NEW YORK (AP) — Video surveillance released Friday of the mistaken arrest of former tennis star James Blake shows…
NYC ARREST VIDEO OF JAMES BLAKE (FORMER TENNIS STAR)
This has left me speechless.
This is one of those stories along with an accompanying video that makes me sick to my stomach. My hope and my wish is that James Blake will sue the arresting officer and the NYC Police Department. There are too many ways that this incident could have been avoided but instead… this young man was humiliated and cuffed because this overzealous (I could include more adjectives) officer did not do due diligence. He could have easily identified himself and… questioned Blake until he was satisfied that this was/was not the suspect that he was looking for.
Here is a picture of Blake and the suspect that they were seeking.
Blake is on the left and the unidentified suspect’s picture is on the right.
Check out the story from the Associated Press below:
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Posted on 09/12/2015, in Cases, Cops Gone Wild, James Blake, Potpourri and tagged false arrest, James Blake, James Frascatore, mistaken identity, New York, tennis. Bookmark the permalink. 28 Comments.
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First people said Mr Blake was lying,playing the race card. Turned out he was correct all along.
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Chuquest, those who are not familiar with racism would say that the officer thought that Blake looked like the man and the man he was looking for was described as Black. They miss the stereotype that all Blacks look alike.
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Truthfully, they do resemble each other a bit BUT… that is not the point at all. The insane way that he was treated (whether he was the suspect or not) is ridiculous and inhumane. I’m still on the page of him filing a lawsuit in order to bring more attention to the bigger picture. The fact that he is a celebrity will definitely help to raise the consciousness as to what is happening on a larger scale.
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That’s a good point! The officer should have asked for identification before treating James like a criminal.
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Showing ID would have been a good Idea too, If someone came at me like that I’d assume they were a mugger. (which was basically what he was)
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Jim,
Absolutely! It was a physical assault, completely uncalled for.
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Who in their right mind thinks the officers response would be appropriate.. I am always amazed at those who try to justify brutality.
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I saw Blake’s interview with Don Lemon on CNN. What happened to James was unforgivable. I also hope he sues the pants and other things off this NYPD officer.
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Chilling while black. Terrifying.
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I am white and it is terrifying to me too. Ya just never know these days. UGH!
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Dear Xena, Thanks for doing this blog on James Blake. It turns out the supposed suspect was innocent too. This next part is complete speculation on my part. I am guessing that there was a deal made with another criminal for info. The poor guy probably scared to death gave a name, any name. So then you get this overzealous cop with several prior complaints against him, wanting to make a name for himself. How problematic this becomes is magnified when this same arresting officer did not file a report on this failed arrest as required. Then the next question I have is how was this officer with a long complaint file against him given a sought after position as an undercover detective. I would like to know what his coworkers’ files look like.This could be an office gone amok.
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Gronda,
The credit goes to Studiotj who wrote the story. I’m happy that he did so I could reblog it. I’m still working between the old and new computer, setting up programs on the new one. Who knows how NY operates in promotions, etc. It’s the same town where Eric Gardner was choked to death on video, and the officer using the illegal choke hold was not arrested, but the guy who took the video was.
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Xena,
We are all in this thing together. That said…….. I still need HELP with posting awards on my site. I have another one that I just got and MY COMPUTER…lol won’t let me. Send help!!!
Additionally, I’m nominating you for the Sunshine Blogger Award. More info to come.
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LOL! Okay dear friend. First, save the award to your hard drive. Then go to “media” and add the photo to your media file. You might have to adjust the size if it is above 300. I generally use 280 in width. There will be a URL in the box to the right of the photo. Copy that URL.
Next, go to “Settings” and select “image.” It will ask if you want it on the right, left, top or bottom border. I see that you have a right-side border, so you want it there. Word Press will put the image box at the bottom of the right-side border. If you don’t want it on the bottom, just hold down the mouse and move it up to where you want it.
After you do that, click on it and you will see where the URL goes. Paste the URL there. Then click “save.”
If necessary, I can write the instructions in a post with step-by-step screenshots. Let me know.
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You see…. You are the sunshine! Thanks. I’ll try to work that out. In a minute, you’ll have no more room to put awards. You’re the best!.
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I read that too, the suspect wasn’t even the guy they wanted. It’s like bizarro world with cops these days!
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The following is from yesterdays, NY Times: “At least seven people gave accounts — in civilian review board complaints, lawsuits and other legal papers — of being roughed up without explanation in 2012 or 2013 by the same officer who tackled Mr. Blake. The officer, James Frascatore, who is white, has been placed on desk duty. Mayor Bill de Blasio and the police commissioner, William J. Bratton, have apologized to the soft-spoken star.
“I think there needs to be a public apology to all of them, all of those people who don’t have the same stature I have,” Mr. Blake said, sitting in a conference room at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
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This is a repeat of my original question, why was this officer still an employee of the NYPD, LEAVE ALONE A SOUGHT AFTER JOB AFTER ONLY 4 YEARS ON THE JOB? How many others like this officer are still working as police officers for NYC PD. Why isn’t the press asking this question. If Mr. Blake and the seven others want justice and to find out how prevalent this issue of officers with a fat complaint file being still employed, he and the seven others ought to file a class action law suit.
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Geesh! I pray nobody else looks like me that committed a crime. I couldn’t take a …. TAKE DOWN like that. It’s terrible just to ass…ume. By the way. We all have a double out there somewhere. I believe that.
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For sure, people can resemble each other. A description of “bald” makes all men who are bald standout. A description of “Black” makes all bald men who are Black standout. There is a problem, however, when law enforcement or people in general think that all Blacks are of the same complexion. Just as Whites have different color hair, Blacks have different skin tones. It’s how God creates — just look at flowers and the different colors of bird feathers.
Before physically attacking a “suspect” in public based on a physical description, that cop could have asked for identification.
I’ve heard of cases where the “suspect” wasn’t carrying identification and was taken to the cop-shop and arrested and fingerprinted, and it was not until the fingerprints came back that the individual was released from custody. A chief of police who is now retired told me once that when that happens, the prints are given the name of the person they were looking for because they had no proof of identity other than what the “suspect” told them.
If the innocent “suspect” should be arrested down the road under his real name is when an alias appears. It doesn’t mean that he ever used that name, just that they thought he was someone else and applied his prints to the name of the other person.
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Oh, by the way, in the situation I described — that’s why it’s important that the innocent person get an attorney to expunge the arrest based on mistaken identity — if the state has that law, that is. It’s important because if they ever apply for a job that takes fingerprints, that arrest will appear although it was nothing more than an arrest that went no further after the mistaken identity was discovered.
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Xena…. I love you! (((HUGS)))
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Shyloh,
In the words of President Obama, “I love you back.”
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Too cute!!
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Mindyme,
Good Afternoon!
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Even if the officer had supposedly had the correct suspect in view (who was innocent by the way), the way this officer acted was totally unprofessional, involving excessive force. This guy tackled a Black man and believed he could get away with it. Karma is a bitch..
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Gronda,
Sadly, he probably will get away with it. There are people who perceive that anything law enforcement does is to protect the people from crime. Thus, we hear they were only doing their job. They have the right to apprehend suspects, but not the right to violate their civil rights when doing so. The courts are overwhelmed with complaints alleging the violation of civil rights by law enforcement because victims are tossed into the civil courts for redress, rather than police chiefs reprimanding officers who violate civil rights.
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