When even Bruce Harrell is being pretty badass. I know, he has always been pretty good on police accountability issues, but it’s nice to see him actually saying a lawsuit might be a good idea when police act unreasonably. And while it sure doesn’t take much for the police guild to act like they’re the most put upon people in the world, I’m glad he got under their skin.
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Puddy wonders what would Bruce Harrell say to the family of dead NYPD officer Brian Moore, shot in the head and killed while doing his job by a criminal.
Oh wait… that’s criminal brutality! Puddy bad!
Harrell like all council members has been bad on accountability issues.
1. DOJ found illegal excessive force in 205 of 1200 cases ie in 240 cases.
2. not one officer was discplined.
3. the entire supervisory staff from sgts to commanders to opa was found to be a mere rubber stamp. not one of them was fired or replaced.
4. when you have 240 cases of police brutality including beating citizens so much they have lifeling pain, it’s morally incumbent to tell the citizen, apologize and make amends. the city and spd did not admit the wrongdoing in a single case.
5. even if they get sued on a strong case they just settle and pay. the officer does not get discplined, he or she does not pay a dime, nothing happens to the one at fault.
6. if toyota makes defective airbags their job, and their lawyers’ job, is not to deny defend and delay justice in every single case. their job is to admit the problem, fix it, and make reparations. SPD has not admitted its problem. how can it reform what it does not admit? it has not made amends unless forced to. all the HUNDREDS of officers committing the illegal brutality got off scott free and suffered no consequences. without consequence there is no accountability.
7. harrell let all this happen, without raising his voice or demanding discipline or justice and true accountability.
8. the only one who is okay on accountability is Sawant, at least she uses the words police brutality. the others carefully use words to “not admit the excessive force” and speak of “restoring trust” as if the problem to be fixed is not over at SPD — but it’s us the public who somehow misperceive them or fail to trust them. the entire reform is based on NOT holding officers accountable. Harrell facilitatest that. Morales, his challenger, does not and speaks more strongly on real reform and real accountability.
9. body cameras? hello, we do not fire or discipline the many officers we know lie, cheat the process and commit excessive force already even when we do have it on video.