Jake Gyllenhaal & Heath Ledger in ‘Brokeback Mountain’ (photo: Focus Features)
News Round-Up: November 1, 2021
Some news items you might have missed: • New York Post: Far-right pundits are claiming “thousands of NYC police officers went on unpaid leave to avoid getting vaccinated.” Turns out only 34 cops and 40 civilian members of the force — which account for fewer than .15 percent of NYPD employees — did not comply. Continue reading “News Round-Up: November 1, 2021”
Family Of Officer Beaten At Capitol Riot Files Lawsuit Against Alleged Attackers
A group of cybersleuths called Deep State Dogs is being credited with identifying two Capitol rioters who injured D.C. Metro Police Officer Jeff Smith on January 6. Nine days after the attack, Smith took his own life. Continue reading “Family Of Officer Beaten At Capitol Riot Files Lawsuit Against Alleged Attackers”
Video: Police Draw Guns, Pepper-Spray Army Officer In Traffic Stop
Police officer Joe Gutierrez (body cam image: Windsor Police via AP)
(screen capture from body cam footage via Windsor Police)
According to the AP, Windsor police officer Daniel Crocker radioed the station saying he was attempting to pull over a vehicle with tinted windows that appeared to not have a rear license plate.
Crocker reportedly labeled it a “high-risk traffic stop,” as he claimed the driver was “eluding police.”
However, Nazario denied that he was trying to escape the officer, instead saying at the time that he was driving home from his duty station and wanted to stop in a well-lit area “for officer safety and out of respect for the officers.”
Another officer, Joe Gutierrez, responded to Crocker’s call for help and joined him in the traffic stop.
After one of the officers attempted to open the car door, Gutierrez then stepped back and pepper-sprayed Nazario multiple times.
At one point, Gutierrez can be heard telling Nazario he was “fixin’ to ride the lightning,” a reference to the electric chair and a line from the movie “The Green Mile,” in which a Black man is facing execution.
According to the Associated Press, Gutierrez acknowledged that Nazario’s decision to drive to a lighted area happens to him “a lot, and 80% of the time, it’s a minority.” The AP reached out to the Windsor Police Department for comment but received no response. Both officers reportedly still work for the department. In subsequent footage, another officer told Nazario he understood he might be nervous due to “the whole BLM movement.”
“The whole BLM movement” this whole racist podunk town. Oh Lieutenant, it’s your fault, these cops are scared too that’s why they pepper sprayed you for no reason. You’re black how do we know if you’re a good black or a bad one? pic.twitter.com/eZBZSj6aZM
— Naveed Jamali (@NaveedAJamali) April 10, 2021
Army LT Caron Nazario: “I’m honestly afraid to get out.”
Officer: “You should be.” pic.twitter.com/sIOBXc3yK8
— (@TheRileyWilson) April 10, 2021
Video: Boston Cop Brags About Driving Into Protesters
NowThis News shares this report of vehicles being used to attack protesters across the country. In the first clip, a Boston police officer boasts about driving his car through a crowd of protesters. At the 30 second mark, the officer he’s bragging to turns away once he realizes his buddy has just confessed on an active body cam. ‘I’m f*cking hittin’ people with the car,’ says the police officer. The short video goes on to note other violent attacks on protesters with vehicles. Note – I’m definitely not anti-cop. I am anti-bad cop. These jokers make life much harder for the good guys.
News Round-Up: September 28, 2020
Some news items you might have missed: • Outsports: Major League Baseball ended its regular season on Sunday after a COVID-shortened 60 games and for the first time since the 2016 season, there were no players involved in any recorded, on-field anti-gay controversies. Granted, we still have the playoffs to go, but the only notable incident involved Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman. • NY Daily News: A Bronx man is accused of hacking to death with a machete a man he met on Grindr — and his roommate walked in on the bloody aftermath. Juan Alonso, 50, was charged Monday with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon. Cops are still trying to identify his victim. • Insider: Two New Jersey police officers pleaded guilty last week to smashing windows and slashing tires on cars owned by a man who had complained about them. As a part of the plea agreement, neither men will be able to work public service in the state. • Politico: A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll found that just 20 percent of voters said that they believed the winner of the presidential election will be called on election night, while 66 percent said they expect it to happen sometime later, 19 percent believe it will be the next day, and 26 percent believe it will be between two and seven days after the polls close. • The Hill: A new New York Times/Siena College poll shows Joe Biden leading Donald Trump in the vital battleground state of Pennsylvania by 9 points (49-40). The RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Biden with a 5.3 percentage point lead in the Keystone State. • Netflix: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, an organization near and dear to my heart, invites you to “Grab a drink (or two) with the spectacular cast of Netflix’s The Boys in the Band during #SipInWithTheBoys!” The livestream at 8 pm Eastern on October 2 benefits Broadway Cares and The Actors Fund.
