generation with the talent and inclusive values to make America and the world an even better place. In other words, I find myself looking optimistically toward the future rather than harkening back to some nostalgic past greatness.
The America in which I grew up during the 1950s was a rather racist and homophobic society. My high school in the Texas Panhandle was not desegregated until over a decade after the Brown Decision, with blacks and whites living in separate sections of town. We didn’t have to worry about political correctness, so sexist, racist, and anti-gay slurs were common inside and outside the locker rooms of my youth. But my little hometown and America are a better place today for a Civil Rights Movement that raised the racial and social consciousness of the nation.
We certainly have some major problems that need to be addressed, but as a retired baby boomer, I find the America of today to be a vast improvement over the society into which I was born and raised.
We have a more inclusive society today with many immigrants and refugees from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds contributing to a nation rich in diversity. We have elected a black president and may soon select a woman as head of state. Women increasingly have control over their bodies, and the gender gap in the work place is narrowing. Members of the LGBTQ community are increasingly feeling free to publicly acknowledge their identities. Finally, same-sex couples enjoy the right to announce their love and devotion to one another through the institution of marriage.
The United States is finally beginning to realize the promise of American life as called for in the nation’s founding documents. This optimistic reading of recent American history certainly does not mean to suggest that we have solved all of our problems. As the Black Lives Matter movement indicates, we have considerable work yet to be done in regard to racial relations. The same is true for sexism, religious intolerance, and discrimination toward the LGBTQ community. Past gains must be defended as we work toward expanded opportunities for all citizens; for there are constant pushbacks against these gains, and progressives must remain vigilant rather than complacent.
In terms of economic opportunity, there remain tremendous structural inequities within American capitalism which require redress and reform. Social mobility remains a possibility, but the growing gap between rich and poor makes such mobility increasingly problematic. I was born into poverty, yet the student loan program made it possible for me to become the first in my family to attend college—although rising college costs are beginning to put higher education out of reach for many young Americans. Government assistance such as Social Security and Medicare made the final years of life for my parents more comfortable than that experienced by my grandparents, but the social safety net requires considerable mending. Health care costs are much too high, and we must assure the access of all Americans to quality medical treatment. We need to increase the minimum wage and assure that paid work leave is available for all families. Corporate control over the political and economic system must be addressed through regulation and restoring the countervailing power of organized labor.
Job creation, gun violence, terrorism, and American militarism/imperialism are also matters of concern, but the greatest challenge facing our children and grandchildren is climate change. My generation did not do an adequate job of caring for the environment, but I have faith that the new tech-savvy generation will be better in their practice of environmental stewardship—providing new employment opportunities and worker re-training as we switch to sources of clean energy. And as the millennial support for the Presidential candidacy of Bernie Sanders indicates, American youth are shedding themselves of the Cold War baggage regarding socialism and are willing to openly examine socialist programs that have increased the quality of life in many Western European democracies.
ron Briley There are tremendous challenges ahead, but in the words of the Beatles from my generation, “I must admit it’s getting better, so much better all the time.” We don’t need to make America great again, but simply continue the struggle to create a better tomorrow for America and the world.
Ron Briley
Police killings:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-lapd-officer-two-shootings-20161020-snap-story.html
LOCAL L.A. Now
LAPD officer fatally shoots two people just days apart. How quickly should officers who kill return to work?
By Kate Mather
October 23, 2016
Photograph -- Los Angeles police say Jesse Romero carried this gun before he was fatally shot by police in August. The LAPD has said the 14-year-old fired the revolver at officers; a woman who said she saw the shooting said the teen threw the gun away and it fired as it hit the ground. (Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)
Related: When is it OK for police to shoot? Depends on if you're asking a cop or a civilian
Photograph -- Police chased what they thought was a stolen car into this driveway at the end of a Boyle Heights cul-de-sac. At some point, the LAPD said, Officer Eden Medina shot Omar Gonzalez. Gonzalez, 36, died later at a hospital. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Photograph -- There's no point in collecting data on police shootings and force if cops report inaccurate information
This summer, for the first time in his nearly five years as a Los Angeles police officer, Eden Medina shot someone.
Police say Medina opened fire July 28 as Omar Gonzalez fought with officers after a car chase ended in a Boyle Heights cul-de-sac. Police have released few details about the shooting, but said at least one witness saw the 36-year-old with a gun before Medina fatally shot him.
Twelve days later, the Hollenbeck Division gang officer fired his gun again, killing Jesse Romero two weeks shy of his 15th birthday. The Aug. 9 shooting prompted protests and criticism of the LAPD, amplified by the renewed national scrutiny over policing as well as conflicting accounts over whether Romero fired a gun at officers before he was shot.
The shootings offer a window into how the LAPD treats officers who fire their guns. While shootings by police have received much attention, they remain relatively rare events. In 2015, for example, the LAPD reported more than 1.5 million contacts between police and the public. Of those encounters, 21 ended with deadly gunfire from officers.
But it’s even more unusual for an officer to fatally shoot two people in such a short period of time.
