Looking for a great way to get a lesson on Black History… Here’s a brother from Oakland named Eseibo the Automatic and his partners that took a popular Too Short song ‘Freaky Tales‘ and flipped it to be Black History Tales… I’m feeling this.. Hopefully you are as well..We need more joints like this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQtPTqoH0Dk&sns=tw
Here’s another cool song Esibo did that focuses on Huey Newton
Christopher Dorner the former LAPD officer who was on the run for the past week is dead.. Many who hoped that he may have escaped and that the body inside the cabin that was allowed to burn before our eyes on live today have to face that fact.. Christopher Dorner is dead..He’s dead and there’s lots of work for us to do in the aftermath.
Folks will also have to face the fact that Christopher Dorner is NOT Django.. In the past few days there have been discussions comparing Dorner to the fictional Django played by actor Jamie Foxx in the Quentin Tarantino movie..I guess it’s nice water cooler discussion, but for the most part its wasted intellectual capital especially if we have access to the masses..
It’s been said over and over again…Dorner, like him or not left us a solid trail of information in which he lays out a litney of wrong doings by LAPD.. and it’ll take time, keen organizing and persistence to follow-up. During the manhunt for Dorner we saw three innocent people who look nothing like Dorner get shot by officers in both LAPD and nearby Torrance PD. Their names are; Margie Carranza, her 71-year-old mother, Emma Hernandez and David Perdue a white man on his way to do some early morning surfing.
None of the victims who were shot in cases of mistaken identification came close to resembling Dorner nor did their vehicles. The names of the officers who shot these folks have not been released. I called LAPD this morning and they said they had no idea when the names would come out. They also wouldn’t tell me the status of the officers, whether they were on paid administrative leave, suspended, still working etc.. LAPD spokesman said, no further information was available because they were still investigating.
We do know from the initial reports that the officers were placed on administrative leave and that the shooting involved 6 officers and not 2 which was what was commonly reported. We also know that a new truck was being bought for the women via donations and that Chief Beck of LAPD apologized to the women admitting they made a mistake. We wanna know why weren’t those officers arrested for such a mistake?
We also know that due to the protection and privacy clauses found in Cali’s Policeman’s Bill of Rights, there’s no way for us to know the records of those officers once their names are released. In other words, we don’t know if any of these 6 officers involved have a history of deadly force or abuse or if they were just hard-working folks with clean records. We’ll have to trust that a department accused of coverup and distrusted by large segments of the population they serve will do right by the people and give us a thorough investigation..
David Perdue
The case around David Perdue also identified as ‘Dan’ in some news stories who was shot by Torrance police is even more troubling..He was on his way to surf when he was stopped by police who ran a check on him and sent him on his way.. A few minutes later there were gun shots…Those gun shots were LAPD shooting up the bright blue pick up truck of the two Latina ladies delivering newspapers..
According to the Torrance police report:
As Torrance Police Officers responded to the location, they observed a truck suddenly leaving the area matching a similar description of suspect Christopher Dorner’s vehicle. A Torrance Police patrol unit, occupied by two officers, encountered the black truck, collided with the vehicle, and an officer involved shooting occurred.
Both officers involved in the collision were not injured. The sole occupant and driver of the truck was not hit by gun fire and had no visible injuries at the time of the incident.
Members of the Torrance Police Department would like to send our thoughts and prayers to all law enforcement agencies, their families, and all innocent people who have been affected by Christopher Dorner’s actions.
This incident is being investigated under the command and direction of Captain Bernard Anderson of the Special Operations Bureau and the assistance of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Torrance Police smashed David Perdue’s truck-Will the TPD get him a new truck?
I have not heard back from Torrance PD to see if they have released the names of the officers who have been described as ‘reckless’ in their behavior around this incident. Early on their actions were defended and deemed ‘reasonable’ considering the circumstances..Many of us beg to differ. There is nothing reasonable about being rammed off the road by police and then shot at..
With all this in mind and folks calling Dorner , the New Django, here’s some food for thought…If one wants to invoke the name Django, the best course of action would be to follow-up and make sure each and everyone of those officers who shot at innocent people are punished and not walking the streets as peace officers.
I say forget the debates.. do the hard follow-up by staying on the case of the egregious wrongs we saw play out before our very eyes..That would include the police setting the cabin on fire and letting Dorner burn alive while they stood on the sidelines and cheered..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sisVskohj1k
In the movie, Django had to work and develop his skills as a shooter before he went to deal with his enemies. Instead of comparing and contrasting Dorner with Django, how about we develop our activism and political skills as people who love and demand justice and accountability from those technically work for us?
Dorner left behind a widely read manifesto..For those who feel he was a hero of sorts, how about honoring him and following up on the charges he laid out? He left names, dates, times and place..Familiarize yourself with them and never let up until questions are answered and change has occurred.
Candyland Plantation was destroyed in Django thus ending its reign of terror.. LAPD ‘Plantation’ still stands and its business as usual
The focus should be on making sure LAPD and other police agencies are vastly improved. The fact that LAPD and other police departments are so widely disliked is the reason so many people cheered on a guy who was accused of killing 2 cops and 2 innocent people.. In the minds of many, Dorner’s egregious actions weren’t too far removed from the realities far too many have experienced. How will we bring about improvement there?
Discontent with the police ranges from folks in the hood under siege for the wars on drugs, gangs and every other vice the police like to heap on entire groups of people, to the students, activists involved with the Occupy Movement to folks who by no fault of their own saw the economy tanked, lost their jobs and then their homes through foreclosure and had to deal with police holding it down for the banks and locking them out..
In the movie Django was given a couple of breaks from Shultz played by actor Christopher Waltz that he took advantage of which led to him being the hero that burns down the Candyland plantation. He tells the other slaves they are free as he moves toward his total liberation..
In real life Dorner was killed.. Candyland aka LAPD was not burned down and police terrorism and corruption is still here..If you really wanna make a comparison, Dorner is actually more like Shultz. Its through his manifesto and subsequent actions of the police in their attempts to capture him gave us all a match exposing wrong doings of LAPD..The question is what will you do with that match?
This is all coming on the heels of 7 police officers fired for being part of gang in the LA sheriff department called the Jump Out Boyz.. These guys celebrated shooting Black and Latinos.. In Berkeley, Ca a story is brewing about drugs dealers being given free passes if they go after activists in particular cop watchers. All this is on top of the report issued by Malcolm X Grassroots Movement that showed every 36 Hours an African-American is killed by police.. Now we have this…
ATLANTA—Seven Metro Atlanta Police officers, two former DeKalb County jail officers, a contract officer with Federal Protective Services, and five others have been charged with accepting thousands of dollars in cash payments to provide protection during drug deals in a federal undercover operation.
