Fear is the Answer, Cowardice the Reason

Why Do the Police Brutalize?

 

 



I've posted many times about police brutality, beginning when I found out about the Kelly Thomas murder by 6 Fullerton cops, in 2011. Everybody finds it abhorrent. The focus is on the racial aspects but black, white or purple no one wants to be the next innocent, unarmed child, old person, or whoever to be murdered and the have that murderer claim that he/she was in fear for his/her life, or that murdered reached for his/her waistband and the murderer feared a gun. Those seem to be the most popular excuses. They always seem to be accepted by the administration, and in the rare, very rare, cases that the murderers are brought to trial, are also it seems accepted by the juries.

Jemel Roberson was trying to stop a suspected gunman outside of the Chicago-area bar where he was working as a security guard when he was shot and killed by the police, the authorities said.

CreditCreditZbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune, via Associated Press

By Karen Zraick and Julia Jacobs  Nov.12, 2018

 

Black Security Guard Responding to Shooting Is Killed by Police

 

 

A black security guard at a bar in the Chicago suburbs was killed by the police as he apparently tried to detain a man he believed to be involved in a shooting, the authorities said Monday.

Officers from several police departments had responded to reports of a shooting early Sunday morning at Manny’s Luxury Lounge in Robbins, Ill., said Sophia Ansari, a spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Witnesses told the police that a fight had broken out and someone had started shooting. After the authorities responded, a police officer shot the guard, Jemel Roberson, 26, who had a gun, Ms. Ansari said. Mr. Roberson died at the hospital.

Witnesses said that people in the crowd had yelled to arriving police officers that Mr. Roberson, who was wearing gear that read “Security,” was a guard. Ms. Ansari confirmed that Mr. Roberson worked for the bar.

“Everybody was screaming out, ‘Security!’,” one witness, Adam Harris, told WGN-TV. “He was a security guard. And they still did their job, and saw a black man with a gun, and basically killed him.”

This episode happened as many Republican politicians, including President Trump, have responded to mass shootings across the United States by calling for more people to protectively carry guns. After a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue left 11 people dead, Mr. Trump suggested that people carrying firearms during services would have helped.

 

Image

Mr. Roberson was shot early Sunday morning at a Chicago-area bar where he worked as a security guard.

CreditGregory Kulis

Ms. Ansari said that five people were shot during the episode at the bar. The injuries sustained by four of those people, including the man believed to have initially opened fire, were not life threatening, she said.

An officer with the Midlothian Police Department shot Mr. Roberson, Ms. Ansari said. The Midlothian police chief, Dan Delaney, confirmed in a statement that one of his officers had shot a “subject with a gun.” He did not name the officer.

On Monday, Mr. Roberson’s mother, Beatrice Roberson, filed a federal lawsuit against the unnamed police officer and the village of Midlothian. It alleges that the shooting was unprovoked, unjustified, excessive and unreasonable.

Ms. Ansari said the man who initially opened fire at the bar had not yet been charged. She said he was still at a hospital.

The shooting of Mr. Roberson is being investigated by the Illinois State Police, who did not return a call for comment.

Family friends of Mr. Roberson’s said he had worked as an organist at several local churches and had once dreamed of becoming a police officer himself, according to local news reports. Mr. Roberson had a state firearm owner’s identification card, Ms. Ansari said, which authorized his possession of firearms.

Mr. Roberson had planned to play later that day at New Spiritual Light Baptist Church, the pastor, Walter Turner, told the local ABC affiliate.

“How in the world does the security guard get shot by the police?” Pastor Turner said. “A young man that was literally just doing his job, and now he’s gone.”

A version of this article appears in print on Nov. 12, 2018, on Page A19 of the New York edition with the headline: Arriving at Site of Shooting, Officer Kills Security Guard. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

 

 

 

NYPD Cops Stop Patrolling Streets, Crime Rates Begin Falling; Traffic Violations Down 94%

I found this post online, read and enjoy... Original link  I posted an article sometime back that advocated that we don't need police, "ABOLISH THE POLICE - An Article by Anthony Gregory about Police Abuse Around The USA," and the result of the NYPD "strike" pretty much proves that it is possible that as they currently exist, police may not be necessary. I read recently that there are over 900,000 police officers in this country, probably not counting ancillaries such as prison guards, parole officers, clerks, etc. Link to my post  I believe that the requirements of being a cop need to be strengthened, including psychological tests and frequent recurring background checks, drug tests, credit checks, investigation of bank accounts, friends, acquaintances, family, etc. I understand that few people would submit but I believe those that did would be less corrupt, cowardly, and inclined to kill, than many we have currently. We need, desperately, more Frank Serpicos and fewer, of the too many to name, corrupt killers with badges.

Lee Murray

NYPD Cops Stop Patrolling Streets, Crime Rates Begin Falling; Traffic Violations Down 94%

Justin King
December 31, 2014
(ANTIMEDIA) New York City – The New York Police Department has decided that its “wartime” strategy is to simply not do their jobs.

