“That’s when things really started to pick up. I would say not long before 11 p.m., police deployed tear gas … as they tried to clear the streets,” said Adam Rhew, associate editor for Charlotte magazine.
After a brief lull, a crowd regrouped early Wednesday and blocked Interstate 85, one of two major expressways running through Charlotte. Some started a fire at the center of the highway, forcing vehicles and tractor-trailers to stall as far as the eye could see.
Other protesters removed boxes from the back of semitrailers and set the items on fire. Police in riot gear formed a line and forced crowds away from the highway.
Shortly after, the highway partially opened, but some protesters remained and continued chanting. Others jumped on top of a police van and stomped on it, breaking the windshield and other windows.
Protesters set trash and other items on fire to block a highway in Charlotte.
At least 12 officers were injured, the police department tweeted. It did not provide details on the nature and severity of the injuries but said one officer was hit in the face with a rock.
At least seven people were transported to the hospital with minor injuries, CNN affiliate WSOC-TV reported. Five others were arrested, according to the station.
Video shows protesters attack police car01:10
What happened?
It’s unclear why authorities were serving the warrant. While they were looking for the individual to serve, officers saw a man get out of a car with a gun, then get back into the vehicle, the police statement said.
Officers moved in.
“The subject got back out of the vehicle armed with a firearm and posed an imminent deadly threat to the officers who subsequently fired their weapon striking the subject,” police said.
Police Chief Kerr Putney said at least one officer shot the man. Two investigative branches of the department are looking into the shooting, he said.
Vinson, the officer involved in the shooting, has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to Mayor Jennifer Roberts. He has worked for the department for two years.
“They said they want to question him. So because you wanted to question him, does his life mean more than our black men across the nation? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Corine Mack, who attended the protests, said the community is frustrated.
“When will our lives truly matter? A black father is dead. There are children tonight who will never see their father again,” said Mack, who is president of the Charlotte chapter of the NAACP.
“It clearly appears as if our lives don’t matter. We need to change policies. We need to change procedure. We need to hold police accountable. It’s a modern-day lynching. Charlotte is not a good place right now; we’re in the throes of this problem.”
The mayor called for a full investigation into the shooting, saying she’ll work with authorities on the case.
“The community deserves answers and full investigation will ensue. Will be reaching out to community leaders to work together,” the mayor tweeted.
An unarmed black man walks on a Tulsa, Oklahoma, road with his hands in the air. Police officers follow closely behind him as he approaches his vehicle. He stands beside the car, then falls to the ground after one officer pulls the trigger.
Now 40-year-old Terence Crutcher is dead. Crutcher’s sister is demanding that prosecutors charge the officer who shot him. And the police videos of the incident are fueling criticism about the case.
Federal, state and local authorities are investigating the Friday night shooting.
Crutcher’s family says he was waiting for help on the road after his SUV broke down.
The officer’s attorney says she was afraid Crutcher was reaching for a weapon when she opened fire. Attorney Benjamin Crump, part of the legal team representing Crutcher’s family, countered at a Tuesday news conference that Crutcher’s window was rolled up, making it unlikely he was reaching into the car.
911 call reported man running from vehicle
Two 911 calls brought officers to the scene about 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The first came from a woman who said an abandoned vehicle was blocking the street and a man was running away, warning that it was going to blow up.
“Somebody left their vehicle running in the middle of the street with their doors wide open,” the caller said. “The doors are open, the vehicle is still running. It’s an SUV. It’s in the middle of the street, it’s blocking traffic.”
Officer Betty Shelby was the first to arrive, but she wasn’t responding to the 911 call, said her attorney, Scott Wood. Shelby was en route to a domestic violence call when she encountered Crutcher, who she thought might be impaired, and then the SUV in the middle of the road, Wood said.
She asked Crutcher whether the car belonged to him but got no response, the attorney said. Crutcher began walking toward her with his hands in his pockets. She politely asked Crutcher to take his hands out of his pocket while they were speaking, Wood said.
“He does comply and puts his hands out of his pocket, and then puts his hands up in the air, which she thought was a little bit strange under the circumstances,” he said.
Crutcher continued to ignore Shelby’s questions about the vehicle and at one point walks toward the back of the police cruiser and puts his hands back in his pockets, the attorney said. Shelby called dispatch and was intent on arresting him because she thought he was under the influence of something, he said.
She drew her gun and ordered Crutcher to get on his knees, which he refused to do, Wood said. He instead walked toward his car.
‘Very disturbing’ video
Videos police released Monday show some of what happened next. The footage is “very disturbing and difficult to watch,” Tulsa police Chief Chuck Jordan told reporters.
The videos show Shelby and several other officers at the scene.
Tulsa police officers also were flying above the scene in a helicopter, capturing the incident from an on-board camera. Footage from multiple police cameras show Crutcher walking toward his SUV in the middle of the road, hands raised, followed closely by Shelby and three other officers. They approach Crutcher, who continued to walk back to his car, where he appeared to move his hands toward the vehicle.
A beautiful young Italian national , Tiziana Cantone , aged 31, shared a video on the social media website Whatsapp with four friends of her and her boyfriend having sex. Unfortunately for Ms. Cantone, the video was somehow posted on several other social website, including Facebook, which went viral and attracted over a million hits.
Ms. Canton tried to get the video removed from the internet but failed in her bid, attracting litigation cost of € 20,000. She was shunned and ridiculed in the process. Driven by despair, Ms Canton committed suicide.
There are many lessons to be learned from Ms. Canton’s error in judgment. The need for caution for persons using social media to be careful when posting sensitive information cannot be overemphasized. The reality is, once posted in the public domain it cannot be retracted.
I have often said that the Internet world, with its numerous social websites , attractive interactive mechanism which capture instant images and information, and divulging it in real time, can be a dangerous place to explore. One must trod with exceeding caution when using it . It is dangerous primarily because the information you share can easily be manipulated and circulated within seconds to millions of users.
There are many persons who are oblivious of the potential negative impact this can have on their lives. I would hope that with the many instances of documented misuse of person’s images, users of the net would exercise prudence when divulging information of whatever form, to friends via the net, some of whom have ulterior motives.
Unfortunately in many instances this has not been the case, Ms. Canton’s case is one such instance. If only those who engage repeatedly in these practices would stop and think that it’s better preserving one’s sanity than give it away in one moment of indiscretion., Were this warning to be heeded perhaps then we may see a reduction in these embarrassing incidents yet tragic incidents.
