July 30, 2009
Statement given by Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis at today's (9/30/09) news conference.
Thank you all for being here today. We are also joined by several guests and I would like to thank them for their continued support and participation. Joining us here is Minister Don Muhammad, Karen Payne from the NAACP, Michael Kozu from Project Right, and Detective Larry Ellison from MAMLEO.
On Tuesday July 28th the Boston Police Department placed Officer Justin Barrett on administrative leave pending the outcome of a termination hearing. On that day I was made aware that this officer admitted to being the author of correspondence which included repulsive racial slurs.
At that time and after a meeting with command staff, I moved immediately to take action and the officer was stripped of his gun and badge.
I was presented with a set of facts and believed that the appropriate and only response was to place the officer on administrative leave and set the wheels in motion for a full investigation. The officer is entitled to his due process and we will see that process through. There will be a thorough internal affairs investigation and hearing process which will lead to a termination hearing scheduled in the next week to ten days.
The Boston Police Department has a top to bottom commitment to community policing. Community Policing is based on trust. This type of venomous rhetoric is severely damaging. Maintaining our community relationships is paramount to our mission to serve the citizens of Boston.
We all work with the community and have made great strides to earn their trust. We must not allow this action to affect those relationships that have been forged and the progress we have made over the years.
The Boston Police Department is committed to a standard of excellence. Our community rightly has high expectations for us. It is a standard that the community deserves and we are required to meet. Officer Barrett’s actions do not comply with those expectations.
Barrett’s e-mail was racist and inflammatory. These racist opinions and feelings have no place in this department or in our society and will not be tolerated.
Barrett’s comments were directed at Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates. I regret the direct insult toward professor Gates and have personally reached out to him to apologize for this offense and inform him of the department’s immediate efforts to make this officer accountable.
I have also asked that in the coming days, members of the department reach out to those in the community that we serve, and extend ourselves to others, to reiterate our commitment to them, our citizens, and to improving relations at all levels.
As I have stated in the past, I am very proud of the officers and civilians of this department who carry out their duties in the finest traditions of the BPD. We will not allow the unacceptable actions of one member to define who we are as a police organization. This department has over 2,000 uniformed officers and 700 civilians who conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism. I applaud your integrity and continued hard work.
As a department, we must learn from this most unfortunate incident and move forward.
Showing posts with label Police Brutality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Police Brutality. Show all posts
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sgt. Crowley Has Some Explaining To Do!
Hmmm! Now we have heard the controversial 911 tapes in the arrest of esteemed Harvard scholar and world renowned expert of African American studies, Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
The arresting officer, Sgt. James Crowley police report now seems to have some inconsistencies. More like he wrote some stuff in there to cover his tracks. The 911 caller, Lucia Whalen, clearly does not say anything about two black men with backpacks. Through her attorney, she also denies ever speaking with Sgt. Crowley.
From Sgt Crowley's police report regarding a conversation with Ms Whaley:
She went on to tell me that she observed what appeared to be two black males with backpacks on the porch of Ware Street," the report says. "She told me that her suspicions were aroused when she observed one of the men wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry." http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/27/gates.arrest/index.html
Sadly, Sgt. Crowley's police report which is innacurate was taken as Bible. The racists who think they are God commentators like O'Reilly, Hannity and Rush Limbaugh ran with the report to paint Prof. Gates as a black man who got out of line. In fact, the truth is looking more like Prof. Gates was arrested for being 'uppity' to a white man. Listen to the tapes, Sgt. Crowley clearly says that he has ID that the man in the house if Henry Louis Gates, and he is told over the radio that the house belongs to the Prof. Yet, he is not satisfied and calls for Harvard police and more cars. Clearly Sgt. Crowley did not expect a black man to live in that house on Ware St. We also don't hear Prof. Gates screaming at the officer.
And like I said in a previous blog, because of this incident even our President, was reminded that even though he is the President he is still an n-word! Oh yeah, white America was mad at our black President for speaking out against racial profiling. It would be easy to sweep racism under the carpet expect white folks constantly remind black folks of their place in society...the bottom. The legacy of slavery lingers.
I am also disgusted when I read that Prof. Gates 'behaved badly' , should have been more civil, and subservient and docile. In other words, Black folks aren't supposed to act like they have brains in front of white people. How dare you a black man, speak up to a white man, in your own home!
As to Lucia Whalen, her name goes down in history even though she was well intentioned. Too bad she did not come forward sooner so that everyone could see the truth about Sgt. Crowley's police report.
Cambridge has established a panel to investigate the incident. Cambridge police internal affairs also needs to investigate. There is a lot of subtle racism in Cambridge, this issue has exposed the city to the world for what it really is.
Meanwhile, President Obama is expected to host Sgt. Crowley and Prof. Gates at the White for beers on Thursday, July 30, 2009. That will be an interesting event indeed.
The arresting officer, Sgt. James Crowley police report now seems to have some inconsistencies. More like he wrote some stuff in there to cover his tracks. The 911 caller, Lucia Whalen, clearly does not say anything about two black men with backpacks. Through her attorney, she also denies ever speaking with Sgt. Crowley.
From Sgt Crowley's police report regarding a conversation with Ms Whaley:
She went on to tell me that she observed what appeared to be two black males with backpacks on the porch of Ware Street," the report says. "She told me that her suspicions were aroused when she observed one of the men wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry." http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/27/gates.arrest/index.html
Sadly, Sgt. Crowley's police report which is innacurate was taken as Bible. The racists who think they are God commentators like O'Reilly, Hannity and Rush Limbaugh ran with the report to paint Prof. Gates as a black man who got out of line. In fact, the truth is looking more like Prof. Gates was arrested for being 'uppity' to a white man. Listen to the tapes, Sgt. Crowley clearly says that he has ID that the man in the house if Henry Louis Gates, and he is told over the radio that the house belongs to the Prof. Yet, he is not satisfied and calls for Harvard police and more cars. Clearly Sgt. Crowley did not expect a black man to live in that house on Ware St. We also don't hear Prof. Gates screaming at the officer.
And like I said in a previous blog, because of this incident even our President, was reminded that even though he is the President he is still an n-word! Oh yeah, white America was mad at our black President for speaking out against racial profiling. It would be easy to sweep racism under the carpet expect white folks constantly remind black folks of their place in society...the bottom. The legacy of slavery lingers.
I am also disgusted when I read that Prof. Gates 'behaved badly' , should have been more civil, and subservient and docile. In other words, Black folks aren't supposed to act like they have brains in front of white people. How dare you a black man, speak up to a white man, in your own home!
As to Lucia Whalen, her name goes down in history even though she was well intentioned. Too bad she did not come forward sooner so that everyone could see the truth about Sgt. Crowley's police report.
Cambridge has established a panel to investigate the incident. Cambridge police internal affairs also needs to investigate. There is a lot of subtle racism in Cambridge, this issue has exposed the city to the world for what it really is.
Meanwhile, President Obama is expected to host Sgt. Crowley and Prof. Gates at the White for beers on Thursday, July 30, 2009. That will be an interesting event indeed.
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