 

The NYPD made the move after two cops were killed in reprisal for Eric Garner’s death. With NYPD publicly stating they are just going to worry about protecting themselves, something interesting happened: nothing. The city didn’t erupt into riots, there is no reported crime wave, super villains have not taken over the streets of Gotham.
The pro-police media narrative fed by a constant stream of press releases from New York cop unions, associations, and fraternities basically says that because the Mayor didn’t support NYPD in the wake of the Eric Garner decision the NYPD stopped working in protest. This is a blatant lie.
The NYPD went on the wartime footing and began ignoring offenses not when the Mayor made his remarks, but when two of their own were ambushed while sitting inside of a patrol car. This isn’t a political statement by NYPD, it’s the act of a group of people who are scared. For years NYPD has been able to do whatever they want to whomever they want and suffer no consequences. More than a quarter of the people killed by the NYPD were unarmed. Misconduct resulting in a lawsuit is a daily occurrence.
There has been no counterattack from the population until now. The NYPD likes to play up all of the officers that died “in the line of duty” to justify its brutal behavior. Aside from the two officers killed in reprisal, not a single officer was shot and killed in 2014. In fact, prior to the reprisal, the last cop killed by gunfire was in 2011. Prior to 2011, the last time an NYPD cop was intentionally killed by gunfire was 2007. In 2009, there was another officer killed by gunfire but he was shot by other NYPD cops that opened fire because well… He was a black man with a gun.
In short, NYPD kills more unarmed people in a year than they’ve had officers shot and killed in the last 7 years. In the last five years, NYPD lists 25 “in the line of duty” deaths on the Officer Down Memorial Page. Only 3 were at the hands of a “bad guy,” and that includes the two killed in reprisal. The overwhelming majority of NYPD officers killed are attributed to a broadly defined “9/11 related illness.” If an officer dies of cancer, for example, and the NYPD connects that death to 9/11 then the officer’s family gets paid. They’re just looking out for their own.
The NYPD is just like any playground bully; when somebody strikes back they cry and tell the teacher. Well the teacher in this case is Mayor de Blasio who is responsible for dealing with the endless stream of lawsuits generated by the department’s misconduct. The bully took his ball and went home, but it seems nobody misses the bully or the ball.

Arrests are down 66%. Traffic violations are down 94%. Criminal Court Summonses are down 94%. There is no public outcry. There is no crime wave. The NYPD’s move just showed that all of the rhetoric about being the thin blue line between order and chaos is complete garbage. These aren’t just petty offenses being overlooked as the national media is attempting to frame it. The NYPD’s Organized Crime Control Bureau has had an 84% drop in drug related arrests. If you believe the propaganda, this is one of those units that supposedly stops wild marijuana junkies with needles hanging out of their arm from breaking into apartments and burning down churches after they use the American flag as toilet paper. Reefer madness has not paralyzed New York.
The NYPD has shown clearly that they are overstaffed and overfunded. If they can all basically stop work without causing major issues, maybe we have too many cops on the streets. It also demonstrated that all of the talk about the NYPD being the “sheepdogs” who are responsible for keeping the wolves from eating the citizens of the city is nothing more than empty propaganda. The NYPD won’t respond to a call without two units being dispatched now. So, all the talk about them rushing into danger to save your life is also mindless propaganda. They won’t even respond to a shoplifter without two units, which means 4 officers. They certainly aren’t going to go into a dangerous situation for you or your loved ones.
The NYPD proved they care nothing about the community when they gambled with crime in the city. NYPD was hoping for a crime wave so they could pressure the Mayor. They were hoping that the people who they are supposed to protect and serve would become victimized so they could justify their brutality. It backfired. It’s time to slash NYPD’s budget and manpower. Thanks to unions playing politics, the citizens know the force doesn’t need to be as big as it is, and it certainly doesn’t actually care about the citizens of the city.

Death Visits Ferguson, Missouri in the Guise of Darren Wilson

I'll keep this short as I've been told by commenters, as well as friends that I post too much about police brutality, the problem though isn't me, it's the increasing frequency of murder by cop. I deliberately had stopped posting on this subject but it keeps happening, it seems every day.
In the case of Michael Brown, the cop, of course, Darren Wilson claims that Brown was trying to take his gun and had "beat him up" in the attempt. But frankly, even if that's true, all it shows is that he was a coward who killed Brown out of pique or revenge, as Brown was unarmed, and no where near Wilson when murdered. 
If I, or anyone else without a badge, i.e. a cop, had been beaten up, allegedly, and then had shot his alleged attacker, emptying the gun a minute or so later, they'd have been locked away no question. So why hasn't Wilson? Or any one of the thousands of other perpetrators of murder by cop? Why is all they get the proverbial slap on the wrist, if they get anything at all, and then go on as though nothing ever happened, while their victims, and the families of their victims, don't get to go on at all?
End of lecture.

Lee Murray


Daily Mail Article
NBC News Article
Wikipedia Article

Is Increased Police Militarization Necessary?

Another article I found posted on Facebook that has a lot to say. I'm making no changes of any kind, just letting it talk...

