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| "Ofendra for Adam" (National Museum of Mexican Art) |
I thought of that quip when Brandon Johnson announced hiring a liaison to the progressive movement. Really? Isn't his administration already one big prance around the progressive maypole?
Speaking of progressivism, can we think about ShotSpotter? Somebody should.
Walk through the process. You hear a loud bang. You think, "Fireworks?" A few more and experience tells you: "Gunshots."
What do you want to happen next? I suppose that would depend on several things. Are you shot? Are you the person shooting? Do you live in a neighborhood where this happens all the time? Where it never happens? Do you welcome the police? Or fear them?
The gunshot detection technology that Johnson, through characteristic ineptitude, has bungled into an ongoing issue prompted the City Council to try to snatch the issue out of the mayor's hands Wednesday, the way you'd take something away from a bungler saying, "Here, let me do it."
Over this flutters, like a Vatican cherub, the ghost of Adam Toledo. Three years ago, the seventh grader was walking at 2:30 a.m. in Little Village when his companion shot several times at a passing car. ShotSpotter alerted police, who rushed over. Officer Eric Stillman chased Toledo into an alley. He fired a split-second after Toledo dropped a handgun, turned and raised his hands.
If you watch the body cam video ... here's how I described it at the time:
"The footage makes for sickening viewing: the jumpy chase through an alley; the barked, ignored commands; the boy’s hands going up followed instantly by the gunshot. The red blood. Watching it once, I can’t imagine ever watching it again. Once is too much."
Opinion immediately fractured — Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) lauded Stillman's "amazing restraint" — I guess for not firing the traditional 16 shots. Former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez called it "an execution."
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Good grief Neil, Adam Toledo was the exact opposite of a saint, he was a budding gang member, running around in the middle of the night with a known gang member, holding that older gang member's gun, because we don't treat a child committing a crime the same as we do an adult.
ReplyDeleteWhy were his parents allowing him out at that hour?
Or to put more simply, which will piss off a lot of people, the little bastard got what he deserved!
Look at all the carjackings & armed robberies occurring all over the city. All the offenders are described as teens as young as 14 & most no older than 20!
Of course now we're stuck with this no bail law which lets everyone out of jail after being arrested, even those caught with a gun, who don't have a FOID card or a CCW license.
Utter madness, those people should stay in jail until their trial & if convicted, go to prison for at least 10 years on a first offense & 25 years for a second offense!
And now are soon to gone insane state's attorney wants to throw out any arrest made by the cops if they find a gun in a traffic stop!
Certitude is not nearly as appealing a quality as the certain imagine it to be.
DeleteThe law doesn't "let everyone out of jail after being arrested, even those caught with a gun." Whenever I look at news about serious crime, the suspect is not let out of jail.
DeleteA start, Clark, would be a recall and permanent fix for Hyundais and Kias, so these punks couldn't steal them at gunpoint, and go joyriding around town in them, just because they can.
DeleteThey steal them and they carjack them. They use them for other gun crimes. Robberies and drive-by shootings. They don't even sell them to thieves for a profit. It's all for kicks, and for sticking it to people who have cars and money, which they do not. They just dump them, wreck them, and torch them, and quickly jump into another one, and repeat the process. I would sell my Hyundai or Kia for peanuts, or just give it away...and then I would lawyer up.
The carmakers should, at the very least, install kill switches on all of these vehicles, at no cost. And carjacking should mandate a twenty-year stretch, in addition to the gun charges. Cleveland cops don't even bother chasing these bastards anymore. Too many innocent people were getting killed.
Or just do what they do in Israel. No more car chases...just treat them like Israel treats Hamas...and track the cars with helicopters and drones that hardly ever miss. One well-aimed rocket, and then Streets and San can go out and pick up the pieces...uh-huh. Pick up the pieces...oh, yeah...
I am really, really sick of this shit. Can you tell?
I don't favor the death penalty for the young because THEY made a mistake, anymore than the cop should go to prison for a mistake. Lighten up, Francis.
DeleteAnd where do YOU live?
Deletegood point, Clark
ReplyDeleteOr as I tell my sister from time to time, "I wish I were as certain about anything, as you are obout everything."
ReplyDeleteBut we have to forgive Clark St. for the ubiquitous tendency to think that simple solutions will solve complicated problems. My dreamy solution is to get rid of the guns, which even I realize is both impossible and counter productive in its very suggestion.
john
You say I have simple solutions, when you want all guns to go away, which is also an extremely simple solution1
DeleteYes, that's why I called it my "dreamy" solution and proclaimed its fruitlessness.
DeleteLittle Adam’s nickname was little Diablo per reports. He sounds like a little angel. Out with a gang banger at 0230 hrs when you’re 13yo? Sounds like he was a model choir boy. Running from a cop with a gun in hand then and ignoring officer’s commands? Actions have consequences. Former rep Gutierrez should shut up.
