Who’s Watching the Watcher?
Who do you call for help when the gang members are wearing blue?
Since 2003, the Oakland Police Department has been under close watch by a federal judge, Thelton Henderson. In 2003 the City of Oakland agreed to implement fifty-one police reforms. These reforms included stopping racial profiling, and changing the way the Police Department investigates and disciplines rogue officers.
Now, after nine years, Judge Thelton Henderson is laying the groundwork for staging the first-ever court takeover of a city police department. He sees the Oakland Police Department as “a force unto itself that defies civilian management.”
Or as a local attorney said: “Every department has bad cops. It's what you do with those bad cops.”
Judge Henderson’s latest step has been to increase the authority of his police monitor, Robert Warshaw. Warshaw is now able to petition the court to countermand specific orders from the Oakland police chief.
If this isn’t enough, let the court takeover begin.
And speaking of racial profiling, rogue cops and court takeovers: Who ever thought you could get gunned down in the mean streets of a gated community in Florida?
A 17-year-old black male, Trayvon Martin, had been visiting his father and stepmother in The Retreat at Twin Lakes, a gated community near Orlando. He was walking back to the house after going to a nearby convenience store. While he was walking back, the gated community’s Neighborhood Watch captain, George Zimmerman, called 911 to report a suspicious person.
George Zimmerman then got in his car, drove up to where Trayvon Martin was walking and got out of his car to confront him. By the time police arrived, Trayvon Martin had been shot to death by Zimmerman.
The only “weapons” Martin had were a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona Iced Tea.
The article ends with “Zimmerman could not be reached for comment.”
WTF??? So this is how The Retreat at Twin Lakes cracks down on murderous rogue cops? Nice work if you can get it — shoot somebody in cold blood and then sit at home and be unavailable for comment.
Labels: George Zimmerman, Oakland Police Department, Robert Warshaw, The Retreat at Twin Lakes, Thelton Henderson, Trayvon Martin
posted by Tom Harper @ 1:01 PM
5 Comments:
what is a neighborhood watch captain doing with a gun anyway?Aren't they just supposed to "watch"?
It's Florida, and it was one of THOSE people. It isn't like the guy committed a crime or anything.
Before anybody from the right starts screaming about "Government Intrusion" Oakland had some serious scandals such as the Riders which caused the Federal Court years ago to order them to clean up their act. Giving them a orderly time to do so and they have done nothing.
The fact that by the time this article has come out, nothing has been done in Florida is very scary, It doesn't take long to figure out, was this man licensed to carry a gun, was his life in danger, does the community watch approve of them carrying a gun?
Basic questions any investigation should be answering, and some sort of determination should have been made by now. In older days that met maybe Police and the Community Leaders might be circling the wagons and getting ready to actually defend this guy or preparing his temporary insanity defense.
Erik
Know what happens when you mix Skittles and Arizona Iced Tea?
Remember the Trinity test?
Lisa: That's what I thought too.
JR: I can't believe how many of these wacko stories are out of Florida.
Erik: You're right, the Oakland PD has been notorious for a long time, including the Riders case.
I can't believe all the standard procedures that haven't been done in that Florida shooting. Why would a neighborhood watch captain be carrying a gun in the first place? And nobody has investigated anything. The federal government might need to get involved if the local authorities just keep sitting on it.
Randal: Skittles and Arizona Iced Tea -- a secret love potion.
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