Manns Medium

While it can be greatly understood why the protests and outrage was so clear and correct in the Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner killings, I still find myself at a loss to explain why we are not as upset, angered and pissed at this recent killing of another unarmed man at the hands of police.  I would truly hate to think it is because he is white that we are not all up in arms right now but based on current events, that appears to be the only viable answer and it is a shame that a country which claims to be about all people would elect to ignore the same travesties being inflicted upon any people. According to the article titled “ Police Killed an Unarmed White Man in Iowa and His Community Didn’t Seem to Notice ” written by Nick W for The Huffington Post.com, it is reported that “A few minutes before Des Moines police killed Ryan Keith Bolinger Tuesday night, the 28-year-old white man was dancing in the street, according to an officer. Police didn't f...

If anyone still wonders, is still confused or even still care about why the Klan still has power, the Holocaust still bears us pain, the Trial of Tears still rings in the ears of Native Americans and slavery still has not been reconciled by a nation, this may just help you understand why.  I simply call it the absence of closure because with any event or occurrence, there must be closure in order for the wound to heal and those wounded or effected by it to move on.  We have not moved beyond these things because we have gotten no closure to them and now add to this wound more damage caused by the failure to get closure on the Wall Street wreckage of the economy and now the rising number of police involved shootings of unarmed people.  Mount St Helen was once a quiet volcano until the heat built up and it blew.  These situations must be fixed and the newer ones need to stop before this entire nation blows over. I’ve reached this conclusion after reading this artic...

Supporters of police will wrench when they read this story because even those harden supporters who think that police officers are above the law knows when something is really wrong with our society, the only question is are they willing to correct the problem or just simply ignore it?  The article is titled “ Family outraged after son's mug shot found used in target practice by Miami police ” written by Nina Golgowski for the New York Daily News and in it she reports that “a bullet-riddled photo of Woody Deant was discovered by his own sister last month when she visited the shooting range. North Miami Beach Police Chief J. Scott Dennis has defended the use of mug shots for target practice, saying it's vital for facial recognition drills. These six mug shots were being used for target practice by North Miami Beach Police last month when a National Guard soldier discovered the face of her own brother among them. A trip to a Florida gun range left a National Guard soldier in tea...

For all of you citizens who think that there are no “good” cops and for you cops that this that there are no “good” citizens, this story is for you and it is all the proof you may need to understand why I say evil will never win.  The article is titled “ Florida teen saves life of Fort Lauderdale police officer as he is being arrested ” written by David Edwards for The Raw Story.  It reports “A Florida teenager was honored on Tuesday for helping to save the life of a Fort Lauderdale police officer who was processing his arrest for a parole violation.  Video released by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department shows Officer Franklin Foulks processing Jamal Rutledge after he was arrested for criminal mischief and burglary probation violations, according to WTVJ.  When Foulks suddenly collapsed, Rutledge “immediately began to kick the security fence and yell to alert officers in the area,” a statement from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department said.  Sgt. Todd Bunin ...

Here is a question for all you who feel that police are getting the raw end of the deal lately with the non-indictments of shooting, killing and over-reach when dealing with subjects.  The recent flier put out by the Uniformed Police Union talks about their sacrifice and how government should stand with them instead of throwing them under the bus.  Which group sacrifices more?  Is it the cops who patrol our streets or our military?  If you say our military then ask yourself why there is such a disparity in how each is treated. In the military, we have something called honor and valor.  We have something called responsibility but lately this seems to be the only entity where those principals exist.  In the military if you violate the law, you will be held responsible and to account but in the civilian world this seems not to be the case for cops.  Below is a recent story which proves this point. “Philippine prosecutors on Monday filed murder ch...

Recent articles on cops being judge, jury and executioner and getting away with it, has made so many paint entire departments with the same broad brush.  These are the same people who say that evils done by a portion of any community paints the entire community is wrong.  How can anyone say that what one percent does makes the other ninety-nine percent just as guilty?  We need to stop judging the entire world by the actions of a few.  There is a story which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are good cops out there, putting their lives on the line just like the bad ones except the good ones do not pre-judge people based on color or economic conditions. The story was brought to us by Fox News 17 out of Nashville, Tennessee titled “Woman Caught Stealing Food for Family Gets Police Delivered Donations”  It took place in Tarrant, AL and reports that “a woman who stole three eggs and the officer who decided to help and not arrest her are topping nation...