Starting in second grade, California high school student Leilani Thomas has been refusing to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States. For years, she told Sacramento ABC affiliate KXTV, she’s been quietly affirming her First Amendment right to free speech, a right encompassing the freedom to dissent, to critique the powerful, to think and act as a self-determined human being. Thomas is also Native American. As such, she has expressed complex feelings regarding the United States and its flag. Until now, however, there has been no incident, no controversy, no media coverage of steadfast actions borne of personal conviction. She is not a politician stumping for vote, or a selfie star hoping to gain followers. She is a teenage girl trying to make it through the social gauntlet of high school.
Then San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to take a political stand by not rising to his feet when cued by the familiar strains of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” His reason? “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. …There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” He is sitting down, in other words, in order to stand up for social justice.
National anthems amplify the collective political unconscious, and “The Star-Spangled Banner” is no exception. As the Intercept’s Jon Schwartz pointed out, a racist legacy of anti-Black violence is baked into that particular song. Francis Scott Key was not only its lyricist but a slaveholder, Schwartz noted, and in the song he “literally celebrates the murder of African Americans.” The crucial lines come in the third stanza: “No refuge could save the hireling and slave/From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave.” The dark glee of those words charges the refrain, “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” with chilling sadism, even as they add the intolerable weight of history to Kaepernick’s controversial comments.
When we sing the national anthem during the capitalist pageant that is professional football, yet insist on sticking to just the first stanza because, we reason, it’s so very long and we are anxious to get to the game, we collectively agree to the anomie of historical amnesia, refusing to see the wholeness of a vivid and seemingly deathless pattern of racist violence while insisting: I paid to be here. Now entertain me!
Speaking after the verdict in the St Andrew Criminal court sentencing of Reverend Al Miller to one year in prison or a one million dollar fine , longtime clergyman Herro Blair said the following .
Bishop Herro blair
“We will have to rethink our positions. We will have to reassess what we have done and what we will do because before such actions are taken by us as pastors, we will have to decide, is this worth it?”
Blair spoke to the longstanding coöperation which existed between the Clergy and police in getting wanted criminals to surrender to police peacefully. He lamented that because of the indictment and conviction of Al Miller it was necessary to rethink this longstanding coöperation.
I submit it is not necessary to rethink anything except that it is not a good idea to break our nation’s laws. Al Miller was found guilty in July of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
There is much to discuss in the comments of Bishop Herro Blair a man for whom I had some respect . To begin with, that one errant member of the cloth was indicted and convicted for breaching the sacred trust which existed between police and clergy, it in no way de-legitimized the process or creates a need for reassessment. It is a wakeup call to members of the clergy and indeed the legal fraternity to recognize that they are not above the nation ‘s laws.
The fact that this process bore fruit for all involved for literally decades, is testimony that it is a worthwhile process which should be nurtured not reassessed. One drip does not a levy breach make. Al Miller took it upon himself to push the envelope and he got caught. As citizens , each and every Jamaican has a responsibility to obey and uphold the laws . As religious leaders , members of the clergy bear a greater burden solely on the merits that they took unto themselves the mantra of leadership . Shirking those responsibilities diminishes whatever bona fides the clergy has, it diminishes the good works Jesus charged religious leaders to engage in.
Rev Al Miller
THEVALUEOF.…. “IN” Said Bishop Herro Blair.…
“I sat there today [in court yesterday] and I felt that that could have been me, and that should have been me because I had literally [the] first option to take him [Coke] in,”
It could only have been you Bishop Blair, if you failed to adhere to simple adhered to rules and established protocols. Instead of bemoaning Millers plight as a now convicted felon, it is important that you Bishop Herro Blair inform yourself that the reason we are having this discussion is because the reverend Al Miller failed in one word which had serious consequences for him. “In” The Reverend Al Miller failed to recognize the seriousness of the word “in” within the context of what he took on himself.
Had Al Miller shown enough respect for Jamaican law, by telling Christopher duddus Coke that he had no authority to shuttle him away from Jamaican authorities , he would not now have a felony conviction on his record. Had Al Miller told Coke in no uncertain terms, that regardless of fears he may suffer the same fate as his father Jim Brown, he had no authority to bypass Jamaican law-enforcement authorities, he would not be a convicted felon today. Had Al Miller simply turned Christopher Coke “in” to Jamaican authorities there would have been no problem.
Al Miller gambled against Jamaican law in his quest to acquiesce to the concerns of a wanted hoodlum and he lost. Let this be a lesson going forward , that no one is above the laws. This should be a lesson for all . From Jamaica house through the Supreme Court ‚all the way to Grass yard. The laws apply to all ‚not just a few poor duty fut people down there.
As the Obama campaign and the media continue to press Mitt Romney to release more of his tax returns, and to suggest – without a shred of evidence – that he is a
Jason Miller a spokesperson for Donald Trump released to the media late Thursday night a press release stating that Donald Trump believes that President Barack Obama was indeed born in the United States .
This revelation is at best curious, the Birther movement was a modern day equivalent of the slavery days “show me your papers ” which was initiated by Donald J Trump. It was the birther movement, created by the now Republican nominee which launched Trump’s political career .
WHATISTHEREASONFORTHISATTHISTIME?
Donald J Trump knows that this matter is going to come up at the first debate coming up on September 26th. Hillary Clinton will not allow Trump to get away with it and Trump knows it. This is a cynical attempt to take the issue off the table before the debates.
Donald J Trump told the country that he sent investigators to Hawaii to dig up evidence intimating that the nation will be surprised at what they found. Interestingly , Donald J Trump had nothing , it was a lie like all of the other lies he told about his wealth, his Russian connections, his fake companies and his fake Trump University. Even after the president released both his short and long form birth certificates Trump and his minions , including Orly Taitz continued with the racist attempt at de-legitimizing the nation’s first black president.
On the same day that Donald J trump disparaged a Flint Michigan female African American pastor who welcomed him into her church as a “nervous mess”, the disrespectful con-man wants to convince the nation and Black people across the globe that the contemptuous slander campaign he waged against the president should now be set aside on his say so.
This latest development comes as surrogates including Giuliani has consistently said Trump now believes the president was born in the United States. There is just one missing component . We have not heard it out of the mouth of Donald Trump . What we have heard is the Trump campaign saying that he did a service to the President for getting the president to release his birth certificate.
We we all knew Donald trump wasn’t really trying to court Black voters . As I said in a previous article “a Leopard does not change it’s spot”. A scorpion will still sting a Frog giving it a ride across the river simply because that’s what scorpions do, they sting.
