PAX Centurion - September / October 2015

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • September/October 2015 • Page 45 By Danny O’Donnell, District 4 See Gun-related on page 46 Stats show a drop in gun-related police deaths… but it sure doesn’t feel that way N ational statistics show a 19% drop in gunfire-related fatali- ties on police officers in 2015, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. What makes this year different? Of course, the fraudulent groups, “Black Lives Matter” and the “New Black Panther Party” are not hiding their sadistic messages. A video was recently posted showing a large group of the New Black Panther Party chanting that cops/pigs should be killed as a sort of retribution. My opinion, is that Deputy Darren Goforth from Tex- as was a casulty of that type of a call to violence on Police Officers. Throw the media into the mix as well, because, apparently, all you need is a cell phone and a right arm to hold it up, and whammo… you’re a journalist. Evidently, there is no journalistic integrity required from the “reporter” or the news media editors, who eat up this garbage. A recent example of this happened right here in our backyard. We have all seen the video by now, and the ridiculous attempt by local news to ignite a “choke hold arrest” by our department. Everyone knows that was not the case. The reaction to our Officer’s response was an obvious rush to judgment. An attempt that failed as our Commissioner and Mayor both rebutted the charges levied against our Officers. (Scary thought as to what would have become of that incident had Commissioner Davis or NewYork Mayor DiBlasio been in charge). What is more frustrating, is that if you really look at the video, and not as a Police Officer or even a newsroom editor with an agenda, but as a human being, how can you not be disgusted with the behavior of the fool talking into the phone, as well as the kid holding it? Is this acceptable behavior now? I take that back. It's not a question; it’s a statement of fact. Somewhere along the line, these types of antics have been just ac- cepted by us as a nation, and not just accepted, but encouraged. It all started from the top. We have a Commander-in-Chief who never misses an opportunity to hold a press conference when his silent advisors tell him to. This snowball first started, slowly, when he said “Cambridge Police acted stupidly,” and continued to grow larger with comments like, “if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon.” The ill-informed public and the national media began to catch onto the President’s cues and turned a teenager’s death, not by the actions of a Police Officer, (it’s amazing how many people think Zimmerman was a cop), but a neighbor- hood watchman, into a nationwide firestorm about race relations and hoodies. Slogans and rallies with an anti-Police action began to be the norm. From Capitol Hill, to city streets, to NFL football fields, the dia- logue grew in size. The rhetoric was fierce; police are racists. “We the Police,” are actively looking to harrass and kill young men of color. Any claim of police brutality or race-based actions were obviously the truth and exactly what happened according to the media and most elected Officials. The country has been flooded with this type of rhetoric, so that even the rational population has begun to wonder. Police must be the problem, and they are killing our youth. Just watch all those “unedited”You Tube videos and nightly news reports … It must be true, right?? Basically, consider the old saying… “if it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck, it’s a duck.” But, pay no attention to the fact that it’s actually a dog dressed up to look like a duck. Just pull off its mask and see what the truth is… although people usually don’t want to go the extra mile for the truth. Just how ridiculous is the anti-police campaign? Uniformed Officers around the country are being denied service at restaurants and coffee shops. Let me repeat that... uniformed Officers are being DENIED service at restaurants and coffee shops. The latest inci- dent involved a Providence, Rhode Island Police Officer who went into a Dunkin’Donuts and was met, immediately, with an ignorant employee who didn't hide the fact that she was not pleased to serve a Police Officer. As he was leaving the store, the Officer noticed that the employee decided to let the Officer really know how she felt. #blacklivesmatter was scrawled on the cup. This is not an isolated incident; numerous reports are coming in from all over the country. I'm really at a loss for words on this new development.... I'm sure theACLU is right on top of this story and will have a statement soon condemning these businesses and their employees. I’m just not holding my breath. Last year, incidents of what people tried to categorize as civil un- rest erupted in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland. The out- rageous acts of thievery and violence finally forced the President into action. In the wake of the Ferguson riots, President Barack Obama andAttorney General Eric Holder systematically began to disarm police departments across the country with stringent rules of engage- ment. In addition, Federal funding was cut across the board, especial- ly riot-response equipment. Apparently, the sight of a Police Officer in riot gear somehow frightens people into thinking the military is patroling the streets. I’m sorry, but if we are going to be subjected to having rocks, bottles, molotov cocktails, and in some cases shots be- ing fired at, I think a helmet with a shield might be nice. No, no, don’t condemn citizens who are burning and looting their very own neighborhoods. Complain that the police response to this nonsense is overkill…we need to disarm the police and input strict regulations on the only group that is actually protecting life and property. This is why slanted percentages of Officers being killed in the line of duty should be thrown out the window. We are faced with a new, nationwide threat of violence and ignorance simply because of the uniform we wear. Talk about regressing as a nation…. Officers being ambushed is becoming more common. Officers across the country are responding to routine calls for police service, only to be shot at by cowards who “lure” them in with a plea for assistance. In December of 2014, somebody decided to car- ryout a public execution. After posting his plan to kill police Officers that day on Facebook, two NYPD Officers were murdered while sitting in a cruiser. Texas Deputy Goforth was executed while simply filling up at a gas station. A Police Officer in Cincinnati arrived at a call for a person with a gun. The “911 caller” approached Officer Kim and opened fire killing him… Is this just par for the course of being a Police Officer? That’s what CNN would like you to believe when they say Officer deaths by gunfire are actually down 19%; nope, nothing to see here….