The case raises questions about how much training and psychological help the LAPD provides officers who fire their weapons and whether they spend enough time away from the job after a deadly encounter.
Los Angeles police say Jesse Romero carried this gun before he was fatally shot by police in August. The LAPD has said the 14-year-old fired the revolver at officers; a woman who said she saw the shooting said the teen threw the gun away and it fired as it hit the ground.
LAPD spokesman Josh Rubenstein said Medina returned to the field six days after the first shooting. The officer was cleared by a department psychologist and the police chief, he said.
“We take every single instance very seriously,” he said. “Any officer-involved shooting is tragic for the community and for the officer. It’s very difficult.”
LAPD officers typically return to the field one to two weeks after a shooting and can do so even before they complete a training refresher course that usually lasts between 30 minutes and an hour, according to a recent report by the Police Commission’s inspector general.
It is unclear whether Medina finished that training before returning to work. Rubenstein declined to comment, saying it was part of the officer’s personnel file.
Police officers in Washington, D.C., and Dallas typically don’t return to their full duties for almost a month after a shooting, according to the inspector general’s report. Officers in Las Vegas spend as long as two or three months out of the field. Dallas and Las Vegas also send officers to a full day of individualized training before they’re back on the job.
Earlier this month, the civilian commission that oversees the LAPD directed the department to expand training for officers after they fire their guns and ensure they complete that training before returning to the field.
Matt Johnson, the commission’s president, told department brass he was concerned that LAPD officers generally spend less time off patrol after shootings than police at other agencies. Johnson also said he believed officers should be required to attend more than one session with a psychologist.
“These are traumatic events, and one mandatory session does not seem adequate to me,” he said. “Someone could have a great session and frankly, pull the wool over your eyes, and you don’t see the trauma that they’re going through.”
Rubenstein, the LAPD spokesman, said the department is willing to take another look at that approach as part of its broader review of how officers use force.
A lawyer representing Romero’s mother accused the LAPD of showing “complete gross negligence” by sending Medina back to the field within a week of the first shooting. Whether or not the officer was justified in firing his gun, attorney Humberto Guizar said, he should have spent more time away as a “cooling down” period.
“I have friends who are police officers — they worked for 35 years and they never shot a civilian,” Guizar said. “This is an officer who killed somebody 12 days before he killed our kid. How could that happen?”
Medina’s attorney insisted there was no connection between the two shootings, saying the officer reacted reasonably based on the circumstances of each situation. Both Gonzalez and Romero had a gun, attorney Larry Hanna noted. The timing, he added, was "just a coincidence.”
Hanna described Medina as a hard-working cop who, as a gang officer, worked a difficult assignment in a tough neighborhood.
“Being in one shooting was very hard on this officer. Being in two? It’s hard on them,” Hanna said. “They don’t want to be out there having to do this. They also don’t want people pointing guns at them.”
The LAPD puts officers through a “rigorous process” before returning them to work after a shooting, Hanna said. “This officer was ready,” he said.
Police chased what they thought was a stolen car into this driveway at the end of a Boyle Heights cul-de-sac. At some point, the LAPD said, Officer Eden Medina shot Omar Gonzalez. Gonzalez, 36, died later at a hospital.
Most law enforcement officers spend their entire careers without firing their guns in the line of duty. How departments treat officers who do, however, varies from agency to agency.
LAPD officers must meet with a psychologist within a week of firing their guns. Officers must be cleared by a psychologist before the chief decides whether they can return to work, though the psychologist may require officers to attend additional counseling sessions after they’re back on the job. Officers may request extra meetings.
Officers also receive what’s called a general training update — a refresher course that includes a review of the LAPD’s policy for using deadly force and time in a simulator where officers react to various real-life scenarios that could lead to using that deadly force.
Police in Dallas, however, must attend three mental health evaluations after a shooting — a week, three months and six months later. Las Vegas officers are required to attend at least two sessions and are then evaluated by a board of department officials before an undersheriff signs off on returning that officer to the field.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies who are involved in shootings — whether they pulled the trigger or not — must check in with a psychologist within days, then again two weeks and four months later, sheriff’s officials said. They generally return to work between a week and 10 days after a shooting.
Lou Turriaga, a director for the union that represents the LAPD’s rank and file, said he believed the department offered strong support for officers after shootings. It’s rare for police to fire their guns in the line of duty, he noted — Turriaga said he hasn’t during his 28 years as an LAPD officer — and each officer who does reacts differently.
“I’ve been out to shootings and you can see it in their eyes. Some of them, it’s not a problem,” he said. “Others look like a deer in headlights.”
On-duty LAPD officers have fatally shot 16 people this year, according to a Times analysis. Five of those shootings happened in Boyle Heights, including one where an LAPD officer was shot in the arm.
Conflicting accounts have emerged about the events that led up to Medina’s second shooting. The LAPD has said a witness told investigations that Romero fired a revolver at police after they chased him down the street. An officer then saw Romero crouched on the sidewalk, his arm extended. Fearing Romero was going to shoot, police said, Medina fired.
A woman who said she saw the shooting, however, told The Times she saw Romero throw the gun toward a fence. She said she heard the weapon fire when it hit the ground.
