Tag: Police

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Drunk Homophobe Threatens Gay Couple Outside Their Home [Video]

Clifford Hammel shouts homophobic slurs outside the home of a gay couple on Staten Island
Drunk homophobe shouts anti-gay slurs outside the home of a gay couple on Staten Island
(image via screencapture)

A gay couple living on Staten Island, New York, were terrorized by a drunk homophobe who yelled anti-gay slurs outside their home, kicked their front door, and promised to “get you wherever you go.”

Joe Canale and Raymond Gamarra were home on Saturday, January 23, when they heard loud noises coming from a neighbor’s late night house party.

According to Gay City News, they went to the neighbors to ask to them to keep the noise down, but a man attending the party became enraged.

The next thing the couple knew, a man identified as Clifford Hammel walked over to their front yard and began harassing them.

In the video obtained by Gay City News, Hammel can clearly be heard shouting, “I see you, f*cking fa**ot. You little b*tch. F*ck you. You fucking fa**ot.”

At one point, Hammel qualified his language as he repeated the slurs, yelling, “You f*cking fa**ot — and that’s not a homosexual. I don’t give a f*ck if you suck d*ck.”

Along the way, Hammel reportedly named the gym the couple go to as well as the school where Canale is the principal.

After attempting to kick the couple’s front door in, Hammel added, “Wherever you go, I will get to you.”

Canale called the police but were told officers were already on their way to the location as someone attending the party apparently needed medical attention having passed out.The couple say the police officers who arrived, Lieutenant Rosago and Officer Vincent of the NYPD, seemed “dismissive” of their situation after explaining the disturbing visits from Hammel. Canale said the officers were “reluctant” to even view the video footage of the man threatening them

The officers explained they thought Hammel was the man being taken to the hospital, so they “don’t have to worry or be afraid.”

But when Canale followed up with police at the 121st Precinct, it seems the officers had written Hammel’s name down incorrectly. AND, Hammel wasn’t the partygoer transported to the hospital.

L-R Raymond Gamarra and Joe Canale
L-R Raymond Gamarra and Joe Canale (photo via Canale)

Disturbed by the nonchalant handling of the incident, the couple reached out to Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon.

In a statement, McMahon said, “Any time a serious allegation is brought to our attention, we work in tandem to thoroughly investigate and bring criminal charges when appropriate under the law.”

He added, “We are committed to securing the right of every person to live their lives free from bias and hate on Staten Island.”

But Gamarra and Canale are unconvinced as to how seriously their concerns were treated.

“Staten Island is not a bastion of tolerance,” Canale told GCN. “There are so many things that are disturbing about this that I don’t even know where to begin.”

“I understand there’s COVID, but justice delayed is justice denied as far as I’m concerned.”

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DC Police Officer: They Were Screaming ‘Kill Him With His Own Gun’

Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone

Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone
DC Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone (screen capture)
DC Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone spoke to CNN about his frightening ordeal being dragged from the U.S. Capitol building and beaten by pro-Trump insurrectionists last week. According to CNN, Fanone is a narcotics detective who works in plain clothes. But when he heard the commotion at the Capitol, he grabbed his still brand-new police uniform that had been hanging in his locker and put it on for the first time. He raced to the building with his partner and helped officers who were being pushed back by rioters. But he was soon overwhelmed by the insurrectionists and tasered several times as he was pulled down the steps of the Capitol building. “I was just, you know, trying to fight as best I could,” Fanone told CNN. “I remember guys were stripping me of my gear, these rioters pulling my badge off my chest. They ripped my radio off my vest, started pulling ammunition magazines from their holder on my belt.” “Some guys started getting ahold of my gun and they were screaming out ‘Kill him with his own gun.’ At that point it was, you know, self-preservation – how do I survive this situation?” “I thought about using deadly force, I thought about shooting people. And then I came to the conclusion that if I was to do that I’d hit a few but I’m not going to take everybody. They’d probably take my gun away from me and that would definitely give them the justification they were looking for to kill me.” “The only option I came up with was to appeal to somebody’s humanity. I just remember yelling out that I have kids. It seemed to work, some people in the crowd started to encircle me and offer me some kind of protection.” “A lot of people have asked me my thoughts on the individuals in the crowd that helped me or tried to offer some assistance, and I think kind of the conclusion I’ve come to is like, you know, ‘Thank you, but fuck you for being there.’” Watch below as Fanone describes the scene in his own words. Remember – Trump supporters believe they are the ‘party of law and order…’

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Twitter: Gay Pride Parade Or Shirtless Police Cadets Graduating From Academy?