I hate to say “I told you so” to the segment of Black Clergy which allowed itself to be used as human props for the immoral campaign of charlatan , con-man Donald Trump’s presidential ambitions, actually I don’t hate to at all , I told you so .
Merely a day after Pastor, the Rev. Faith Green Timmons of Bethel United Methodist Church opened her church to Donald Trump to speak to the church’s work in water distribution in the Flint area Trump went off script and began to attack rival Hillary Clinton. Pastor Timmons walked over to Trump and told him,“ ‘Mr. Trump, I invited you here to thank us for what we’ve done in Flint,’ Timmons said. ‘Not to give a political speech.”.
He he, he , Trump backed down . “ ‘Ok, ok that’s good I’m going to go back onto Flint“which he did respectfully. However in vintage style, Donald Trump the petty, insecure, little man could not allow that bit of scolding go without hitting back. In vintage incoherent Trump fashion Thursday, he referred to pastor Timmons as quote “a nervous mess.”
During an interview with “Fox and Friends” Thursday, Trump said that he was treated well while in Flint, but that Timmons seemed nervous — “like a nervous mess” — when introducing him. He later added that “everyone plays their games, it doesn’t bother me.” I absolutely agree, no one knows more about game-playing than the imposter, Donald J Trump > The only people who seem oblivious to his con-game are non-college educate whites and certain segment of the black clergy. Couldn’t agree more with Donnie boy.
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Reverend Merrick ‘Al’ Miller was a short while ago fined one million dollars or serve 12 months in prison when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court. Miller was on July 22 convicted for perverting the course of justice when he appeared before Parish Judge Simone Wolf Reece. The clergyman was arrested and charged in July 2010 after then fugitive Christopher “Dudus” Coke was captured in a sport utility vehicle that he was driving along the Mandela Highway in St Catherine.
“Dudus”, who was wanted by United States law enforcement authorities on drugs and gun charges, later waived his right to an extradition hearing and was taken to the United States where he was convicted and is now serving time in prison :Read more here .http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Al-Miller-fined-J-1‑m
Cesar Millan is a Dog trainer who does a terrific job demonstrating that generally when domesticated dogs act improperly , at least by domesticated standards , it is generally the human’s fault. Cesar artfully demonstrate just how simple it is to use common techniques like rewards for good behavior and a simple tap to remind dogs we are not pleased when they do things we don’t want them to do.
As instructive as Cesar Millan’s television show is on dog training , I sometimes think to myself this show is actually about human training. Nevertheless as Jamaicans most of us, particularly those among us who were blessed to have been born and raised in rural Jamaica, Cesar’s training were mom’s training . Only difference was that when we stepped out of line the taps were far more intense and voluminous.
In fairness to the few people who were born in the tiny strip of sea-side land which is actually Kingston they too were not alienated from the concept of actions versus consequences, or risk versus reward. In the tiny Island we call home, no one can truthfully claim they were not privy to those very methods which were used by Jamaican parents , grandparents and extended family members to instill values and discipline. n the British essentially unceremoniously ditched the Island in the little exercise we Jamaicans like to call our Independence thereafter emerged, communities which started to trend as homogeneous communities. They became communities which voted as monoliths. The conflagration of these communities have since spread throughout the country and with them organized and uncontrolled crime. Jamaicans aligned to one or the other of the two main political parties willingly attach themselves to these communities despite the noise to the contrary, because of the expectation they hold of receiving spoils for their vote. Despite protestations of poverty and need, no one has been forced to live in these communities.
So from the beginning people on either side of the political divide who opted to live in these communities we now refer to as Garrisons, did so of their own volition. They did so with the expectation that there would be material gain for themselves. Whether the Garrison is Concrete Jungle , or Tivoli Gardens, Dunkirk, or Drews Land, Kintyre, or Common, Flankers, or Rivoli my view is the same. I view them all in the same dim light.
As a former police officer I risked life and limb with my colleagues, got shot at and got shot. I have zero compassion for any of these communities. I do not give a rats ass about political affiliation. While I lived in Jamaica I voted once for the Labor party . The PNP was not a party I could begin to consider casting a vote for. I am also categorically repulsed by Jamaican politicians on either side of the political divide, some more than others. I held no allegiance to any political party then and I don’t now. This is the reason I am pissed at the notion that Andrew Holness will be apologizing to the Garrison community of Tivoli Gardens for events which occurred there in 2010.
I will not re-litigate events which occurred in that community a google search will yield a treasure trove of information on what transpired there. What is important to consider is that that community as does many others, thumbed it’s collective nose at the rule of law. Opting instead for jungle rule and the elevation of common thugs as their representatives. Now in fairness to Tivoli Gardens and others like it , residents may simply have calculated that the thugs who did not wear suits and banged on desks were more responsive to their everyday needs . On that score they would hear no complaints from me.
According to Jamaican Media the apology is being crafted for delivery by the Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness. It is important to note that the person spearheading this push is none other than Delroy Chuck the Island’s justice minister. No surprise there that Chuck would be the leading edge on this despicable gung-ho attempt, not just to apologize to Tivoli but to actually reward people for bad behavior. In Jamaica it is extremely difficult to differentiate criminals from non-criminals based on the positions they hold.
Chuck who chairs the committee, says the work of the body would bear in mind the objectives of the recommendations, namely, restoring and promoting trust and confidence in the State; compensating victims for property damage, wrongful death, and injuries; controlling the use of force of the Jamaica Defence Force and the Jamaica Constabulary Force; and dismantling garrisons and mitigating the conditions that give rise to them.(jamaicagleaner.com)
♦How fucking convenient that There is no mention of the history of criminality perpetrated on the Island by this errant community which decidedly ignored the nation’s laws. ♦ How convenient that this community which took on an entire family of criminal thugs as its savior at the expense of the Jamaican state, is now expecting law abiding Jamaicans like my friends and family members to foot the bill for it’s restoration. ♦ How convenient that the Government would chose to apologize to the community which told the nation they would die for Dudus and said “fuck you” to the buses which were provided to move them to safety. ♦How convenient that there is no monument, no recognition of the work of the Military and the Police who took the risks and braved the bullets so that dirt bags like Delroy Chuck can then spearhead the charge to compensate the very same people who defied the rest of the country.