Medina is currently working an investigative assignment, the LAPD said. He hasn’t returned to the field since the second shooting. The department spokesman declined to say why, citing the ongoing inquiry and laws protecting a police officer’s personnel record.
SOME THOUGHTS ON IMPROVING THE ISSUES WITH POLICING
http://lawofficer.com/laws/doj-report-on-san-francisco-police-is-biased/
LAWS & LEGAL October 13, 2016 Law Officer 0
DOJ Report On San Francisco Police Is Biased
The San Francisco police use force against blacks more often than other racial groups and pull over African American drivers at a disproportionately high rate, according to a U.S. Department of Justice report released Wednesday that found evidence of bias on the force.
The DOJ’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services conducted the review at the request of city officials following protests over the fatal shooting of a black man, Mario Woods, and the disclosure that some officers had exchanged racist and homophobic text messages.
The report also noted there were 11 fatal incidents involving San Francisco officers in the past three years and nine involved people of color.
The DOJ report found 37 percent of the department’s use-of-force incidents over three years starting in May 2013 involved African Americans and nearly 15 percent of 330,000 traffic stops involved African Americans.
DOJ officials advised that more research was needed to determine whether the use of force figures reflect racism, discrimination or other factors such as a higher volume of calls.
Did you catch that? The DOJ issues a report that claims bias within the San Francisco Police Department but cryptically says “other factors” could be at play including “a higher volume of calls.”
Let us translate that for you. The San Francisco Police Department may have encountered African Americans at a disproportionately higher rate because the officers may be called to areas concentrated with a high number of African Americans more often.
Is it not ironic that a Department of Justice Report citing bias with the department is biased itself?
It’s not like this information is difficult to find out. The FBI tracks the race of offenders and victims each year and that is broken down to each city. It’s pretty easy to reason that law enforcement responds to areas where part 1 crimes (rape, robbery, homicide, burglary, etc) are reported at a much more frequent rate than other areas.
It took us about 10 minutes to find some basic information but maybe the DOJ didn’t have the time for their so called report that blasts an agency with racism claims.
The violent crime rate in San Francisco is double the national average and they have one of the highest property crime rates of any city in America.
In addition, the crime rate in San Francisco is four times higher than cities surrounding it.
African Americans accounted for 55 percent of homicide victims between Jan. 1, 2010, and July 31, 2015, even though they make up less than 6 percent of the city’s population.
While we didn’t immediately find a reference, the homicide demographics are generally an indication of the remaining violent crime demographics.
So what is the real story here? Is it what the DOJ claims? The San Francisco Police are racist because they stop African Americans in a car 15% of the time and use force on them 37% of the time or is this a story that depicts African Americans committing crime at a tremendous rate compared to their base population and the police are likely stopping them much less than one would be expected?
One thing is for sure. The Department of Justice is doing everyone an injustice by their incomplete and incompetent reporting.
The San Francisco Police Department should release all of their demographic data on who commits crime in the city. These are crimes with victims that are likely the same race as the offender and when it’s all said and done, it is these victims of crime that suffer. Then and only then would we get an accurate depiction of the actions of the men and women behind the badge in San Francisco.
http://lawofficer.com/leadership/this-is-war/
LEADERSHIP July 17, 2016 Travis Yates
This Is War
I’ll never forget the mood at the squad meeting at 3 pm on September 11, 2001. I gathered with about 20 cops in the same room that we had deployed out of for years but this day was different. Our country had been attacked and we were pissed.
In fact, several from that day joined the military and others seriously pondered it.
Those thoughts and feelings came back like a vengeance this morning as I heard the news about Baton Rouge. Yes, we all saw five officers killed in Dallas last week and multiple shot throughout the week but today’s news solidifies what just about no one wants to acknowledge.
We are at war!
All we have heard for the last few years is how cops are racist and our training isn’t right and we don’t need basic equipment like riot gear, helmets and armored vehicles and we all need to ‘soften’ our uniforms. This is all pushed down our throats even more every time we have to use deadly force against individuals attacking us.
We have leaders of state police saying we must all be re-trained, celebrities calling us murderers and even the President saying our profession has embedded racism. Black Lives Matter continues to be invited to the White House and given a voice despite violence breaking out all around them and despite all of that….no one wants to acknowledge the obvious.
We are at war!
The men and women behind the badge know it. Good leaders know it and decent communities know it. For the safety of all of our men and women behind the badge, it is time our country knows it.
Disclaimer: Some have expressed anger because they assumed that I was advocating a war against a community or certain groups. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The article doesn’t say that or imply that but the article was vague in regards to the questions that many have asked. For those of you that have reached out and asked me to clarify, I appreciate you. This was written within 30 minutes of watching brothers and sisters being gunned down by a coward wearing a mask and using a rifle to kill 3 Baton Rouge Police Officers. Just a few days earlier, I watched a similar scene play out in Dallas where 5 police officers were murdered. Those awful images were seared in my mind as I wrote down my thoughts. The “war” that I speak about is against evil individuals that are preying on our law enforcement officers. This “war against cops” has been well documented by many others including the Department of Justice and Author Heather Mac Donald to name a few. I understand where that terminology could upset some and for that I apologize. We don’t promise to make everyone happy but we do promise to have a dialogue with others that may have concerns. We welcome that and appreciate those that do that.
