It's out of hand. What will it take for real change to happen?

I saw the video clip on CNN this morning...totally horrifying....

One second, he's standing there leaning against the building, looked like he was texting on his phone....and suddenly this big guy runs over, grabs him and throws him down on the ground, face down, with this persons' knee pressed against his lower spine....He didn't have time to resist.....I couldn't believe my eyes.......

Zurich Moon wrote:

AdminShiny wrote:

I like that Blake is speaking out and that he is not after money but actual changes.

Me too, Shiny. This has gone too far...James Blake is far too pretty to be thrown around like that . They need to tackle Trump!

Lol!........wait you remind me of someone????.....are you zeke????...lol....BTW where is zeke?

And you're right they need to tackle DT,,,face down!
 

Zurich Moon wrote:

Spunky wrote:

Zurich Moon wrote:

Me too, Shiny. This has gone too far...James Blake is far too pretty to be thrown around like that . They need to tackle Trump!

Lol!........wait you remind me of someone????.....are you zeke????...lol....BTW where is zeke?

And you're right they need to tackle DT,,,face down!

Spuinky, you crack me up! I was just over here HOWLING at one of your other posts ! I love how you roll !  Now, keep this just between us...I'm Zeke on Mon, Wed and Fri . 
I'm telling you, if they had messed up James Blake's face I would have organized a march on NYC! That is a gorgeous man, who also happens to be intelligent and talented, but others can marvel at those insignificant attributes...did I mention how pretty he is? As far as Frump goes, it is hilarious that he feels justified in making disparaging remarks about other people's physical appearance. Don't know about any of you fine folks, but I have yet to gaze over at my husband and think "if only he looked like Donald Trump..." 
 

 

Spunky and Zurich Tied for the Honor of making me spew perfectly good bottled water over a perfectly crappy keyboard!!
 

NESunrise wrote:

Zurich Moon wrote:

Spunky wrote:

Lol!........wait you remind me of someone????.....are you zeke????...lol....BTW where is zeke?

And you're right they need to tackle DT,,,face down!

Spuinky, you crack me up! I was just over here HOWLING at one of your other posts ! I love how you roll !  Now, keep this just between us...I'm Zeke on Mon, Wed and Fri . 
I'm telling you, if they had messed up James Blake's face I would have organized a march on NYC! That is a gorgeous man, who also happens to be intelligent and talented, but others can marvel at those insignificant attributes...did I mention how pretty he is? As far as Frump goes, it is hilarious that he feels justified in making disparaging remarks about other people's physical appearance. Don't know about any of you fine folks, but I have yet to gaze over at my husband and think "if only he looked like Donald Trump..." 
 

 

Spunky and Zurich Tied for the Honor of making me spew perfectly good bottled water over a perfectly crappy keyboard!!

Sorry about that, NE! I'm glad we entertained you for a bit !
 

NESunrise wrote:

Zurich Moon wrote:

Spunky wrote:

Lol!........wait you remind me of someone????.....are you zeke????...lol....BTW where is zeke?

And you're right they need to tackle DT,,,face down!

Spuinky, you crack me up! I was just over here HOWLING at one of your other posts ! I love how you roll !  Now, keep this just between us...I'm Zeke on Mon, Wed and Fri . 
I'm telling you, if they had messed up James Blake's face I would have organized a march on NYC! That is a gorgeous man, who also happens to be intelligent and talented, but others can marvel at those insignificant attributes...did I mention how pretty he is? As far as Frump goes, it is hilarious that he feels justified in making disparaging remarks about other people's physical appearance. Don't know about any of you fine folks, but I have yet to gaze over at my husband and think "if only he looked like Donald Trump..." 
 

 

Spunky and Zurich Tied for the Honor of making me spew perfectly good bottled water over a perfectly crappy keyboard!!
 

Well...thank you for the compliment!..Our aim is to 'keep' everyone smiling...wait...did I just say 'keep'   ugg!

Try to have a nice day everyone even if I used that dreadful word 'keep'...sorry
 

SaraG wrote:

Zurich Moon wrote:

AdminShiny wrote:

I like that Blake is speaking out and that he is not after money but actual changes.

Me too, Shiny. This has gone too far...James Blake is far too pretty to be thrown around like that . They need to tackle Trump!

I'm sure James Blake did not see the humor in this situation.  Or, any of the other unarmed innocent men who have ended up dead because of the actions of hot headed police officers.
 

