Friday, May 01, 2015

The Police Union is welcome to defend it's members.

But, there is a man dead. He did nothing wrong to be arrested and mistreated. He went into police custody alive and innocent. He died while in their custody and there were six officers and a wall of silence. I strongly suggest the police union provide seminars to empowerment to their members to remove the Culture of Silence that is extremely obvious in this case.

One more time:

An innocent man who did nothing wrong died in police custody.

I haven't heard Mr. Gray's biography. His family can speak to whether he was a father and/or husband. Who is he? What were his aspirations?

This appeared in "The New Yorker." The title of the article is "Freddie Gray's Voice."  This picture accompanies the article.

April 21, 2015
By Amy Davidson

Two Sundays ago, (click here) just after eight-thirty in the morning, four Baltimore police officers were patrolling the streets around the Gilmor Homes housing project when, as the department’s deputy chief, Jerry Rodriguez, said at a press conference yesterday, they “made eye contact” with a twenty-five-year-old man named Freddie Gray. Gray ran, and after a brief chase on foot the officers caught him. They said they found a switchblade in his pocket. Carrying a spring-operated knife within Baltimore city limits can, in certain circumstances, be illegal, although the police commissioner said at the press conference, “Just running—there is no law against running."... 

I believe in acknowledging the intense review of the facts by the Baltimore Prosecutor's Office and again by the State of Maryland Attorney General's Office is to recognize the profound loss this man's life made upon the city and state. The loss of his life not only effected the officials in the city and state, but, also the nation. The title alone to this article is rather profound. Who indeed were the other Freddie Grays and why weren't they heard?

The community, while impoverished, understands and seek justice in their lives. They have witnessed men taken into custody to only achieve maiming or worse and not justice. The residents are stating there are other men who have died in the manner Mr. Freddie Gray died. 

Those that want to push back against the governments in this case do not stop to realize the actual nightmare Mr. Gray lived. 

"I can't breath." How many times now have black men stated those words. Then they die at the hand of THE SYSTEM of justice. Only it isn't just to them. 

Trayvon Martin was innocent and he is dead. The other end of the timeline is the innocent Freddie Gray and he is dead. This needs to be a nightmare to this country and resolve to end this hideous and aggrieved idea of law enforcement. 

It has been years now the American people have identified a militarized police force. That is illegal. It is like having the defense department turned loose on citizens. Just because they are in a police uniform doesn't mean they are legally conducting themselves within the borders of the country.

What does it take for the country to realize how completely inappropriate this type of policing has become. It has become a wall of silence whereby police are protected from causing the death of innocent people. There should be outrage by every American in this country. 

There should be outrage by every police officer that have conducted themselves morally and honestly while risking their lives to a line of work that is very dangerous. Americans realize the danger police face everyday they work. It is that status in our society that allows a wall of silence to exist. It is very dangerous to allow 'an image' to control a reaction to police that kill. When I realize how long and how far gone this society is to have this happen on a regular basis it is scarey. 

The country has to make this right. It has to realize the helplessness of the impoverished to make injustice known. The country has to do the work to change the face of the impoverished. It has to happen. There are many people dead in a country where freedom is suppose to be the right of every American. 

Unfortunately, "the image" of police is also politicized in the USA. It increases the drive to maintain the wall of silence. It has to stop. It is time for the country to make it right. This is primarily a minority issue, but, the same disease kills the homeless as well. This is going to end.