With all of the stories about police brutality, many wonder what can be done to stem or even change this behavior.  They often times research the policies and procedures of police to find the answer but sometimes the answer could be as plain as the nose on your face.  Here is a suggestion for those who encounter today’s era police where they are very much aware that nothing they do will ever see the light of a court room.  Remember the old saying that you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar; well the same is true in this case.  If you are a religious person, use the lessons from the Bible when dealing with not only hostile and angry police but any hostile or angry person. Stay humble, make your point but do not argue because you will not win.  Officers have a catch-all crime that they can use to charge you with and still keep themselves convinced that they did no wrong.  The charge is resisting arrest coupled with assaulting an of...

Remember the old saying about police of the thin blue line and the old Serpico thing where he stood up to bring light to the darkness of his police department only to survive attempted hits on his life by fellow police officers.  Well something close to that is happening now and have been happening for quite some time now.  Not to the extent of people attempting to assassinate anyone but to the point where it seems to be unwritten rule of lawyers and judges when it comes to the word of police over the regular citizen.  The phrase that I keep hearing from former law enforcement officials like myself is that “you never second guess police regarding the performance of their duties”.   This would make sense to me if the minority of officers who abuse their positions were held accountable and made to follow the same rules and regulations that average citizens have to but this is not the case.  This would make sense if there weren’t outstanding and reasonabl...

Leave it to the headlines to hype a story and cover only the obvious points while shaping the public’s opinion.  The focus has been that a 12 year old boy was shot and killed with a fake gun but if we were to dig a little deeper and ask a few more questions, we may find that the death of this 12 year old falls not only on the shoulder of the officer who shot him but all those connected and involved.  This is a row, we must all hoe.  The article is titled “ Cleveland Police Shoot And Kill 12-Year-Old Carrying A Fake Gun ” written by Zack Ford for the Associated Press.  The article reports that “A 12-year-old boy died early Sunday from complications after being shot in the stomach by Cleveland police. The officers believed that the fake pistol the boy had been brandishing on a playground was actually real.  According to Cleveland.com, someone called 911 describing “a guy with a gun pointing it at people,” but the caller twice suggested the gun was “probably fake”...

POP QUIZ, what is worse than a hothead with a gun?  ANSWER, a hothead with a badge to go along with that gun.  There is so very much wrong with the story and much of what else is so wrong is not even covered in this story.  In an article titled “Video Of Cops Gunning Down Young Father In Illinois Hospital Released (VIDEO) ” written by Randa Morris for NBC 5, it is reported that “On November 11, 2014, the Lake County, Illinois state’s attorney ruled that Highland Park police were justified in the shooting death of 27- year- old Christopher Anderson. Anderson was killed by police inside Highland Park Hospital on November 3. Anderson and his nine year old daughter were taken to Highland Park hospital, following a car accident that left both with minor injuries. According to police, Anderson became ‘agitated’ over the care that his daughter was receiving in the emergency room, and pulled a gun.  Police say that the officers involved in the shooting repeatedly asked ...

Much has been made about the recent rash of police shootings and their over-zealous ways of dealing with the public from the Trayvon Martin murder to the Michael Brown killing to taking the law into your own hands like Michael Dunn, but what many may not wish to see or even hear is that the road has already been paved for more violence brought on by the very ones who are granted the power to serve and protect. I take this stance after reading an article titled “U.S. Dept. of Justice reveals plans to investigate Baltimore Police Dept.” in which it reports that “ after years of alleged police brutality, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed plans Monday to investigate the Baltimore Police Department. The Baltimore Sun found that the city has paid $5.7 million in court judgments and settlements in 102 civil suits since 2011, and nearly all of the people involved in incidents leading to those lawsuits were cleared of criminal charges. Some officers were involved in multiple lawsuits...

In the wake of the Michael Brown murder, the Trayvon Martin killing and so many others who have died because of misinformed neighbors and do-gooders or overzealous cops, one can truly understand why any police involved shooting of anyone is being looked at and scrutinize to no end.  Parents, guardians and caretakers owe it to those who are shot or brutalized by police to look a little deeper than just the surface.  Those placed in charge of society protection should be held to a much higher standard as well as those who fight so hard to carry weapons in public.  If you wear it, you must then be willing to own it which means any actions you take regarding a weapon. Having said that, this statement is also true for those who are not given the authority to protect society.  This statement is true for those who wish to carry and use a weapon for their own gain and to instill fear and commit crimes against society.  They too must be held to account but more than...

The murder of Trayvon Martin captured the nation’s attention regarding blacks being seen first as criminal instead of victim and with the acquittal of his murderer George Zimmerman; it told America that making this type of mistake was okay.  The murders at Newtown instructed us that bad things happened to good people and since the individual who did the shooting was killed, we should not have anything else to fear.  Never mind the facts that this mentally challenged child had clean and clear access to all types of weapons which should have never been the case.  Now comes Ferguson which reminds us that some people still see anyone different from them not as a fellow human being but a mistake made by God.  Just when you think we  couldn't  get any dumber, here come two more stories that makes those of us who know compassion feel like we are all alone. The first is an article titled “ Black teen in white foster home pepper-sprayed by police who misto...