Lee Murray


Is Increased Police Militarization Necessary?

posted by M Caulfield September 22, 2013

Read more: http://www.exposingthetruth.co/police-militarization/#ixzz2logQVAtJ
Although there has been no dramatic increase in crime statistics to warrant the increase in police militarization within the United States, police departments continue to outfit themselves with military weaponry. The police in America who now more aptly resemble soldiers, bring with them conflict and tyranny to the streets and our communities.
The consequences of this been an increase in unjustified home invasions, and the murder of innocent people. The home is no longer a safe haven because our guaranteed right to not have our privacy arbitrarily invaded by police is constantly violated. When we see the police, we now feel more fearful than we do protected, in some cases we are more fearful of police than we are of crime. And no matter where you are: you are more likely to be killed by the police than terrorism.
Police frequently execute warrants and initiate raids on the wrong homes. Along with this unacceptable inaccuracy, there is also an unfortunate rise in deaths of numerous dogs at the hands of aggressive (abusive) police tactics. The increased violence is giving rise to a very nervous atmosphere, and hatred for law enforcement officers continues to grow, along with the increase in viral videos and stories displaying examples of police brutality. An investigative reporter, Radley Balko, interviewed several police officers regarding their personal experience with no-knock raids:

“When I interviewed police officers for the book who’ve been on these raids, the words that they would use to describe how they felt during the raids are the same adjectives we use to describe the effects of the drugs that they’re conducting these raids for in the first place. They’re described as intoxicating and [officers claim that they] get this huge rush…it’s a thrill.”

The numerous declarations by the state, of war against vague enemies like drugs, terror, and crime, have been used to justify further police militarization. Even though it can be argued that these wars cannot be won, and several decades and billions of dollars support that notion, the state continues with the charade. And because of this, these relentless expeditions have blurred the distinction between cop and soldier (Balko, 2013). The increased frequency of unaccountable and heavily armed police raids which are being conducted on homes of unarmed, and non-violent suspects, in the middle of the night, is an alarming misuse of state power.
Why can’t the police conduct their raids during the daylight? Perhaps that might lower the occurrence of innocent bystanders who get terrorized and/or lose their lives. Maybe that would increase the accuracy of entering the correct home that the warrant has been issued for. Apparently, it is much easier to go busting into someone’s home in the middle of the night (Balko, 2013). Granted, there are occurrences when individuals have good interactions with police officers, officers are often shown respect from individuals when they deal with the public in a respectful manner.
The increasing trend has been majorly overlooked by the public and their representatives. A Mayor in Maryland sought an explanation from the federal government as to why SWAT team members had burst into his home without knocking and killed his two dogs, in what turned out to be drug raid ‘mix-up’. In the past decade that has been a 3000% increase in no-knock SWAT team raids. Police are being equipped with body armor, Blackhawk helicopters, armored vehicles, chemical spray, night vision, and even drones. The police are annually looking less like the benevolent keepers of the peace. Today in the United States, SWAT teams are deployed about 100 to 150 times per day.

“It’s really about a lack of imagination and a lack of creativity, when your answer to every problem is more force, it shows that you haven’t been taught and trained to consider other options.” – Norm Stamper, retired Seattle police chief from 1994 to 2000.

It is claimed that the police cannot arrest people in a violence-minimizing manner due to “lack of resources”, but we know that thanks to asset forfeiture and revenue expeditions, like radar and seat-belt traps, police departments are collectively bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars.
But, if they believe the drugs to be in the home, and need to enter in a frenzy to decrease the chances of the suspect destroying any, why not enter the home when the suspect isn’t there? And if the materials are believed to be on the person, why not arrest them in the daylight when their actions are more visible, to notice if they discard of any substances? Most instances do not call for extreme violence, especially when the identity or guilt of suspects is remotely unsure, and especially shouldn’ be used in regards to matters of personal choice.
Some suggestions to curb further militarization of America’s multiple police forces, include:
End The War On Drugs
Prohibition has proven to be ineffective at eradicating or preventing drug use, and the goal of ending drug use and production is seemingly impossible.
End anti-drug Byrne Grants
These grants create federal incentives for further militarization, and also create multi-jurisdictional drug task forces, who often lack any real accountability or oversight.
End The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program
When police departments reach a threshold of drug arrests, the agency becomes eligible for more federal funding, which encourages more aggressive enforcement of drug laws.
End Civil Asset Forfeiture Program
Police departments seize a variety of items that are believed to be connected to ‘drug activity’ such as: cash, cars, homes, boats, bikes, and jewelry. This has obviously created a lucrative incentive for police to send SWAT teams to conduct routine raids to serve drug warrants. One thing is for sure: police militarization is bad for everyone and is a greater danger to our freedom and health than “terrorism”.
References:
Balko, R. (2013). Rise of The Warrior Cop. PublicAffairs.

Read more: http://www.exposingthetruth.co/police-militarization/#ixzz2lofMAdoC

 

Death Visits New York City In The Guise Of A NYC Cop

NY police accidentally shoot shop worker to death

By ALEX KATZ and TOM HAYS | Associated Press – 4 hrs ago

 

 

Play Video

• Video: Security Video: NYC police shootingAP 1:12 | 12654 views
• Enlarge PhotoNew York City bodega manager Felix …

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) — A police officer shot and killed a convenience store worker who plowed into him on a sidewalk while frantically fleeing an armed robbery early Friday, a sudden encounter that the police department called a tragic accident.

Three men taken into custody at the shop after the shooting were charged with murder, robbery and weapons possession, prosecutors said.

Dramatic security video released by police shows the uniformed officer, his gun drawn, positioned outside the Bronx shop's front door moments after a 911 call. In a flash, the store manager rushes out the door. Closely behind with his head down is Renaldo Cuevas, who runs full speed into the officer, sending both men tumbling to the sidewalk.

A pool of blood appears to form on the ground the instant Cuevas lands on his back. The officer is kneeling and pointing his semiautomatic at Cuevas when the video clip ends.