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Video footage of shirtless Egyptian police cadets graduating from the Police Academy in New Cairo raised more than eyebrows on Twitter. George Takei highlighted the video clip on Twitter writing, “For a terrifyingly homophobic and dangerously anti-LGBT government in Egypt, this screams pretty gay.” In the video, the shirtless buff graduates are shown riding on military vehicles appearing to be flexing for their lives. The Daily Star reports over 1,500 cadets took part in the event. Several of the comments on Twitter compared the event to a Pride parade.

Another clip showed the graduates performing a series of stunts including jumping through rings of fire, breaking cement blocks on each other’s chests with sledgehammers, and climbing up the side of a building. At one point, the graduates even dive through the air over a set of sharp spikes.

While the spectacle was visually impressive, the sad irony in all this, as Takei points out, is Egypt continues to be a virulently homophobic country. The Human Rights Watch reported this past spring that Egypt rejected recommendations by several members of the United Nations Human Rights Council to end arrests and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Egypt responded by denying the existence of sexual orientation and gender identity saying the country “does not recognize the terms mentioned” in the recommendation. But an LGBTQ rights organization in Cairo reported 92 arrests in 2019 for so-called ‘same-sex conduct.’ Included in the report were incidents of “entrapment through dating apps, random arrests off the street and hotel/house arrests.” Rights Africa notes that 69 percent of the cases were street arrests “with no legal basis for the arrest other than the individual discretion of the police officers.” As there is no explicit law banning same-sex conduct, the majority of LGBTQ prosecutions are based on “debauchery” laws insinuating prostitution. While under arrest, gay men and transgender women have been subjected to torture, assaults, and degrading forced anal examinations. (source: Daily Star)

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Sheriff’s Racist Rant Results In His Resignation

Former Arkansas County Sheriff Todd Wright (photo: ARSheriffs.org)
Arkansas County Sheriff Todd Wright resigned from his position after a recording of him repeatedly using the n-word began circulating on social media. In the clip, Wright goes on an ugly rant yelling at a woman who had spoken to a Black employee at a Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Dewitt. He was apparently embarrassed she had spoken to someone Black. Here’s the transcript: “Shut up you f**king n***er lover! … Every motherf**ker in this store and you gotta talk to the f**king (inaudible) n***er. Right there in front of me, like y’all f**king best buddies. It is a big f**king deal. People f**king see me and see you talking to f**king n***ers.” Here’s the video which appears to have been captured by a friend of the woman.

The video was initially shared on social media back in May but began circulating again this week. At a special session of the Arkansas County Quorum Court on Friday, August 28, Wright acknowledged that it was him in the recording and offered an apology for any offense his comments caused adding that his remarks were made ‘in the heat of the moment.’ During a rambling statement, he added he was “disturbed my career was in shambles because of something I said.” He also – wait for it – insisted he’s not racist. Initially, Wright refused to resign, but the court (which doesn’t have the power to remove Wright from office) unanimously approved a resolution asking for his resignation. Following comments from the public demanding he step down, Wright offered to leave his position in a month as he wanted time to find another job. But Bobby Webb, a longtime friend of Wright, told the sheriff he needed to resign immediately. “I’ve known you all my life,” said Webb according to the Stuttgart Daily Leader. “You need to take that badge and you need to lay it on that table and you need to walk out of here. You know I love you.” After a brief recess, Wright submitted his official resignation, which the court voted unanimously to accept. Out of ‘compassion,’ the court also unanimously decided to allow Wright to be paid through September 30, although he will not be an active law enforcement officer. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of the county Wright has been serving for years is 25 percent Black. After listening to the repeated use of the n-word in this recording (nine times he uses the slur), it’s not hard to imagine what Wright thought of the local Black citizens he encountered in the line of duty. I’m going to close this post by saying I believe the vast, vast majority of law enforcement officers are good people. But people like Wright make their jobs much, much harder. If you ever wonder why football players kneel, and Black Lives Matter protests are happening, this is part of the reason why.