Thank goodness reasonable people can make the distinction between laughing at a silly (but serious) lust for James Blake (with his pretty self), and laughing at the abuse or killing of innocent young men 

Hello,

There are many posters that know I am from a family of law enforcement professionals. Please allow me to speak from this perspective and with much experience.

I am aware of the James Blake situation and have an opinion. First, what if this was the suspect officer Frascatore was looking for and not James Blake? Would it have been a good arrest on the part of undercover officer Frascatore and would we praise him for this? I think yes.

Did Frascatore use excessive force?  No, I don't think he did. Thrown to the ground, face down and knee pressed against the lower spine is common police tactic to apprehend. Again, if this was the suspect Frascatore was pursuing what should he have done? Say "Hello I am an undercover police officer, may I arrest you?" Come on now. Granted Blake was mistakenly taken for the suspect, even though he was a "dead ringer", but all worked out in the end and even Blake said he was not hurt. 

Police work is more difficult than it looks. It is common for crime suspects to resist arrest and the officer needs to be prepared.  If a tragedy occurs during confrontation, people are quick to assume police brutality. There are complexities and dangers involved when officers are faced with quick decisions when making an arrest. In this case Blake was not the suspect and did not resist allowing officer Frascatore to reevaluate and Blake was not hurt. 

It happens sometimes but what if Blake was the suspect? IMO officer Frascatore did nothing wrong, he was doing his job. This is not in defence of the "bad cop" which does exist but not in this particular case imo. 

Zurich Moon wrote:

Braveone99 wrote:

Hello,

There are many posters that know I am from a family of law enforcement professionals. Please allow me to speak from this perspective and with much experience.

I am aware of the James Blake situation and have an opinion. First, what if this was the suspect officer Frascatore was looking for and not James Blake? Would it have been a good arrest on the part of undercover officer Frascatore and would we praise him for this? I think yes.

Did Frascatore use excessive force?  No, I don't think he did. Thrown to the ground, face down and knee pressed against the lower spine is common police tactic to apprehend. Again, if this was the suspect Frascatore was pursuing what should he have done? Say "Hello I am an undercover police officer, may I arrest you?" Come on now. Granted Blake was mistakenly taken for the suspect, even though he was a "dead ringer", but all worked out in the end and even Blake said he was not hurt. 

Police work is more difficult than it looks. It is common for crime suspects to resist arrest and the officer needs to be prepared.  If a tragedy occurs during confrontation, people are quick to assume police brutality. There are complexities and dangers involved when officers are faced with quick decisions when making an arrest. In this case Blake was not the suspect and did not resist allowing officer Frascatore to reevaluate and Blake was not hurt. 

It happens sometimes but what if Blake was the suspect? IMO officer Frascatore did nothing wrong, he was doing his job. This is not in defence of the "bad cop" which does exist but not in this particular case imo.
 

In this instance, I agree that the officer did not use excessive force (assuming he identified himself as an undercover cop in a timely manner.) Having seen the photo of the suspect, I can understand how he would be mistaken for my beloved James. Unfortunately, a lot of good cops are paying a huge price for all of the bad cops who have gotten away with murder, both literally and figuratively, over time. With the advent of the cell phone vids, the arrogance, corruption and racism long associated with law enforcement can no longer be denied. This leaves us in a very scary place...with the rash of senseless cop killings, the police are going to be more on edge and more aggressive, understandably so. With the viral videos we have seen of innocent citizens being slaughtered at the hands of cops, the people fear for their lives and are more prone to resist arrest. I don't know the solution, but a good place to start is to eliminate bad cops when they are exposed without excuses or hesitation. This matter will never get better until the people can trust their law enforcement to serve and protect them honorably. Won't happen overnight but it's time to start.

Hi Zurich,

Thanks for your response.

Expecting an undercover cop to identify him or her self defeats the whole purpose of undercover. Wouldn't you agree?

You are right, many good cops are being scrutinized because of bad cops. Not necessarily a bad thing imo. I can tell you with confidence that the majority of cops are good and are as upset as the citizens to acknowledge the bad cops. Many officers police themselves and take action against those disgracing the badge, sometimes quietly but very effective. 

Citizens need to gain back their trust in law enforcement to honorably serve and protect. The solution is complex for sure. A good beginning is community policing with more "boots on the ground" and talking with the neighborhood leaders and every day citizens. I happen to live and work in a community that has dedicated resources to make this happen. So far, so good! It doesn't take much to drop a dime on a criminal or "bad cop". 

Won't happen overnight but, as you say, it is time to start. Stories blown out of proportion like with your beloved James don't help. BTW, his face is kickass gorgeous and thankfully still intact.