James Blake, American former Tennis pro, profiled and assaulted by NYPD due to his race

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09/14/2015 13:50

Subject: James Blake, American former Tennis pro, profiled and assaulted by NYPD due to his race

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having watched the video again a few times, the argument that Blake was "racially profiled" comes across as utterly and completely ludicrous. In the video, one can't even distinguish any meaningful difference in skin color between Blake and the cop that tackled him, nor can one see anything about Blake's clothing, behavior or demeanor that would signal anything whatsoever about his race.

Yes, the cops got it wrong, but playing the race card here is a serious stretch.

If you're reluctant to see this as a racial profiling incident more power to you but that doesn't make this incident negligible or irrelevant as far as improper conduct. Police should not be able to physically attack non-threatening individuals on the presumption that they are suspected of non-violent crimes. The officer acted in poor judgment - period.

Yes, the issue is tackling Blake when the suspect (who turned out to be completely innocent and not associated at all with the crime) was wanted only for identity fraud. Which means that you or I could have been tackled as well in a similar situation. I worry for my own safety now when I see that some police officers act this way.

On another note, I'm an older white woman. So maybe the police officer wouldn't tackle me? But then if he wouldn't tackle me because I'm an older white woman, then he must be profiling based on something. But I'm going with the possibility that this shows this could happen to anyone -- since some of our DCUM friends are insisting this wasn't racial profiling. Fine - then tell me why I, as a taxpayer -- who until recently had assumed that police officers as a group exercised a certain amount of professionalism -- shouldn't be livid that there are folks who think we should just get over this because it wasn't racial profiling.

So, this one incident changed you mind that as a group police officers exercise a certain amount of professionalism? If so not much of a conviction there.

As for the profiling. Is anyone suggesting that because it isn't profiling that it doesn't still matter as to what happened?

Actually there are people who are so upset about the accusation of racial profiling that they don't address the fact that the cop shouldn't have tackled him. I've been told that the only alternative to demanding that the police officer should have dealt with Blake without tackling him is to let criminals roam free on the street (and presumably then I have to accept that they might tackle me as well).

And noooooo, this one incident did not change my mind. Let me see if I can remember all of them:

It was the incident where the South Carolina officer shot Levar Jones who was reaching into his truck to get his wallet after the cop told him to get his wallet.
It was the killing of Eric Garner completely unnecessarily due to the use of an unauthorized chokehold.
It was the killing of Natasha McKenna by tazing her four times when she was already shackled because the Fairfax County sheriff's deputies didn't know how to deal with a crazy person.
It was the killing of John Geer by a Fairfax police officer whose colleagues who were standing there and were completely surprised by the shooting. The officer has been charged with murder. (okay so no video of that one)
It was the killing of Walter Scott by shooting him in the back as he ran away by a North Charleston police officer who said he feared for his life. (video disproved)
It was the killing of Samuel DeBose by shooting him point blank in the head by a University of Cincinnati police officer who also said he feared for his life. (video disproved that)
It was the killing of 12-year-old Samir Rice who was playing with a toy gun by a Cleveland police officer who drove right up to him and didn't hesitate to get off a shot immediately.

I know there are others but I think you get the picture here. BTW, not all of these victims were black. And yes even though I'm white and middle class and presumably insulated from this, it doesn't make me feel safe to know that there are police officers who make poor judgment calls which end up in people being injured or killed.