Investigators believe the impact of Cuevas running into the officer caused him to fire one round, striking the 20-year-old victim in the left shoulder, police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a news conference. Cuevas died later at a hospital.

Though the death appeared to be an accident, the officer was placed on desk duty pending an investigation, a routine practice for all New York Police Department shootings. Officials refused to release the name of the seven-year veteran of the police force.

There was no sign that the shooter and other officers at the scene mishandled the situation, Kelly said.

"The tragedy here of course was that Mr. Cuevas was shot, but I see nothing wrong with the procedure," he said.

Added Kelly: "We want to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Cuevas for their loss."

The fatal police shooting, one of two in the city on Friday, came two weeks after two police officers wounded nine people by shooting a total of 16 rounds at an armed murder suspect, leaving him dead in the shadow of the Empire State Building. The bystanders all were struck by police gunfire, ricochets and fragments.

In the second police shooting Friday, officers were summoned to contend with a man holding a knife to his neck in a Queens home. Officers repeatedly ordered the man to drop the knife, but he refused and began approaching an officer while holding it in the air, police said. The officer fired once and hit the man, who was taken to a hospital and died Friday evening, police said.
Felix Mora, the manager of the Bronx convenience store that was robbed earlier Friday, told reporters he was closing up with Cuevas, the shop owner's nephew, well after midnight when the three men barged in and one pointed a gun at them. One warned, "Don't move. I will kill your son if you move," he said, explaining that they thought Cuevas was his son.
"I was so scared. I was just praying for the cops to come," the 43-year-old Mora said.
A passer-by called police at about 2 a.m. to report the holdup. When officers arrived, they looked through a window and saw Mora and Cuevas being held hostage at gunpoint, police said.
Another security video shows a masked gunman hitting the manager with a pistol as he pushes both men to the floor. It also shows one of the bandits peering out the window, then, apparently realizing police were there, bolting to the back of the store, giving the victims a chance to slip away.
Mora told investigators he had heard one of the men yell in Spanish, "Policia! Policia! Policia!" meaning, "Police! Police! Police!"
After the shooting, one of the robbers quickly surrendered, police said. The two others retreated to the basement and remained inside until police threatened to send in a dog, Kelly said.
One of the men emerged around 5 a.m., claiming to be a victim. Police found the second man tied up inside as part of the ruse, police said.
Police said they found a .32-caliber handgun, which was never loaded, and the robbers' backpack, which contained $718 in cash, cigarettes and scratch-off lottery tickets.

Across the street from the bodega, Cuevas' friends set up candles and put up hand-drawn posters on the wall that included messages reading, "RIP Reynaldo" and "We want justice."

Mora called Cuevas "a good kid, a hardworking kid, a happy kid."

Death Visits White Plains New York In The Guise Of At Least Three White Plains, NY Cops

A couple of months ago a man, 68 years old with a bad heart was murdered by a cop who answered a medical alert call by LifeAid Alert to simply go by and check on him after his device had allegedly gone off as he slept and being asleep apparently didn't hear them trying to contact him through the base unit in his apartment. THIS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH A CRIME, they were there for no other reason that to verify he was ok. For this reason only, White Plains cops showed up apparently by the dozens, in full body armor, prepared and eager to blow the door off it's hinges, then assault the subject of the medical alert with a tazer, a bean bag shot from a shotgun and finally killing him, not a criminal or possible criminal, a medical alert, another innocent victim of rampant murder by cop.
This is an evil that's existed as long as there's been police in one form or another, but it seems to have become more and more common in this day and age. It seems that police brutality and murder of innocent victims was more commonly directed at blacks and Hispanics in the past, but it's now something that can and does happen to anyone, no matter race, sex, whatever.
The murderer who fired the shots, has been identified by the White Plains pd, after months of outright refusal to release the name of their murderous cop who brutally shot Kenneth Chamberlain.  Surprise! It turns out he's the same officer involved in another police brutality case that a local Eyewitness News has been looking into where he brutally beat a man who was  restrained in handcuffs. White Plains Police finally admit that the murderer is Officer Anthony Carelli, a cop and bully, for 8-years, who shot and killed Kenneth Chamberlain. Who knows just how many cases of murder and torture, how many beatings and instances of brutality there really are? Is this cop on the take? Is he a wife beater? Who knows? Anything is possible, apparently he's capable of any crime.
Mr. Chamberlain was a former Marine, and a retired corrections officer, so this murderer, this murderous cop, did what calls for the Death Sentence in NY, he killed a cop, a co-worker, at least that's how I see it, probably he doesn't.  When this happened the pd called it a "good shoot" which isn't really surprising. Every pd calls every shooting no matter how egregious or obvious it's bad good, they're all good shootings. Even in the Kelly Thomas murder the Fullerton pd called it good, within guidelines.

