I’ve purposely withheld any comment on the tragic murder of two NYPD Officers in Brooklyn until now. In part because I’m still grading Final Exams. But also because I’ve sampled a variety of discussion threads as well. Not surprisingly comments have ranged from admirable to amazing; from thoughtful to thoughtless; and from poignant to patronizing. That is to be expected in ANY discussion about race involving different races. And yes, make no mistake about it. Race IS a relevant factor here. Where do I start? Well, as far as we know this specific incident is a crime of the utmost heinous nature committed by someone who we know had mental health issues (reportedly he attempted suicide once before). We also know that the two Officers were sitting in their patrol car on duty and probably did not know who hit them. Was this killer motivated by the recent publicized incidents of Brown and Garner? That’s what he stated in his suicide note. But as far as we know he has no record of political activism. Was this an irrational response to a legitimate social/political issue? Or was this a morbid opportunity to depart this earth in the most spectacular way he knew? Regardless of the answer to the above questions one thing should be clear. The concern and outrage over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner should not be thought of as the cause for this tragedy. This man attempted to kill his girlfriend BEFORE killing the Police Officers. That implies a propensity to murder looking for a cause as an excuse I don’t buy the rationale that the Protests were responsible for causing this. Nor even its more irrational fringe elements which are already being given media exposure well beyond their proportional representation. But American Society always did fall short in the lack of sense of proportion department. As a Math Instructor I see that anytime students struggle with fractions and decimals. We are taught to “super-size” everything almost as an 11th Commandment. I see that shortly after this tragedy a tape was given more attention showing demonstrators shouting “Dead Cops” in NYC. I can’t help but wonder why I never saw this before today. The protests have been going on for weeks. On a personal level I have witnessed several of them. They have all appeared to be some of the most orderly, and organized I’ve ever seen in this city. And I’ve lived here all my life. Yes, there have been a few reported incidents. But they pale in comparison when looked at in an historic context. Whenever I see fringe or irrational elements in any movement I‘m reminded of the history of undercover agents from law enforcement acting as agent provocateurs. They have been known to push the envelope further than most of the protesters they are conducting surveillance on. This is not to say there are no genuine nut cases in any movement. But it is not being paranoid to suggest that this practice has not ceased. Especially with the COMSTAT cultural pressure to produce quotas that are officially denied but widely acknowledged. Finally, I need to say a word about PBA President Patrick Lynch. This is a Man who clearly has a political agenda. I find most of his comments to be propaganda. My late parents were always active in labor unions and I’ve always had a high regard for them. But Lynch’s comments are a major embarrassment to all Labor unions who have a long history of being on the right side of social and economic justice issues. And contrary to the Gospel according to Lynch, you can be critical of policies and supportive of Police Officers. His blurring of that line is the result of years of neglect in Community Policing at the expense of an emphasis on developing a para-military culture that too many in our young generation view as an occupying force. This was evident in Lynch’s framing of Mayor DeBlassio’s remarks about his son as being anti-Police. Bill DeBlassio’s comment on how he taught his son to be careful is not being anti-Police but pro-Family. He was doing what ANY parent of a Black son does. You cannot look at this lack of understanding (or ignoring of it) without the lenses of race. Doing so is to allow propaganda to obfuscate reality. For the record, I have friends and relatives who are and have served gallently as NYPD Officers. I also have friends and relatives who have been on the receiving end of varying degrees of Police harassment/brutality. I’ve always been a strong advocate for Job enrichment (along with pay) of the NYPD (Specifically, in terms of education and training as well as oversight). Not as a political appeasement for a labor union but as a necessity for the well-being of our society. My late father was a Parole Officer. This tragedy occurred two blocks from the site of my first job out of College (the old IBM plant which is now a Home Depot outlet).
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 09:53:11 +0000
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