RIP Emantic Bradford

[subtona]

such a sad and unacceptable outcome.

RIP Emantic Bradford

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by 56scooter

Yes this is a tragedy, but you only create more discord when you state Before you respond, I ask you to think for a moment and put yourself in the first responders shoes. You have no idea what the description of the incident was as transmitted over the police radio, whether or not there were descriptions of the individuals involved or any of the pertinent information that would allow you to say
Was this a tragedy, yes. Did the police handle the aftermath in the best way, probably not. But I can tell you from over twenty years experience in law enforcement in some of the worst neighborhoods in the country that a potential armed confrontation is the most difficult situation to handle. Police all over the country respond to these incidents daily without incidents. Do mistakes happen, of course they do, but police respond heroically day after day and make the ultimate sacrifice on a regular basis. To generalize an incident with such a provocative statement does no one any good!

I was a deputy in Florida in the late 90's. I participated in a number of felony arrests, including armed robberies.

Witnesses said that the off duty police (working as mall security) did not identify themselves or command anyone to drop a gun.

In my agency we were constantly trained to shout "police" and issue commands in a loud clear voice. De-escalation was a constant training topic. Shoot first and ask questions later was a sure way to be terminated and prosecuted in our department.

Consider that when police create a perception that they prefer lethal force over negotiation, they escalate the level of violence in all other situations. If someone believes the cops are going to shoot first and sort out details later, they have nothing left to lose. The option to back down is off the table. The number of police "mistakes" has now solidified this perception. Being an adult black male has become a life threatening condition.

[Beo3]

Terrible situation for all involved. The Officer made a split second decision to take someones life, which he believed was the correct choice.
Do not judge him unless you choose to do his job.
This Officer now has to live with the guilt that he killed an innocent man.

I pray for Emantic Bradford, his family and all who were effected by this tragedy.

[subtona]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

...Being an adult black male has become a life threatening condition.

Respectfully, this is an old condition that has a new voice in social media.

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by 56scooter

Yes this is a tragedy, but you only create more discord when you state Before you respond, I ask you to think for a moment and put yourself in the first responders shoes. You have no idea what the description of the incident was as transmitted over the police radio, whether or not there were descriptions of the individuals involved or any of the pertinent information that would allow you to say
Was this a tragedy, yes. Did the police handle the aftermath in the best way, probably not. But I can tell you from over twenty years experience in law enforcement in some of the worst neighborhoods in the country that a potential armed confrontation is the most difficult situation to handle. Police all over the country respond to these incidents daily without incidents. Do mistakes happen, of course they do, but police respond heroically day after day and make the ultimate sacrifice on a regular basis. To generalize an incident with such a provocative statement does no one any good!

This is the popular reaction now. Mobs, riots, etc. Then comes the blanket statement about all whites. Yet, statistics clearly show that there's an overwhelmingly higher risk of being killed by your own race. Chicago crime states are shrugged off constantly. It's sickening.

[Beo3]

If I was not so computer illiterate I would post the statistics from the Washington post regarding fatal Police incidents and race
.
Annually in the U.S., the Police shoot and kill double the amount of Caucasians than the next closes race/ethnic group.

Now I'm unsure of the per capita breakdown of the United States, and it may be disproportionate to the shootings victims.

[56scooter]

Nothing good will come from this thread, people on both sides have preconceived notions of what it is to be a police officer and how they should handle any given situation. When people are interviewed about the use of force by the police, some have stated that the police should shoot the gun/knife out of the perpetrators hands. Really! Part of the problem is that people all too often believe what they read in the newspapers and what is reported/shown on television! We could go on and on but before I get in trouble I will leave it at that.

[Blansky]

None of these situations are easy but a fundamental question that needs to be asked in these cop shootings is simply this: would the person have been shot if they were white?

You should be able to ask that in any police encounter, if there would have been any police encounter at all if the person had a different skin color.

Cops have a tough job. I know lots of cops and my next door neighbor is a cop. In fact sadly he basically whispered it when I asked what he did. That’s the morale and how low the prestige of being a cop is now. Lots of factors involved in that but it’s mostly shootings and I think that comes from improper training coming down from the top on how cops interact with people, their lack of situational de- escalation tactics and their macho testosterone fueled responses. That is changing.

But I think the people at the top in most cases needed to be turfed out, and get control of the police unions. The militarization of the police is also troubling because it is creating an us vs them mentality.

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by Blansky

None of these situations are easy but a fundamental question that needs to be asked in these cop shootings is simply this: would the person have been shot if they were white?

You should be able to ask that in any police encounter, if there would have been any police encounter at all if the person had a different skin color.

Cops have a tough job. I know lots of cops and my next door neighbor is a cop. In fact sadly he basically whipered it when I asked what he did. That’s the morale and how low the prestige of being a cop is now. Lots of factors involved in that but it’s mostly shootings and I think that comes from improper training coming down from the top on how cops interact with people, their lack of situational de- escalation tactics and their macho testosterone fueled responses. That is changing.

