Posted on 07/28/2014 10:21:49 PM PDT by Olog-hai
Mayor Bill de Blasio, facing his first significant test in trying to improve relations between police and minority communities, said Monday that he believes the troubles stem from racial tension that defined his predecessor’s 12 years in office.
He did not specifically say he thought race played a role in the recent death of a black asthmatic father of six who died after being put in apparent chokehold by a white officer, an encounter that was caught on video. He did say that more trust was needed between police and residents.
“If you talk about the last decade or so in the city, was race a factor and a problem in the relationship between police and community? Obviously it was,” de Blasio said Monday at a news conference in his first comments about the case since returning from a week-plus vacation in Italy. “There was a growing tension and a growing disconnect between police and community all over our city. And that is not an acceptable state of affairs.” …
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The key to the Eric Garner episode....is that Eric had been arrested prior to this....on selling untaxed cigarettes. As far as I can tell...the justice system of NY City wasn’t willing to deal with the guy....deferring charges.
So he goes back out on the streets....repeating the same sales (remember $4.35 NY City tax on each pack, while West Virginia is like 45-cents). The cops arrive...want to arrest him, and he refuses to allow them a simple handcuff procedure. In effect, he challenged the cops...and ended up dead on his words.
Improving community relations? First....you either get rid of the $4.35 taxation on a pack of smokes....or you enforce it completely. Then you tell people....when the cops nicely ask that you accept a handcuffing...they graciously accept it.
If neither are possible....then fire all cops and just let society lose to drastically reduce the number of people on the street. It’s that simple.
Thought you could use a good laugh.
The issue is far more complicated than that, or this one issue. LE throughout this country is out of control with arrogant attitudes, excessively violent tendencies, and poor acountability.
Your comment about firing LE is a statement that the public must either deal with an uncontroled and unaccountable LE or none at all. A statement that LE can’t and shouldn’t be expected to control themselves.
That is wrong. Everyone else goes to work under eyes ready to call us out for wrong behavior. I see no reason cops should face less. No one ever promised them that the public was banned from criticizing how they do their job.
A simple citation would suffice. Its comparable to jay walking.
No arrests are necessary for non-violent crimes.
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