Of course the murderous cop wasn't alone, there were other uniformed criminals, at least two. One who tazed Mr. Chamberlain, who they knew suffered from a bad heart, and another who shot him with a beanbag. These cops were also there allegedly because they wanted to find out if Mr. Chamberlain was ok. He had committed NO crime, he was in his own apartment, unarmed and just aroused out of sleep in the middle of the night by someone, he didn't know who was pounding, and pounding and pounding on his door. They claimed to be police, even assuming he believed that, they demanded that he open the door and let them in. He said no, that he was alright and he didn't want them to come in. Chamberlain told them through the door that he was alright, one of the cops was recorded responding, “I don’t give a f**k, n****r, open the door."  So they "took" the door off it's hinges, probably blowing the hinges with a shotgun or something similar. Mr. Chamberlain's son says audio and video which the District Attorney gave him access to, shows his father was in undershorts with his arms hanging at his sides hands empty, he had no weapon, when police broke into his apartment, brutalizing him with tazer and beanbag shot from a shotgun and murdering him.
Mr. Chamberlain somehow knew, how we don't know that he was going to die at Carelli's hands. He was recorded saying as these White Plains, NY "police officers" were breaking into his home, "My name is Kenneth Chamberlain.This is my sworn testimony. White Plains police are going to come in here and kill me." Somehow he knew, and he was right. 
Interestingly, I was watching an episode of Twilight Zone today about a kid with a radio on board an airliner, who finds he can hear what others think through the headphones connected to his radio. He discovers a man on board who has a bomb, planning to blow up the plane, because he lost his young daughter in a plane crash, and believes the only way to force safer planes is to blow up this one. The kid manages to put his headphones on the bomber and he hears what the others are thinking, the fears and regrets of the other passengers. Suddenly he realizes that he's destroying people not just an airliner. That his act goes beyond just him and his loss, it impacts other people and they're innumerable, not just the other passengers but their families, friends, and others unknown to them. 
The point being, that while you wouldn't necessarily expect a criminal about to kill to realize the concept that his act of murder or violence impacts many people beyond his victim. But you would expect a police officer to realize it and therefore to act in such a manner that he tries to never put himself or anyone else in that position. While it's true that a police officer may have to kill someone in the performance of his job, there are many, very many, who've never drawn their gun. This is true today as it was in the past. But it seems that recently there are more and more, every day that use any excuse to murder, then use the flimsy excuse of being in fear of their lives. In my opinion, if they're that afraid they shouldn't be cops. The truth is that they're looking for an excuse, any excuse, to shoot something or someone. They murder fearlessly not facing any consequence of their crime, for the simple reason that all cops, their departments, their unions, their cities, and even the district attorneys that should be punishing them become accomplices after the fact, finding any reason to call the crime as no crime at all. Which means that there are no good cops, police depts, court officers, etc., none at all. Either they're criminals, or accomplices to the crimes.
Finally, as a veteran of the Marine Corps, Mr. Chamberlain's murder should be noticed by the Corps. As a friend who brought this to my attention pointed out you'd think the Marines would object to one of their own being murdered, especially by a cop, who shot him unarmed and helpless in his own home. Then adding insult to injury by lying about it and trying to cover it up. I agree they should but won't, simply because the saying "once a Marine, always a Marine," is a saying from times far past. It may even be true that some of those White Plains cops, possibly even the two that assaulted him and the murderer, were Marines. If so, they made fun of another Marine, yelling insults through the door. Marines or not, all of these cops should be ashamed, and they should all be dismissed never to be police again. As to the three who assaulted and murdered Mr. Chamberlain, they should be sent to prison, if there were any justice in this world. But there is no justice where criminal cops are concerned, there is a double standard instead.   
 
Link to Video and Transcript of the Video
 
White Plains Cop Identified
 
DA Said To Be Weak On Charging Police With Criminal Actions
 
Still Another Article About The Murder

Death Continues Its Visit To Fullerton: Things Just Happen and The Bill Of Indictment

I found the following posts on the Friends For Fullerton's Future Blog which I highly recommend.  
 Friends For Fullerton's Future Blog
They are about the Kelly Thomas Murder. The first purports to be a letter to the acting Chief Hamilton from Mr. Cicinelli's brother. Whether or not it really is I don't know and make no representations one way or the other. It does however allude to having seen the mysterious video that remains unreleased to the public. Did Cincinelli and the others make copies to amuse their friends and family? Again, who knows. Basically "the brother" is saying that the whole murder wasn't murder or criminal at all, just an unfortunate accident that can happen to any cop, anywhere anytime. This in itself is possibly the scariest part. It possibly comes from the killers own family that there's nothing out of the ordinary in a cop killing a civilian. It may be a beating, a tazering, or a shooting, but it's not unusual, and this from the killers own brother, so he says. He also finds Mr. Ramos, the one indicted for 2nd degree murder, innocent of any wrongdoing. He implies that he's an attorney of some kind. I'd quote the asinine statements in the letter, but I'll let you read for yourself.  Here it is:

Mr. Cicincelli

Things Just Happen, A Window Into The Cicinelli Defense Strategy
Posted By The Fullerton Shadow

An “aggressive pedestrian?” What?!


Helpfully provided by some locker room lawyer calling himself “John, Jay’s Brother.”

Acting Chief Hamilton:

I am writing you today regarding the unfortunate but real-life issue, the Kelly Thomas incident, a regrettable part of police work as you well know. In most cases these things happen with no intent on the parts of the officers to cause any level of harm, let alone have a person die in their hands; things just happen. We’re not talking a Rodney King incident, or the shooting of an unarmed transient as in the Charles Hill case in San Francisco, but a wrestling match with a few blows thrown to subdue an aggressive pedestrian who was stopped for lawful reasons. In this case, it wasn’t the fighting that created the fatality, but positional asphyxia, something common to arrest incidents across the nation. You’ve seen the video, as have many leaders in your department, and you cannot argue that these officers went in and beat Thomas to death; your fellow leaders in the department have made their observations and opinions clear. The facts support all but the first two officers, with the only portion unknown and least defendable found within the first few minutes where they are behind the tree and invisible to the camera. From the point when Corporal Jay Cicinelli enters the scene, Thomas is pulled into full view of the camera and all are in view the remainder of the incident.