No this is not justice for anyone . Jamaica is a paradise for criminals. It is a gang-land enclave run by two competing gangs of immoral sub-humans masquerading as leaders. This nation which has more Churches per square mile than any other nation on earth, should hang it’s collective head in shame. That it honors criminals, murderers, rapists , extortionists, and those who actively harbored, fed and gave aid and comfort to them without a single word of honor to the members of the security forces who battled and died, is despicable abhorrent and downright reprehensible .
This will be a stain on the history of the nation, not an absolution for wrongdoing as Chuck and his ilk would have us believe. Even dogs understand the concept that actions have consequence.
The Government is to offer an apology to residents of west Kingston over the operation by the security forces in the area in May 2010, which left dozens dead and injured and millions in damage to houses and other properties. Justice Minister Delroy Chuck yesterday told The Gleaner-Power 106 News that the apology was being crafted, adding that “in a matter of weeks, it is likely that it is to be presented to Parliament”. The apology is expected to be delivered by Prime Minister Andrew Holness. Making an apology is one of the 15 recommendations made to the Government by the commission of inquiry into the incursion. The 900-page report of the three-member panel, which was chaired by Barbadian jurist Sir David Simmons, was released to the public in June after being tabled in Parliament.
Promoting Restorative Justice
“With the deaths of 73 civilians and a soldier, the commission noted that a public apology is necessary in order to assuage the hurt feelings, bitterness, and resentment of the people of West Kingston, and, with a view to promoting restorative justice and bringing closure to this sorry chapter in Jamaica’s history,” the report stated. “We recommend that the Government of Jamaica apologise in Parliament to the people of West Kingston, and Jamaica as a whole, for the excesses of the security forces during the operation. The Government is, in the last resort, responsible for the conduct of its security forces,” the report further charged. Regarding redress, Chuck said a compensation committee is to be set up “soon” and that once that is done, he hopes that it will complete its work “in a matter of months”. A statement issued on Tuesday by the justice ministry indicated that the Cabinet committee reviewing the report of the May 2010 Commission of Inquiry is taking steps to come up with a system to implement the commission’s recommendations. Read more here :http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20160915/tivoli-apology-holness-apologise-parliament-deadly-may-2010-operation
Many years ago while I was stationed at the Constant Spring Police Station there was a particular individual who went by the name “Man-Saw”. I cannot recall his given name at this point , much water has passed under the bridge.
Man-Saw who operated in the Grant’s Pen Gully area was wanted by us for his alleged involvement in several cases of sexual assaults and shootings. To the best of my recollection none of the alleged shootings resulted in harm to anyone. They were mostly instances where he fired a weapon at people but did not hit them. It’s important to recognize that at that time in the early nineties there was no police station in Grant’s Pen. At the time it appeared that Man-Saw really wanted to scare the people who were opposed to his criminality. From the reports we received he seemed more interested in creating a name for himself but did not seem overly interested in actually killing anyone.
Nevertheless , this assessment in no way made him less of a threat than any other criminal with a gun, at least not to me nor most of the other officers who worked at the Constant Spring CIB at the time. We wanted him off the streets and we wanted him gone in a hurry. We cultivated good sources throughout the Constant Spring Police area . I was personally able to get really good intelligence from contacts in the community for three reasons. (1) My mother resided in the community, she was well known and regarded . (2) I had personally cultivated several sources within the community using different tools I had at my disposal. (3) Along with other dedicated officers I had demonstrably done good measurable work in the community in removing criminals from the streets.
Condensing those components we were able to figure out real quick who did what where and when. Unavoidably I developed a reputation as a no-nonsense cop who could be trusted and could be depended upon to quickly remove undesirables from their community . Many people who wanted to pass on information to me would go sit on my mom’s verandah , pass on what they knew , which got to me right away. The value of the successes we were able to extract from those relationships are immeasurable , and were invaluable.
FEELINGDECEIVED
One afternoon I was driving my private car down Shortwood drive when an elderly lady aggressively waved her arms demanding that I stop. I did not particularly know the lady by name or even by face . However she knew me by name. As soon as I pulled over she walked up and leaned into my car through the passenger window . She commenced telling me just how dissapointed she was in me for collecting money in order to release Man-Saw after I was able to catch him.. . She told me it wasn’t just her who knew about what went down, many people in the community knew as well. She even proceeded to tell me that I had received $4.000 in order to allow Man-Saw to go free. I was stunned , it appeared that the only person who did not know about the dubious transaction was me. I told the lady that her disappointment was really flattering in a weird way yet misplaced, as I had no idea what she was talking about . I promised her that I would get to the bottom of it and that I would absolutely ingratiate myself back into her good graces. There were three courses of action that I had to take immediately. (1) Warn my boss Detective Inspector Noël Asphall, that someone in the Office had broken our sacred trust. (2) Immediately find out who was involved . (3) Most importantly bring Man-Saw in off the streets. It was always going to be easier to accomplish the former than the latter so I got to work to seek out my sources. I understood how news got around in the ghetto, people hear something and the ascribe responsibility to the officer they know best. It did not take long for me to hear exactly which officer among us had actually caught serial rapist and gunman Man-Saw and had collected $4.000 and turned him loose back onto the community. Detective Inspector Noël Asphall was a no-nonsense mid-level supervisor . That officer was immediately removed from our midst and word was immediately circulated in the community that he was the culprit. My good name was restored . Not long after that we nabbed Man ‑Saw . He told us that on many occasions when we came to seek him out he was able to see us and escape using the zinc fences which adorned both sides of Shortwood drive.
Much of what we see on social media today happening to law-enforcement in our country can be placed at the feet of police officers themselves. However it is critically important that we recognize what politics has done in the process to hollow out the investigative component from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, rendering it useless and impotent. The leadership of the JCF , arguably much more educated than 2 – 3 decades ago, is demonstrably less effective, more timid, and at it’s core fundamentally incompetent. As a result of police corruption and misconduct the political class in cahoots with their special interest friends from Mona and other parts of upper Saint Andrew gave the Island Terrence Williams and INDECOM. Resources which went into the creation and maintenance of a separate Government agency which generates no measurable return on investment should have been spent on effectively updating the investigative capabilities of the JCF . This would have guaranteed remarkable return on investments for the Jamaican taxpayers, in higher clear-up rates of serious felonies. The removal of serious offenders from the streets. It would also have lowered crime to levels which would have seen marked increases in investment as a result of lower crime numbers and greater investor confidence.