The article by Yates, above, derisively mentions DOJ’s desire for a “softening” of police appearance, the “war” against “evil individuals,” the claim of bias by the DOJ falsely implicating police of racial policing, and the destructive behavior of BLM marchers, shows how clearly he is placed against any liberal ideas. I think most policemen are very likely to agree with him, as they usually stand together on issues.
The next two purposely humorous articles from callthecops.net on how police should look and dress are fascinating, but unreliable. Those are followed by one from citypages.com giving a more serious article on how police could improve their reputation by changing their appearance. It seems the DOJ or someone in high position did make the recommendation of changing specific things about policing including the way they dress, which has Yates frothing at the mouth above. On "purple cops" below, go to the website and view the photos.
http://www.callthecops.net/police-to-use-purple-uniforms-to-soften-image/
Police to use purple uniforms to “soften image”
Posted by: Staff May 23, 2015
Last week the President called for police to soften up uniforms to improve public relations. In response the Department of Justice is getting ready to field test new uniforms in friendly colors. Various shades of Purple are being tested as it seems to be universally thought of as a color of friendship.
Purple-Cops
Two shades of purple to be tested for police
Senior DOJ officials say the idea for purple came up when a college intern made a comment about popular children’s show Barney the purple dinosaur. “So there we were talking about how to soften up the image of the police. Someone in the room asks us all what we think about whenever we think about friendly. No one says a word. Then the kid delivering us coffee says ‘I always think about Barney’…”
It was a eureka moment for the DOJ staff members. “Everyone, even people who hate him, think that dam purple dinosaur is a icon of friendship and love.”
The question now is what color purple. So to find out various shades of purple will be tests are selected cities. Random poll of the population will be done to find out opinions of the local police before the news uniforms roll out.
After a month a follow up survey will take place. A month after that a second follow up survey will happen. The results will be analyzed to see if some shades score better than others. The top shade or shades will then become the national standard for Police uniforms.
No word for the DOJ if federal grant money will be given to cities to cover the costs of buying new uniforms once the national standard is established.
http://www.callthecops.net/trekkie-police-chief-bans-goatees-on-cops/
Trekkie police chief bans goatees on cops
Posted by: Staff August 14, 2013 3 Comments - Add Yours
The Urbana Ohio police department has officers upset over a new revision to the uniform policy. The chief is banning goatees on his officers. The reason. Goatees denote evil.
evil goatee
Goatees = Evil?
The chief is quoted as stating. “Anyone who has seen Star Trek knows that goatees are an indicator of evil. In the episode called ‘mirror mirror, season 2 episode 4, captain Kirk and some of his crew end up in a mirror universe. Spock in that universe has a goatee, well actually a Van Dyke, but people often confuse them. Spock in that universe is pure evil.”
In addition the Chief wants everyone to know. “I have nothing against facial hair. You can still have a cop mustache or full beard. As a matter of fact look at William Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation, he had a full beard and was a heck of a good leader.”
The policy was announced last night and will go into effect on Monday.
Police union representatives did not have any comment on the issue at this time.
THE FOLLOWING TWO TREAT THE SUBJECT SERIOUSLY.
http://www.citypages.com/news/fashion-police-minneapolis-swat-redesigns-uniforms-to-soften-its-image-8089762
Fashion police: Minneapolis SWAT redesigns uniforms to soften its image
Wednesday, March 2, 2016 by Susan Du in News
SWAT teams are kinda scary. They're geared up with bulky vests, shields, and helmets, and armed to the teeth.
Hollywood tells us that local police departments looking like military is the first step to the government corralling our children in a televised arena where they fight to the death for food. Nationwide, people are asking whether that whole soldier get-up is really working.
The Minneapolis Police Department is trying to get ahead of the criticism. Chief Janee Harteau and the commander of the Special Operations and Intelligence Division made the decision to soften the public image of the city's SWAT force by switching their main color from a camouflage green to a dark blue that'll match better with all the regular officers.
"This small step demonstrates the MPD's willingness to proactively address public concerns in a manner that continues to protect our officers, but also works to improve the perception of our department by the public," according to an MPD news release.
The department hasn't settled on a vendor for the new uniforms yet, but spokesman Scott Seroka says the makeover will cost less than $50,000 for about 60 officers.
The change will hopefully help citizens recognize SWAT officers as police, and not military, according to the MPD. Probably not a good idea to ask these guys for baseball cards though. They're still called on for high risk situations and will get to carry military weapons like tear gas and rifles.
The Psychology of Police Uniform Types
http://www.policeone.com/police-products/apparel/undergear/articles/99417-The-psychological-influence-of-the-police-uniform/
The psychological influence of the police uniform
By Richard R. Johnson, M.S.
