A Philadelphia Fire Department paramedic is under fire for posting this picture with the caption: “Our real enemy.” The caption also said “Need 2 stop pointing guns at each other & at the ones that’s legally killing innocents.” Marcell Salters has also published highly antagonistic language toward police officers. He has since apologized but some have called for his punishment or termination. In the meantime, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is under attack after Ismaaiyl Brinsley effectively executed two police officers over his anger with the recent decisions by grand juries in Missouri and New York. police have been protesting what they view as de Blasio’s unfair portrayals of police after the decision, including turning their backs on the mayor when he came to give a press conference on the murders.
Salters
Marcell Salters has been denounced for his attack on officers who often protect paramedics at accident and crime scenes. In now deleted comments, Salters said that he “never did or will like police” and “[b]ecause of what i do i have to work with them but dont have to like them . . . There are numerous crooked & corrupted cops (mostly white) & mostly they harass, beat, or kill innocents (mostly blks).”
He has since apologized and posted the following: “I would like to deeply apologize to anyone i have offended. That post was out of anger of what is going on around the world (mike brown, eric garner & etc) & past experiences that i have had with the police. . . My intentions was not to slander or hurt anyone or my brothers in blue. Again i am sorry.”
I have previously written about concerns that public employees are increasingly being disciplined for actions in their private lives or views or associations outside of work. We have previously seen teachers (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here), here, here, students (here and here) and other public employees (here and here and here) fired for their private speech or conduct, including school employees fired for posing in magazines (here), appearing on television shows in bikinis (here), or having a career in the adult entertainment industry (here).
One different wrinkle is that Joseph Schulle, head of the firefighters’ union Local 22, said that Salters could be disciplined because he allegedly made a comment about the post while on duty. That creates a different context than many of the prior cases above where comments or postings were made entirely during off-hours or outside of public jobs. It is not clear what the comment was that is being isolated as a possible basis for discipline however.
I tend to view these cases from a first amendment perspective. I find Salters’ comments to be highly offensive and wrong. However, I do believe that he has a right to say them just as others have a right to denounced them. While such comments obviously make for tense working conditions, some of us believe that free speech requires bright-line rules of protection even for hateful speech like that of Marcell Salters.
The uproar of police in Philadelphia has joined an equal if not greater outcry of officers in New York.
Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, the killer of officers Wenjian Liu, 32, and Rafael Ramos, 40, had a history of violence and mental instability. He shot the officers as they sat in their patrol car in Brooklyn on Saturday before he ran to a subway station and shot himself. Only hours earlier, he shot and wounded his 29-year-old ex-girlfriend, Shaneka Thompson, at her home in Baltimore, Maryland. After shooting Thompson, Brinsley threatened on Instagram to kill police officers while referencing the New York and Missouri grand jury decisions: “They Take 1 of Ours… Let’s Take 2 of Theirs #ShootThePolice #RIPEricGarner #RIPMike Brown. This May Be My Final Post.”
Before the murders, Brinsley reportedly struck up a conversation with two men. According to the police, he asked the men “for their gang affiliation; he asked them to follow him on Instagram; and then he says: ‘Watch what I’m going to do.'” That is when he walked past the patrol car, circled it and then crossed the street to come up behind the car. That is when he fired four bullets through the front passenger window, killing the officers.
Police directed their anger in part at de Blasio who has been viewed as supporting the protests against police after the decision of the New York grand jury. The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association even went as far as having officers to sign a petition calling for Mr de Blasio to be barred from attending their funerals if they were killed in the line of duty. There is also a growing racial rift over de Blasio’s policies. A poll last week found seventy percent of black people approved of the mayor’s performance while only 32 percent of white people supported him. Yet, he had received good polling numbers over his handling of protests following the decisions in New York and Missouri.