Instead they went to their default instinct, which was to do what they could to serve their narrowest political interest . That was to create another government agency to gum up the works, staff it with known anti-police antagonists and hope the Police will once and for all be neutered and rendered unable to investigate it’s way out of a brown paper bag. Check-mate !!! The unintended consequence of this is high murder figures. A population which has zero respect for the rule of law. The majority within the population who are blatantly disrespectful of law-enforcement are woefully incapable of understanding the value good effective law enforcement brings to the quality of their lives. The cumulative consequences of this, is no growth on the lower end and at best lethargic uptick in growth but not enough to make life better for the 2.8 million citizens of the country. Not to mention the inability of citizens to grow and prosper, or the more detrimental daily loss of life and treasure. The present Government is now reportedly interested in creating a corruption Czar. Yet another lawyer to big government. The Administration has finally come to the realization that there can be no worthwhile economic growth unless crime and corruption is effectively constrained and eliminated. We pointed this out in article above on March 1st after the Labor party won the elections. Much of where the Island is today as it relates to crime is another unintended consequence of the misplaced priorities of the Bruce Golding administration in creating INDECOM as well as the corruption and decades of PNP willful decimation of the police department.
In the meantime the Island continue to wonder what is the solution to the spiralling murder rate. Of course the incompetence of the Police high command bears some responsibility for it . Nevertheless their share of the responsibility pales in comparison to the contribution of both political parties in creating the environment of lawlessness which exists today. The police can do better in a lot of areas. It can ask for laws which bound people pulled over to sit in their cars while the police write citations. This simple law would greatly reduce the likelihood of confrontation between police and the public and greatly increase officer safety. We would not have upstarts who break the road traffic laws pushing their bodies and cell-phones into police cruisers. Again that goes to the quality of the officers these days. Much of it may be attributable to the incompetence and cowardice of the leadership of the police department. Stalwarts like Anthony Hewitt must be turning in their graves . Happy birthday Tony Hewitt. Let the hand wringing over foreign agents in Jamaica begin.
On July 24, 2015, the Weirton, W.Va., Police Department announced the hiring of three new officers for the force. All three men were celebrated for bringing some much needed youth to an aging department in the sleepy rural city 35 miles outside of Pittsburgh. Zach Springer was just 20. Adam Mortimer was 21. And the old head among them was Stephen Mader, who was 24.
Maybe they knew it. Maybe they didn’t. But Stephen Mader was a find, a gem, a blessing for that little department. Even though he was just 24 when they hired him, Stephen Mader was already a bonafide hero — one of the good guys. Mader had spent four years in the Marines. In the announcement that he was hired by the Weirton Police Department, I noticed that it said Mader was a Marine. I took a chance and Googled “Stephen Mader Marines” and immediately found several stories of a Marine named Stephen Mader who served in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. A special report was done on him and his amazing explosive-sniffing dog, Maxx. This Stephen Mader joined the Marines in 2009 and became an improvised explosive device dog handler with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6.
I couldn’t verify for sure if it was the same man. It definitely looked like him. Then I searched his name on Facebook and there he was — Stephen Mader from Weirton, West Virginia, a Marine, with his trusted dog Maxx. It was him — except now, Mader is no longer a police officer. He got fired. While his hiring made the local news there in Weirton, his termination has gone national. Bad police officers are known for keeping their jobs in spite of brutality, corruption, harassment and even murder. The Chicago Police Department has hundreds of officers with 20 or more brutality complaints. Daniel Pantaleo, the NYPD officer who used a deadly chokehold on Eric Garner, not only avoided prosecution, but has kept job and received bonuses over the past two years. He’s somehow bringing in a salary two to three times the average schoolteacher in spite of his actions in Garner’s death, as well as costing New York City in several other lawsuits before that.
I generally don’t want to laugh , but really? This bit of news coming out of the Jamaican court system, actually made me laugh like hell really. I mean Tom Tavares Finson is a decent guy , I really like Tom , I wish this little bit of courtroom drama was involving someone other than Tom. However it goes exactly to what I wrote just a day ago.
The sound you hear coming out of the courtroom is from the chattering of the teeth of the little grung gads who have destroyed the justice system, reducing it to a sham and and a joke. I am sorry Tom is discombobulated about being photographed, don’t worry Tom if you are clean you are clean indeed you have nothing to worry about. The prospect of a foreign power in Jamaica observing the system because it is so corrupt ought to send a chill down the spine of all Jamaican nationals. However as I have alluded to over the months and years it was bound to happen , made possible by the same self-important decision makers who brought our country to this. These people who shielded criminals and destroyed our justice system are the bane of our country…
The next event will not be the chatter of teeth and fearful glances they will be pissing their pants . Clean up in isle Half way Tree please.
Jamaican attorney Tom Tavares-Finson today complained to a judge that he was videotaped by American law enforcement personnel outside the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court two months ago.
Tavares-Finson, said the filming happened on July 28 following a hearing into the extradition case of five Jamaicans wanted by America on lottery scamming charges. At the resumption of the matter in court today sought to know why. “Can I know why I was being videotaped and can I have a copy of the tape?” the attorney asked.
“They don’t need to videotape me… dem can just Google my name and they will see my pictures,” said Tavares-Finson, who is also the President of the Jamaican Senate. Parish Judge Vaughn Smith said while he could not determine whether the complaint was true, he found it “curious” for the Americans to be videotaping Tavares-Finson.
Am I the only person who believes Hillary Clinton is running a really horrible campaign? We can all agree Hillary Clinton is a weak candidate but did they not learn anything from 2008?
Maybe I am alone on this , but it seem that there is really no coördinated message coming out of Clinton’s Brooklyn Campaign headquarters.
Donald Trump’s entire life is a smörgåsbord of dis-qualifiers. For some reason which is lost at least on me, the Clinton campaign seem to believe that their candidate has the election in the bag. What’s shocking about this whole débâcle is that Donald Trump is literally the worst and most dangerous candidate to ever be nominated for the American Presidency, at least in modern times .
Republican nominee Donald Trump,
He has steadfastly refused to play by established rules as it relates to releasing his tax returns . There is no law forcing him to, but for over forty years presidential candidates of both parties have released their tax returns to the public. Trump’s own vice presidential running mate has released his returns , yet there is no public or media pressure for Donald Trump to show respect to the American voters he so desperately want to lead. Obviously the rules do not apply to the Republican nominee on anything. Donald Trump has responded claiming that he is under audit and thus restrained. The IRS has rubbished Trump’s claim arguing he is absolutely not precluded or prevented from releasing his tax returns during an audit. Despite this, Donald Trump has refused sticking to the lie and the media allows him to get away with it.
