Posted on 04/26/2015, in Cases, open discussion and tagged A change gonna come, Al Green, killed by cops, open discussion. Bookmark the permalink. 75 Comments.
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We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident 
I have that meme, ‘Have you heard…’
It’s beyond ridiculous anymore, at the rate this is happening. Thank goodness for social media. Without it, without cameras, the killing of unarmed people by the police, would continue unabated.
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Good morning Mindyme! I can’t keep up anymore. By the time I decide to blog on one case, another happens, then another, then another. There are still other cases to follow-up on. For a long time now I’ve had a video and police report out of Baltimore. I need to redact the police report. It doesn’t involve a killing, but shows how a cop abused a woman who committed no crime and then lied about on his report. He got away with it, too. The point is that when officers cannot be trusted to tell the truth, it’s like a boulder rolling down a mountain of snow.
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When they get away with lying, when they are blatantly dishonest, it’s a HUGE sign that they knew what they did was wrong.
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One of the divisive features that I have been noticing is the power of these police unions and their leaders. They are enabling the police with their belief, that they are being unfairly unappreciated for all the work they do. The possibility that there is a need for reforms is completely deflected. Also, this is what makes firing bad cops so difficult. Those in elected office do not want to antagonize the police unions. Guess what? They will have to confront these unions.
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its my belief that if an officer feels they are unfairly unappreciated for all the work they do then that officer has joined the force for the wrong reasons same goes with Fireman military the whole bit.
Basically in my mind that way of thinking tells me that they joined the police or military or fire department looking for some sort of credentials. in other words I do this so you must pay your respects. I am sorry but its my belief that if your a Policeman, fireman or a marine you do that because you want to serve your community its supposed to be an act of selflessness not something you do so you can rub it in peoples face and demand they lick your boots.
and you are right these are the issues we do have to confront with the unions, Just because an officer feels un appreciated that doesnt give him or her a free pass.
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They also get paid to do it. some pretty well. so that’s appreciation enough.
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Cops don’t get paid a lot, especially those in the lower ranks, in fact many take on second jobs.
I have always believed there are 3 jobs in which the pay is too low, police, firefighters, and teachers. The first 2 will risk their lives for you and the last molds the minds of our future.
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Yeah, i saw here in south florida new regular officers are starting around 40k which possibly includes benefits &bonus/overtime etc. And higher ranking officers making 75k to well over 100k. But that’s why I say some& obviously depends on where & rank. Even a young cop i dated years ago, just a regular davie cop, did very well. We just saw where one cop on some desk job during his brutality investigation is still being paid 90k. So while Florida may have a higher cost of living, 40k for an entry position isn’t chump change.
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here’s a place that gives a breakdown of cops salaries in florida. http://www.lawenforcementedu.net/florida/florida-salary/
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$22 per hour is the lowest wage on Shannoninmiami’s chart, cry me a river. Sorry.
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Technology has changed the “game.” Bad cops are finding that the videotaping of their illegal acts has turned the tables on them. Brutality and the unjust, heinous killing of unarmed individuals can no longer be lied about through their false police reports.
What was always known and witnessed by the Black and minority communities is now being presented to a shocked and formerly naive general public and to the world.
I am one of those individuals who has been shaken by what I have witnessed in the way of misconduct by the bad cops. Sure, I knew about Rodney King because a person videotaped it with a camera. But, in the last three years I have been “educated.” Shock and heartbreak has replaced my former naive state. Illusions have disappeared and I am now aware of the serious work ahead to push for real and equal justice for those communities that have always been left out when it comes to being treated with respect, fairness, and professionalism.
Now, with cellphones having built-in filming capacity, just about everyone is capable of recording what they witness. It no longer requires the chance circumstance of someone who happens to have the traditional camera on their person. Yes, brave individuals filming misdeeds are helping to prevent cover-ups. We must work for legislation that protects these brave witnesses and have some sort of penalty for the bad cops who try to confiscate, erase, or destroy these witnesses’ cellphones at the scenes of LE misconduct.