Mar 4, 2005
Introduction
Most people can identify a police officer by the official police uniform. When citizens on a busy street are in need of help, they scan the crowds of pedestrians looking for the distinctive uniform of a police officer. Drivers who come to an intersection occupied by a person in a police uniform usually willingly submit to that person''s hand directions. Criminals usually curb their unlawful behavior when they spot a uniformed police officer in the area. Many parents teach their children to respect and trust a person in the police uniform. Police academy recruits relish the day when they may finally wear their official police uniforms. What is so special about a uniform which is often made of cheap polyester and is usually hot and uncomfortable to wear?
The crisp uniform of the police officer conveys power and authority. When a police officer puts on his or her uniform the officer is perceived in a very different way by the public. He or she is viewed as embodying each person''s stereotypes about all police officers. Research has suggested that clothing has a powerful impact on bow people are perceived, and this goes for the police officer as well. The uniform of a police officer has been found to have a profound psychological impact on those who view it. Research has also suggested that even slight alterations to the style of the uniform will change how citizens will perceive the officer.
The police uniform is a tradition as old as the field of law enforcement itself In 1829 the first modem police force, the London Metropolitan Police, developed the first standard police apparel. These first police officers, the famous "Bobbies" of London, were issued a dark blue, paramilitary-style uniform.. The color blue was chosen to distinguish the police from the British military who wore red and white uniforms at the time. The first official police force in the United States was established in the city of New York in 1845. Based on the London police, the New York City Police Department adopted the dark blue uniform in 1853, Other cities, such as Philadelphia, Boston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Detroit quickly followed suit by establishing police departments based on the London model, including the adoption of the dark blue, paramilitary-style uniform.
To this day, the majority of police uniforms in the United States continue to have a paramilitary appearance and are generally of a dark color. Darker colors may have been preferred for their case in cleaning and their ability to help conceal the wearer in tactical situations. Dark colors help cover up stains and keep the officer from being easily spotted by lawbreakers, especially at night. However, why do most police agencies insist on dressing patrol officers in uniforms? Is this simply because of tradition? Is it only for the ease of identification by citizens? Maybe it is because the uniform actually psychologically influences how officers are perceived by the public.
The Social Significance of Clothing
When a person encounters a stranger, the person seeks clues from the stranger''s appearance which can reveal things about the stranger. One powerful clue to a person''s background is clothing. Clothing serves as a mental shortcut to identifying a persons sex, status, group membership, legitimacy, authority, and occupation. Clothing and physical appearance are very important in the initial development of social relationships. Studies have revealed that physical appearance, including clothing, is the factor most often used in developing a first impression of someone. Clothing has been found to have an even greater effect on making first impressions than does personality.
In early social interactions, clothing has a significant psychological influence on people''s perceptions. Personnel administrators who were asked to rate the competency of similar female job applicants consistently rated the women in conservative, slightly-masculine attire as the most competent. In another study, both high school students and teachers were asked to rate, pictures of female athletes, some of whom were in uniform and the others in casual street clothes, All of the athletes were perceived as being more professional, possessing higher ability, and having more team spirit when viewed in uniform. Both students and teachers, have also rated photos of students in private school-type uniforms as having higher scholastic ability.
The uniform worn by a police officer also elicits stereotypes about that human being''s status, authority, attitudes, and motivations, The police uniform serves to identify a person as one vested with the powers of the state to arrest and use force. The uniform also serves to establish order and conformity within the ranks of those who wear it by suppressing individuality. The psychological and physical impact of the police uniform should not be underestimated. Depending on the background of the citizen, the police uniform can elicit emotions ranging from pride and respect, to fear and anger.
The Power of the Police Uniform
Research has supported these suggestions about the police uniform''s power and authority. In one study people who were asked to rank order 25 different occupational uniforms by several categories of feelings. The test subjects consistently ranked the police uniform as the one most likely to induce feelings of safety. In another experiment, models were consistently rated as more competent, reliable, intelligent, and helpful when pictured in a police uniform than they were in casual street clothes. Drivers were also found to commit far fewer turn violations at an intersection if a person wearing a police-style uniform was standing on the sidewalk near the comer. This occurred even though the uniform was not that of a real police department in the area and had no badge or weapons. One interesting experiment to test the power of the police uniform was conducted by psychologist Dr. Leonard Bickman. Pedestrians on a city street were approached at random and ordered by a research assistant to either pick tip a paper bag, give a dime to another person, or step back from a bus stop. The research assistant was alternately dressed in casual street clothes, a milkman uniform, or a grey, police-style uniform bearing a badge but lacking weapons. Only the police-style uniform resulted in a high rate of cooperation from citizens. Obedience to the police-style uniform usually continued even after the research assistant quickly walked away and did not watch to ensure compliance.
