<p>Have you not noticed the escalating anti-cop climate that began with Ferguson and is being propelled by people such as Mr. Sharpton? Maybe, they’ll back off now because it’s really disgusting.</p>
<p>The Cliven Bundy ranch standoff happened in the spring. The Vegas case happened in July. Before that there have been countless other examples of anti-cop or anti-authority attitudes in this country. Timothy McVeigh bombed the federal building in OKC in 1995.</p>
<p>Also, we have yet to learn whether the Brooklyn killings were targeted against law enforcement or whether those officers were just sitting ducks for a psycho who was hell bent on killing people. I don’t think his ex-girlfriend was a cop, was she?</p>
<p>Nevermind.</p>
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Dunno, sally — he didn’t seem to mention what she did for a living.
Maybe it’s just me, and there are mornings when I feel kind of dense, but I’m seeing intent in that twittering. </p>
<p>YMMV.</p>
<p>marie, why won’t you respond to my questions? Do you really think the “anti-cop mentality” just started this August? How, then, would you explain all the manifestos and violent acts by others who have proclaimed their hatred of law enforcement? Or are those cases different somehow?</p>
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<p>One factor independent of policing I read from a Criminology Journal article assigned to a CJ major friend back in the mid '90s cited the sharp drop in the proportion of the 12-24 age demographic due to the aging out of boomers and the sudden plunge in that demographic when Gen X…especially the younger members like yours truly came of age. </p>
<p>The author argued that most violent street crime tends to be committed by those between 12-24…especially males in that age demographic. Once the proportion of that age demographic started shrinking by the late '80s/early '90s, the crime rates started to drop. </p>
<p>That’s not to say it’s the only factor in play, but it was one of the important factors along others. </p>
<p>“Really emily? Two dead and two injured cops? They saw it coming. Try again. You have descended into the realm of the ridiculous.”</p>
<p>Yes, really. </p>
<p>Crime dropped in cities all over the country even cities that did not use the “broken window” system. </p>
<p>My staff works in urban areas everyday and quite frequently with police officers so we receive notifications that also go out to law enforcement. Since the start of the year we have been told to be aware of possible attacks on police or other government officials. It really picked up when a Jersey City officer was shot responding to a call. I really do not recall what triggered the beginning of these warnings.</p>
<p>To answer the question about his girlfriend, they seem an odd couple. She has a BA in math and worked for veterans affairs. He had something like 19 arrests and his own mother was afraid of his violent, mentally unstable ways. Apparently he called her mother right after he shot her saying it was an accident and asking her forgiveness. Police tracked him on her cellphone as he traveled north on I-95. He ditched the phone at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn before arriving at the scene of killing of the officers.</p>
<p>“You know what, catahoula? Your (and others’) obsession with Al Sharpton makes it abundantly clear that you care more about the political “points” you think you can score on these cases than you do about the fact that actual lives have been lost-”</p>
<p>Amen. Despite what you on the right want to believe, I don’t know a SINGLE liberal who thinks of Al Sharpton as anything other than an annoying fly on the wall. No one takes him seriously. No one thinks he is the Second Coming or “the” voice for liberals or blacks. We are bemused how important you all think he is, when we think he’s unimportant and a distraction from real issues. </p>
<p>I pay no attention to him.</p>
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You may not personally know any liberals who support Al Sharpton, but he literally sits at the hand of the mayor of the City of New York in official meetings. This is a significant part of the problem with the police here. And I say to you with all the respect in the world, that this post indicates a significant lack of understanding of the circumstances that led to the current crisis in New York. Also, Mr. Sharpton has been one of the most frequent visitors to the White House during this administration. So unless you are excluding Mayor deBlasio and President Obama from the ranks of liberals, this is just factually incorrect.</p>
<p>Additionally, many people forget (if they ever knew) that Mr. Sharpton’s actions led directly to the death of 5 people in the Freddy’s Fashion Mart murders. He isn’t a fly on the wall, he is a very dangerous man going back decades, and he occupies a very significant role here in NYC right now.</p>
<p>So will the head of the police union be held responsible if there are “revenge killings” against protesters? Where will it stop?</p>
<p>Also, I’d like to understand how Brinsley managed to shoot his ex in Baltimore, then–while being tracked for hours by law enforcement–easily enter NYC and kill two unsuspecting officers. Where did the communication break down, and why is that not being blamed as contributors to their deaths?</p>
<p>He does and he should not. I generally support people who are critical of authority because we need people to speak out and question. I give them a lot of rope when the agitate because I think it is so important.
Sharpton IMHO has lost the right to be given the benefit of the doubt because he has been proven to be a liar with character issues.</p>
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I don’t recall saying that liberals considered him a latter-day Richelieu or anything other than something to be endured with whatever grace God was willing to grant.</p>
<p>That this makes him irrelevant is way too much of a stretch though. While given the choice, the mayor might not cross the street to put him out if he was on fire doesn’t mean the mayor (or our administration) doesn’t go through the motions of consulting with him. If motions are what they are.</p>
<p>The man represents somebody and to say they don’t consider him an adviser to kings is just disingenuous.</p>
<p>The man represents somebody and to say they don’t consider him an adviser to kings is just disingenuous. </p>
<p>Wasn’t he invited to the White House just a few weeks ago? </p>
<p>Protesting is so simple minded. The issues are much more complex than what can be said in a three word chant. But simple minded people don’t want to look at the the myriad complexities involved. Or they use situations like Ferguson to their political advantage. The mobs are just props for the cameras to get attention for them.</p>
<p>Tatin while I agree that most issues are more complicated than a 3 word sign or chant can cover they are very important. Protests indicate that there is a problem that needs to be addressed.</p>
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God forbid.</p>
<p>The difference is that there have been no marches saying “What do we want? Dead protesters. When do we want them? Now.” As there have been very, very widely against the police. As I said earlier, and please don’t ignore this. The protests have been very widespread and disruptive. they have been less peaceful than the press would tell you, and you can find this out for yourselves if you look hard enough. The police have been protecting the protesters because there has been some conflict between different groups and different races. The two police officers who were attacked on the Brooklyn Bridge (please remember that this is a separate situation than the murders on Saturday) were literally protecting the lives of protesters who were about to be attacked and were, themselves attacked including by an instructer at CUNY. That incident was what set all heck breaking loose with the police and the mayor. The mayor handled that incident as badly as humanly possible and took what was a troubled relationship into open enmity.</p>
<p>I am really surprised by people posting things that are just not true to advance an agenda. I wonder if that is intentional or if people think they actually know more than they do.</p>
<p>zoosermom, the overwhelming majority of people condemn the “dead cops” chant. The overwhelming majority of protests and protesters have been peaceful.</p>
<p>I agree with you that there is definitely an agenda being advanced. That’s why I called out the obsession with Al Sharpton. You can look at the posting history of a few people on this thread (not you) and see that ALL they are here for is these politically or racially charged topics. Makes one wonder a bit.</p>