While the death of Thomas is regrettable, the actions of the police department and the city are much more reprehensible, starting with the inadequate chief who said nothing but drifted off into his protected stress leave, and a new city manager who sorely lacked the experience to capture and control this from the onset. Now, to have it left in the hands of the “unbiased” outside investigator has only exacerbated the problem as he bends to the political pressure brought on by the media and the accusing brothers whom themselves have suspect motives. You know well what I am talking about.

I am writing on behalf of Jay, though I’ve looked at Manual Ramos as well and find little fault in him concerning this death. Two officers do a pedestrian stop based on a call from a local pub. The stop is legal, as well as their motive to detain and arrest Thomas as a possible suspect for 459 PC, burglary. Thomas fails to comply, and the fight is on, with no less than two broadcasts placed for officers to respond code-3. With one officer out of shape, the fight is limited before Ramos spent his energy, and the second who remains on top of the subject is hurt. The third officer on scene knows nothing but that his partners are in a fight, need help, and experiences them exhausted, hot, sweaty, and breathless, in a struggle with a bare-chested suspect. He deploys the stun gun, dry first, and with the barbs second, but each having no effect. In-fact, the only result seems to come with an officer receiving the shocking transfer of the jolt through Thomas’ body, into that of Officer Hampton. What comes next is basic police work: A few knees by Officer Joseph Wolfe, as well as some punching to the face area. Jay struggles to maintain his stun gun as Kelly attempts to disarm him twice, followed by Jay swinging it around a few times, then a few (between 3 and 5) ineffective swings with the stun gun to hit Thomas and stop his actions. As you know, Jay and Manual are at the lower portion of Thomas’ body, not the chest area where the medical problem arose. After this, there is little that happens until they finally handcuff Thomas, and those who do, not Jay or Manual, leave him handcuffed and hogtied on his chest for several minutes. Do I have to point out to professionals that people die from this alone every year in the hands of police officers? So how then, do they so adamantly point the finger at Jay and Manual? I know why: political pressure.

I find it hard to believe that people, from “Chief” Sellers, to the city manager, to the politicians sitting on the city council, don’t have the wherewithal to stand up for the truth, and defend your officers who have sworn to keep and oath that threatens their lives every day. What I see is a series of cowardly decisions, made by people who are unwilling to do what is right, and defend these officers who were involved in a very unfortunate incident, and have been given up at Ron Thomas’ request, as “sacrificial lambs” if I remember the quote correctly. I believe strongly that everyone from the OC District Attorney to the politicians and their appointed investigator are getting this off their Teflon desks as fast as they can conceivably do, disregarding the low lying fruit within your department, because to them, this is a trivial matter and not worth the time to do the right thing. I believe that they are responding to the media when they assert that Jay has “mental issues” resulting from his LAPD shooting that caused the loss of his left eye. I understand that former Chief McKinley has already stated that in the media, that he wasn’t sure why Jay did these things, and that he was given the psychological evaluation before being hired, indicating that he buys into the mental status. From my records, my arbitral experience, and my legal experience with the EEOC, this would be called discrimination based on disabilities under ADA. Furthermore, the manner by which the city is treating these two officers is significantly different than their fellow officers who faced and currently face criminal charges, some of which are strong felonies, not wobblers. This is accurately described as disparate treatment, another cause of action that I strongly suggest be brought forward by these employees against not only the city, but those who are making the decision to suspend them without pay, thereby adversely impacting the lives of both officers and their families. And though they may deny these assertions, claiming some sort of sovereign immunity based upon their government status, the city, your agency and each person making such decisions are not immune from suits filed under the ADA, and are therefore subject to compensatory, special, future, and punitive damages. Finally, as it comes to the seven tests of just cause, the action taken to suspend these officers comes unfounded based on the lack of a full and complete, unbiased investigation, and the assertion of “rule violations” is most apparently contrived for the purposes of eliminating a political animal that rests heavily on the backs of every person listed above.

I pray that you will step in the gap for these officers, to make decisions that are not based on politics or public opinion, but on facts. And, if the facts are not there to support such negative actions, I strongly urge you to state this to those who are pushing you to make adverse decisions regarding these men and their families. There have been many men throughout history who have changed their course of direction for the right reasons, and have faced scrutiny for doing so. To change course in this case is the right decision, as you know deep down in your heart, and one that will come at a price. Is your future career at a heavily scrutinized department worth the futures of these officers and their families? Please understand that if the leaders above you, who push to get rid of these officers without proof, but based on the ugly pressures of public opinion, do not change their course of action against these officers, each action and decision will not go unanswered, and the legal and political issues they face now will only be exacerbated when these officers are cleared of their charges in court when their day comes.