Changes in the Uniform Style
Although the police uniform, in general suggests the authority of the wearer, details about a police officer''s uniform, such as the style of hat or the tailoring, can influence the level of authority emanating from the officer, Photographs of uniformed male and female police officers were evaluated wearing nine different styles of head gear, including no hat at all. Even though psychological tests showed that the officers were perceived to have authority under all of the circumstances, the type of hat varied the level of authority attributed to the officer. The traditional "bus driver" garrison cap and the "smoky bear" campaign hat were found to convey more authority than the baseball cap or no hat at all. Many studies have looked at the influence of eliminating the paramilitary style of the police uniform. In one experiment students viewed black and white drawings of three styles of police uniforms. Two of the uniforms were of a traditional paramilitary-style, but were lacking a duly belt or weapons. The third, nontraditional uniform involved a sport coat blazer over slacks, and a shirt with a tie. Although all three uniforms were rated similarly for objectivity and trustworthiness, the blazer style uniform rated slightly higher for professionalism, However a similar experiment using color photos found the traditional, paramilitary style uniforms rated as more honest, good, helpful, and competent than the blazer uniform.
In 1969, the police in Menlo Park, California dispensed with their traditional navy blue, paramilitary-style uniforms and adopted a nontraditional uniform in hopes of improving police community relations. The new, nontraditional uniform consisted of a forest green sport coat blazer worn over black slacks, a white shirt, and a black tie. The officer''s badge was displayed on the blazer and the officer''s weapons were concealed under the coat. Once word spread about Menlo Park''s attempts, over 400 other police department in the United States also experimented with a blazer style uniform.
After wearing the new uniforms for 18 months the Menlo Park police officers displayed fewer authoritarian characteristics on psychological tests when compared to officers in the surrounding jurisdictions. Also for that first one-and-one-half years with the new uniforms, assaults on the Menlo Park police decreased by 30% and injuries to civilians by the police dropped 50%. These changes were originally thought to have been a result of the uniform changes but there were other factors at work at die same time. The number of college educated officers in the department increased dramatically and the traditional autocratic management style of the department was abolished during this same time period.
In 1977, after wearing the blazer style uniform for 8 years, the Menlo Park Police Department realized that the sport coat uniform did not command respect and returned to a traditional, paramilitary-style uniform. A final evaluation showed that although assaults on officers had dropped during the first 18 month of wearing the new uniforms, the number of assaults steadily began to rise again until the rate was double that of the year before the uniform change occurred. During the four years after the Menlo Park police returned to a traditional style uniform the number of assaults against their officers dropped steadily. The experiments with the hats and the style of the police uniform suggest that changes in the style of a police uniform can have an effect on the perceived authority, power, and ability to control. What about the color of the police uniform? Does the color of the uniform psychologically influence the people who view it? Does the color have an influence on the officer who is wearing the uniform?
The Influences of Color
The majority of police uniforms in the United States today are produced in darker colors such as black, blue, brown, green, and grey. Just as with the style of the police uniform, the color of the police uniform has meaning. Psychological tests have found that people associate colors with specific moods. For example, red is generally associated with excitement and stimulation, thus explaining why it is often a color in flashing emergency vehicle lights. These tests have also found that the color blue is associated with feelings of security and comfort, and black is most often associated with power and strength. Studies of both high school and college students in the United States have found that students perceived light colors such as white and yellow as weak, but also good and active, The same students perceived dark colors such as black and brown as strong and passive, but also as bad. These results were not based on cultural influences because they did not vary with the race of the students.
Even people in Europe, Western Asia, Central Africa, and the Middle East had similar perceptions of colors. Across all cultures that have been studied, light colors are consistently associated with goodness and weakness, while dark colors are consistently perceived as strong but evil. On psychological inventories, test subjects rate lighter colors as more pleasant and less dominant. Dark colors on the other hand elicit emotions of anger, hostility, dominance, and aggression.
Color has a considerable impact on clothing and perceptions of the wearer. Clothing color was found as the most common determinant when people rated pictures of models for attractiveness. Job applicants wearing dark business suits were perceived as more powerful and competent than those who wore lighter suits. Another interesting study found that referees who viewed several videotaped plays of a football game were more likely to assess stiffer penalties against a football team wearing a black uniform than a team wearing a brightly colored uniform. The referees consistently perceived the team in black as more aggressive. This experiment was supported by an analysis of all professional football and hockey teams in the U.S. which found that teams who wore dark colored uniforms were assessed far mom penalties for roughness than teams who wore lighter uniforms. Again these results suggest that teams in darker uniforms were perceived negatively by the referees.
Experiments have also suggested that athletes tend to act more aggressively when dressed in dark colors. College students were dressed in black jerseys and grouped into teams of five. They were then asked to rank order which sports they would most like to play. The students consistently ranked the most aggressive sports, such as football and rugby, at the top of the list. The experiment was then repeated with a new group of students and white jerseys. This time the students selected less aggressive sports, such as baseball or basketball.
If the results of these studies in color were applied to the police uniform, it would seem to suggest that darker police uniforms may be sending negative subconscious signals to citizens. A dark police uniform may be subconsciously encouraging citizens to perceive officers as aggressive evil, or corrupt. If this is true, the proliferation of blue-black police uniforms is sending a very negative message to the community. The experiment with the colored jerseys also suggests that police officers in dark uniforms may be subconsciously influenced to act more aggressively. If this is true, police uniform colors need to be modified across the nation.