ReplyDeleteIn America, we are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law by a jury of our peers. That's what we call Justice
DeleteThe police should have no right to summarily execute a minor. But they do According to a document detailing the use of deadly force, which states anytime the officer feels that their life is in danger or that a member of the communities life could be in danger. they have the right to use deadly force even if it means shooting a teenager in the back while his hands are up
"Summarily execute a minor." You're right, no one has the right to do that. And the officer didn't. He responded to a situation where shots had been fired, and pursued a person fleeing with a gun in his hand. Which is what the police get paid to do. Should he have stood by while the person with the gun fled? Elsewhere in this string, there is a complaint that the police "just write a report" and don't catch anyone. So, I'll ask you to answer...stand by or pursue? And if pursue is the answer, does the officer wait to get shot at or shot before taking action? It's very sad and unfortunate that young Mr Toledo was shot. But dangerous games have serious outcomes and a 14 year old with a gun can kill just like a 20, 50 or 70 year old.
DeletePursue but don't kill unless absolutely necessary. .If they get away oh well. The officer wearing body armor should not risk their or bystanders life or safety to apprehend a suspect.
DeleteI understand they didn't sign a contract to make the ultimate sacrifice and deserve to get home to their families after work .
The police shouldn't kill people and beat the shit out of them. The police should be held accountable for their actions . They should act responsibly. They are not above the law. They should not act as judge , jury and Executioner
Us district Court judge Rebecca Pallmeyer is in charge of enforcing the consent degree with the justice department. She will be holding an online meeting June 11 to discuss and take testimony from citizens regarding the Chicago Police department's use of traffic stops.
ReplyDeleteThere will also be a meeting open to the public at the Dirksen Federal building from 1:30 to 4:00 that same day
Judge Pallmeyer is in charge of enforcing the consent decree.. I know I repeated that part on purpose
I will be very interested in hearing how she feels about this issue and maybe she could answer the question about the city's decision on the spot shoter question..
I hope you all will join in on this discussion
I am a retired CPD officer. The officer in the Toledo shooting made a decision in a millisecond that will resonate forever, both for him and the offender's family. Yes, Adam was the offender, which is sometimes forgotten.
ReplyDeleteKim Foxx will soon be gone, and some of the plans (like raising the threshold for felony shoplifting and this insane new thing about traffic stops) she put in place will hopefully be gone. I am still amazed that the state's attorney can just unilaterally decide to change laws that were put in place by the legislature.
Chases were mentioned above. Chases have been pretty much stopped by many departments, including Chicago. Not eliminated as such but the standard for justifying a vehicle chase have been tightened considerably. Also tightened were the rules regarding foot chases. Both types have balancing rules that must be considered in the split second when the situation presents itself. In many cases by the time the thought process is completed the bad guy is gone.
The police have a hard and dangerous job and I'm glad I'm retired. But I give much credit to those working and signing up to become part of this vital profession no matter where they are. God bless them all.
Yes, the police have a hard and dangerous job but they travel in groups and are more concerned with protecting themselves and fellow officers than they are the citizens.
ReplyDeleteThe offender, the bad guys? It's not the officer's job to make that determination.
When a crime is committed and a suspect is apprehended, that's the job of the officer.
The suspect who allegedly committed the crime gets to go through the court system and they determine the guilt .
The notion that an officer can determine someone's guilt upon arriving at the scene of a crime and then kill them. If they don't follow his directions is some Nazi ass s***.
This type of behavior by the police officers is what leads to the resentment in the community that causes people to disrespect the police and be suspicious of them because they escalate situations far too often and don't understand how to deescalate.
That's why the city of Chicago is under a consent decree because police officers in Chicago have for decades acted like the damn Gestapo. This ain't their City. It's our city and we demand to be treated with respect. That's also part of an officer's job. It says it right on the side of the car: to serve. Does anybody understand what that means? Yours is a service position and you should be trained as such.
in my neighborhood people hesitate to call the police because when they get there things get worse and they don't ever seem to be able to find the alleged perpetrator. They just fill out a report and abuse the citizens that called sometimes arresting people completely uninvolved with the incident for reasons that have nothing to do with the crime they responded to, and you'll wonder why you can't get citizens to cooperate and give you information. It's because of your badass notions that you're some kind of superhero with a badge and a gun. We are more afraid of the police than we are of criminals. I know that's how you want it. You want us to be afraid of you
Police departments across the country have been known for corruption, especially Chicago, where the police often turn out to be criminals themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe level of violent behavior by Chicago police officers is renowned.
And when an officer gets investigated, who does it ? the police department? How's that work?
It has been determined that Chicago police are especially brutal on black and brown communities and the poor.
What has the department done to come into line with the consent decree ? stopped doing their job. because of resentment and a feeling of entitlement..
I'm a lifelong chicagoan. I know many police officers. I have relatives that are police officers. One of my cousins. You know what he used to say to me all the time. Hey Frankie what do you need? I got these VCRs that fell off a truck. When we were kids he was an officer in a notorious Street gang.
Things got to change
This is a complex topic; everyone commenting here has made valid points.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there are two words in this column that I think everyone can agree on describing our beloved mayor, Brandon Johnson:
"characteristic ineptitude."
I am with Mr Peanut on the mayoral ineptitude comment.
ReplyDeleteDifficult to understand he's a plant from a special interest union. No intention of governing.
ReplyDelete