On his health Donald Trump had his Doctor cobble together a letter claiming he is the healthiest person ever to run for the presidency . Literally every medical professional asked to respond to the letter has heaped scorn on it, and that does not even include the miss-spellings and the language used in the letter.
Hillary Clinton clearly adopted a strategy she would run out the clock. During the month of August basking in the glow of her extended campaign numbers , Clinton was largely absent from the campaign trail. Her surrogates argue she was engaged in fund raising events .
Is this pandering? Of course but to these people what they want to see is someone who seem to care..
Look , there is a legitimate argument to be made for her using the time , there months away from the elections , good poll numbers, to fund-raise. There is also an argument to be made that she wanted to scoop up all the cash she could for the final stretch of the campaign. However,when The other candidate is visiting flood ravaged areas, visiting a foreign head of state and is just plain all over the media, there is just so much money is going to do to stop that surging opponent.
Hillary Clinton is a weak candidate, her campaign is proving to be equally as lethargic. As I said in a previous blog her campaign lacks nimbleness. Either it is not using the huge trove of negatives out there against Donald Trump or using them has had no effect on his candidacy. It is unimaginable that the Clinton campaign would allow the Trump campaign to flip the narrative from a referendum on Trump to one on her despite her outspending Trump as much as ten to one by some estimates.
Trump in Mexico appearing presidential..
The Trump campaign takes Clinton’s attack lines flip them and are using them against Clinton with marked effectiveness. ♦Clinton argues Trump is unfit . Trump says Hillary has no stamina. ♦Clinton argues Trump is disqualified from serving as commander-in-chief because of the disparaging comments he made about several groups of people. Donald Trump flipped the same comments saying Hillary is disqualified because of her “basket of deplorables” comments.
The fact is that it is impossible to turn on a television set for two minutes without hearing the name Donald Trump,the media is totally fixated on the guy. It’s kinda like the way radios stations play bad songs over and over on short rotations to the point you hear them even when you sleep. You get to the point you begin to start thinking you like the song because that’s all you hear.
The average voter may not like Trump or may even be unsure about him but they can’t help hearing his name and according to the polls they are beginning to feel maybe, just maybe this guy is not as bad as they say. We keep waiting for the moment when the Clinton Campaign unleashes something which will suck the air out of the Trump lying racist and divisive campaign once and for all. Instead Donald Trump is out on the campaign trail using words he does not know the meaning of to describe Hillary Clinton’s comments about half of Trumps supporters are in what she call “part of a basket of deplorables”
The fact of the matter is that whether it’s half or the whole of his supporters are ♦Racist♦Xenophobic♦Sexist♦Misogynist♦Islamaphobic♦ Nativist , it’s pretty damn deplorable. A candidate who according to one poll is viewed by 60% of the nation as racist , a candidate who mocks a handicapped reporter , thats pretty deplorable. A candidate and his running mate who refuse to denounce David Duke and other racists are pretty deplorable. A candidate who castigates and labels an entire race of people as rapists and murderers is pretty deplorable.
A candidate who says that a Federal judge with an exemplary record, is incapable of coming to a fair decision in a case he is hearing because of his race, that’s pretty darn deplorable. A candidate who mocks a family who lost their son in military service of the United States , that’s deplorable. A man who mock John McCain a decorated war hero who was captured and tortured, that’s deplorable. A man who spent over $85.000 in 1989 to demagogue 5 innocent black and brown teenagers in the New York Press. Demanding the death penalty for them, poisoning the jury pool resulting in an incorrect finding of guilt and a subsequent 13 year imprisonment before they were exonerated. That’s pretty damn deplorable.
Pence
There should be no hesitation about saying those people are deplorable. Yet Donald Trump’s running mate Mike Pence, the sitting Indiana Governor, was asked whether David Duke is deplorable, Pence replied “I’m not in the name-calling business.” That exactly goes to the arguments Hillary Clinton has been making. Trump/Pence wants everyone to believe these are ordinary American working people , you know farmers, cops, butchers, barbers, cops . Well if true what does it say about them?
The fact is neither Trump nor Pence wants to denounce the most radical racist zealots who find their voice as a result of their candidacy. They have been the life-blood of Trump’s candidacy from day one. That’s the reason guys like Jeb Bush , and John Kasich are watching these elections from the sidelines.
David Plouffe
Despite wads of campaign cash the Clinton campaign seem to be like the cartoon character
David Axelrod
legs spinning but not moving . Those who see her candidacy as the only remaining buffer between a Trump Presidency are nervous and fretful at what appears to be a campaign unsure of what to do. The grunts you hear are coming from Republicans climbing back on board Donald Trump’s campaign ship . Good poll numbers, and an insurgent campaign finally showing some discipline and Republicans are falling over themselves to ingratiate themselves with Donald Trump. It may be late but not too late for Clinton to call up David Plouffe and David Axlerod two of the architects of Obama’s two wipe-outs of Republicans in 208 and 2012.
Of course in vintage Clinton style they will stick with the lack-luster campaign , even as Trump is on his third set of campaign staff. Hillary Clinton seem destined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory unleashing on the world a xenophobic, racist , misogynistic, con-man and that’s just the beginning. It’s never too late to make a change.
In the end Hillary Clinton may be able to eke out a victory in November . If that happens it will be a function of how deplorable a candidate Donald Trump is . Given a stronger Democratic candidate with less baggage Democrats would have been guaranteed the White house, and maybe , just maybe the House of Representatives would have been up for grabs, not to mention Governorships and other offices down ballot. At this stage eking out a win will be a huge victory for Democrats and President Obama’s legacy.
I was pretty convinced that Commissioner Carl Williams had no means of delivering on his words to leave no stones un-turned after the vicious killer summarily executed two police officers for no reason other than that they were police officers.. At the time the commissioner made the statement I thought to myself, “he is saying it because it sounds good and that’s all”. It sounded good to him to say it for the benefit of the slain officers families . But I found it nauseating that he would utter them knowing full well that he had no intention of following on his words to deliver for the two bereaved families.
