The Year of Moving Forward

The Year of Moving Forward
At our 4 person wedding reception in DC

Friday, May 22, 2009

Police Chase Thoughts

I got to thinking about this car chase/police beating thing, and realized that whenever I begin to beat someone with a billy club, I usually know immediately whether they are unconscious or not. I mean, the five officers' attorney says they didn't know. I wonder if she would be willing to lie down, pretend to be unconscious, and let somebody take a swing at her with a billy club and see if she doesn't flinch.

Now I don't really beat people with billy clubs, I never have, but I'm just saying...



She also said the officers did not know the man had been thrown from the vehicle. Since the police cars stopped either behind or beside the overturned smashed vehicle, I don't believe that.

She said the officers were doing what they were trained to do. But on the news, a spokesperson from Virginia College said that is not what they are trained to do in the criminal justice program.




From The Birmingham News, in an interview on CNN mayor Larry Langford said, "Neither of us (he and Chief Roper) saw this. It was under the previous administration."

Of course Langford took office on November 13, 2007 and the incident took place on January 23, 2008.

Former mayor Bernard Kincaid spoke out, "Normally I don't make public comments involving the activities at City Hall, but this is so egregious that I feel I must. It did not happen on my watch and I wish anyone who made public comments to that effect would correct it publicly."

Former police chief Annetta Nunn said she too was shocked by the mayor's comments.

Langford later said it was immaterial who was in charge when the incident occurred.

Well, yeah, if you hadn't tried to blame someone else, maybe so.

Trying to blame this incident on the prior administration because some supervisors from that administration were still in place is like Republicans trying to blame 9-11 on Clinton even though W was in office when it happened.

We've almost gotten to the point where young people and outsiders don't think of police dogs and fire hoses when Birmingham is mentioned. Now we will have to spend the next 50 years trying to get this image of Birmingham out of people's minds.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wonder what would have happened if this 38 year old THUG had just pulled over when the blue light came on behind him. He could have stopped instead of endangering many lives speeding through town, and in the process breaking the leg of a Hoover officer. What if he had crashed into one of your family members? I do not fault the officers, they followed their training. The thug deserved much more, and he did not know he had been hit until he saw the video. What if he had pulled a gun and shot one of them? Would the officer's family sue the city? Perhaps since everyone feels so sorry for him they can go visit him in prison. Get to know him, offer him a place to stay when he gets out in the year 2029.

Joe said...

Randy, I do not promote violence on this site. You are a violent homophobe.

But I agree with both you and anon in that yes the giy should have pulled over. As to the question about a family member, I wpould have been pissed. But I can control my anger and keep my senses about me enough to recognize that a guy is unresponsive when hit with a billy club.

I agree the guy should be in prison, but because of the cops inapprpriate response, well, if he gets an early release it will be their fault.