How does one even go about answering that question? How often does Cop X and Person X get a do over? Also have to remember the info he got before going in. I'm not saying that justifies any of this. I also find it sad that there is no more mention of the actual suspect and people he shot. One victim was 12 years old! It's purely a race thing now. But, I'm not surprised at all.

[johnny80s]

I just want to know, if a doctor screws up a surgery is it all over the news? If a mechanic messed up your auto, is it all over the news? Things happen and 99% of the public has never been in that situation or had to make those decisions in the heat of the moment. Law Enforcement Officer don’t get paid to lose. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know a lot about this case. But if he was a ccw holder, that should be strickley for personal protection. Not going out to save the day. How many of these incidents have blown up overnight, then to see there is a false narrative behind it ie “hands up don’t shoot”.

[Star Ferry]

Originally Posted by johnny80s

I just want to know, if a doctor screws up a surgery is it all over the news? If a mechanic messed up your auto, is it all over the news? Things happen and 99% of the public has never been in that situation or had to make those decisions in the heat of the moment. Law Enforcement Officer don’t get paid to lose. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know a lot about this case. But if he was a ccw holder, that should be strickley for personal protection. Not going out to save the day. How many of these incidents have blown up overnight, then to see there is a false narrative behind it ie “hands up don’t shoot”.

Courts have generally taken the stance of protecting rescuers (good samaritans), so the officer's actions were contrary to the law as expressed by our honorable judges.

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by Beo3

Terrible situation for all involved. The Officer made a split second decision to take someones life, which he believed was the correct choice.
Do not judge him unless you choose to do his job.
This Officer now has to live with the guilt that he killed an innocent man.

I pray for Emantic Bradford, his family and all who were effected by this tragedy.

I don't understand how anyone can equate feeling bad to being dead. I've seen this comment now a few dozen times in this case, and the Dallas case, and it just doesn't make any sense that a feeling would be on par with the permanence of death.

Perhaps that is part of the tragedy in this - people are willing to accept a needless death as long as the officer feels bad about it.

[Blansky]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

I don't understand how anyone can equate feeling bad to being dead. I've seen this comment now a few dozen times in this case, and the Dallas case, and it just doesn't make any sense that a feeling would be on par with the permanence of death.

Perhaps that is part of the tragedy in this - people are willing to accept a needless death as long as the officer feels bad about it.

I agree. Saying something is a tragedy equates to saying, "oh well. Mistakes were made".

We're kind of sensitive to this stuff around here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Andy_Lopez

The officer involved was later promoted.

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by Blansky

I agree. Saying something is a tragedy equates to saying, "oh well. Mistakes were made".

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

I don't understand how anyone can equate feeling bad to being dead. I've seen this comment now a few dozen times in this case, and the Dallas case, and it just doesn't make any sense that a feeling would be on par with the permanence of death.

Perhaps that is part of the tragedy in this - people are willing to accept a needless death as long as the officer feels bad about it.

I don't think anyone equates death to guilt. He does have to live with that guilt, that's undeniable. But, there are those that say that the cop somehow decided to kill an unarmed black person. That doesn't seem fair either. Sadly, this is the popular reaction to stories like this.....Cop is a racist murderer...case closed.

[Beo3]

Does anyone here believe that the officer who fired woke up that morning with the intention of killing anyone?
I again state I will pray for Emantic Bradford, but I will also pray that the officer involved can find peace.
All he did was went to work with the intention of doing his best to protect the public and then going home to his wife/kids/parents/dogs or to sit alone a digest the day’s insanity.
I may be bias because I have walked in his shoes, and have discharged my weapon in protection of myself and have found the body of a colleague lying in the street after being MURDERED by a group of savages who had tried to also kill me.
With that I am out and will no longer reply (or read) this thread
Peace to all

[Blansky]

Originally Posted by Beo3

I may be bias because I have walked in his shoes, and have discharged my weapon in protection of myself and have found the body of a colleague who wa MURDERED by a group is savages who had tried to also kill me.

I'm not making ANY judgements on you but I find this very telling. Because to a lot of cops, blacks are the so called savages in what they see on a day to day basis.

And that affects their response in these cases. Human nature I guess.

I worked in the ghetto in South Central LA in the late 80s right around where the riot happened a few years later and I saw a lot of stuff. Crack was everywhere, gangs were everywhere. Daryl Gates was the infamous police chief at the time.

I get the hate. But I still believe it affects police response to ordinary black people just trying to live their lives.

And in this case, the party line of " a good guy with a gun is the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun" didn't pan out well. Because the good guy with a gun was black.

Same situation here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/u...d-chicago.html

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by Blansky

I'm not making ANY judgements on you but I find this very telling. Because to a lot of cops, blacks are the so called savages in what they see on a day to day basis.

And that affects their response in these cases. Human nature I guess.

I worked in the ghetto in South Central LA in the late 80s right around where the riot happened a few years later and I saw a lot of stuff. Crack was everywhere, gangs were everywhere. Daryl Gates was the infamous police chief at the time.

I get the hate. But I still believe it affects police response to ordinary black people just trying to live their lives.