The problem is not that the JCF lacks the ability to find these monsters , it wasn’t 25 years ago when I was a young officer there. The difference between this commissioner of police and others of the past is that he has no balls , He is a wimp and a coward. Carl Williams has demonstrated an abject failure of leadership . He has offered no clarity of policy and procedure to the young officers on the beat. He has been a total coward , in essence Carl Williams has been like a battered kid petrified of a local school-yard bully. That little bully is Terrence Williams . Like every bully Williams is an insecure little man who desperately seeks approval. Generally, tendencies like those displayed by Terrence Williams can easily be fixed by bloodying the bully’s nose . Carl Williams won’t be the one to do it , too afraid he’ll be hit even harder if he throws a punch, a punch which could down the little bully but could also elicit an even more severe beating . Commissioner Carl Williams allows himself to be beaten without fighting back because he is simply afraid of Terrence Williams.
Terrence Williams INDECOM’s commissioner
Unfortunately , when the police commissioner punks out, it does nothing to him everyone knows he is a punk, (not the term I really want to use); But his lack of testicular fortitude emboldens criminals, increases the perception that police officers are afraid of INDECOM and places the lives and safety of young rank and file cops at risk.
ITWASONLY A MATTEROFTIME !
Over the years it has become clear that Jamaica lacks the will to put real criminals in Jail,. Administrations of both political parties have enhanced the decline of the Police department as a strategy which would make sure that the singular investigative agency tasked with bringing criminals to justice would be a paper tiger, or worse an embarrassment as a law-enforcement agency. Additionally both political parties have stoked the embers of anti-police sentiments and added the accalerant which has resulted in the inferno of lawlessness which has been sweeping the Island for years. The icing on the cake was the creation of INDECOM which cemented the lie that the police is useless because they are corrupt. Of course there are many corrupt cops and have been for decades . The fact is however, that the political class created the corruption within the police department, by effectively hollowing out whatever capabilities it had to investigate, as insurance the department would never have the ability to put them in prison for their crimes.
In one of the most recent articles I wrote I spoke to the ever increasing inter-connected nature of our planet and the way it will affect all of the earth’s people going forward. That assessment has been validated in an announcement in the Jamaican media that the Federal Bureau of Investigations will be setting up offices in Kingston along with the the Bureau of Alcohol, tobacco, and firearms. Yup it was only a matter of time . Over the years this writer have talked about the failure of the Jamaican Government of (both political parties). Detailing how they have contributed to crime rather than work toward the elimination of it. I hate to say I told you so but I did ! It was never about the guns flooding into the Island , but the incessant stream of funds streaming out of the United States. It was not going to be allowed to continue .
BIGDEAL As vice President Joe Biden once said to President Obama “this is a big f******g deal”.. It actually is, for the first time a foreign police agency will publicly be setting up shop on the Island . There are no if”s and or buts about why this is happening Americans are being scammed out of their livelihoods and the Jamaican authorities are either unwilling or incapable of stopping it. The lotto-scam has been going on for years .A select committee of the United States Senate heard evidence years ago on it. This is the result. As was reported in this medium recently American law-enforcement agencies have been attending court proceedings on the Island as observers, in cases in which the United States has an interest. I can hardly wait to hear from the loudmouths who constantly pontificate about Nationalism and sovereignty . Most importantly I want to hear from the so-called constitutional lawyers , you know the little grung gads inna jumeka, you know them .They have strength for local police because of commissioner Carl Williams , but guaranteed the little self important mouthpieces will have nothing to say regarding the operations of either American Federal Agency, and neither will the little schoolyard bully Terrence Williams…
It’s quite easy to be disinterested in American Elections which are due in less than two months. Understandably, some people (not Americans) may feel removed or even disinterested in the process. Nevertheless, given the ever increasing interconnected nature of the world in which we live we may be doing ourselves a disservice by ignoring what is playing out in front of our eyes.
Regardless of our nationality or our sense of patriotism to wherever, what happens in America shapes what happens wherever we come from across the globe. It is easy to find this fact objectionable but that inter-connectedness makes an American President almost a de-facto world president of sorts.
Certainly, an American president as commander-in-chief has vast reaches across the planet. He/She has under his/her control the most powerful military in the history of mankind, and delivery systems which makes the amazing weaponry of the American Armed Forces deliverable with terrifying accuracy and effectiveness.
TEMPERAMENT
That is why it is important than an American President has the right temperament ‚not someone whose wounded ego may trigger a nuclear apocalypse. Lets set aside the silliness about business deals which went wrong or e‑mail servers which could have been hacked, revealing low levels of classified materials (at best). Lets set aside failed Universities which was never even a third rate college to begin with. We may even disregard all the talk about Foundations or pay for play. Far more substantive is the existential threat a Donald Trump Presidency would pose for the security of our planet.
Donald J Trump
On the issue of war and peace. On Immigration. On trade. Religious liberty. On Global movement of people as a result of wars and national disasters, Donald Trump has demonstrated that he would re-write the world order and it would not be pretty. Donald Trump’s campaign began years ago because of his money or the media’s belief that he has lots of it. It may reasonably be said he is a media creation. As if that was not enough they gave him a reality show to build a media profile and name recognition which formed the catalyst for his White House run.
DISRESPECTFOROURPRESIDENT
His ‘show me your papers’ assault against the nation’s first African-American president has re-energized the smoldering embers of racial animus resulting in exponential increases in hate groups (according to the Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups which track hate groups).
IMMIGRATION
Trumps wants to build a wall on America’s southern border with Mexico, stating he will make Mexico pay for it. Of course when face to face with the Mexican President he made no mention of it. He wants to deport over 11 million people living in the shadows and even revoke citizenship of children born to undocumented residents. RELIGIOUSINTOLERANCE
Donald Trump wants to ban all Muslims entering the United States. He also wants to kill relatives of terror suspects. That means anyone who has an errant relative is at risk of being killed by the United States Government under a President Trump. Imagine the implications of that. WARS
He declares that he would fire at Iranian warships if they came too close . General Barry McCafferya man who knows what he is talking about-told NBC on Saturday that those decisions are bravado . The General said those decisions would be arrived at by US Naval Officers; not by Donald Trump. He promised to engage China aggressively on trade a move which could potentially see a trade war develop between the two countries, devastating consequences for both countries, and potentially push both countries closer to armed conflict.
RACERELATIONS
Open Carry Vigilantes Terrorize Ferguson Protesters
On race relations and the existing distrust and tension between communities of color and police, Donald Trump’s response is to empower and throw more support behind police. He has not offered a solution to the conflict which means his actions as president would further stoke the fires of resentment, distrust, and tension which could potentially see America’s streets become war zones or on the other hand an approximately 35 – 40 million Black people returned to a state of second class-status on par with the Jim Crow era.