The defendants are making their initial appearances today before United States Magistrate Judge Alan J. Baverman. U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates announced the case during a press conference today at the Richard Russell Federal Building, joined by FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Giuliano and ATF Special Agent in Charge Scott Sweetow. Atlanta Police Department Chief George Turner, DeKalb Interim Police Chief Lisa Gassner, Forest Park Police Department Chief Dwayne Hobbs, MARTA Police Department Chief Wanda Dunham, DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown, Stone Mountain Police Department Chief Chauncy Troutman, and Federal Protective Service District Commander Jim Longanecker also attended the press conference.
United States Attorney Yates said, “This is a troubling day for law enforcement in our city. The law enforcement officers charged today sold their badges by taking payoffs from drug dealers that they should have been arresting. They not only betrayed the citizens they were sworn to protect, they also betrayed the thousands of honest, hard-working law enforcement officers who risk their lives every day to keep us safe. We will continue to work with our local law enforcement partners to pursue this corruption wherever it lies.”
Mark F. Giuliano, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated, “In recognizing the need for the criminal justice system and those who work within that system to firmly have the public’s trust, the FBI considers such public corruption investigations as being crucial. The FBI will continue to work with its various local, state, and other federal law enforcement agencies in ensuring that the public’s trust in its law enforcement officers is well deserved.”
“Corrupt public officials undermine the fabric of our nation’s security, our overall safety, the public trust, and confidence in those chosen to protect and serve,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Scott Sweetow. “The corruption and abuse of power exemplified in this case can tarnish virtually every aspect of society.”
The law enforcement officers arrested today were: Atlanta Police Department (APD) Officer Kelvin Allen, 42, of Atlanta; DeKalb County Police Department (DCPD) Officers Dennis Duren, 32, of Atlanta and Dorian Williams, 25, of Stone Mountain, Georgia; Forest Park Police Department (FPPD) Sergeants Victor Middlebrook, 44, of Jonesboro, Georgia and Andrew Monroe, 57, of Riverdale, Georgia; MARTA Police Department (MARTA) Officer Marquez Holmes, 45, of Jonesboro, Georgia; Stone Mountain Police Department (SMPD) Officer Denoris Carter, 42, of Lithonia, Georgia; and contract Federal Protective Services Officer Sharon Peters, 43, of Lithonia, Georgia. Agents also arrested two former law enforcement officers: former DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) jail officers Monyette McLaurin, 37, of Atlanta, and Chase Valentine, 44, of Covington, Georgia.
Others arrested today were: Shannon Bass, 38, of Atlanta; Elizabeth Coss, 35, of Atlanta; Gregory Lee Harvey, 26, of Stone Mountain, Georgia; Alexander B. Hill, 22, of Ellenwood, Georgia; and Jerry B. Mannery, Jr., 38, of Tucker, Georgia.
According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges, and the criminal complaints:
The undercover operation arose out of an ATF investigation of an Atlanta area street gang in August 2011. ATF agents learned from an individual associated with the gang that police officers were involved in protecting the gang’s criminal operations, including drug trafficking crimes. According to this cooperating individual, the officers—while wearing uniforms, driving police vehicles, or otherwise displaying badges—provided security to the gang members during drug deals.
In affidavits filed in support of the charges, an FBI agent described how drug traffickers sometimes recruit law enforcement officers to maintain a physical presence at drug deals. The traffickers hope that the officers’ presence at the drug deals will prevent rival drug groups from intervening and stealing their drugs or money and also keeps legitimate law enforcement officers away from the scene. In return for the corrupt officers’ services, the drug dealers often pay the officers thousands of dollars, according to the affidavits.
Acting at the direction of FBI and ATF, the cooperator communicated to gang members and their associates that the cooperator sought police protection for upcoming drug deals. In response, three individuals—Bass, Coss, and Mannery—while not law enforcement officers themselves, provided the cooperator with the names of police officers who wanted to provide security for drug deals. Once these officers were identified, FBI and ATF agents arranged with the cooperator, as well as with Bass, Coss, and/or Mannery, for the officers to provide security for drug transactions that were described in advance to involve the sale of multiple kilograms of cocaine. The individuals charged today participated in undercover drug sales involving agents and/or cooperators, during which the agents and/or cooperators exchanged cash for kilograms of sham cocaine. The police officers, usually in uniform and displaying a weapon and occasionally in their police vehicles, patrolled the parking lots where the deals took place and monitored the transactions. These transactions were audio and video recorded.
The defendants arrested today include the seven police officers and one contract federal officer who protected the undercover drugs deals, as well as two former sheriff’s deputies who falsely portrayed themselves to be current deputies, and two individuals who falsely represented themselves as officers despite having no connection to a local police department. The defendants also include four individuals who are not law enforcement officers but who acted as intermediaries between the agents and/or cooperators and corrupt officers and also assisted with the scheme.
