Do Police Officers Shoot Their Own?

We all have heard a lot of news regarding police shootings and killing of innocent victims.  These victims are of different races and nationalities.  These victims may have physical and mental disabilities.  We all have heard of the police driving one killer, Dylan Roof, to Burger King after killing members of an AME Church while they were in prayer.  We all have heard about the violent death of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman.  We have heard about the countless evidence that was given and sworn testimony by witnesses while the police were set free of all allegations.

 

I often wondered what would happen if one of the Jury members should ever experience a death of unarmed family members by a police officer.  On January 2, 1970, around 20:37 hours, a man name Jacob Grant was fired upon with about nine rounds of the hot lead entering his flesh by police.  According to ABC News, Albuquerque Police Department released a video regarding this shooting and posted it on their Social Media on April 1, 2016.  This incident happened in 1970 and now this information has been released and posted on Social Media over 47 years later.  What may surprise you is the person who was shot nine times was detective Jacob Grant, and he was working undercover.  According to the report, Lieutenant Greg Brachle approached a black car with tinted windows and, when one of the rear doors opened, he opens fired.  Greg Brachle yelled commands but were shooting while yelling the commands as other officers provided back-up.  After obtaining the information, I realized this shooting occurred in 2015, not 1970; but the lapel cam has a date stamp of 1970.  If this error occurred by police lapel cam(s), how can we trust their integrity?  Greg Blachle yelled, “Oh shit that was Jacob!  Holy shit it’s Jacob!  Fuck me!”  The report goes on to say that Greg Blachle thought he was a bad guy and not Jacob.  Does this mean that the shooting would be justifiable because Greg assumed he was a bad guy?  I don’t understand why a police officer would unleash hot lead into a person’s flesh while yelling commands at the same time.  Perhaps he thought he could get away until he realized it was Jacob.  After all making the atmosphere hectic and tense, Greg asked if Jacob was okay.  If you don’t have on body armor and had the hot lead entering your body nine times, would you be okay?

 

Greg Blachle did not go to the sting meetings regarding the drug bust but assisted anyway.  Blachle went on the belief the suspects were of African descent, which means when he yelled gun and fired, he did not know who he was firing upon at that split second.  This is not his first rodeo regarding shootings.  Back in 1988, Blachle shot a man as he was leaving the home with his hands up.  The victim survived his wounds and filed a lawsuit against in 2000.  Since 2010, the city shelled out around $40 million dollars in settlement monies.  You would think they would have learned by now as they spend the taxpayers’ money in a wasteful fashion.  The city settled Grant’s case out of court for $6.5 million dollars.  The city also agreed to cover his medical bills for the rest of his life.  Grant received over a dozen surgeries.  Jacob Grant turned 38 and is medically retired.  Greg Blachle retired after he learned the fate of his employment was in jeopardy under termination.  I’m sorry, but termination?  What about charges being filed against him?  It shows that police officers can cause a lot of misfortune and taxpayers money for instances they could have and should have avoided.  To learn the suspects were of African descent encouraged Greg Blachle to attend the bust in hopes to kill, as he said previously, “the bad guys.”

~Boston Brian

America: The Greatest Country on Earth?

When you think of the United States of America, what do you think of?  Do you think of the land of the free?  Do you think of the land of opportunity?  Do you think of the land with a beacon to shine as an example for other nations?  Do you think of good healthcare or gainful employment opportunities?  Do you think America is a country of tolerance?  Do you think of freedom?  Do you think of honesty and truth?

 

Allow me to tell you a very short story.  I have a friend, and I will call her Stephanie to protect her real identity.  She was offered a job interview for a very prestigious company through Manpower, a temporary service.  This was a direct hire assignment.  Stephanie passed the interview questionnaire for Manpower.  Manpower set up the interview with the direct hiring company.  She completed that interview.  This company was due to hire within one week of the interview process.  Manpower told Stephanie they will call her regarding the outcome, regardless if she received the position or not.  Forty-eight hours went past and no phone call from Manpower.  She decided to call Manpower on the third day and they said they will let her know the outcome.  Twenty-four hours later, Manpower did not call her.  The next day, Stephanie called Manpower and left a voicemail message.  According to the hiring company, they were to let Manpower know one way or another within forty-eight hours of the interview.  Here it is seventy-two hours later and Manpower still had not called her back regarding the outcome.  I told Stephanie to cheer up and it may not be for you to have it.  Besides, if Manpower did not have the decency of keeping their word regarding a phone call, why would you want to work for them anyway?  The majority of Americans refuse to return a call or a text message because they are afraid of confrontation, or they are afraid of hurting the other person.  I thought Americans were supposed to be honest and fair?

 

I remember a situation in northern Illinois where an unarmed man was shot in the back three times by police officers in a church in front of children.  Can you imagine what went thought those kids mind?  Regardless if the suspect was black or white, it should not have been done.  There are other documented cases of people getting away with murder for killing unarmed citizens, as well as the police getting away with murder for killing unarmed citizens.  These are citizens of the United States of America and they are treated like their lives mean nothing.  People who have special needs are killed by police because they cannot comply with their instructions as fast as the police want them to comply.  It is a known fact by a study conducted on or around November 27, 2017, twenty-one percent of adults read below a fifth grade level and nineteen percent of high school graduates cannot read at all.  Thirty-two million people in the United States cannot read at all and the police expect EVERYONE to follow their instructions?  I thought America was a land of tolerance?

 

Many people talk about pulling the race card.  Unless you lived or walked in the shoes of those less fortunate for employment, credit, or other things that are guaranteed by those of European descent, you cannot say someone is pulling a race card.  When Obama, a man of mixed race, was running for president, lots of people of European descent said “I want my country back.”  Really?  I thought America gives opportunities to all citizens?  After all, look at Arnold Schwarzenegger.  He is an Austrian-born citizen who gain American citizenship and became the Governor of California.  It is known that his father was a member of Hitler’s army.  If America can forgive the Nazis and elect a person of Austrian descent without saying they want their country back, why was it so hard to understand an American citizen of mixed race to be in office?

 

A lot of people want to say we came a long way.  In some areas, we did and in other areas we have not.  Sure, we have Wi-Fi, cellular phones, and many other useful gadgets, but when it comes to race, we can never get over that hump.  There are news anchors that have gotten fired for racial comments.  There are athletes who have said racial comments.  There are owners of professional baseball and basketball teams that had said racial comments.  People profile other people as black thugs.  Wendy Bell, a Pittsburgh newscaster, said “You needn’t be a criminal profiler to draw a mental sketch of the killers who broke so many hearts.  They are young black men, likely teens or in their early 20s.  They have multiple siblings from multiple fathers and their mothers work multiple jobs.  These boys have been in the system before.  They’ve grown up there.  They know police.  They’ve been arrested.”  My main question to her would be what about the shootings in Columbine, the killings of church members by Dylann Roof, the Las Vegas massacre by Stephen Paddock; and the many hearts they have broken?  What about Dylann Roof who was taken alive and received food from Burger King after his church shootings?  Yet, the police had the nerve to make Dylann wear a bullet-proof vest.

 

It is very sad that citizens of the United States cannot get along with each other, yet we are considered the greatest country on earth?  I think my above paragraphs prove my disagreement.

~Boston Brian