Sincerely,

John
Jay’s Brother




The second, is a well written and thought out answer to the above letter also posted on Friends For Fullerton. The writer says it better that I ever could. So read it for yourself:


The Bill Of Indictment


Posted by The Fullerton Shadow in Behind Closed Doors, Dead heads, Dick Jones, Don Bankhead, Law 'N Disorder, Pat McPension, Repuglicanism, Setting The Bar Low, The Crime Beat, Union Goons, Watch Your Wallet on October 8th, 2011

This outstanding comment was posted by “Simmons” yesterday in response to the bizarre letter to the acting police chief from somebody purporting to be the brother of Jay Cicinelli.
I strongly recommend that somebody simply copy this comment and read it at the next City Council. All of it, but especially 11A-o. Watch the resistance wilt. Oh, yeah: quit screaming and hit them with the truth.

#11 by Simmons on October 8, 2011

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but these FPD officers will never be punished by the justice system.
The fix is in regarding the upcoming Fullerton Police murder trials for killing Kelly Thomas.
Unfortunately, the powers that be appear to have conspired with the POLICE UNION to protect these police officers and the police union.
Let us review the facts and I believe that you will tend to agree with me.

THE MURDER

1. It appears the call from a local BAR owner was faked to give the FPD a reason to arrest Kelly. Thus, even the initial stated reason for approaching this “aggressive pedestrian”” is suspect. Side note: If so, the citizens of Fullerton should see to it that this BAR is closed – one way or another.

2. Six FPD officers took part in the murder; apparently two took a bigger part than the other four.

3. Ramos punched Kelly several times in the ribs, tackled Kelly and used his hands to hold Kelly’s NECK and used his body weight to hold Kelly down.

4. Wolfe, who was not charged, also punched Kelly 3 or 4 times, kneed him in the head, and used his body weight to hold Kelly down.

5. Cincinelli arrived and kneed Kelly twice in the head, used his Taser 4 times to shock Kelly, and used the front of the Taser like a club to hit Kelly in the FACE 8 times while Kelly was pinned to the ground and could not move or protect himself; Notably, Kelly did not respond to the clubbing by Cincinelli but that did not stop these animals.

6. A growing pool of blood did not stop the beating.

CAUSE OF DEATH

7. Yet, the official cause of death, according to the corner, is “mechanical compression of the thorax making it impossible to breath normally”; Really !!!! Interesting as will be discussed below.

8. In contrast, the UIC Documents stated that Kelly Thomas died of Blunt Force Trauma to the head (“brain death” due to “head trauma” due to “Assault”). MRI demonstrated diffused supratentorial gray matter infarction consistent with diffused anoxic brain injury.

9. Notably, diffused anoxic injury can be caused by either breathing problems (corner’s selection) or brain acceleration (UIC Documents – from Dr. who treated Kelly). (Note: diffused anoxic brain injury is usually by vehicular accident but can also be caused by head trauma from a beating). This is important as I believe the powers that been in this case have manipulated the selection of the “cause of death” for reasons described below.

THE POLICE REPORTS – Culture of Corruption

10. The Police were allowed watched a video of the incident to craft their reports; reports that had to be rewritten several times even after the video was used. This made sure the reports were consistent with each other.

11. There is apparently a culture of corruption at the FPD including police officers that have been described/be charged as pickpockets, thieves, sexual predators, kidnappers, thugs, and murderers . . . all hired by former Fullerton Police Chief and now city council member Pat McKinley.

A: Albert Rincon – allowed to serially sexually assault women in the back of his patrol car. Actions known to FPD management but nothing was done.

B: FPD police officer — sentenced to jail for fraud to support his pill habit.

C: FPD police officer — arrested in Miami airport for iPad theft.

D: FPD police officer — who smashed recording device on jail wall to avoid complicity in jail suicide.

E: FPD police officers — beating up and falsely arresting Veth Mam.

F: FPD police officers — lying on the witness stand about Veth Mam.

G: FPD police officer — beating up and falsely arresting Edward Quinonez.

H: FPD police officer — sexually assaulting a dozen women in the backseat of his patrol car, with recording device turned off.

I: FPD police officers — issuing traffic citations to harass protesters.

J: FPD police officers — ambushing and murdering a helpless homeless man.

K: FPD police officers — turning off recording devices during murder.

L: FPD police officers — colluding to falsify reports about said murder.

M: FPD superior officers — coaching said falsification and returning to street of said miscreants.

N: FPD police officer — spokeshole deliberately issuing lies to the media to misdirect, temporize, stall and otherwise obscure said murder and cover up.

O) FPD police officer — arrests Emmanuel Martinez by mistake (or on purpose) and he spends 5 months in jail. (why did the FPD and union thugs not help his aggressive pedestrian make bail?)

As for City Leaders – councilmembers insulting protesters as “lynch-type mob”; councilmembers discounting injuries of murder victim.

12. The FPD appears to be run by UNION THUGS, as seems apparent when several Kelly Thomas protestors (aggressive driver) were ticked (by a head union thug) for blowing their car horn in support of Kelly Thomas.

13. While the DA’s job is to protect the people (aka aggressive pedestrians when walking) by prosecuting criminals, in the Kelly Thomas case, the DA has been described as being on the side of the police, who are the criminals in this case, not the people. The DA has even been described as engaging in preemptive surrender before the investigation is complete.

14. Even with help from the video tape to “get their story straight”, the FPD story is a shifting story that appears to be morph as needed to fit the facts of the moment.

TIME LINE

15. Kelly Thomas, an unarmed 150 lb aggressive pedestrian sitting on a bench, was beat to death by 6 FPD police officers on July 5, 2011; apparently with all their combined bulk, mussels and weapons, they just could not seem to get Kelly under control without beating him to death.