Thomas, Great comment. We have discussed many times the militarization of the police, fed by the Feds. Interestingly, we have a strong consensus that it needs to stop. We also discuss the often the code of silence that is too often practiced, protecting bad cops. I see the profession of cop, attorney, and doctors, to varying degrees having this pathology. Having worked many med mal cases defending docs, hospitals, nurses and techs, I have seen all 3 of these professions close up. I worked several years as an investigator for the prosecuting attorneys office in KC. I KNOW cops and I KNOW they lie under oath. But, I also know they are a distinct minority. Since you’re new, I encourage you to read the bio materials on the weekend bloggers. You’ll see Darren Smith is a former cop.
You make a good point. Sometimes any blog can become myopic. But, JT is good @ steering this herd of cats toward the macro issues.
Nick Spinelli: The post I crafted was terrible. I was not trying to make an accusation though, but rather join the discussion. My concern is about the emphasis on immediate legal cases vs. systemic issues. The coverage of the systemic issues with police forces as it relates to revenues, corruption, investigations and overall practices gets awesome and fair attention on this blog. Also, the coverage of individual cases is refreshing when it actually examines the merits of a case and the human rights the defendant or possible defendant should have maintained through the legal process. With the recent attention given to civilian killings by police officers, this blog seemed to focus more on the individual cases rather than the systemic issues. I think it’s misplaced in this case, but without evaluating individual cases a system cannot be observed. So admittedly, it’s knit-picky.
Aridog, in 1992 NYC had over 2000 homicides. Now it is usually ~300. The vast majority of those lives saved are black and Hispanic.
Thomas, I will take you @ your word. It’s just that you appeared outta the blue and made accusations that were false, on its face. A close inspection of the numerous police misconduct threads show some folks believe JT has too many of them. It appears you’re a law student. I am on the record numerous of saying we need more diversity. We are pretty white, male, boomer. We need more color, more women, and more youth. I have suggested JT have a law student be a weekend blogger. Maybe you could grow into that role. I apologize for any misunderstandings and hope you stick around. Many people would not check the record as you did. That bodes well for your future as a barrister. I am a PI who has worked w/ attorneys for 4 decades. I respect good attorneys and I am tough on ham n’ eggers.
The elephant in the room for the self-avowed “liberals”, just those among them who seem to have knee-jerk reactions to anything police involved, is the reality of just who kills or harms more of whom? It is no more logical to paint all police with an evil brush that it is to paint all of any race the same way, due to a very noisy minority of the participants. When an urban population figures it out, positive change occurs…as it did in NYC under Giuliani and Bloomberg…until now, with the election of De Blasio. I will never understand how that happened there now. It happened here in 1974 and it has taken 35 odd years to dig out from it. I hope for better for NYC.
Nick Spinelli: I’ve read more past posts about civilian killings or assaults by officers and it’s much more numerous than I thought. Excellent point. I’m not sure why you would presume what I want though. This blog has had the most influence of any legal/political site since I began reading, I think it does a great job overall.
Paul Schulte: Great point. I’m pointing out what I find to be somewhat of an inconsistency. The rule of law seems to only be important when it’s not applied, but not when it is used as a tool for oppression.
Nick Spinelli: No need to obsess over Ferguson and NYC. There is a systemic issue. That is definitely intellectually honest.
What is great about this blog is there is a record. The record is replete w/ NUMEROUS accounts of police misconduct throughout the US. Thomas is obsessed w/ Ferguson and NYC. JT does not obsess.
slohrrs, I think Thomas believes JT should have many posts about the unjust grand juries in Ferguson and NY. He should have numerous posts about the 12 year old shot in Cleveland and the man shot in Walmart. Because, all the other blogs Thomas visits have that. He is looking for another echo chamber. His derision is a badge of honor for this diverse and intellectually honest posts. Well, absent the climate change ones, anyway.
slohrss29: The scope and nature in which civilian killings are covered on this blog is not enough when read in light of the rule-of-law principles promulgated by this very blog. There aren’t even federal numbers documenting the amount of civilians killed. Where is the call for something to change??? Our police forces merely mimic our military forces abroad here at home (not quite as intense). The principle with the ladder is definitely fulfilled on here.
Thomas – the military gave up body counts after finding that some were fudging the numbers during Vietnam.