Specifically, the undercover investigation included the following transactions:
DeKalb County Police Department
Between October 2011 and November 2011, DeKalb County Police Officer Dennis Duren, working together with Bass, provided protection for what he and Bass believed were four separate transactions in the Atlanta area that involved multiple kilograms of cocaine. Duren and Bass accepted cash payments totaling $8,800 for these services. During the transactions, Duren was dressed in his DeKalb County Police uniform and carried a gun in a holster on his belt, as he patrolled on foot in the parking lots in which the undercover sales took place. After the first two transactions, Duren allegedly offered to drive his patrol vehicle to future transactions for an additional $800 fee and afterward received an additional $800 in cash for using his patrol vehicle in the final transaction in November 2011. Duren and Bass are each charged with conspiring to commit extortion by accepting bribe payments and attempted possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. Duren also is charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Between January and February 2013, DeKalb County Police Officer Dorian Williams, working together with Mannery and Bass, provided protection for what he and Mannery believed were three separate transactions in the Atlanta area that involved multiple kilograms of cocaine. Williams and Mannery accepted cash payments totaling $18,000 for these services. During the transactions, Williams was dressed in his DeKalb County Police uniform and carried a gun in a holster on his belt, and he patrolled the parking lots in which the undercover sales took place in his DeKalb Police vehicle. During a meeting between the three transactions, Williams allegedly instructed Bass to remove any cocaine from the scene if Williams had to shoot someone during the upcoming sale. In another meeting, Williams suggested that future drug transactions should take place in the parking lot of a local high school during the afternoon, so that the exchange of backpacks containing drugs and money would not look suspicious. Williams and Mannery are each charged with conspiring to commit extortion by accepting bribe payments and attempted possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
Stone Mountain Police Department
Between April and September 2012, Stone Mountain Police Officer Denoris Carter, working together with Mannery, provided protection for what he and Mannery believed were five separate transactions in the Atlanta area that involved multiple kilograms of cocaine. For these services, Carter and Mannery accepted cash payments totaling $23,500. For all five transactions, Carter dressed in his Stone Mountain Police uniform. In four of the deals, he arrived in his police cruiser and either patrolled or parked in the parking lots in which the undercover sales took place and watched the transactions. During the final transaction in September 2012, Carter was on foot, displaying a firearm in a holster on his belt, and he walked through the parking lot in which the transaction took place and watched the participants. Finally, during one of the transactions, Carter agreed to escort the purchaser of the sham cocaine in his police vehicle for several miles, until the purchaser reached Highway 78. Carter is charged with conspiring to commit extortion by accepting bribe payments, attempted possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Atlanta Police Department
Between June and August 2012, Atlanta Police Officer Kelvin D. Allen, working together with Coss, provided protection for what he and Coss believed were three separate transactions in the Atlanta area that involved multiple kilograms of cocaine. Allen and Coss accepted cash payments totaling $10,500 for their services. For two transactions, Allen dressed in his Atlanta Police uniform and carried a gun in a holster on his belt. Allen patrolled on foot in parking lots in which the undercover sales took place and appeared to be monitoring the transactions. During a meeting after the three transactions, a cooperator gave Allen and Coss each a $1,000 bonus payment in return for protecting the three transactions. Allen and Coss are each charged with conspiring to commit extortion by accepting bribe payments and attempted possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. Allen also is charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
MARTA Police Department
Between August and November 2012, MARTA Police Department Officer Marquez Holmes, working together with Coss, provided protection for what he and Coss believed were four separate transactions in the Atlanta area that involved multiple kilograms of cocaine. For these services, Holmes and Coss accepted cash payments totaling $9,000. During the transactions, Holmes was dressed in his MARTA Police uniform and carried a gun in a holster on his belt. In two of the transactions, Holmes patrolled on foot in the parking lots in which the undercover sales took place and monitored the transactions. During the other two deals, Holmes drove to the site in his MARTA police cruiser and parked next to the vehicles in which the undercover drug sale took place. Holmes is charged with conspiring to commit extortion by accepting bribe payments, attempted possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Forest Park Police Department
Between October to December 2012, Forest Park Police Sergeants Victor Middlebrook and Andrew Monroe, sometimes working alone and at other times together, provided protection for what they believed were six separate drug deals in the Atlanta area, all involving multiple kilograms of cocaine. For his services in the first four transactions, Middlebook accepted cash payments totaling $13,800. During these transactions, Middlebrook wore plain clothes but displayed his badge and a firearm in a holster on his belt. He patrolled on foot in the parking lots nearby the vehicles in which the undercover sales took place and appeared to be monitoring the transactions. For the final two transactions, both Middlebrook and Monroe provided security and were given cash payments totaling $10,400. Middlebrook again monitored the transactions on foot in plain clothes while displaying his badge and gun, while Monroe watched from his vehicle in the parking lot and afterward escorted the purchaser of the sham cocaine for several miles. Middlebrook and Monroe are charged with conspiring to commit extortion by accepting bribe payments and attempted possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine; Middlebrook is also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office
In January 2013, former DeKalb County Sheriff Jail Officer Monyette McLaurin, working together with Harvey, provided protection for what they believed were two separate drug transactions in the Atlanta area that involved multiple kilograms of cocaine. Harvey already had provided security for two undercover drug transactions in December 2012, falsely representing that he was a DeKalb County detention officer and wearing a black shirt with the letters “SHERIFF” printed across the back during the transactions. Harvey then stated that he knew other police officers who wanted to protect drug deals, and in January 2013, he introduced McLaurin as one of these officers. During a meeting to discuss future drug transactions, McLaurin falsely represented that he was a deputy employed by the DeKalb Sheriff’s office, even though his position as a jail officer ended in 2011. McLaurin and Harvey further stated during this meeting that they may need to kill another person who knew that Harvey had protected drug deals, if this person reported the activity to others.
During the two transactions in January 2013, McLaurin was dressed in a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office uniform with a badge, and he carried a gun in a holster on his belt. He accompanied the undercover seller of the cocaine to pick up the drugs from a warehouse, counted the kilograms the seller received, and stood outside the purchaser’s vehicle during the actual transaction. He further discussed with the seller whether they should agree upon a signal for the seller to indicate that the sale had gone awry, requiring McLaurin to shoot the drug buyer. For their services, McLaurin and Harvey were paid $12,000 in cash. McLaurin and Harvey are each charged with attempted possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Later in January 2013, McLaurin and Harvey introduced a second former DeKalb County Sheriff’s Jail Officer, Chase Valentine, to help provide security for future drug deals. Like McLaurin, Valentine falsely represented himself to be a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Deputy, even though his position as a jail officer ended in 2010. Together with Harvey, Valentine provided security for one undercover drug transaction on January 17, 2013, during which he wore a DeKalb Sheriff’s Office uniform and a pistol in a holster on his belt. During the transaction, Valentine escorted the seller to pick up the sham cocaine, counted the number of kilograms delivered, and stood outside the purchaser’s car during the actual transaction. For these services, Valentine received $6,000 in cash. Valentine is charged with attempted possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Federal Protective Services
In November 2012, Sharon Peters, who was a contract officer for the Federal Protective Services, worked together with Mannery to provide protection for what they believed were two separate transactions in the Atlanta area that involved multiple kilograms of cocaine. For these services, Peters and Mannery accepted cash payments totaling $14,000. For both transactions, Peters parked her vehicle nearby the cars where the sham drugs and money were exchanged and watched the transactions. Before both transactions, Peters told others that she had her pistol with her in the car. Peters is charged with attempted possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Imposter Clayton County Police Officer
Between December 2012 and January 2013, Alexander B. Hill falsely represented himself to be an officer with the Clayton County Police Department while providing security for what he believed were three separate drug transactions in the Atlanta area that involved multiple kilograms of cocaine. During an initial meeting, Hill wore a uniform that appeared to be from Clayton Police, but during the transactions, he wore plain clothes and, for at least the first deal, a badge displayed on his belt. For these services, Hill received payments totaling $9,000 in cash. Hill charged with attempted possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Each charge of attempted possession with intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and a fine up to $10,000,000. Each charge of attempted possession with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, and fine of up to $5,000,000. Each charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. Each charge of conspiring to commit extortion by accepting bribe payments carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fine of up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentence, the court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
The public is reminded that criminal charges are only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
These cases are being investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kim Dammers, Jill Steinberg, and Brent Alan Gray are prosecuting these cases.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Information Office at USAGAN.Pressemails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.