There is much work ahead. We must not rest until the change comes. We also must not sit back and believe that any instance of successful change will be permanent. We must be protective and vigilant making sure that resisting forces do not erode and undo positive change.
It has been a half a century since Ella Baker wrote these words:
What does it say that we are still pushing for this?? We still cannot rest. Ella Baker’s words are so important that Bernice Johnson Reagon put them to music knowing that we still need them:
We must stay inspired and motivated. We must inspire and motivate others this just cause.
I would like all of you to know that I am very impressed by and grateful for our caring community here and all that you have contributed. Bless all of you!!
Thank you, Xena, for providing this forum for us, for your words of wisdom, for your excellent research, and for your caring heart. God bless you.
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So true, thank you!
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Yahtzee, thanks so much for your kind words. (hugs)
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This breaks my heart. I volunteer for parents and am a ‘fixer’ but this is one thing I can’t do a darn thing about. I feel powerless and I am not used to that. What I did do is to make sure my kids are inclusive of all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender. People could fix this if they really cared.
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Jackie, so true. People could fix this, but the people who don’t care seem to think that they are different, privileged, and it could never happen to them, a member of their family, or anyone they know. Their perception of having that favoritism is because they are perfect and would never be disrespectful to a member of law enforcement. Well, I’ve see people not say or do anything and in a heartbeat, they are pushed to the ground with knees on their necks and backs.
If parents did that to children to force compliance, or couples did that to each other, we would call it assault and advise victims to get counseling to deal with the trauma. Instead, we have lots of victims in America who are accused of their own victimization.
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It is assault. And if you think about it, it could be done to provoke a person. I know whites do not get this kind of treatment and it is not fair. Nobody should be treated like this. It makes me sick.
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Reblogged this on Blissfully Single and commented:
Dammit, this must stop. Nearly every single day there is a new hashtag; another life lost senselessly to police bullets. Don’t be silent. Speak out. The ONLY way change will come is if we all stand up and demand change.
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Jan, thanks for the reblog, dear friend.
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😘
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Sickening. And the stories these cops dram up to justify them is so pathetic and weak I could just scream. I still say all cops who shoot someone must be arrested unless there is video evidence or witness corroboration by enough witnesses that confirm justification who are not cops.
This garbage of shooting and claiming “I had no option” is BS and we all know it.
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Racer, America has turned into a country where there are separate laws for certain careers. We have conflicts of interest all over the place with law enforcement making arrests that are prosecuted by elected State’s Attorneys who go before judges who don’t want the police following them during their personal time away from the bench.
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There are so many of these stories that it’s becoming overwhelming. You would think with the national outcry happening right now, the cops would stop and think before shooting yet another unarmed man in the back. Maybe they’re counting on the fact that the majority of the general public will not care enough to do anything.
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This is actually a step-up of the White Supremacists’ plan from 2008 to incite a race war. They want their race war before President Obama leaves office.
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I believe that too. So they can say it’s all his fault
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Mindyme, know what I find interesting? It took a UK newspaper to report a case there for readers here to see how those wanting a race war use an agenda of impersonating being Black to provoke and cause Whites to believe that Blacks hate them. That is something I caught on to back in 2012, the first time reading comments on Yahoo articles.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-141143/White-supremacist-planning-race-war.html
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How about that officer in Ferguson provoking the Ferguson demonstrators with
The officer sounded as if he wanted an excuse to shoot them all.
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Yahtzee, that’s provocation, but what the UK paper reports, and what I witness, are non-Blacks impersonating being Black. They write hateful, threatening things about Whites to provoke fear and hatred in Whites against Blacks. The impersonators are not beyond using the “evidence” they created to point others to it and encourage people to be afraid of all Blacks. It’s kinda like what that woman did in 2008 when she cut a “B” in her own face but said a Black man who was voting for Barack Obama did it.
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Charles Manson…there are claims the murders he orchestrated were for the purpose of starting a race riot.
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As I recall, didn’t “Robbie the Racist” say something about that. Something about it’s all Obama’s fault there is so much racial tension ?? Something about a major racial confrontation brewing ??…….maybe I’m wrong, but I’m sure he did and we commented on it.