Thomas, that is a very broad statement and not true of this blog. I have even pointed out in my posts that the author has had many events involving police shootings of civilians on this blog.
It’s disconcerting that this blog gives the story of this brutal cop killing much more coverage when compared to the amount of coverage this blog gives (in whole) to the civilian-killings by cops. This does not square with the ostensible support for the rule of law. In fact, it supports using the law as a tool for oppression.
slohrrs, It is no more complicated than MSM selling ads for cars, pharmaceuticals, beer, and feminine hygiene products. Fear sells, it keeps the scared little rabbits tuned in.
That is very true Nick. I guess it shows the regard broadcast news has for humanity. They cash in on people’s most vulnerable moments and use those instances against them. And then pile on. Like I said, with all the regime change and hostilities our government keeps creating around the globe, we all may find we will need to depend on each other at some point. If we have no common ideals in the end, I guess we won’t.
slohrrs, The MSM learned long ago that fear sells. And, they are in the sales business. Whether it’s crime, economics, natural disasters, hell just plain weather. It’s going to snow 6 inches, stock up on provisions!! They WANTED riots in Ferguson. They now have access to us 24/7. I had different assignments I gave high school senior I taught current affairs. One was to count words like “crisis” “danger” in a broadcast. It was eye opening to them.
po, There are people here who will not admit when they’re wrong. I have screwed up, jumped the gun, here and in the real world. I admit it. People w/ true self esteem can admit their failings. You went up several notches in my book, my good man. Several notches. Ari, like myself, is a former liberal who has moved from his heart to his head, a common journey. If we don’t speak in the next week or so, Happy New Year. Good health and happiness to you and your family.
I think Po makes a good point I have been thinking about all day.
“… violence within our midst is the winds of war turning inward.”
It makes a good point. Part of an overall problem here as part as our society goes, is that we are ingrained to believe “might is right.” This is probably a staple of the human condition, but we have made that “bigger” here, like we do anything else. We are conditioned by it in the media. When hurt, might and vengeance are rightfully ours. Too bad either one never seems to serve us very well. In that respect, I offer no solution. Whether Christian or not, the profound statements of Christ at the Sermon on the Mount given to his larger-minded circle seem very relevant today where there seems to be no other place to find guidance.
I also think Gary makes a very good point. We have seen many police oversteps on this blog over the past year and more. Few more horrible than the veteran shot and killed in the wheelchair, and the young black man looking for help when his car broke down late at night. It’s a shame that the issue that was clearly a problem has come to the forefront in two very muddy events. Like Gary points out, if these situations continue, as they have, then the problems break out on the fringes. I guess its a combination of the behavior of those closer to extremes as well as possibly a “straw that broke the camel’s back situation.”
Unfortunately, I have to raise one other point, and that is the role of the media. I think it is time people push back against the irresponsible sensationalists for leveraging these situations. As far as I am concerned, there should have been more outcry over some of the more clear cut events outlined on this blog, but those events were never sensationalized like the precarious nature of the recent events. Maybe victims should start questioning the media representatives instead of vice-versa. If they could be put on the spot just once for asking why they are trying to use the unfortunate death of a loved one just to insight sensationalism and hostility, maybe the tone will change. It’s time for people to ask better, and to demand the media quit harvesting ratings from people at their most vulnerable moments. We may all need each other sooner than later.
Also Nick, the crowd here is not that liberal. There are about 3 I can think of, the rest, not so. I think many, like Aridog, are pretty conservative but open -minded, which makes them seem liberal 🙂
Nick, you’ve got a point, I take back my comment re holding cops accountable, you indeed made the point that there are bad cops.
OK, so while all the liberals whine about the injustice, let me tell you what much of non-black America is saying: “See, I told you. They’ll take any reason to rob, steal, riot, burn, and loot.” No one is listening to the (probably) reasonable complaint that too many cops see a black man and assume he has committed or is committing a crime. Instead, America sees the looters, rioters, and now, the murderer.
Nothing pleases a racist more than having weeks of video and news coverage to prove his point.