In one experiment test subjects were presented with color photos of two traditional paramilitary-style uniforms. One of the uniforms, consisted of the dark navy blue shirt and pants that is so commonly worn by municipal police agencies today. The other traditional uniform was that typical of California sheriff deputies, consisting of a khaki shirt and dark green pants. Although both uniforms ranked similarly as good, honest, helpful, and competent, the lighter colored sheriff uniform rated noticeably higher for warmth and friendliness. This finding is significant since the she-tiff uniform only has a light colored shirt, with the pants still being very dark. It would appear that a uniform which is only half dark sends a better message that the all blue/black uniform.
With today''s focus on community-oriented policing and efforts to present a more friendly image to the public, the color of the police officer''s uniform might be making the task more difficult than necessary. Because of the citizen''s negative psychological perception of dark colors, he or she may perceive a police officer in a negative manner partly because of the officer''s uniform color. If referees believe they are seeing more aggressive behavior from athletes wearing black, it may be assumed that citizens will perceive officers in black uniforms as more aggressive than if they were wearing lighter colored uniforms.
Officer Safety Concerns
The police uniform may also influence the safety level of the officer who wears it. As has already been mentioned, dark colored uniforms may promote subconscious negative feelings from citizens. These negative feelings may encourage some citizens to consider violent action when confronted by the police because the citizen perceives the officer as aggressive.
In addition to the color, the condition of a police officer''s uniform and equipment can also have an impact on the officer''s safety. Interviews with prison inmates who have murdered police officers indicate that the killers often visually "sized-up" the officer before deciding to use violence. If the officer looked or acted "unprofessional" in the assailant''s eyes, then the assailant felt that he was capable of successfully resisting the officer. A dirty or wrinkled uniform, or a badly worn duty belt may convey a message to a suspect that the officer has a complacent attitude about his or her job. This complacency can be an invitation to violence.
In many situations involving the use of force, the fact that a police officer has a distinguishable uniform can help prevent the officer''s injury or death. An officer in plain clothes is at risk of being harmed by citizens and other officers as a result of misidentification. Almost any police officer would immediately draw his or her weapon on a person who is wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and is carrying a gun in his or her hand. A plain clothes officer who is chasing a burglary suspect through backyards at night is at risk of being shot by a home owner who believes the officer to be a criminal. The uniform helps both citizens and fellow police officers identify the wearer as having a legitimate purpose for trespassing, using force, or carrying a weapon.
Summary
The uniform of a police officer conveys the power and authority of the person wearing it. Clothing, including the police uniform, has been found to have a powerful psychological impact on those who view it. When humans contact other humans they subconsciously search for clues about the other person so that they can understand the context of the encounter. The police uniform is a powerful clue as to the wearer''s authority, capabilities, and status.
Research has revealed that the uniform has a subconscious psychological influence on people, based on the person''s preconceived feelings about police officers. When a person wears the police uniform, citizens tend to be more cooperative with his or her requests. People also tend to curb their illegal or deviant behaviors when a police uniform is visible in the area.
Research has revealed that alterations to the traditional, paramilitary police uniform can result in changes in perceptions by the public. The style of the clothes, the type of hat worn, the color of the material, and even the condition of the clothes and equipment have an influence on how citizens perceive the officer. For these reasons police administrators need to take their uniform policies seriously. The selection of a uniform style, regulations on the proper wear of the uniform, how well uniforms are maintained, and policies on when officers may wear plain clothes should all be taken very seriously. The police uniform should be considered an important tool for every patrol officer.
EXCERPT -- Across all cultures that have been studied, light colors are consistently associated with goodness and weakness, while dark colors are consistently perceived as strong but evil. On psychological inventories, test subjects rate lighter colors as more pleasant and less dominant. Dark colors on the other hand elicit emotions of anger, hostility, dominance, and aggression. …. Interviews with prison inmates who have murdered police officers indicate that the killers often visually "sized-up" the officer before deciding to use violence. If the officer looked or acted "unprofessional" in the assailant''s eyes, then the assailant felt that he was capable of successfully resisting the officer. …. As has already been mentioned, dark colored uniforms may promote subconscious negative feelings from citizens. These negative feelings may encourage some citizens to consider violent action when confronted by the police because the citizen perceives the officer as aggressive. …. The other traditional uniform was that typical of California sheriff deputies, consisting of a khaki shirt and dark green pants. Although both uniforms ranked similarly as good, honest, helpful, and competent, the lighter colored sheriff uniform rated noticeably higher for warmth and friendliness. This finding is significant since the she-tiff uniform only has a light colored shirt, with the pants still being very dark. It would appear that a uniform which is only half dark sends a better message that the all blue/black uniform. …. If the results of these studies in color were applied to the police uniform, it would seem to suggest that darker police uniforms may be sending negative subconscious signals to citizens. A dark police uniform may be subconsciously encouraging citizens to perceive officers as aggressive evil, or corrupt. If this is true, the proliferation of blue-black police uniforms is sending a very negative message to the community. The experiment with the colored jerseys also suggests that police officers in dark uniforms may be subconsciously influenced to act more aggressively. If this is true, police uniform colors need to be modified across the nation.”
