This is definitely not how to respond to tragedy: Overland Park police said Friday that an officer has been fired for posting a threatening Facebook comment on a Dallas woman’s Facebook page. The post appeared to come from an officer’s personal Facebook page and seemed to reference the Black Lives Matter movement. The comment appears to have been posted after the killing of police officers there Thursday night. It read: “We’ll see how much her life matters soon. Better be careful leaving your info open where she can be found Hold her close tonight it’ll be the last time.” Police Chief Francis Donchez Jr. said the department launched an investigation after receiving information about the posting Friday morning. By the end of the day, the department determined that the officer had in fact posted the comment and terminated the officer. “This quick action demonstrates our commitment to our core values, including integrity and respect,” the chief said in a written statement. Donchez also said a criminal investigation was underway. The Star is not naming the officer because he has not been charged with a crime. The woman, LaNaydra Williams, said the comment appeared on her Facebook page Thursday night in response to pictures of her daughter posted in 2014. But there was no information released Friday as to why the officer directed the post at Williams. “I had no clue who this guy was,” Williams said. “I was angry, and then I was scared.” She said she took a picture of the comment before it was deleted. Williams said Donchez called her to tell her the officer had been fired and to apologize to her about what happened. “I really appreciate everybody so much,” she said later Friday. After announcing that the officer had been fired, Donchez said he would hold members of the department accountable for their actions on and off duty. “I want to assure our community, and those outside our community, that our highest priority is the safety and welfare of the citizens of Overland Park, and the men and women who protect everyone,” Donchez said. “Finally, I want to publicly apologize to those affected by our officer’s personal actions. His actions do not represent the Overland Park Police Department in any way and no one should be subjected to any type of discrimination or this kind of behavior.” http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article88404712.html Good job by the department to respond swiftly with definitive condemnation. No administrative leave. No equivocation. Just zero tolerance.
Much respect to the activists trying to keep their efforts peaceful. Hate groups must not be tolerated.
What I am having a hard time deciphering is when, in the case that a death due to the actions of police makes headlines, whether it is "BLM", "police brutality", or "white people" at fault. This unarmed 19 year old was shot and killed by police three weeks ago. He was shot several times while he lay on the ground. meh... <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jgIvaRwVUFE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Here is another shooting, this time here in Houston, that has yet to make national headlines. <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=7e1da063a336" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Which wrapper are we to apply to each of these incidents?
Great read Jeff... There are good people on all sides that are trying to do the right thing, unfortunately there are a few bad apples on all sides that keep shining a very bad light on all the good. T_Man
Well the top one doesn't fit the right narratives for a national audience to care about, no one gets worked up about some Cali kid named Dylan getting shot by cops. He needed a MUCH better tan for his life to matter as much as the sex offender in Louisiana.
I'm all for the protests but people calling this powerful and all of the news sites comparing it to the "Tank man" picture are stupid. She was obstructing the roadway (a crime) and was rightfully arrested without any brutality.
I wouldn't compare it to the Tiananmen photo. Just think the visual of a slender woman standing opposite these heavily armed police men is powerful in itself. I certainly prefer this kind of protest to the violent protests elsewhere.
The one dude seems to have behaved very responsibly about it. And, police seemed to have handled it very professionally as well Props to all of them in a bad situation. But, having armed but peaceful protesters at an active shooting site does significantly add to the complexity of a dynamic and dangerous situation. Cops were spending at least some of their time and focus identifying and neutralizing these false threats that could have been spent dealing with the real threat. Are they trying to dance with her?
It's just part of policing a free population that enjoys their liberties. The protest itself certainly made the situation worse. I just don't see the point in mentioning it.
What you should take from it is that police are out of control and there's no accountability in a rigged justice system.
yes Police are out of control because less than .05% of people dealing with the police end up with the non-policeman being shot
Yes, because being shot by the police is the only qualm people have with law enforcement in this country. Watch and learn something. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u5nPyf-0UMc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Former Marine grunt and a former Baltimore LEO.
Yes, he thought it was weird that the cops patrol more in high crime areas, and from that concluded that the reason they are high crime areas was because that is where the cops patrol. Officer Wood doesn't understand causation, and would be a very likely candidate to whom you could sell a magic rock that keeps away tigers.
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So I have a .05% chance of being capped by a police officer whose job it is to protect me? Mkay. What is the chance a cop is just going to **** with me because I'm a minority and he's a dumbass? 5%? Do you have those figures handy? How many burglary suspects do I look like today?
