A month and a half after six officers were charged in Mr. Gray’s death, policing has dwindled in some of Baltimore’s most dangerous neighborhoods, and murders have risen to levels not seen in four decades. The totals include a 29-year-old man fatally shot on this drug corner last month. Police union officials say that officers are still coming to work, but that some feel a newfound reluctance and are stepping back, questioning whether they will be prosecuted for actions they take on the job.Let's be clear on this, shall we: "Good police work" does not entail putting a guy in cuffs, tossing him into the back of van, without belting him into a seat, and then deliberately tossing his ass around on a "black-dog ride".
Are the cops in South Carolina in an uproar after one of their own gunned a man down by shooting him in the back? This, after all, isn't Mexico, the Ley de Fuga isn't the law in this country (most of the time).
Torture by cops was supposedly outlawed in the 1930s. That it still goes on and is tacitly/overtly encouraged by many on the Right is a deep and shameful mark on this nation.
There is a possibility that Mr. Gray removed from the van and his ankles bound because he was standing or moving about in an unsafe manner. After having his ankles and wrists bound, he was placed stomach down in the van with his head towards the front of the van. With hands and ankles bound, this should be a relatively safe posture in a moving vehicle, assuming the vehicle is not involved in an accident. If Mr. Grey managed to get to his feet again to voice his opinion about his arrest, he may have lost his footing, and being unable to catch himself fell against the back of the van. When he was removed from the van, after being fatally injured, his head was near the back door of the van.
ReplyDeleteThe type of force necessary to flip a man lying on the floor of the van would probably be sufficient to cause significant structural damage to the vehicle. It seems possible that Mr. Gray's injuries might be instead the result of a combination of police expediencies and his personal conduct.
I am no fan of the boys in blue, and they certainly represent a serious risk of abuse of authority, but I will wait to see the forensic evidence before I judge them too harshly.
First off, the first link to the NY Times article is a bit busted....
ReplyDeletehttp://eb-misfit.blogspot.com/2015/06/www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/after-freddie-gray-death-west-baltimores-police-presence-drops-and-murders-soar.html
My browser couldn't resolve it with the 1st portion of your blog URL attached....
Anonymous - Gray should have been restrained in a seat. As per standard operating procedure. If he was cuffed and restrained by a seat belt or harness. He would not be on his feet expressing his displeasure.
ReplyDeleteAnd he would have been safe in the event of an accident. Do you only wear seat belts on the days you plan to get into an accident? If so, that is poor planning. And as I have said elsewhere, if you drive through Baltimore without wearing a seat belt and shoulder harness, I would bet there is a better than 50% chance that the Baltimore PD would give you a traffic citation. So why didn't they follow the same rules? Because they think the rules don't apply to them.
Wheelgun, fixed the link.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the catch.
One interviewed BPD officer said a union rep was called to inquire whether, if a suspect was pursued into a street and was hit by a car, the pursuing officer would be liable. The union rep basically said "I dunno", so now this cop won't chase suspects past a curb.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's bullshit. A police officer should know that he/ she is covered during pursuit, maybe subject to calling for approval for a high speed car chase in a residential neighborhood so that someone else can make a judgement call. The worst outcome is the press coverage when, say, a bystander gets run over. But what officers have been held personally responsible?
Once your pursuee is in your custody, however, YOU are now responsible for that person. And the police should know that. Trying to hide behind a union functionary is cowardly, shameful, and a sign that someone doesn't know how to do their job and is in the wrong line of work.
If they're not willing to do their jobs, they should be fired and replaced with people who *are* willing to do the job.
ReplyDeleteJust sayin'.
Yeah, I know about Civil Service and all that. Those are all laws passed by the City Council. Those are all laws that can be UN-passed by the City Council. Just sayin'.