Insurance Company Denies Benefits To Family Of Sheriff’s Deputy After COVID-19 Death
L-R Deputy Shannon Bennett his fiancé, Jonathan Frey
“One of the most difficult tragedies to endure in this profession is a line of duty death. We are committed to helping the Bennett family. We pay thousands of dollars each year for this insurance, and I’m extremely disappointed that AIG is denying this claim. We will exhaust all appeals.”
Bennett was engaged and planned to marry his fiancé, Jonathan Frey, in December. The fight over Bennett’s insurance benefits is just the latest chapter in a series of ugliness surrounding his death. NBC News reports that Dale Engle, the South Florida police chief who came under fire in April for a homophobic rant referencing Bennett, has tendered his resignation after officers brought the incident up to the Florida police union. According to several deputies in attendance, Engle ordered his employees to line up in formation in a department parking lot and began to berate officers who raised concerns about coronavirus protocol. During the rant, Engle referenced Bennett’s death telling the officers Bennett died because he was “a homosexual who attended homosexual events.” He was placed on administrative leave, and this week Engle resigned over the incident. Good.
Video: Police Slashed Tires Of Vehicles Parked Near Protests
Video footage discovered by Mother Jones shows what appears to be police officers slashing the tires of several cars parked in Minneapolis over the weekend. From Mother Jones:
After long nights of tear gas and rubber bullets, some protesters, news crews, and medics in Minneapolis last weekend found themselves stranded: The tires of their cars had been slashed.
In a city upended by protests about police brutality after the death of George Floyd, many assumed protesters were to blame. But videos reveal a different culprit: the police.
In the videos, officers puncture tires in a K-Mart parking lot on May 30 and a highway overpass on May 31. Both areas briefly turned into police staging grounds near protest hot spots.
The officers appear to be state troopers or county police, though it’s not clear from the videos. Neither the Minnesota State Patrol nor the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office responded to requests from Mother Jones. The Minneapolis Police Department and Minnesota National Guard denied involvement.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported after the Mother Jones story that a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety acknowledged State Patrol troopers “strategically deflated tires in order to stop behaviors such as vehicles driving dangerously and at high speeds in and around protesters and law enforcement.” The spokesman, Bruce Gordon, added vehicles “that contained items used to cause harm during violent protests” such as rocks, concrete, and sticks were targeted. “While not a typical tactic, vehicles were being used as dangerous weapons and inhibited our ability to clear areas and keep areas safe where violent protests were occurring,” said Gordon. Anoka County Sheriff’s Lt. Andy Knotz also confirmed deputies from Anoka County followed state orders and joined the patrol and also cut the tires on vehicles. Knotz said the deputies got their directions from the state-led Multiagency Command Center [MACC], which has been coordinating law enforcement during the numerous protests since the death of George Floyd on May 25.
Officer Benson Churgai Makes History In The City Of Brotherly Love
Benson Churgai (screen capture)
“I wanted to go through the academy like every other recruit,” Churgai told local ABC News affiliate WPVI. “I didn’t want people to know I was transgender because I didn’t want to be treated differently. I wanted to be held to the same standards as everybody else.” “Sometimes it seems that your hopes and dreams are not possible when you come out as transgender, but it is possible,” added Churgai. “It is possible to be who you want to be and do the career you want to have, it’s possible. Just because your trans it doesn’t mean you can’t.” Philadelphia Police Inspector Verdell Johnson, who supervises the recruits, told the Inquirer Churgai was selected solely “on his ability to pass a rigorous background test and physical training.” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw told the Inquirer among his department’s top priorities is to “ensure that our ranks are diverse, inclusive, and reflective of the communities we serve.” “I was proud of him,” said fellow classmate Jarrett Ross. “We need more of this in our department. We need people from all different walks of life, people who can relate to different things.” Churgai says it has been his dream to be a police officer his whole life because “you get to people on the best and what could be one of the worst days of their lives.”