Over the past week, Southern Cali police had more than 1000 officers combing mountains, stopping traffic on major freeways where cars were held up for hours, they offered a million dollars making it the highest reward ever offered for a wanted person in state history and that’s just for starters…
During the past week, LAPD shot 3 innocent people without identifying themselves as police officers.. They set up 50 separate security details to protect the families of cops who were ‘threatened’ in the manifesto said to be written by former LA cop Christopher Dorner..
During yesterday’s shoot out in the San Bernardino mountains’ near Big Bear they allowed a cabin where Dorner was said to be held up to burn completely to the ground.LAPD spokesman Andy Smith was livid when it was suggested that police had identified the remains that are supposedly in the burnt down cabin.. He said that the building was too hot to enter and that it would take some time to ID the body.. Police as of this morning 2-13-13 are still on tactical alert ‘looking’ for Dorner…
I want folks to look at some of what I mentioned and really think about this..I know many who dislike the police would like to believe that one man had one of the most militarized and largest police forces in the world, was spooked over threats and subsequent actions from one man..Some have gone so far as to call Dorner a modern-day Django. Others have noted that Dorner with his military training gave him a tactical edge and made him the most dangerous suspect ever faced by LAPD…
Daryl Gates hired lots of military men to work for LAPD
While its true Dorner is a military guy, he’s not the only military guy. LA under past chiefs like Daryl Gates, and William H Parker before him, made it a point to hire military men to be on the force. Again LA is one of the most militarized police forces in the country..LAPD has long prided itself on having the latest tools and weaponry at its disposal. Many of the police practices we see around the country come from LA including SWAT Teams which originated in LA.. There are lots of former Navy Seals, Green Berets, Marines, Special forces guys etc..all up in the ranks of LAPD and So-Cal police forces in general. So yes, Dorner was a trained cat not to be messed with, but he was not the only one at the party who could get down. There are just too many cats with similar and superior skills on that force that would not be spooked by one cat..
Again let’s think about this..On the criminal tip, Southern Cali is home to some of the most ruthless, well armed and vicious organized gangs.. The Mexican mafia, Armenian mob, Aryan Brother Hood, Skin heads, Biker gangs like the Mongols & Hells Angels Russian mob, drug cartels of every stripe, Crips, Bloods etc.. This is gang land for real..and many of those gangs are openly hostile to LAPD, yet we have never seen the resources and all stops pulled up to confront them, the way they did Dorner…We never saw this much power even after some of those gangs were deemed domestic terrorists..and even after we’ve seen some of these outfits do everything from murk entire families to terrorize entire families or ethnic groups..
There have been several rebellions in LA over the years, the most glaring the 92 Rodney King Rebellion.. After the acquittal of the 4 officers accused of beating Rodney King, LA erupted as members of some of LA’s largest gangs that had recently formed a truce, sat on national TV and pretty much promised to go after LAPD.. We saw the Parker Center police headquarters destroyed by angry mobs.. We saw armed groups, many of them gang members take to the streets..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60jXGIEcw5I
During that rebellion we didn’t see LAPD spooked. Families weren’t protected.. a thousand cops were not on the streets ‘looking for any one man or even a bunch of men.. We didn’t see officers including Daryl Gates have 50 protection squad units.. At the end of the day LAPD wound up shooting and killing more than 20 people during the rebellion..During the height of hostilities we didn’t see LAPD spooked.
During the hey days of the Black Panthers, US and other Black and Brown militant groups that routinely mashed with LAPD and had shootouts we did not see the type of resources to track down and confront any of these groups, the way we saw with Dorner..and we know LAPD went pretty deep with those groups..as explained by former Panther Erika Huggins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIekry1oLKU
Some suggested LAPD went all out because Dorner was deemed a serial killer Cali has had more than its share of serial killers and we never ever saw massive manhunts like this. Not here, not anywhere.. Freeways weren’t shut down for hours, safe houses and protections squads weren’t assigned to everyone in danger.. I recall back in 200-2001 when the niece of former LA Police Chief Bernard Parks was killed by gang members we didn’t see this type of all out manhunt or even all out efforts to completely eradicate the gang. Nothing like what we saw with the quest for Dorner..So why now? Was it because he was a rogue cop?
For those unfamiliar with Southern Cali, there’s a few other things folks should know about how the police get down.. There have always been rogue cops.. For example, for a long time, LAPD and LA sheriffs had beef with each other and it was not unusual for squads to actually square up and go at each other like a gang..
David Mack LAPD was a rogue cop reported to be a member of the Bloods
We also know that long before the Jump Out Boys, a rogue gang of cops recently exposed for shooting Black and Latinos leading to seven members fired the same day Dorner posted his manifesto, that Southern Cali police departments within their ranks had long had social clubs/ gangs many of them white supremacist.. But as we saw leading up to the Rampart Scandal and the saga behind Death Row records and the death of death of Notorious BIG, there were Peace officers of color who were associated with street gangs including the Bloods. The point I’m making there have long been rogue officers, some friendly, some not so friendly to the force, but still never this much manpower to quell…
Say what you want, but this situation with Dorner has the looks of police not scared of one man, because he made threats or had weapons. This had the look of someone trying to find something.. What that something is, one can only guess, but as I said last night when they let that cabin burn and then announced they couldn’t tell if the man reported inside was Dorner.. ‘something don’t smell right in the city of Angels ‘
What did that man know and was all this man power simply to stop him or retrieve something he had? Was the mission to make sure he went to his grave with sordid secrets? We may not get immediate answers to any of these questions, but we best keep asking.. LAPD no matter what they say was not spooked or felt they was in some sort of imminent danger as they would like us to believe..not with all those resources, man power and history.. Nn the words of Public Enemy Can’t Truss It..
Filmmaker Byron Hurt has been making noise for a minute with his thought provoking film projects including Hip Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes and Barack & Curtis: Manhood, Power, & Respect… Both gave us keen insight into Black manhood… His latest film Soul food Junkies is a gem among gems as he explores the relationship between him and his late father and our collective love affair with food. It’s insightful and touching documentary that’ll give you serious food for thought (no pun intended)..
Recently Byron came to the Bay Area to do a special screening of his flick.. We sat down and chopped it up.. Here’s our interview that recently aired on Free Speech TV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy-Elu8DE1E
Below is a link to Byron talking about his next film which will focus on Hazing in Fraternities
Last year, a close friend asked me “Why is Saafir in a wheelchair?” and with a sigh, all I could muster was “It’s complicated” because it really is. Months later, he asked me a 3rd time, so I shot him this email below:
Saafir’s sitch is the gradual result of a series of events..
Here’s a ruff timeline:
1992:
Survived TWA plane crash at JFK scheduled for Frisco. Engine blew during take-off, skidded-out sidewayz off the runway, came to a stop, and after a few seconds, burst into flames:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Flight_843
Saafir was the first one off, but he jumped before the slide fully inflated and wound up jolting his lower back as his feet hit the ground beneath the thin material. It was a Boeing DC-10, so it was hella high-up (..like jumping from a 3rd floor apt balcony).
