SaraG wrote:

Zurich Moon wrote:

SaraG wrote:

Considering that I started this topic, I thought you could assume I know Mr. Blake is alive and well.  I am neither foolish or misguided.  And, I did not say they would laugh at someone being killed or assaulted.  I am saying the situation could have ended in a tragic way and for that reason I don't see how jokes can be made about it.  I know you are joking about his looks being great and I get your point.  To me he is average looking, but hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Much like humor.  
 

I didn't call you foolish or misguided, Sara...I said any suggestion that we would find humor in the assault or killing of an innocent person is foolish and misguided...big difference. I think everyone here understands what could have happened. And I am delighted that you don't find him attractive to the extent that I do...one less person I have to assault en route to him 

Don't give up.  These celebrity relationships rarely last.  You might still have a chance.
 

Sara, I would hate to capitalize on the demise of James' marriage...but I will! 

SaraG wrote:

Zurich Moon wrote:

SaraG wrote:

Don't give up.  These celebrity relationships rarely last.  You might still have a chance.
 

Sara, I would hate to capitalize on the demise of James' marriage...but I will! 

Remember, "All that glitters 'aint gold."  I had a celebrity husband many years ago and was engaged to another one, it's not always the way it seems.  I finally learned a man who is not constantly touring and has a regular gig is much easier to keep up with.  Of course, I know you are just joking about James.
 

It's so true, Sara. Both my husband and I have friends who are in professional sports and the entertainment business and it's very difficult on a relationship when you are globetrotting...especially if everything revolves around you and those around you are "yes" people. It's intoxicating and I've sadly seen the demise of many. Plus, they tend to get married far too soon IMO. 

Hi everybody.................  zurich.....is this my day for posting?  I get confused.(my favorite smiley)
For me, the most glaring part of this attack on James is his race.  These attacks happen DAILY to black people.  I can tell you of another one that occurred after that up in the Bronx a couple of days ago.  It happened to a 30 yr old black woman standing and waiting for her train.  The police attacked her and almost broke her wrist, put her in the hospital, and in the end there were NO CHARGES.
There is no reasonable defense for these attacks.  They are disproportionately made upon black people. 
In the case of James, there was no reason for the attack.  Undercover or non-undercover, he could have been questioned instead of attacked. 
I don't think these attacks and other substandard work performance issues will stop until requirements for the job of policing this country are raised.  Suggest: college degrees, community service experience, diversity both racially and socio-economically.

Last edited by zeke (9/17/2015 8:15 am)

I still say that with better training, these types of incidents would happen less. There was no reason to take James Blake down like that. He wasn't the guy they were looking for & I don't believe the "dead ringer" bit either. (Not directed to you zeke, but the policemen trying to make excuses). 

James says he will use his voice to bring attention to over excessive policing. He seems to be a calm, thoughtful man. I hope he can help change policies that approve of excessive force when it is not warrented.

Sam wrote:

If the guy was a "dead ringer" I think they should have shown the picture as proof. Maybe they can't due to policy but I am not going to believe it until I see it for myself.

There is no reason for James to speak out in support of the Police at this point. He remained very calm during the whole ordeal.  If he had not, the outcome may have been very different.

I support the Police.  I know their job can be very difficult & dangerous. But two times this year I was treated unfairly by different Police officers. It has changed my perspective a bit. Once was an accident in which I was hurt & the officer never took my statement but took the word of the driver that injured me. When I tried to correct his mistake, he practically called me a liar.  He was protecting his reputation because he failed to get my statement & he didn't give a crap about pressuring me to keep quiet. Another time I was pulled over at night because I was driving a bit slow because my windshield fogged up & I couldn't see very well. Right off the bat, he had an attitude but I did nothing wrong so he had to let me go. Now I am a white, Grandma looking woman, no threat to anyone. So I do know that some Police officers do not have the integrity that should accompany the badge.

Sam,

The picture of the suspect is online and available to anyone looking for it. 

Perhaps there is no reason for James to speak out in support of the police, particularly since he is filing suit. 

Sorry to read about your encounter with police officers where you felt treated unfairly. I hope you made your experience known to the department involved. 
 