This is the kind of article on police interactions that I hoped to find earlier this afternoon. I find it very useful and providing an important link between officer psychology and a citizen’s reactions to them. Officer Yates in the article above was speaking complainingly of the unfairness of police being shot and killed on sight these last few months. I don’t want to see that, of course, but I also don’t want to see anyone get shot by a policeman when he was not being violent and didn’t really have a weapon. It was a cell phone. Shoot first and think later is not good policy.
An officer who swaggers up and starts yelling at any person, perhaps Black and perhaps not; in a certain karmic sense, if that “perp” fights him back, he deserves exactly what he got. Officer Yates seemed to be into the view that police are always right; while poor/poorly dressed/minority citizens are totally wrong and deserve no human respect or compassion at all from the officer. The Black and Hispanic people in the heavily and harshly policed neighborhoods have the same deep distrust and dislike for the officer, and especially if they have some personal problems going on in their life making them temporarily a little unstable mentally, they may not cower when the policeman starts shouting at them. They may pick up a wine bottle off the street and hit him in the head with it.
What made this article so interesting, though, was the mood and attitude correlations with uniform style and color. I think we are at a dangerous point in our history as a country when we could easily tip over to a society based on economic class and violent dominance. In Ferguson, MO a terrible incident, just a couple of years ago, blew up between Officer Wilson and Michael Brown. It was the first of these traumatic police/citizen interactions that I had seen, and it was so visually shocking that it has polarized this country into a dangerous mix much like dynamite. Two days later there were furious protests, and BLM emerged on the American scene.
That night on my TV news show, the cameras caught a large number of heavily armed policemen coming down the street some walking and others in some kind of armored vehicle that looked like a tank. They looked just like Nazi Stormtroopers in the way they moved, or the scene in Tiananmen Square in China when a young Chinese man faced down a line of tanks. He was caught and punished for it later, of course, but at that moment he was a hero to the world for his sheer bravery. My breath clutched in my throat. That was my first awareness of what many city police departments are doing nowadays, and I fear for our future as a republic. It is a short distance from here to a police state.
It all began when Wilson, brashly and aggressively, approached the men from behind and began to berate the two young Black men for walking in the street. Okay. That’s a somewhat disorderly and irresponsible thing to do, but it’s not a serious crime. It doesn’t warrant the death penalty in any court of law. Wilson said a robbery of a small quantity of cigars had taken place a few blocks away, and the police radio announced it. A positive ID of the thief was not available to the officer, but he thought it might be the same young guys. He had no proof of that. He proceeded, however, as though he was certain, and proceeded to accost the men. One ran and the other fought back. I have no doubt that both were reacting in fear. Officer Wilson should not have started an aggressive interaction with no one else in the car to help him, and he soon found himself “fearing for his life.” As a result of that, he shot to kill, pumping multiple bullets into the man.
We really need to stop approaching the matter of dealing with citizens in this way. This interesting article on uniform colors stated that an experimental psychologist had found that officers who wear a military style uniform with dark colors are more likely to physically assault a suspect than one wearing lighter colors, such as brown, khaki, gray or green in businesslike combinations of slacks and blazer with a tie. The gun, Tazer and duty belt is hidden under the jacket rather than on top and visible. Wearing it on top is more threatening and aggressive looking. Officers in that uniform style don’t look military, but more like an office worker or a plain clothes detective. The second style makes the citizens in poor and perhaps ethnic neighborhoods trust officers more and hate them less.
The “war” that Officer Yates speaks of is one of pure raw pain. We need to put forth an effort with this new “gentler” attitude, even if officers don’t feel that same old satisfying macho feeling as they go on patrol, but there will be a chance of true human interactions, and from that can come PEACE. Isn’t that a good thing? Officer Yates is upset about the last six or eight months of police being ambushed and murdered, and in his July 17 article repeatedly calls it “a war.” Well it’s not really “war,” because it’s not organized, but it is an unacceptable state of violence in this country. We’re better than this. Yeah, Blacks murdering white cops is bad, but the nearly 300 years of blacks being brutalized in a thousand ways was horrible. Unfortunately, we haven’t had enough time since the Civil War to really get past it emotionally.
We all need to stop the violence and hatred and go forward from there. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is a poor way to conduct a civilization, which we do hope to be. Officer Yates spoke disparagingly of the DOJ’s idea of “softening” the look of police so that they won’t keep looking and behaving so aggressively; but it is a path toward real citizenship and human rights. It’s where peace has to start. I don’t expect a nationwide love fest, but respect and a little human feeling will be an environment in which we can all, if we are basically decent people, take pride. We can bring up kids who won’t become criminals from the time they are ten or twelve years old. They will, instead, get a free college education under the Sanders/Clinton plan, teach their kids to be ladies and gentlemen, and interact socially across the color and religious lines, without being forced to do it at the point of a gun. It would be so nice if that could come true; and I do see it as being possible if we will just take steps in the right direction rather than going backward toward a kind of barbarism from which we may not emerge intact.
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