Was the Community Trust Broken?
By Jeff Thomas
The rules of the federal consent decree are strict and burdensome. Yet NOPD reform has been steady. Citizens are safer and report an improved relationship with the department. Crime is down and brutality reports are rare. Despite a rocky start, the transition mandated and intended by the decree is close to reality. However, the events on the Mississippi bridge the other night could derail all of that progress. If the NOPD launched rubber bullets on a crowd that it knew included children and families, then lied about it in a press conference, then all this new trust could be irreparably broken.
REAL REFORM?
The Danziger bridge murders, mass shooting and extensive coverup by the NOPD were so horrific that five officers pled guilty and were originally sentenced to up to 65 years in prison. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as the NOPD had a well-deserved reputation as one of the most brutal and corrupt departments in the country. Transformation was required.
Previously stocked with officers who saw native New Orleanians as suspects rather than citizens, many in the department scoffed at the new rules of engagement with the public mandated by the consent decree. Monitored by an even more stubborn federal judge, the obstinate department adjusted and now nearly two decades later the NOPD is now one of the best in the country.
The brazen disregard for civil rights and public safety have been replaced by more courteous officers who seem determined to protect and serve all New Orleanians. As a result, crime is down, citizen complaints are fewer and police incidents like the George Floyd or Alton Sterling murders are not a part of this community.
Despite these tremendous strides, the events of the other night could serve as a warning that all is not as pristine and rosy as it might appear. Maybe the extraordinary stress of the current political protests might be the tipping point for our officers. Using abounding but required restraint is stressful if not heartfelt. Rumors were that the top brass kneeling with protesters was seen as weak by some rank and file officers. Despite these feelings, officers coordinated and walked(maybe begrudgingly) with the peaceful protesters.
Did the NOPD Shoot Rubber Bullets at Peaceful Protesters?
Why on the Bridge?
Questions remain why officers used tear gas on the bridge. The increased risk in spreading COVID by coughing caused by the gas, seemingly was dismissed by Chief Sean Ferguson as the fault of the protesters. And despite multiple claims by protesters and video evidence that seems to show at least one flying projectile, Chief Ferguson steadfastly maintains none were fired by his officers.
SOMETHING FLEW BY
Chief Ferguson is a measured and direct communicator. It’s clear he understands how his words impact the community. The chief often talks about the importance of transparency and honest communication with the community. It would be a shame if he depended upon some less than truthful report by a stressed rank and file officer who has little concern or appreciation for all the progress the department has made.
So the question remains, did the NOPD shoot rubber bullets at the peaceful but suddenly raucous bridge protesters? Like those misguided people who question whether the current civil unrest is necessary, it is important that the chief remember the reasons why there even is a consent decree. After all, each of the Danziger cops strenuously denied any wrongdoing right up until they pled guilty.
A simple wise person who reviews the video, can be 1000% sure these were not in any way “peaceful” protestors and to defend the illegal conduct they did makes you an accessory with them and it illustrates people want to “conceal” their bad actions and illegal acts. Also these unpeaceful fake protestors did bring children with them further illustrates more criminal intent to use the children as shields to avoid arrest for their adult criminal acts and adult hostile conduct to the police.
The POLICE CHIEF did a great correct moral and ethical job at this event.
What I saw in New Orleans and across the nation, perfectly shows this public event perfectly fits the proper descriptive conduct of bullying thugs citizens.
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* video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMfBGXnym6g&feature=emb_logo
Thanks to the Police Chief who defended the Truth caused by outside agitators.
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VIDEO OF POLICE CHIEF
After hearing this, it 1000% confirms that all the people who wouldnot turn around and leave the bridge and stayed and marched towards the police, all of these need to be arrested, including all those who took their children with them, arrest them and take the children away as unfit and hostile and blocking traffic, they were clearly acting as thugs, acting with violent conduct and in defiance of the order to get off bridge.
The video info illustrates the Police Chief did the correct actions.Good job and good reactions.This is the 1st time I have heard that a tear gas was used, I would like more clarity on that action and the gas type.