Hey Braveone and Sam..................  hope I make sense. It's late.  Brave....if I am right you are in a metropolitan area where the requirements to police may be more stringent than in other parts of the country.  I would bet my good sandals from Lord and Taylor that it is not the norm in many, many other parts of this country.  I would bet that some police officers don't even have hs diplomas.  I am not saying all cops operate negatively on a daily basis but I have seen far too many instances where cops were plain nasty for no reason and in a provacative way.
I saw a cop throw a man on top of a car once....it was inappropriate. I saw a cop emptying open beer cans one late night. His car was blocking me and I couldn't drive through. He yelled "I'll move in a minute." I said ok.  As he was walking to his car I yelled "sorry you have to do that". He responded "excuuuuuuse me?!!!!!"  really nasty. It was nasty. Now I know that all cops are not like this but there are way too any instances where they are and it's not necessary. 
All my life I have heard stories about teenagers and younger getting roughed up by the police.....especially blacks.  Those stories mean somethng. They are not myths but true stories.
Brave, I do not think for one moment that you would be associated with any cops who would do these things but there are a lot of them "out there".

Sam wrote:

If the guy was a "dead ringer" I think they should have shown the picture as proof. Maybe they can't due to policy but I am not going to believe it until I see it for myself.

There is no reason for James to speak out in support of the Police at this point. He remained very calm during the whole ordeal.  If he had not, the outcome may have been very different.

I support the Police.  I know their job can be very difficult & dangerous. But two times this year I was treated unfairly by different Police officers. It has changed my perspective a bit. Once was an accident in which I was hurt & the officer never took my statement but took the word of the driver that injured me. When I tried to correct his mistake, he practically called me a liar.  He was protecting his reputation because he failed to get my statement & he didn't give a crap about pressuring me to keep quiet. Another time I was pulled over at night because I was driving a bit slow because my windshield fogged up & I couldn't see very well. Right off the bat, he had an attitude but I did nothing wrong so he had to let me go. Now I am a white, Grandma looking woman, no threat to anyone. So I do know that some Police officers do not have the integrity that should accompany the badge.

That is horrible, Sam. I hope you filed a complaint against that arrogant SOB. My former boss was mistaken for a bank robbery suspect and pulled over by multiple cops and held at gunpoint. He is a very large man, who happens to be black, and as it turned out he outweighed the actual suspect by 200 pounds. In broad daylight they cuffed him in the middle of a shopping center where many of his clients frequent (in a very upscale and predominantly white neighborhood), and held him there on display for all to see. It was degrading and humiliating, as this is one of the most graceful and dignified human beings I have ever met. Once they realized their mistake they released him, but offered not a single apology...a decision they later regretted . As we've all said previously, it is a shame that bad cops diminish the great work done by good cops. And, when the stats regarding race are factored in, it's tragic and inexcusable. I appreciate you sharing your personal experience.

Sometimes a little bit of power goes to people's heads, you see it every day.  Give someone a job of authority, not only cops, and you'll see an attitude after a while.  My husband and I were picked up once, we stopped at a four-way intersection and waited our turn.  A car was coming from our left with his blinker on and committed to the turn, we pulled out, when we got to the middle of the road we saw the police car, it was quite a way down the road and had been blocked by a huge truck, he turned his lights on and caught up to us.  He was very "mouthy," and asked us if we always just assume people are going to make a turn just because they put their blinkers on!!!!  The car's front wheels had already headed in the direction of the turn, the cop was too far away to be able to see that.  He picked us up for assuming a car was going to make the turn, even though it did.  He was rude, he made my husband get out of the car and go and sit in his while he ran his plate, then he started bad mouthing a police officer that was from the town we live in, said he would have written us a ticket but he was going to just let it go.  It had to be one of the most ridiculous stops anyone's ever heard of, it still makes me mad when I think of it, so I have a pretty good idea that the people who are stopped on a regular basis just because they're black, must feel a great injustice all the time.  So wish I had gotten his name, our son's girlfriend at the time, was the daughter of the head of the state police in our area and therefore this cop's boss, when we told her about it, she wanted to know who he was.  Would love to have seen him get his.  Whole lot of good cops, also alot of bad apples.

FYI FBI LEOKA data:



I really do not understand why so many cops are so skiddish or is it just ego? The statistics prove that many areas are seeing less vilonece against officers, but the officers have become more aggressive citing "a war on police". There is a real problem here, bit no one seems to want to acknowledge the truth.

teluog wrote:

The war on police is now a video camera.

 
And accountability, which is really at the heart of this. Police have always had more respect than suspects. Ppl have always accepted an officer's word & account of an incident, but now they are being subjected to camera's & ppl are finally seeing that just because someone is a cop doesn't mean they are honest or upstanding. Police officers are not the only problem. I put much blame on elected officials & administration.

Last edited by Vantro (9/18/2015 9:48 am)