And in this case, the party line of " a good guy with a gun is the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun" didn't pan out well. Because the good guy with a gun was black.

Same situation here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/u...d-chicago.html

Agreed that happens. But, I see no solution in sight. Both side have had too many problems for far too long. And it's become one sided for the most part.

Stories like this get little or no coverage after they come out. It was only the initial reaction before the video footage was released that got any attention. It's suppressed so much, most think it doesn't exist. i.e. certain people not being capable of racism, because of what race they are.

https://wtvr.com/2018/05/07/body-cam...ions-go-viral/

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/lo...211166024.html

[dba]

Originally Posted by Fleetlord

IBTL


It will be coming any post now...

I think so too!

Originally Posted by Rockrolex

It's not safe to be black in America today, whether or not you're wearing a Rolex.

You're kidding, right?!?!

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by Rockrolex

It's not safe to be black in America today, whether or not you're wearing a Rolex.

[Beo3]

[QUOTE=Blansky;9135093]I'm not making ANY judgements on you but I find this very telling. Because to a lot of cops, blacks are the so called savages in what they see on a day to day basis.

I had written that I would not read any further post, But human nature has forced me to.

In response to the above quote - the three persons, who all shot at me and killed my colleague, were NY born light skinned Hispanics males, not black, so your assumption was incorrect, Sir.

And I referenced them as savages, not gentleman, because they are stone cold killers.

[SearChart]

Very very sad, RIP.

Even more sad that skin tone is still causing people to die for nothing, what a .... world we live in

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by Beo3

Does anyone here believe that the officer who fired woke up that morning with the intention of killing anyone?

I again state I will pray for Emantic Bradford, but I will also pray that the officer involved can find peace.

All he did was went to work with the intention of doing his best to protect the public and then going home to his wife/kids/parents/dogs or to sit alone a digest the day’s insanity.
...

Serial killers, mass murderers, and St Louis crowd control cops aside, who wakes up in the morning with the intention of killing someone?

The off duty officer went to his side job as mall security with the intention of collecting a paycheck. The trouble is that we empower police with privileges of violence that no one else in the community has. And we expect them to use that privilege very judiciously. Which means, we expect them to take the time to assess, de-escalate, and preserve the peace.

It's a much higher expectation than we have for other professions, but it's a necessary expectation because these mistakes are irreversible. Had the officer taken a few moments to assess, we would likely be honoring a breathing local hero, rather than a dead one.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...=.955381acc5d9

[superdog]

Originally Posted by SearChart

Very very sad, RIP.

Even more sad that skin tone is still causing people to die for nothing, what a .... world we live in

Indeed brother. It’s very sad.

But reality that literally everyone judges everyone else by their appearance, which includes the color of their skin.

[56scooter]

As former and current law enforcement officers know, it isn't always possible to

take the time to assess, de-escalate, and preserve the peace

A lot of people here need to undergo some sensibility training to try and understand what it may be like when you respond to a radio run of "shots fired" and you are place in a life and death situation. The time that you would like to use to de-escalate and preserve the peace may not be available, sometimes you are forced to make a difficult split second decision.

We can get on all soapboxes all we like and spout whatever we want. However, before making judgement with respect to who did what or when they did it, I would like to see video of the encounter. Eye witnesses are some of the most unreliable souces of information available and are not always able to give a clear and concise account of what transpired. Don't believe all that you read in a newspaper or hear on television.

Until then, it will only be "he should have done this" and "why couldn't they do this"!

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by 56scooter

As former and current law enforcement officers know, it isn't always possible to A lot of people here need to undergo some sensibility training to try and understand what it may be like when you respond to a radio run of "shots fired" and you are place in a life and death situation. The time that you would like to use to de-escalate and preserve the peace may not be available, sometimes you are forced to make a difficult split second decision.

We can get on all soapboxes all we like and spout whatever we want. However, before making judgement with respect to who did what or when they did it, I would like to see video of the encounter. Eye witnesses are some of the most unreliable souces of information available and are not always able to give a clear and concise account of what transpired. Don't believe all that you read in a newspaper or hear on television.

Until then, it will only be "he should have done this" and "why couldn't they do this"!

Where is this radio call coming from? From all the information out in the ether, these officers were already there in the mall working a second job as mall security.

The fact that the agency was so resolute in their initial claims that they got the shooter is indicative that little if any assessment was done until days after the incident.

I agree that the video will tell the tale, if it's ever released.

[TheVTCGuy]

Homer: “We men are wretched things”

[superstarmar]

Sad story... Unfortunately ...
Love how the media plays this out .
100 years or so ago this only would've been a local story.
Do we need change ? YES !!!
Not the way political parties want change though or Heaven
help us we're all doomed....

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Originally Posted by superstarmar

Sad story... Unfortunately ...
Love how the media plays this out .
100 years or so ago this only would've been a local story.
Do we need change ? YES !!!
Not the way political parties want change though or Heaven
help us we're all doomed....

The ball is already rolling. Worse times ahead.