And did the NOPD officers use proper tear gas masks?
As I watched, it is 1000% clear the unpeaceful protests weretrying to agitate the police to harm the public, by assuming theywere not doing anything wrong. Their defective reasoning and logic, illustrates the crime of intentionallyobstructing the roads and intent to go on the bridge, all illegal andfully dangerous to self and to the children with them.
The so called something flew by video, is vague & ambiguous and could have been a hiding protestor doing so to malign the police.It proves nothing, a local UFO video. A scam and fraud.
DO NOT BE A SUCKER FOR THE FAKE ILLUSIONS IN THE VIDEOS,
DO NOT BE ALLURED INTO HARMING YOUR CITY FROM OUTSIDERS.
This was all done to hurt the Police Chief and Officers!
BE careful you do not Collaborate with devils that will Hurt the City!!!!!
2020, JUNE 08.
The reference to the Danziger Bridge case was relevant but wrong. Danziger involved police officers who encountered non-evacuating citizens on a bridge during Katrina. The police used excessive force. As a legal matter,the lessons learned are highly relevant to the Defund Police cry coming from so many uninformed folks.
First if you think that eliminating or substantially reducing police budgets will improve services and make citizens safer stop reading . You are already too far gone.
What will be the consequence, based upon historical political reactions to poverty, of the absence of local police power. A FEDERAL POLICE presence. The 2016 Clinton Campaign floated the idea. Yes what a great idea! The Billions spent on fighting poverty by federal agencies has been wildly successful in eradicating poverty. It should work with crime too. If you believe that , stop reading.
Danziger is a prime example of federal criminal prosecutions of state officials. Why weren’t local prosecutors good enough to prosecute these local police officers who violated state law. The federal prosecutors through the US Attorney office here and through FBI spokespersons here said the locals were too corrupt to prosecute their own.
The same reason we need to defund police and bring in a newly created federal police force.
But here is the difficult part , you have to go online research the case of US V Bowen issued by the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2015. Its the Danziger case and demonstrates with great detail the corrupt acts of federal prosecutors leading up to and during and after the trial of the NOPD officers. The misconduct was slow to come to light but the trial Judge (Kurt Englehardt ) patiently listened as the horrors committed by the local US Attorney’s office and the Civil Rights Division D.C. lawyers brought in to oversee were proven.
A new trial was granted based exclusively upon the corrupt actions of these federal prosecutors. The prosecutors tried to force Englehardt to recuse himself for commenting about how egregious the federal lawyers’ witness tampering , document mishandling, failure to turn over evidence to the police officers lawyers which tended to exculpate and much more. See Bowen for the details. The convictions were tossed and new trials ordered. Plea deals followed.
The temptation to trust the federal government is lazy and foolish. If the local citizenry is too stupid , lazy or intoxicated to make the current system work in each city and state with representatives who live, work and pray among us, do you really think it will be more accountable run by strangers who seek one thing- to change the republic we enjoy with 50 different governments reflecting different conditions, traditions, histories , compromises and demographics with a single power source hidden away in the DC concrete jungle.
Yes Defund local Police and invite a police force 50 times more powerful, funded by sources you will never know of, control or trace directed by people who are thousands of miles away and protected by their sheer numbers and power.
Can anyone think of such a system that existed from 1920 to 1989 to keep the people of the worlds largest landmass safe and secure.
I am amused thinking how well the bail reform movement would have worked in Russia , if they had a bail system. Yes the political prisoners in the gulag system could teach us what will happen with one police force, one set of prosecutors , gulags for political prisoners and penalties for speaking out against the government.
Lets Defund Police because we cannot emotionally cope with a tragic event. How about focusing on real problems not just the ones the media and other profiting opportunists use to divide us.
LBRC- NOW FOR THE TRUTH WITH PROOF!!! Yes- Bullets and Tear Gas!!!