At first glance, this story reeks of an over-zealous Sheriff Deputy who clearly got far too excited with his authorization to use deadly force.  In the article titled “Deaf man killed by deputy: Deaf man shot 6 times 'failed to follow' cop's orders.”  as reported by Linsey Bald for News Examiner with assistance from the Huffington Post.  In the article it states “A deaf man was killed by a Florida deputy after an altercation at a towing yard went terribly wrong. Two deputies, undercover and in plain clothes, heard an argument occurring outside Fryer's Towing Company on Saturday afternoon in Daytona Beach. On approach, the deputies saw 52-year-old Edward P. Miller, deaf from birth, with a gun. When he failed to comply with the orders of the cops, they shot him dead.  Reports the Huffington Post: “Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson said Miller was ‘brandishing a firearm’ outside when Deputy Joel Hernandez and another unnamed deputy arrived. Hernandez, 35, fired his ser...

Ask the questions of those who commit crimes and often you may get the answer that it’s the only way that they know how to survive.  There is no truth in that statement but many who ask really could care less about the answer or a solution so it’s widely accepted and we all move on.  But if you want to really know the real reason, the ultimate excuse which can be proven, it is the years and years of unequal justice found permeating from within our justice system.  Many have talked about it and some have even made some attempts to deal with it but soon they either run out of energy or just plainly give up.  All the while those who they say could do better can’t because the process  doesn't  allow them to. If you are financially well-off, then justice will be something you think nothing about and often you will take for justice.  If you are not financially well-off then justice will be something you may never know about.  Justice for most ...

With the recent shooting of an unarmed black male in Ferguson, Missouri all over the news these past few days.  The question is not about the events which lead to this shooting but more about the tactics being employed by the Ferguson County Sheriff and local law enforcement officers there.  Many in the media wants to know why they feel the need to use military type equipment in an urban environment and why they appear to ignore the rule of law, honor the rights of their fellow citizens and even trample all over the constitution.  Well in order to understand their mindset, one need only to take a few steps back and look at the growth pattern of this surprising occurrence.  Begin with the seed in order to understand how that very large tree got there and then you will understand just how to remove that enormous scene-stealing tree. To do that let’s do this.  Think about the overwhelming sense of unfairness when a town, a city, a community is governed by a gr...

Many of you probably have not yet heard Bill O’Rielly’s rant about why Trayvon Martin lost his life on that cold and rainy night in Sanford Florida.   O’Rielly believes that it had nothing to do with race but everything to do with wearing a hoodie.   To thse who know better, that reasoning sounds niave and childish but to those who are like minds of O’Rielly it sounds quite possible if not extremely true.   So what can we do to provide them with a much deeper understanding?   Some, including our president Barack Obama, say it’s time for a nationwide honest conversation for others like Chris Hayes; it may be time to ask “what’s the matter with white people?”   We are beginning to have that conversation now and I stand here to try and answer Chris’ question. What’s the matter with white people?   The same thing that is a problem for all races of people, nothing.   There is nothing wrong with white, black, or brown people except we all fall into on...

In the wake of the Trayvon Martin Trial, many are now beginning to take a good hard look at themselves.   Whether it is those of the Black Community, the White Community, Hispanic Community, Asian Community, Gay and Lesbian Community, Religious Right and Left Community or any other community which seeks to survive and thrive in these United States of America.   We look at ourselves in order to discovery if we have done as much as we can to erase all bias and prejudice.   Some have little work to do but the majority of us have a whole lot of work ahead of us. When we speak of racism, bias or prejudice, we need to know that it is not particular to one race or another and surprisingly it is directed at not only those outside of our own race but within just as well.   If we are to eradicate hate, it has got to happen not only toward those who are of a different skin color but those whose pigmentation resembles our own. Take for example, two prominent gentlemen ...

In the aftermath of this tragedy, we are all looking quite closely at the events leading up to and after this trial searching for a lesson, a reason and a solution.   In that vein, some are being held to a different standard than before.   Now you don’t have to say anything but agrees with the verdict and you are either a racist or ignorant.   If you disagree with the verdict you are either racist or ignorant.   Either way, you get the point; we are all now ignorant or racist. Case in point, in an article written by Aliyah Frumin for Hardball titled “Opinions of Juror B-37 were her own, say fellow jurors” , reports of this juror saying things like “she didn’t think Martin’s race was the reason why Zimmerman, then a volunteer neighborhood watchman, followed him” or Trayvon made a mistake by not running and sticking around.   This same article reports that four (4) of the other jurors got together and released a statement that request an appeal “to the high...