Afterwards he refused hospital assistance (“I’m aight”) ..in a hurry ta catch the next plane back to the bay.
Saafir
1994:
At a d.u. photo shoot in Jack London Square (oakland) for Rappages mag, showing-out for the writer & photographer, he jumped onto the metal steps of a moving train that was goin faster than he anticipated. So when he jumped back off 2 blocks further, he hit the street with a snap, causing him to run violently faster than humanly possible for the first few steps to keep from scrubbing on camera, ha. He pulled it off, but it looked craaazy, and for the rest of that day he kept holdin his lower back and whispering “Damn, I think I fucked my back off again blood”.
1994 thru 1999:
He popped hella ecstasy without drinking the required water to protect the spine from dehydration.
2000:
While on Up in Smoke Tour w/Xzibit, horseplayin around backstage he hurt it again while kickboxin wit da homies. He could barely stand up from the pain. So Nzazi Muhammed (Digital Underground’s fitness & witch doctor) came & met him backstage, gave’m acupuncture & some massage therapy which immediately got him movin around again. This became one of Saafir’s classic stories, how Z made him lay on the concrete and had him screamin in pain right in front of Dr.Dre, Ras Kass and everyone while he worked on him, and how he jumped up afterwards in disbelief, and with a huge teary-eyed smile told Z, “Damn blood, u really fixed my back!! For the first time in 5-years the pain is gone!! Wow man, thanku man, thanku!!!”
2000 to 06:
Does two more Up in Smoke tours w/Xibit.
Back pain gradually returns & increases over the years, resulting in several doc visits & consultations.
2007:
His first spinal operation for “cartilage deterioration” and “nerve damage” on a few specific vertebrae. Afterwards, against doctors’ advice to “take it easy and stay off your feet while you heal”, he continued to do shows & hustle in the street.
07 thru 09:
Music biz real slow, so to pay his rent he starts grindin his prescription back-pain meds (oxys & roxys, high $treet demand) while he breathes thru the pain “like a soldier”.
Meanwhile, in addition to back pain, his right leg gradually begins to go numb from the toes upward, until he has to walk (and perform) with a cane:
http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/692513/freestyle-101-saafir/
Early 2011:
Numbness reaches his knee on right leg, left leg first signs of numbness in the foot. After several doc visits & diagnosis’s, still no solid explanation or solution. “Scar tissue around his lower spine is swelling and pressing against the nerves that control the legs” is the general assessment.
Late 2011:
Can’t walk at all on his own anymore, begins using a wheelchair. Loses his own place, and hasta move in with an ex-gf who he doesn’t get along with but was the only place he could go. They barely get along, the scene is usually tense. Meanwhile, his X & molly abuse continues, and without ever drinking water (their nightly ritual is to x-out before they fuck and crash-out). He continues to ride-out the pain (“Blood, I’ma soldier”) while flippin his pain meds for cash.
Also worth a mention, and since ever, Saafir is a sugar junkie (skittles & soda), only eats junk food, and has been chaining Newports since the early 90s. He recently told me he hasn’t eaten a vegetable in over 10 years, and most of his meals come from either the Arco Mini-market, 7-Eleven, or the Wendy’s nearby their deep-east oakland apartment.
Feb 2012:
He reveals to Money-B his sitch, which spreads thru the crew & shocks all of us. None of us had any idea, and we’re all hurt & pissed that he waited this long before he told anybody.
March 2012:
I go visit him, our first in-person meeting in over 10-years. His apartment is small, dark, cluttered & filthy. Cig butts fill every ashtray, empty soda bottles & fast-food cups everywhere. When our eyes met, it took all my strength to push down the urge to cry, and we met w/big smiles & hugs. But later when I was alone, I had ta pull the car over and dump tears for 10-minutes straight.
By now paralyzation had reached his hips, no feeling in either leg, can’t wiggle a toe or flex any leg muscles. It took us 2-hours to dress him and get him into the car, and then another 2 to get him situated in bed after our food & pharmacist run.
After the visit, I jump onboard full throttle in search of anyone who can help, any medical solution..
April 2012:
shock & Saafir
We zero in on the Laser Spine Institution in Scottsdale Arizona who propose a procedure with a 90% success rate. After reviewing his med records, requesting several new MRIs, and a slew of financial form clearances, they accept his case. We negotiate the appointment for late May, and began the surgery-prep processes at home.
May 26, 2012
I fly out with him as caretaker.
On day 2 of the 7-day process, after many tests, they apologetically announce they can’t help his situation. “Our type of procedure can’t treat his type of injury” was their only explanation, “We’re extremely sorry you traveled this far..” and they reimbursed us 15k of the 20 we spent to make it happen.
June 2, 2012
Saafir returned to his gloomy home situation in oakland devastated, exhausted & defeated. All of our hope was in that trip to AZ.
2012 to present:
Still searching for a doctor or a procedure that can help.
Still living off skittles, soda, chips and 7-Eleven burritos.
Still chain-smokin Newports
Still got them roxys fo’ya!
There are three things all of us should be concerned about w/ this Christopher Dorner saga.. First they are now using drones to hunt this man down.. On the surface that seems like no big deal, but because they are hunting for a ‘cop killer‘ who has stated via his manifesto that he has more in his sights, the police will equip drones with technology and use procedures that up till now are not allowed.
No I don’t think they will ‘shoot’ him from the sky.. But drones can be equipped with very intrusive snooping tools totally violate or constitutional and civil rights… Drones can be equipped to do everything from see behind walls to intercepting emails, text message etc.. Up til now the fight has been to limit law enforcement to use drones for search and rescue type operations.. They want search warrants and other legal documents to be in place before police use them…
But now the country’s second largest police department, LAPD can go all out testing and setting a precedent on using drones on American soil..bypassing the fight against them and current limits placed on them..In the search for Dorner, how much of our privacy will be violated? What sort of record keeping will be done on any of us? The justification process has already started with media and law enforcement now dubbing Dorner as a ‘domestic terrorist‘…If he’s a terrorist does that allow the indefinite detention provisions of NDAA National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 kick in? Can people who are suspected of being in association or sympathizing with Dorner now subjected to provisions in NDAA or other anti-terrorist laws?
Adding to this climate are recent remarks from LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have him framing Dorner as someone who is has a reign of terror over the people of LA.. Are the people of LA in trouble or LAPD? Does the average person walking down the street need to fear Dorner? Is he going after them or LAPD?