1. The “Anti- Truth Trolls” just never quit!
a. We were told not to believe our “Lying Eyes” again, their usual Modus Operandi!
b. Then we got allegations about why NOPD was justified to “Gas” an entire crowd for the “so- called” aggressive actions of a few, yards removed from “The Larger Mass” with “Children, The Elderly and others”!
2. Now we have “Confirmation” from Chief Ferguson himself in his own words- However, this admission came days later following the incident and after “Video” surfaced corroborating “Petitioner/Protester” accounts verbally and on film! Nobody believes citizens, right?
***From nola.com >>> “The NOPD said it threw the first of two tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd. >Ferguson, Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Gov. John Bel Edwards have all defended the decision, arguing that the marchers who advanced had clearly escalated the confrontation.< However, many protesters have countered that most of them were milling in the back, had no idea tensions were ramping up and didn’t hear warnings that police said they issued to leave.”
https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_8aa370d8-a9ac-11ea-95a3-271046c5d4b9.html
3. Webster provides us with several definitions for "lie"! This one we found apropos for reasons we think align with a "Spiritual Principal"- To lie: to be in a helpless or defenseless state /Webster end/.
a. In these last of days, The Most High Admonished us- “Truth will be revealed for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear!”/Paraphrased! Why you ask? Ans. Because when Judgement comes, none will be justified to say- “I didn’t see, hear or know ‘Dat, unless of course you have been surrendered over to your own Reprobate (m)ind, due to your determination to Rebel against “Him” and Truth!, You still choose to (d)eceive and “Lie”? Who do you mock when you “Lie”! Not #45, not Satan and his lying ilk!
b. Webster got it right! When you lie- you have become helpless and defenseless, but to Evil! Dr. king said, “Truth crushed to the ground shall rise”, but you believe yourself to mock not only Dr. King, but what The Most High put as Premium and “Clean”! Saying “Filthy Clean” is an oxymoron. Saying “Filthy Lie”, is an alignment of near synonyms, whereas one describes other!
b. Public Office and Authority is a “Public Trust” in “theory” in 2020, and when those we elect Publicly “Tell Lies”, not Truth, in attempts to deceive us, or are apparently “Poor Fact Gatherers” (Egregious for a Cop) and they have no “Real” command of others they “supervise”, can never be entirely trusted again! What does “I’m sorry” or “I apologize” or “I lied”, does for “Public Trust”?
btw- A Nazi General told his Court at Nuremberg- “We never thought all those lies, atrocities, and the murders of at least 7- 8 Million innocent humans would come to this”! The Nuremberg Judge replied- “It came to this the 1st time you lied, murdered and put to death an innocent soul”! The Point of All? Ans. As kids we said- “If you lie you’ll steal and if you steal you’ll kill”, nobody doubts cops do this well! To the Mayor, Chief and Governor: All Liars will be found out! You only “Perceive” impunity, whereas there is none! The potential for murder from an errant projectile, or a Covid cough which may have or might yet produce an unwarranted death, is what you made real by the actions of those you “Directly” (s)upervise! We will settle this at the Ballot Box, notwithstanding your wicked world is still here by ‘Dat time!!! Our Moto: “Never Forget”- They called us liars, citizens who pay all the bills, when in Fact they lying, deceiving, all the time!!!
Abba Father…
Thanks for the Police Chiefs update,,,, and video to the people.
WELL it appears that “maybe” a Bad Cop went rogue and acted on self Impulses and shot some rubber bullets at the Unpeaceful and Hostile Protestors who were endangering the children they took to the event that was breaking the law.
The Police Chief did not order anyone to shoot balls at people, even thou that is
allowed for the police to WOKE UP the rioters and lawless people.
The Police Chief reported that officiers property was stolen,,, So, we might assume that Unpeaceful Protesters shot balls at their own people and released tear gas on the Protesters with the intent to make the Police look bad.
The event was not peaceful, It is dishonest to imply that.
And crowds like this can scheme ways to make the police look bad.
Someone with Horns cast a spell on this unpeaceful crowd which had goals to riot.
2020 June 10,