A GOOD COP!

I cannot believe the day has actually come where I have to eat crow. I once wrote a poem, titled "HOPE'S TIME GONE." Well, I just heard an interview of Philadelphia Police Chief, Charles Ramsey, and I must admit there are good cops. Holy Shit!

Pardon me, but I have been boiling over the SEAN BELL ANTI-VERDICT. I've been having a hard time fathoming the irresponsibility of the Judge involved. To not take the opportunity to SET AN EXAMPLE of these officers and send the message that our tax dollars are not paying them to uphold their Fraternal Order, but to protect US. All inclusive. The US Constitution and the individual State Constitutions, and whatever else we PAY them to uphold hold more wait than any of their divisive unions or clubs. Where is the "PROTECTION AND SERVITUDE" they so proudly sport on their badges?

And you always hear the the media throwing around "following procedures." And this is where I have to draw the line. I understand procedures and following them. Along with the repercussions that go along with NOT following them. So, I bought that for some time, but something just wasn't right. I'm aware of the corporate Prison Industrial Complex, and the targeting and discriminatory laws their lobbyists pay for.

You do not have the option to CHOOSE which procedures you follow. It seems that the only "procedures" they're analyzing are the ones dealing with "use of force." What about the PREVENTATIVE PROCEDURES? It seems like either they're not investigating thoroughly enough or the procedures themselves need investigation. 50 SHOTS?

And just a word to the "SEE-NO-COLOR" crowd, nice try. It seems like the right stance to take. It's not. This is RACIST. The pattern is TOO obvious. Black men being beaten by White police has become cliche in America.

For NO ONE to be convicted in the Sean Bell case was an anomaly. And then when I saw the beating above, I was losing all hope. For those not in the know about Killadelphia, there's been a WAR going on between the cops and civilians since I moved back to PA in 2004. Governor Rendell recently said that there's been an "80% increase in assaults (involving weapons) on police officers" this year. Since I've lived here, Philly has had 275+ murders/yr, police kill 20+ civilians/yr. The Philly papers compared the city to Baghdad last year. There is no fair treatment under the law.

I can't lie either, I was ready to hate on the Commish. Before he even started talking, my face was all wrinkled up in disgust. Bottom line, he slowly turned my frown upside down. He started by explaining how he used his "Commisioner's Direct Action," did his own independent review, and concluded that 8 of the 18 involved no longer represented HIS force. 4 FIRED! This is UNPRECEDENTED in the world of police brutality cases. Before trial!

He continued on about "public trust," and that "the public needs to have faith in the department." ?!? He started in January this year, was given 3 weeks to come up with a crime plan, and did it. Know how? He had 8 townhall meetings in that time period. Wow! He also said that ALL departments have this power, and that this case still is in the DA's office. Hopefully, the DOJ or Congress will take a break from Michael Vick, Spygate, & Barry Bonds, and SET A REAL EXAMPLE!

The interviewer, Mark Thompson, said of Commissioner Ramsey's action:

"THIS IS LIKE POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY CHRISTMAS!"