As far as we know LAPD has 50 security units guarding family of officers mentioned in Dorner’s online uncensored manifesto and they have safe houses in place..I wont begrudge police the right to protect themselves from danger, but let’s be crystal clear, if everyone is under a reign of terror as suggested by LA’s mayor, what protections do we have in place? … Heck, lets move beyond Dorner to everyday scenarios…If any of us was threatened because we stood up to the neighborhood criminal/thug as we are told to do by police would be no such protections or bright spotlights in place? Would they launch a thousand person manhunt to bring about justice as they are doing now? hell in many of the departments here in Cali, we are being told some crimes will not be investigated including burgalries
Second thing we should be concerned about is this move to do people in without a trial or due process. We see this playing out in the world court with Obama’s drone policies. Many of us have cheered and gone along with justifying it even to this date.. We now see it translating down on domestic/ local levels.. The shooting of the 2 women by LAPD and the man by Torrance PD was police shooting to kill, not follow the law.. It was shoot to kill and not bring Dorner before the courts, a right all of us no matter how despicable our actions, have a right to.. We should not get used to such draconian policies because with a few slight twists and turns one of us may suddenly find ourselves at the receiving end of this type of action which is now moving in the direction of policy..
Christopher Dorner
We should be concerned that none of the officers involved with those shootings have been arrested. Forget firing them or giving the victims money.. Where’s the zero tolerance policy? Where’s the same zero tolerance that toward police neglect and abuse that they routinely apply to us.. .. Let one of us accidentally shoot a cop…There would be no leniency.. But here we are acting like this is no big deal. Some have gone so far to say.. “This happens all the time in the hood’.. Maybe it does.. but now with the world watching, we best be pushing the cause and making this be the example in which such actions end because a steep price is paid.. In short don’t let it slide… Again I remind folks, the police are not letting the actions of Dorner slide..
Also related to this… Do not be fooled by the slick PR move of LAPD re-opening the case Dorner’s firing.. Don’t get me wrong that case should be re-opened for all the public to see.. Transparency is needed. But lets understand what that really look’s like. Transparency with LAPD starts with us asking the right questions. For example, we should get an answer the conflict of interests, that was raised in the Manifesto where the sergeant who was accused of kicking a suspect if she had working relationships and strong ties to those judging her..We also need to see her record to see if she had a history of violence as claimed by Dorner…. Lastly we should not stop with that case.. We need to vigorously check out all the others while simultaneously making sure the recent shooting of innocent by LAPD is punished.
Third concern is that the police don’t use this incident to further strengthen the Police Man’s Bill of Rights that are already über restrictive..The law is so restrictive it took Colorlines and other news agencies two years to accumulate information for their groundbreaking story ‘How California Law Shield’s Violent Officers‘..
The point I was trying to get across when I was on the news show Democracy Now this morning, is that Dorner blew the whistle on fellow officers and gave us information that the public has little and now no access to even if an officer is on trial.. We should not take that for granted or overlook it..He said his supervising sergeant has a long history of violence. If this is true can we see her records? Can we see the complaints filed or are they tucked away and shielded because of the PMBOR? Here’s the link to my Democracy Now appearance http://www.democracynow.org/2013/2/11/wanted_for_killing_3_christopher_dorners
We should be pushing back and demanding such strict privacy be lessened.. I’m fearful after all is said and done, even the names of police will be hidden from us under the guise of ‘protecting’ them…
We should be concerned that what Dorner described in his manifesto seems to be a culture that severely punishes officers who whistle blow..It would be great if good officers who are subjected to witnessing abuses, but keep their mouths shut out of fear would find ways to help the public further open up the cracks we see around this Dorner case.. From looking at the legal documents files and the manifesto we see retaliation for reporting bad behavior as a recurring theme.. Contrast that with the current climate on the federal level where whistle blowers are routinely punished and then you can better understand why all of us should be re-thinking all of this.. ..You can download the Legal documents and court papers here..http://leaksource.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/christopher-dorner-investigation-documents-deposition-legal-papers-challenging-lapd/
As the massive manhunt continues for former LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, Reverend Jesse Jackson has stepped in and penned an open letter to him… I hope Jesse uses his clout and organization to investigate the allegations of corruption within LAPD.. Your thoughts on this?
Dear Christopher Dorner,
I understand your feelings of hurt and pain. I make this plea to you to stop spreading the pain, the hurt, and the fear. Please stop. Don’t take any more lives.
Christopher, your mother is distraught and deeply concerned for your safety. There are many good and credible people in Los Angeles who will help you. Danny J. Bakewell Sr. (The Los Angeles Sentinel’s Executive Publisher/CEO),
Bishop Noel Jones, Bishop Kenneth Ulmer and Rev. Charles Singleton are all individuals I know personally. I promise that they will gladly receive you.
I will do whatever I can do for you without hesitation. Please contact me through Danny Bakewell at the L.A. Sentinel at 323-299-3800
Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
Coalition-Keeping Hope Alive
All eyes are on Christopher Dorner the fired LAPD officer who is the subject on a massive manhunt that involves more than 1000 cops up and down the state of California and in Nevada. He’s accused of gunning down three people including Monica Quan, a popular basketball coach and the daughter of a former LAPD captain and her fiance Keith Lawrence who is described as mentor to many and recently graduated from a police academy. ..
Dorner’s also accused of shooting 3 police officers killing one in Riverside California…In an 11 page manifesto that he posted on-line, Dorner lays out the reasons he’s on the rampage and why he’s down to take out his fellow officers and their family members. He feels they are racist, unfair and done him dirty by tarnishing his name and reputation. In this manifesto which is an epic read, he describes in great detail a department that is corrupt and more violent than the streets he was assigned to patrol…No matter how this turns out all of us should be asking a whole lot of questions and not resting until we get solid answers..You can read an uncensored copy of that manifesto HERE
Mainstream Media Coverage-Who Do they Work For?
Let’s start with media coverage? Does the media work for the people with the goal of getting the truth out or do they work for the police? I was surprised when media outlet after media outlet printed the Manifesto written by Dorner with all the names erased. The rationale was that they didn’t want to endanger the lives of police officers by printing their names because Dorner was targeting them.. Let’s say we buy that argument… Does that policy extend to other areas and to other citizens? After all, we live in an era where we’ve seen media become more paparazzi-like and go on all out crusades publishing people’s names addresses etc, invading folks privacy and sparking controversy to push a particular cause under the guise they are ‘just reporting the story‘. It hasn’t seem to matter what impact it had on those they highlighted. But in this instance a document that already been seen by thousands, they erased the names. Are such decisions made case by case by media outlets or only with the police?
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck
Since many in the media opted to take out the names leaving many in the dark about who may or may not have done any wrong doing as alleged in the in the manifesto, one might ask, were those same outlets going to follow-up with any sort of investigative reporting? When I hear reporters state the manifesto is nothing but a bunch of rambling, are we to assume they checked out everything that Dorner referenced and concluded it was false?