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Poll: Large Majorities Of Americans Support Police Reforms

(image via Unsplash/Spenser)
Democratic lawmakers, Republican lawmakers, and the White House are all preparing proposals to address reforms in policing amid the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. According to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Thursday, large majorities of Americans support the Democratic proposals released this week: • 82% of Americans want to ban police from using chokeholds (including 7 in 10 Republicans) • 83% want to ban racial profiling (including 7 in 10 Republicans) • 92% want federal police to be required to wear body cameras (including 9 in 10 Republicans) • 89% of Americans want to require police to give the people they stop their name, badge number and reason for the stop • 91% support allowing independent investigations of police departments that show patterns of misconduct (including 9 in 10 Republicans) • 75% support allowing victims of police misconduct to sue police departments for damages. (including 6 in 10 Republicans) • 76% support reallocating police budgets into better officer training, local programs for homelessness, mental health assistance and domestic violence Read more at Reuters.

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Uber Driver Calls Police After Telling Gay Dads Crying Infant “Needed His Mother”

In a recent Twitter thread, gay dad James Moed shared a disturbing incident where an Uber driver apparently called the police after telling Moed and his husband their crying baby “needed his mother.” Moed and his husband were staying at the Marriott Marina while traveling in San Diego last week. The couple, who live in the UK, was awakened by a knock at their hotel room door at 1:30 a.m. At the door were police officers who demanded to see the men’s identification. According to the Twitter thread, Moed shared “It turns out the @Uber driver who had taken us back to the hotel had called the cops – accusing us of…child trafficking? Endangerment?” Apparently, during their Uber ride to the hotel, their driver told the couple their crying infant “needed his mother.” Even though the men explained the child has two dads, the driver “didn’t back down.” The police departed peacefully after the couple showed their identification including their son’s passport to prove they weren’t ‘child trafficking.’ But even after the officers left the hotel, the men were shaken. “Stayed awake freaking out,” wrote Moed. “What if we hadn’t had his passport? The cops had been less agreeable? Where can my #queerfamily travel safely?” The father shared that he had contacted Uber about their driver’s behavior and the app’s algorithm replied with a form letter and a refund. Insisting he didn’t want a refund, he says he pressed on asking for “proof that you keep #LGBTQ riders safe from homophobic drivers.” A few hours later, Moed added that he had spoken to Uber support requesting an “apology from the driver (not his dismissal)” as well as evidence of LGBTQ sensitivity training. So far, the couple hasn’t indicated if they’d heard back from Uber. https://twitter.com/jamesmoed/status/1224911775608594432 https://twitter.com/jamesmoed/status/1224911777139392522 https://twitter.com/jamesmoed/status/1225151863105957888 We’d like to hear from you, readers – have any of you had a homophobic experience while using Uber? Let us know in the comments below. (Image by why kei on Unsplash)

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Kansas Cop Faked Story Of McDonald’s Coffee Labeled “F**king Pig”

A police officer in Kansas has admitted he fabricated the story of a McDonald’s employee writing “f**king pig” on his coffee cup. Via KTLA:

A Kansas police officer who initially claimed McDonald’s employees wrote “F—–g pig” on his cup has resigned, the city’s police chief said.

“In (our) investigation we have found that McDonald’s and its employees did not have anything whatsoever to do with this incident, this was completely and solely fabricated by a Herington police officer who is no longer employed with our agency,” Herington Police Department Chief Brian Hornaday said in a news conference Monday.

The incident, the chief said, has been an “obvious violation of … public trust.”

“Our job is solely to do this job with the utmost integrity because if you can’t trust the cops, who can you trust,” he said.

After McDonald’s conducted its own investigation, the owner and operator of the Junction City franchise said in a statement the fast-food chain was “glad that the evidence confirmed our evaluation that McDonald’s and our crew members were absolutely not involved.”

The now-fired police officer had been with the department for just two months. After the officer texted the photo of the coffee cup to Hornaday on Saturday, the police chief posted it on his personal Facebook account, which clearly became embarrassing after discovering the story was faked.