If there is to be a major racial confrontation, you all know where I stand…….and it’s on the side of equality. And after we win, everyone’s invited to our house for a celebratory BBQ,
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Racer,
I vaguely remember Robbie saying something like that, because most of his rants were on Twitter and I did not have a Twitter account during the case. In 2008, the Anti-Defamation League posted on their website a press release where they wrote the following:
http://archive.adl.org/presrele/extremism_72/5387_72.html#.VT3LuJM8qLU
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True…the President has failed to provide it to them, so they have to create it themselves.
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Sadly, the people who are wishing for this to happen seem to have gotten at least some of the media images they want tonight 😦
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I just saw this tweet. A store near Union Square is supporting the equal justice movement:
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The video, that was awesome!
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he left us too soon
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Loved the video!! Now I want to know more about him.
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I didn’t hear about him until after he died. But his voice was really incredible. When I hear this version, I either feel hopeful or completely ruined. Depends I guess.
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yeah! me too, hopeful or completely ruined. 😦
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Latest suit since Walter Scott shooting claims police misconduct ignored”
http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150427/PC16/150429615/latest-suit-since-walter-scott-shooting-claims-police-misconduct-ignored
Excerpt:
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We must Stop killing young black men. We must end injuring and killing those who are different. World history shows us that this will just bring pain and death. Hugs, Barbara
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Reblogged this on IdealisticRebel's Daily View of Favorites.
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Barbara, thanks for the reblog, dear friend. (((((hugs)))))
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was this a setup? i ask because the police said they were deployed near the school before it dismissed, and they knew the kids expected buses to pick them up that were NOT coming so the police in riot gear met the kids just getting out of school with no ride home…..very strange to me and it is obvious the police have allowed the looting for hours now standing close by but doing nothing…almost as if this is all planned out to discredit the entire protest movement…….
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Bill, exactly. Why were the bus lines told to stop operating prior to these children leaving school? I hadn’t heard one person mention this on MSM.
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I have also wondered about this.
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simple common sense…..bank robbers dont warn the bank …..and hit men dont warn their victims……..there was NO threat made against police by those groups.
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The Nation of Islam doesn’t not teach violence. It upsets me that the haters misrepresent them in that manner.
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The Qu’ran parallels the Holy Bible nearly verse for verse… Jesus is mentioned 5 times more than Muhammad and 96% of all Muslims are peaceful. It upsets me too.
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hope link will work. A teacher’s FB page of what happened today.
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TY that confirms exactly what i felt, the police STARTED this stuff by putting the kids in a horrible situation, NO reason to stop any bus and no reason for such a response…….
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Bill, I noticed there were some sort of rails where the police first encountered Freddie Gray. I have wondered in the back of my mind if they possibly could have slammed his neck on the top railing there.
It was reported that they dragged him to the location where the witness videos begin. And then, of course, they then dragged him to the van when it arrived.
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Thank you for posting this, Peni.
Sounds like Bill called it right.
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i wish i was wrong
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It’s scary.
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I couldn’t find one story about the buses being shut down prior to the schools letting out. The only thing I did find was a story of how there was a social media flyer that was distributed calling for a “purge”–this is in reference to a movie in which all laws are suspended for a day.
It could be that the cops knew about this “purge” and set up to stop it. That is only speculation on my part. The cops certainly didn’t help the situation when they started to throw the bricks/rocks/etc. back at the students and action should be taken against officers that they identify doing this.
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“The cops certainly didn’t help the situation when they started to throw the bricks/rocks/etc. back at the students and action should be taken against officers that they identify doing this.”
Take action?!! Hahahah, as IF??!!
I saved that video because it’s so hilarious to me! LMAO
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Wrong video!
Here’s the cops chucking rocks back at the teenagers!
still so funny i don’t know why..
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Very scary
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I am thinking this Baltimore situation could have been handled better. There is enough information that could have been shared with the community. The schools are going to be closed tomorrow. Why? This just adds to a bad situation.