Yesterday former LA deputy prosecutor Robin Sax noted that while we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that Christopher Dorner committed some heinous crimes, we should not ignore the cases and incidents he sites in the Manifesto or the corruption he says exists in within LAPD..
Sax who appeared on yesterday on Fox 11 in LA, noted that many of the incidents detailed may in fact be true and we should check them out.. From a journalistic point of view we should follow-up. People working in the police department should follow-up if for any reason, to avoid having another officer snap and go off because of how incidents were handled or mis-handled. If there’s any truth to Dorner’s allegations of corruption, LAPD should go all out to clean it up and in a very public and transparent way.. We can’t simply take LAPD Chief Charlie Beck‘s words of dismal during yesterday’s press conference, where he said the manifesto was a ‘bunch of ramblings on the internet’..
What Dorner wrote can’t be that much of a ramble, because beck and law enforcement all over the state read that manifesto and saw it credible enough to send more than 40 security squads to protect the officers and the families mentioned in the document. If we can find the threats credible, then perhaps some of those allegations of corruption and wrong doing are just as credible.
Here the Link...Legal Documents Filed by Christopher Dorner Challenging LAPD..
Questions Raised by Dorner’s Manifesto
Christopher Dorner
Based upon that Manifesto we should be asking why Dorner was said to be lying on his supervising officer Sgt Teresa Evans when legal documents show that the victim, Christopher Gettler and his father gave similar accounts as Dorner? Was it true that there were conflicts of interests during his BOR (Board of Rights) Hearings in terms of the Sgt Evans being close friends and former partners to BOR members who voted to terminate Dorner? Was it true Sgt Evans has a history of violence? Did she really brutalize an elderly woman as pointed out in the manifesto? Why would we not check out this information?
Answering such questions is not to somehow vindicate or give Dorner a pass for any wrong doings especially if he murdered several people. Its to make sure folks who receive our hard-earned tax dollars are conducting themselves in a fair, just and uncorrupted way.
Was it true that academy recruits were singing Nazi songs to a fellow recruit Abraham Schefres and Dorner stood up for him? Are these recruits now officers working the streets of LA? If so how is that? why is that? Should we not check this out?
What about the confrontation Dorner had involving two officers Hermilio Buridios IV and Marlon Magana? According to the manifesto he grabbed Buridios around the neck because they insisted on referring to Black people as Nigger in spite Dorner’s objections. These officers are currently LAPD Officers. What was once dismissed as ‘hearsay’ has since been confirmed by a supervising officer who was present at the time. He did an interview with local Fox 11 in LA.. He said Dorner shouldn’t have grabbed the officer..
For many of us, hearing that these two men are officers is beyond disturbing especially when you consider the tens of millions LAPD has had to shell out in police brutality settlements that were rooted in racially charged incidents, one would think there would be zero tolerance to this..This story should be checked out.. Questions should be answered about how they feel and how they behave..
Police man’s Bill Of Rights
Now before folks start drawing conclusions, you should know something about California law and why these incidents are important. Police officers in California have what is known as the Police Man’s bill of Rights. many of us who worked on or followed the Oscar Grant case found out the hard way how this law totally insulates police officers. The public has no access to their files even during a trial.. Yes you read the right. The public access to these personnel files so we have no idea what sort of checkered past an officer has.
Johannes Mehserle
In writing this story I checked with Uncle Bobby (Cephus Johnson) , the uncle to Oscar Grant, the young man who was unarmed and shot point-blank in the back my BART officer Johannes Mehserle as he lay restrained on a subway platform in January 2009. Johnson explained, that during the trial they discovered that Mehserle had incidents of excessive violence in the past, but it was not allowed into the trial before the jury because of the policeman’s bill of rights..His record as well as the record of other police officers in California are shielded. last year even tighter restrictions were put on public’s access to officer records as, their names and addresses are removed from all public data bases.
So to get names dates, times and places in this manifesto is important, especially if they check out to be true. It raises important questions as to who is patrolling our streets and why.
In the manifesto Dorner notes that many of officers who were problematic in terms of racial intolerance during the Rodney King days and even during the Rampart scandal, have been promoted.. That should be investigated with us all asking the question as to how and why?
Innocent people Shot By Frenzied Police
Moving beyond the Manifesto, all of us should be asking hard questions about the 3 innocent people shot by LAPD and Torrance police in what police describe as ‘accidental’ and mistaken identity’. Maggie Carranza, and her mother, 71-year-old Emma Hernandez were initially described as two elderly Asian women… We now know they were Latino, and in the wee hours of Thursday morning they were driving a bright blue pick up truck delivering news papers as they always done..Keep in mind, the truck Dorner was driving was grey.
Undercover police claim the women had no lights on and thus they thought the truck was being driven by Dorner. The women weren’t told to pull over, show ID or given any sort of commands.. Instead the police administered what one witness/ neighbor who was interviewed described as ‘street justice‘.. The mother, Emma Hernadez was shot in the back. Her daughter was shot in the hand.. Take a look at the photo and you can see the car riddled with at least 20 bullet holes.. How and why did that happen?
From another angle one might ask how did these officers shoot so many times and the target is still alive? Were they shooting to kill because they thought Dorner was in the truck. How did they only hit these two women twice?
We need to be asking questions about the man who was shot by Torrance police. He too was driving a pick up truck when he came upon LAPD officers who directed him to turn his truck around. he complied and as he drove he came upon Torrance officers who thought this man who was described as a white male was Dorner. They rammed his truck and started shooting..Fortunately the man in spite being shot was not hurt according to police. They have not identified the man and the owner of the truck Lizette Perdue refused to talk with reporters about who was driving the truck.
Lots and lots of questions should be raised about this? Of course the Policeman’s Bill of Rights will prevent us from finding out what sort of records the officers involved in these shootings have..
For folks living in the inner cities of LA populated with Black and Brown folks such scenarios of police shooting first and asking questions later are not uncommon. LAPD has long had a reputation of shoot first ask questions later, leaving victims to fend for themselves as the media would quickly rush to the support the story given by the police. Had it not been for a massive man-hunt with so much attention on every move police were doing, these incidents might have been buried with us hearing some crazy story about how the two women or the man were ‘gang members’ who tried to attack the police.. You can how LAPD already attempted to spin this by saying the women were driving with their lights off.. Who delivers newspapers in the dark? Having been a delivery boy myself once upon a time, you have to at least keep your flashers on.. These incidents are shady and should not disappear in all the hoopla around capturing Dorner.
