Tag: James Blake

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NYPD Releases Video Showing Tackle & Cuffing Of Tennis Star James Blake

Earlier this week I reported on the disturbing treatment tennis star James Blake received at the hands of the New York Police Department.

In a case of mistaken identity, an undercover cop rushed Blake, tackled him, then slammed him to the ground and handcuffed him for 15 minutes. The cop never identified himself as a police officer. Eventually other officers were on the scene and they realized they had mistaken Blake for snother man being sought for identity theft.

Finally, Blake received an apology from the Chief of Police and the Mayor, but the cop who body slammed him to the ground never apologized. Not even a simple, “hey man, my bad.”

Identity theft is basically a white collar crime. There was clearly no sense that Blake was or would be violent. Some have wondered if the cop would have used the same force against a white man.

It’s also come to light that the officer, James Frascatore, has had a record of complaints.

The New York Police Department Friday released video showing the cop’s “detaining technique” with Blake, USA Today reported. Watch this and imagine this is your innocent son, peacefully checking his email while waiting for friends, and then this happens.  With no explanation.

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Tennis Great James Blake Tackled & Slammed To The Ground After Being Mistaken For ID Theft Suspect

James Blake, once ranked 4th in the world of professional tennis, was mistaken for a suspect in an identity theft crime, tackled, slammed to the ground and handcuffed by plainclothes police officers.

After fifteen minutes of being handcuffed, the five police officers involved realized they were mistaken. The first officer, who tackled him, slammed him to the ground and cuffed him, never said a word of apology.

The NY Daily News reports:

The incident occurred around noon in front of the Grand Hyatt on East 42 St., as Blake, a 35-year-old African-American who attended Harvard before going on tour, was waiting for a car to take him to Flushing Meadows, where he was making corporate appearances for Time-Warner Cable.

“It was definitely scary and definitely crazy,” said Blake, who was once ranked No. 4 in the world and was among the most popular U.S. players of his generation. He suffered a cut to his left elbow and bruises to his left leg.

Asked if he considered it a case of racial profiling, Blake said, “I don’t know if it’s as simple as that. To me it’s as simple as unnecessary police force, no matter what my race is. In my mind there’s probably a race factor involved, but no matter what there’s no reason for anybody to do that to anybody.

“You’d think they could say, ‘Hey, we want to talk to you. We are looking into something. I was just standing there. I wasn’t running. It’s not even close (to be okay). It’s blatantly unnecessary. You would think at some point they would get the memo that this isn’t okay, but it seems that there’s no stopping it.”

So, this isn’t hard, Mr. First Cop. You make a mistake, at least say you’re sorry. You tackle someone, slam them to the ground, handcuff them – and then when it’s clear you’re in the wrong you walk on with no word of apology?

Oh, did I mention he’s black? And yes, all the officers were white.