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NYC Cop Pleads No Contest To Burglary, Using Racial Slurs

Michael Reynolds, a 25-year-old New York City police officer, is accused of breaking into the home of an African-American family and screaming racial slurs while on vacation in Nashville, Tennessee, this past summer. Reynolds has pleaded no contest to charges of aggravated burglary and three misdemeanor assault charges From NewsChannel 5 in Nashville:

Michael Reynolds, 25, pleaded no contest to his felony aggravated burglary charge and three misdemeanor assault charges.

The break-in happened around 2:30 a.m. on July 9th, 2018 at a 12 South home in Nashville.

The homeowner, Conese Halliburton, said she felt traumatized reliving the incident in court today. Reynolds was on vacation and staying at an Airbnb with friends one door down from Halliburton’s home, and police say he was under the influence of alcohol when he broke into the house.

“He knows what he did, it’s on video, there’s audio. There was people there so how can he not plead guilty and say this is what you did and stand up and be truthful. You’re an officer,” Halliburton said.

When the incident occurred, Halliburton told Metro officers Reynolds kicked in the door and started yelling at her and her two sons who had not went to bed yet. A surveillance camera captured part of the exchange and a man’s voice shouting, “Try to shoot me, I’ll break every bone in your f(expletive) neck. You f(expletive) n(expletive).”

Reynolds faces sentencing on November 7.

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Black Prospective Home Buyer Finds KKK Memorabilia While Viewing Cop’s Home

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A prospective African-American homebuyer in Michigan was touring a home when he came across Confederate flag placemats on the dining room table.

Taking a look at the NASCAR-inspired garage, he found two more Confederate flags.

According to the Washington Post, Rob Mathis said to himself, “Wouldn’t it be funny if this was a Klansman’s house?”

And just minutes later, he and his wife came across a plaque in one of the bedrooms. Mounted on wood was an application for membership in the Ku Klux Klan.

The home, about an hour outside of Grand Rapids, belongs to Muskegon police officer Charles Anderson, who has served on the police force there for more than 20 years.

Mathis posted a photo of the KKK application as he shared how the experience left him rattled.

“I feel sick to my stomach knowing that I walk to the home of one of the most racist people in Muskegon hiding behind his uniform and possibly harassing people of color and different nationalities,” he wrote in his post late Wednesday.

The city of Muskegon announced in a Facebook post that an investigation had been opened and Anderson is now on administrative leave.

When contacted by MLive.com, Anderson offered only a brief response saying, “They (his police union) said not to talk about it. That’s what they told me. Because it’s under internal investigation they said not to make a statement.”

Complicating things more, Anderson was involved in the shooting death of a black man ten years ago while on duty. At the time, he was acquited of any wrongdoing.

But, the Muskegon chapter of the NAACP is now asking that all cases involving Anderson and people of color be reviewed.

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Cop Fired For Mocking Gay Teen Suicide Hired By New Police Department

Police officer Jeff Graves (screen capture via WHNT)

A police officer in Alabama who resigned amid controversy after mocking the suicide of a gay teen has been rehired just two months later.

Nigel Shelby, a 15-year-old high school student, took his own life in April after having been the target of homophobic bullying.

Nigel Shelby (image via Facebook)

Jeff Graves, while working as a Madison County Sheriff’s Deputy, commented on a story posted to Facebook about Shelby’s death writing:

“Liberty, Guns, Bible, Trump, BBQ – That’s my kind of LGBTQ movement. I’m seriously offended there is such a thing such as the movement. Society cannot and should not accept this behavior. I have a right to be offended by this fake movement which requires no special attention but by persons with an altered ego and fake agenda.”

Local news station WHNT19 reports Graves was initially suspended, and eventually resigned in early May.

But two months later, Graves has now been hired as an Owens Cross Roads police officer.

When contacted by WHNT, Owens Cross Roads Police Chief Jason Dobbins acknowledged being aware of Graves social media controversy and defended the hiring saying, “Everyone deserves a second chance.”

Declining to speak on camera, Dobbins told WHNT over the phone that Graves had expressed remorse for the controversial Facebook post.

The police chief said that he was “confident” that Graves would be able to serve all citizens in Owens Cross, including the LGBTQ community.

“Officer Graves may not have the same views as everyone else, but that doesn’t prevent him from doing his job as an officer,” Dobbins told NBC affiliate WAFF. “He’s going to make a great addition to our department.”

He added that all of Graves’s interactions with the public would be recorded on police body cameras.