16. While the Orange Count DA started his investigation on July 7, 2011, no serious actions were noted until after a large protest outside the FPD on July 18, 2011 and after July 30, 2011 when the FBI started its investigation.

17. At some point between July 10, 2011 and July 30, 2011, Fullerton City tried to settle the case for $900,000, most likely financed by the UNIONS, to keep this incident under the rug, so to speak and probably to keep the FBI out of their files.

18. On August 2, 2011 the Fullerton City Council meeting was held that discussed the Kelly Thomas case. Just hours before this meeting, Five (5) of the six officers were FINALLY placed on paid leave (one officer was already on leave for a different reason) but only after the FPD and City Council realized that this case was not going away, Kelley’s father could not be bought off, and the FBI were going to investigate.

19. This timeline, coupled with the shifting story of the FPD, coupled with the documented culture of corruption of the FPD and the Fullerton City Council, the demonstrated policy of fraudulently creating police reports using videotape and rewriting to make such reports consistent, coupled with the attempt to bribe Kelly Thomas’s father to hide the Kelly Thomas case, I have little trouble concluding that the FPD, some Fullerton City Council members and the Police Union (aka “union thugs”) have NO HONOR and will do whatever it takes to see that these police officers are found innocent.

THE CHARGES

20. Ramos has been charged with one felony count of second degree murder, one felony count of involuntary manslaughter;

21. Jay Cicinelli one felony count of involuntary manslaughter and one felony count of the use of excessive force;

PARRALLELS to ISAIAH SIMMONS CASE

http://juvienation.wordpress.com/2008/01/30/charges-dismissed-in-isaiah-simmons-case/

22. Isaiah Simmons, a 17-year-old convicted of armed robbery, died at the Baltimore-area Bowling Brook Preparatory School, a privately run residential program for juvenile offenders. Following an outburst that day, Simmons was set upon by a group of counselors, who, according to the Baltimore Sun, “pinned him face down to the ground, restraining him for about three hours.” After Simmons lost consciousness, the guards waited forty-one minutes before calling 911;

23. The school was shut down in March, the death was ruled a homicide; On January 29, 2008, Carroll Court Circuit Judge Michael Galloway dismissed the last of the charges of reckless endangerment that had been filed against the counselors in the Simmons case.

24. Bowling Brook administrator Brian Hayden said in a prepared statement, “With this dismissal, Judge Galloway affirms that these gentlemen had nothing but the utmost concern for the safety and welfare of Isaiah, and they reacted as quickly and effectively as possible in an effort to avoid this tragedy.”

24b. Simmons’s mother, Felicia Wilson, said she was “devastated and outraged” that charges against the counselors were dismissed. “I have no faith in the Carroll County justice system,” she said. “I’m not going to stop fighting for justice for my son.” Wilson has called for federal charges, and prosecutors plan to file an appeal.

25. Kelly Thomas supports and the citizens of Fullerton should get ready for their “outrage” when these cops are set free.

26. Side note: Don’t think that police officers are not aware of this phenomenon where suspects die when the suspect’s chests are compressed for long periods of time. Thus, if you want to kill a suspect in an apparently nonviolent way, a way that is difficult to prove was murder, simply apply sufficient pressure to the suspect’s back until he becomes comatose (as was done in the Kelley Thomas case if one believes the corner’s reported cause of death). When you hear the suspect cry out that he can breathe, you know you’re getting the pressure right, and simply hold it for sufficient amount time.

THE TRIAL

The trial will likely be a choreographed scam. I would not even be surprised if the DA and the defense team for the police officers (financed by the union thugs) get together and meticulously choreograph what case law will be presented, the best rebuttals to the case law, and the theatrics that will be used during the trial.

As I see it now, the State’s case depends on whether or not the DA can convince a jury that Ramos was committing a crime during the arrest. If so, the murder charge should stick as it does not matter if the death was an accident or completely the fault of Ramos as a death results from a criminal act committed by Ramos.

In contrast, if the jury does not believe that Ramos was committing a crime during the arrest, then the cause of death becomes critical.

This is where the coroner’s report becomes important as it differs in a material way from the UIC Documents. The coroner’s report puts the cause of death as: “mechanical compression of the thorax making it impossible to breathe normally”. The UIC Documents stated that Kelly Thomas died of Blunt Force Trauma to the head (“brain death” due to “head trauma” due to “Assault”). MRI demonstrated diffused supratentorial gray matter infarction consistent with diffused anoxic brain injury.

Diffused anoxic brain injury is consistent with the conclusions of both the coroner and the UIC documents. The difference: if the UIC documents are correct, then Ramos and Cicinelli are guilty of murder as they clearly caused all the head trauma (although Wolfe did to one knee to the head). If the corner is correct, pressure on Kelly’s back cause the death; a cause that cannot be attributed to Ramos alone beyond a reasonable doubt. The corner, DA, union thugs, Fullerton City Council and FPD really had to get together to figure this path out which is why it took so long for the coroner’s report to be made public.

In the end, the trial will be a choreographed circus and the cops will go free because the selected cause of death could not be attributed to Ramos and Cicinelli, there will be outrage among Kelly Thomas supporters, and the Union thugs will get richer off the tax pay money.

If there is to be justice in in Fullerton, it is going to have to come from the people.