More Questions Raised
Although not directly related to Dorner, but related to the issue of corruption, are the seven LA sheriff deputies who were released the other day for being members of gang formed within the department called the Jump Out Boys. These were officers who wore similar tats and basically operated like a gang relishing in how many Black and Latinos people they’ve shot..I know this may sound far-fetched. There’s a ton of information on gangs or social clubs existing within Southern Cali police departments.. You can read about the Jump Out Boys HERE.. When you read the manifesto where Dorner says how violent it is within the department and take into account this recent discovery of the Jump Out Boys, we have to ask the question what sort of police culture are we dealing with in Southern california?
Christopher Dorner w/ Chief William Bratton
Lastly we need to be asking questions about Chief William Bratton who is shown shaking hands with Dorner. In his interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN, Bratton who is widely credited with cleaning up LAPD in the aftermath of the Rampart Scandal, said he didn’t recall meeting Dorner. Many of us find that hard to believe, but we’ll give a seasoned officer who trains police all over the world on how to be to improve their security, to not remember a guy like Dorner.
During the interview Chief Bratton spoke about a coin that was riddled with bullet holes that Dorner had sent to Anderson Cooper. Included with that coin was a hand written note to Bratton that read, ‘Thanks but No Thanks‘. Bratton said that Dorner was angry with him because he had to sign off on him being fired from LAPD..
He noted that the coin was a special personalized coin of courage that he personally gave to officers who were deployed for war, which was the case with Dorner.. Bratton said he didn’t recall Bratton, and many of us asked; ‘How many of those special coins did Bratton give out to officers that he didn’t remember a big guy like that?’ But be as that may, the larger question we need to be concerned about is how much corruption did Bratton really clean up within LAPD? If these stories laid out by Dorner check out, then Bratton has some explaining to do, because what Dorner is talking about happened on his watch..
With the world watching, this is an opportunity to make sure we push for changes within a department that seems troubled. Amd not just LAPD, law enforcement in that region overall. The fact that we had 3 innocent people shot and a complicit media telling folks to not drive pick up trucks vs asking why cops are going buckwhyld on citizens they are supposed to serve and protect should be enough of a wake up call.
In terms of Christopher Dorner..I was asked if he was a hero. he ceased to be hero when he shot innocent people. And who knows if he would’ve gone all out to blow the whistle on the corruption he witnessed if he was allowed to keep his job..With that being said, he laid out some information for whatever reason and its up to is to follow-up and make sure dreadful wrongs are forever corrected.
There’s a lot of talk about President Obama and his use of drones as well as him having a kill list which has asserts that he can kill American citizens that he deems to be working against America and somehow down with al-Qaeda.. This is indeed very scary and something all of us should seriously reflect on, because whatever steps Obama takes will not be limited to him.. Whoever sits in the Oval office will be able to pick up where Obama leaves off..
Seems like quite a few are giving the President a pass on his policies.. Would we be comfortable with those policies if we had President Romney as opposed to Obama? What if it was former President George Bush saying he has a kill list and has a right to use it on American citizens? Many of us took to the streets and raised a ruckus for far less.
Yesterday in Washington, there were confirmation hearings for John Brennan who is said to be the brains behind Obama’s insidious drone policy…Brennan is shooting to be director of the CIA.. Are people really comfortable with his policies? Are we comfortable with the US setting up drone bases in Niger, knowing that during the Bush administration Bush had Colin Powell lie before the United Nations about the African country providing uranium for terrorists? His testimony was briefly interrupted by folks upset with the drone policies he later defended..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEycDKgUwbw
Are we comfortable with Obama having a secret drone base in Saudi Arabia and mainstream news outlets like the Washington Post agreeing not to report this to the American people?
I want people to be aware of a tactic that is being used in support of White House policies around the discussion on drones.. There is a set of talking points and particular phrasing being used by stealth surrogates and ‘supporters’ of the President designed to frame the conversation in way that moves one away from talk about diplomacy and de-escalation and into the arena of ‘All We must fight terrorism at e
Inevitably someone will make try to put the onus on you for objecting..Pay close attention when someone responds or inserts themselves in a conversation and ask questions or makes statements along these lines:
1-If we don’t use drones what better ideas do you have to eliminate top terror operatives? Instead of complaining about the President fighting the war on terror, perhaps you should help him..This is difficult work..
2-Troops on the ground are not as effective..Drones are the only way to fight back… Do you have another way for us to take out top terrorist without troops?
3-There are Bigger threats that you can’t see. Bush started something that Obama unfortunately must finish to protect us all.. It took us over a decade to find Bin Laden
4-Those so-called innocents who have been killed by drones hide or aid terrorists..The terrorists use kids to fight us and then claim innocence. We haven’t killed that many innocent people.. They killed innocent people during 9-11…Our drones are doing the job of fighting terror more effectively
5-The terrorist plan there and then come here or against our interests around the world. They started it-remember 9-11. Its better for us to fight them over there then at home..
6-We must use drones because we have no other options Our allies like Pakistan hid Osama for years and lied to us.
7-Diplomacy doesn’t work..They want to kill us. They have an advantage on their land..they know it better than anyone. I don’t condone killing innocent people but so we must use drones to level the playing field.. They must be stopped!
Basically the tactic used is to situate the discussion as if we have no other choice but to fight the war on terror. Its designed to make you forget that the War on terror was a manufactured war with the goal of keeping it open-ended, and perpetual.. so we could expand it as necessary.
Obama is depicted as a reluctant participant who would rather have peace, but is ‘forced to clean up the mess’ that George Bush has started..
We are also reminded that its better for us to fight the war on terror overseas then have it here at home..Innocent people being killed is justified as being a part of war which is ‘ugly’. We are also reminded that terrorists use kids to fight us and hence we shouldn’t be ‘fooled’ or overly sympathetic..
There are Black and Brown faces increasingly being used to push these arguments.. Some are literally paid pundits and operatives. Others in a misguided sense of Black pride and unity have sold their souls and turned a blind eye to actions and policies that they know are dead wrong.. Others who once upon a time have been excluded, have been made to feel ‘special’ because they were put on some sort of White House mailing list, got a phone call from someone important asking for their help or been invited to informal White House briefings.. The end result is a misguided sense of loyalty at all costs.. As fellow journalist JR Valrey of the Block Report once famously noted, many are not interested in justice or preserving life, they just want their turn to hold and crack the whip..
Bottom line be wary of the attempts to get folks to buy into a concept that we once railed against called ‘preemptive strikes‘..When Bush kicked this off we hit the streets by the thousands.. Obama doesn’t use the that term, instead he invokes the image of us being in a life and death struggle against ‘evil terrorists‘. As a result many have checked their conscience at the door to pick up a sword to join in sable rattling while simultaneously bemoaning the fact that youth in our community have turned to violence as a solution to problems vs de-escalation and diplomacy..