IGNORANCE
In all my years as a political observer I have never seen another candidate for the Presidency of the United States which has and should evoke fear and trepidation as does Donald Trump. His absolute ignorance of the most important issues are shocking. His lack of grasp of the most basic issue is stunning.
Yet despite this, the guy is less than two months away from the presidency, and the most potent nuclear arsenal in the world. The frightening reality is that despite his demonstrable lack of understanding of the most critical areas which a potential president ought to have, his supporters clamor for him with cult-like fervor.
HISSUPPORTBASE
Hillary Clinton the Democratic nominee says half of Trump’s support comes from a group she calls the “basket of deplorables.” Racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphopic-you name it, according to her. By Saturday September 10th Clinton walked the “half“comment back, fearing she may have committed her “47% moment” in election history or maybe then Senator Barack Obama’s guns and religion comment in his initial bid for the presidency. The difference between the comments of Clinton and that of Romney and Obama is that Clinton made her statement publicly theirs were made in private events. Clinton of course is held to a different standard than Donald Trump . In fact many have labeled him Teflon. He brags he could shoot someone on Fifth avenue and he would not lose a single supporter. SOWHOARETHEY ?
These are real images, not fiction..
Well Hillary Clinton got it exactly right! Clinton was absolutely not saying that half of all Republicans are deplorable, she categorically said half of Trump’s supporters are. To begin with, he is a big admirer of Vladimir Putin the Russian strongman. He admires the late Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein. He tells the thugs at his rallies to hit people, take their coats and turn them loose in the cold. He surround himself with a bullies and wannabe strongmen like Rudolph Giuliani, and another wannabe tough guy New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
He hired Paul Manafort, a man with alleged ties to the Russians. After firing Manafort,he went even deeper into the bottom of the barrel digging out Breitbart’s Stephen K Bannon from the extreme right fringe to run his campaign. At Trump campaign they sell T‑shirts calling for the imprisonment of Hillary Clinton. They demand that she be killed. They display confederate flags. For all intents and purposes, Trumps rallies are glorified Klan Rallies.
Yes-the media does a terrific job of trying to sanitize Donald Trump. Why not? It was the media which made made him a celebrity If he becomes president we have the media to thank for it. It is said his support comes from uneducated white working class people. They have no interest in facts. They care nothing about the fact that he is dangerous for and to the rest of of the world. He represents their point of view and what they care about is all that matters to them. “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any of my supporters” . Yes he absolutely could; that does not speak to Trump it speaks to those who support him.
A potential president Donald J. Trump will be vastly consequential for America and it will be equally as consequential for the rest of the world.
A company can decide who it wants to represent it’s interest , as such Air Academy Federal Credit Union, is well within its right to drop someone it believes does not represent its interest. However , it opens itself up to criticisms that its actions are hypocritical and self serving if they are deemed to be so. This is exactly the case where this company dropped a spokesperson for exercising his God given right, which is guaranteed in the first amendment to the United States Constitution.
There is no conflict between military service and freedom of speech . Brandon Marshall standing in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick is now an issue for Air Academy Federal Credit Union. Obviouslyfreedom of speech is at war with military service as far as this credit union is concerned. Maybe they will now hire Ryan Lochte as their new spokesperson. Obviously freedom of speech and freedom of expression stops with being black . It now appear military service is so sacrosanct that it trumps and supersede people’s right to be treated with dignity and to have their God given right to life and liberty respected as far as it relates to this credit Union.
Where is the conflict between military service and people demanding human dignity and the right to life? What exactly is the connection? Where is the Air Academy Federal Credit Union,during calls for justice of those murdered by police officers who swore an oath to protect life ? Silent !!! In their little world nothing matters outside the little enclaves they carved for themselves . Little enclaves with rules they designed . Rules which ignores injustice and even murder as long as it not murder of those within their cliques.
After the Korean and Vietnam wars African American servicemen returned to a country as segregated as it was when they left . They were spat upon, lynched and murdered . They had dogs unleashed on them, water-hoses and billy-clubs was their new existence . All for daring to expect the country for which they had shed their blood sacrificed and died for would afford them the dignity routinely experienced by others They were denied work their white counterparts routinely got. There was no outcry from the sanctimonious hypocrites who worship military service over human dignity and the right of every human being to live with as human beings. We may go as far back as the civil war, blacks fought and died for this land Africans occupied long before Europeans knew the earth wasn’t flat.
But why stop there , let’s go back to the Revolutionary war, and examine the roles Blacks played in that conflict. A Black man was the very first casualty of that war . So whats the fixation with military service over and above the rights of citizens to speak freely? What is the connection between defending one’s first amendment right which conflicts with military service? I would like to have that explained to me please. Blacks have been fighting and dying before this land became a country? What does it say about that much ballyhooed line that soldiers sacrifice for our freedoms ? Does that freedom only extend to Caucasians to the exclusions of blacks who dare think they are included? Here’s what it is, it is absurdity and nonsensical hypocrisy designed to stifle dissent of police abuse. It’s a straw man designed to snuff out protest against injustice companies like Air Academy Federal Credit Union, are comfortable with.
Fortunately there are equal amounts of military veterans and active duty members who understand that their service, their sacrifice is only validated when every American citizen can stand and demonstrate against injustice. If every soldier who donned a uniform to fight for America returned to a country in which citizens are prevented from demonstrating against their government, then their sacrifice would have been in vain. Not when citizens do exactly what they say they fight to guarantee.…..That is validation for what they say they fought for.
SEESTORYBELOW.
Air Academy Federal Credit Union
Although we have enjoyed Brandon Marshall as our spokesperson over the past five months, Air Academy Federal Credit Union (AAFCU) has ended our partnership. AAFCU is a membership-based organization who has proudly served the military community for over 60 years. While we respect Brandon’s right of expression, his actions are not a representation of our organization and membership. We wish Brandon well on his future endeavors.
Glenn Strebe President/CEO Air Academy Federal Credit Union
Air Academy Federal Credit Union, which had been in a sponsorship deal with Marshall for the last five months, announced Friday it was ending its relationship with the Bronco. Marshall’s actions ― a protest against social injustice that followed San Fransisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the anthem ― were “not a representation of our organization and membership,” the credit union’s CEO, Glenn Strebb, said in a statement.
The Broncos said they respected Marshall’s decision to protest, though added they encourage members to stand during the anthem. After the game, a media relations staff member advised Marshall not to look at his Twitter mentions because “there’s gonna be a lot of hate,” MMQB reported.
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