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I suppose it might protect the very youngest students. But it’s also a move by the system to provoke the teenagers. They know damn well that teens are restless and many will get involved in protests. More of an excuse to further crack down on people, I would think. You notice how the system hollers about violence but the system itself is horrifically violent toward citizens.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/nonviolence-as-compliance/391640/
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Did anyone see the video of the mother who found her teen son during the riots?
http://www.towleroad.com/2015/04/baltimoremom.html
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Was that the Mom with a yellow outfit chasing her son while she is smacking him silly? She was trying to get him to behave.
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Yes that was her, the news media tracked her down afterwards and she did a short interview. Basically, he was her only son and she didn’t want him to be another Freddie Gray.
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https://twitter.com/amelscript/status/592817780082274305
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now on gretawire some idiot is claiming that Freddie Gray had already had several neck surgeries one only less than 2 weeks before his arrest……there is NO LIE too big for these racists to tell.
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Bill, please don’t follow the bread crumbs leading to the rabbit hole. The argument of White Supremacists and other haters is irrelevant. It makes no difference if Freddie had a pre-existing condition or not. From the time that the cops handcuffed him, they owed him a duty of care.
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Carl Stokes told Erin Burnett the truth about the dog whistle, “thugs.” Preach it, Mr. Stokes.
(Oops. The Youtube channel has been deleted so I’ll look for the video on another channel.)
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Yeah, I really loved that lady mayor, she’s so beautiful & tough, she’s got that yankee accent, it looks like she’s controls a movie star like posse working for her, reminds me of Angelina Jolie type, UNTIL she called the kids thugs. she fuck up big time. she should apologize because she misspoke about young impressionable kids. thug really is a the n’word nowadays, even tho other ppl still use thug for real criminals, it’s not appropriate in this situ at all. I’d freak out if someone called my kid a thug & I don’t believe she’d appreciate it if someone called her kid one. maybe she has good intentions, maybe she didn’t use that word to hurt the kids but she has to know by now that it tarnished her credibility with ppl like us who want to see & support ppl in political office with the right motives.
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There is leaked info that is being picked up by Washington Post. It seems the prisoner that was in the van along with Freddie Gray has provided a statement what Freddie Gray was thrashing about so that he could injure himself. Isn’t this just a convenient leak. On CNN, there was an anonymous person interviewed by Anderson Cooper who claims to know well one of police involved during the arrest. He said that his friend claims that Mr. Gray was hurt before he was placed in the van. This is another convenient plant (my thinking). This is going to be a case of too many conflicting stories to where proving who did what and when is going to be mission impossible. This is being well orchestrated.
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Gronda, as I shared with Bill here, I’m not going to get distracted by arguments as to whether Freddie was injured before he was placed in the van, or during the ride. That’s because the moment that the cops slapped the cuffs on him, they owed him a duty of care.
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IF Freddie was injured in his initial take down and he was screaming in pain and asking for help then the cops should have still called an ambulance and have an EMT at least examine him. Cops are not medical experts and while I’m sure they have had their share of suspects crying wolf; it only takes one to be real to screw their career forever.
IF he was injured prior to being put into the van and he then thrashed about he might have caused his injury to be increased. I also heard, rumor at this point, that the van was equipped with one of those little black boxes and it can show whether or not the driver gave him a ride to cause injury.
The friend of the cop also said that they admitted they didn’t seat belt him in because he was so combative and to do so would open the office to possible injury because they have to reach over the suspect to belt them in (biting, kicking, head butts, etc).
The police report will come out on Friday and who knows when the autopsy report will come out….the reports about his injuries have come from his family and what doctors told them.
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TOWERFLOWER, The mayor is now saying that a report will not be available for the public on Friday, May 1, 2015.
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conflicting stories about the other guy in the van…..a lawyer says she saw his signed statement that his ride was QUIET that Freddie made no noise at all and this washington post report is what some detective claims the guy told him…….the lawyer says she has evidence the Freddy was already unresponsive before they stopped to pick the other guy up……and watching the video of him being loaded it sure looks to me as if he is already very seriously injured, he clearly could NOT walk.
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