LOGK FB Post re Philly PD Racist Posts
Attorney Greg Krasovsky:
When I was a Philadelphia Police Officer (1989-1992), between Columbia University and University of Pennsylvania Law School, we didn't have social media or even the World Wide Web (Internet).
Cellular phones (installed in cars) were a rarity and 99% of pagers were numeric (just listed numbers).
But we did have bigoted police officers (going all the way up the chain of command) who said nasty things, albeit in person, over the phone or sometime on real-world old fashioned message boards of cork in police districts (precincts).
Back then, the racism and bigotry didn't surprise me -- only 21+ years had passed (a mere generation) since Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination.
I heard racist comments not just from police officers, but among Fire & EMS personnel and Ivy League students, faculty and staff.
Today, 30 years has passed since I entered the Philadelphia Police Academy in March of 1989, yet racism and bigotry are alive and well in America -- not just among first responders, as the events in Charlottesville, Virginia showed us last year -- now they're easier to spread on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, other social media platforms, YouTube comments, blogs and various websites.
So what should we do today with racists and bigots found in law enforcement, prosecutor's offices, judge's chambers, the rest of our criminal justice system, the military, the Intelligence Community and government branches on all levels (federal, state and municipal)?
Easy...
Please read the rest of The Law Offices of Gregory Krasovsky Post at
https://www.facebook.com/krasovsky911/posts/2416781398559717
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Attorney Greg Krasovsky:
When I was a Philadelphia Police Officer (1989-1992), between Columbia University and University of Pennsylvania Law School, we didn't have social media or even the World Wide Web (Internet).
Cellular phones (installed in cars) were a rarity and 99% of pagers were numeric (just listed numbers).
But we did have bigoted police officers (going all the way up the chain of command) who said nasty things, albeit in person, over the phone or sometime on real-world old fashioned message boards of cork in police districts (precincts).
Back then, the racism and bigotry didn't surprise me -- only 21+ years had passed (a mere generation) since Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination.
I heard racist comments not just from police officers, but among Fire & EMS personnel and Ivy League students, faculty and staff.
Today, 30 years has passed since I entered the Philadelphia Police Academy in March of 1989, yet racism and bigotry are alive and well in America -- not just among first responders, as the events in Charlottesville, Virginia showed us last year -- now they're easier to spread on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, other social media platforms, YouTube comments, blogs and various websites.
So what should we do today with racists and bigots found in law enforcement, prosecutor's offices, judge's chambers, the rest of our criminal justice system, the military, the Intelligence Community and government branches on all levels (federal, state and municipal)?
Easy!
If you're involved in conduct unbecoming a government employee -- a government that's supposed to protect its citizens from racism & bigotry (BTW, that protection should extend to Native Americans, if you forgot) -- even off-duty and especially in public or the Internet, then you should be disciplined (reprimands, suspensions, forfeited bonuses & promotions and/or sensitivity training) or fired.
If you need to insult or hate various racial, gender, ethnic, religious, political, cultural or other types of groups and their members, then please consider admitting that you have an inferiority complex and need to denigrate others to compensate for your own inadequacies,
Regardless of your actual psychological profile or diagnosis, you shouldn't be in any position of authority either in the public or private sector -- a position where you're expected to treat all people equally and fairly.
When it comes to professions where people are authorized to use force (law enforcement, corrections, military and intelligence), we know where racism and bigotry lead -- it's not just to unequal treatment and insults, it can lead to
- profiling,
- selective investigations, detentions, arrests and incarceration,
- excessive use of force & police brutality,
- unjustified or avoidable shootings leading to grave injuries and even death.
If a government agency involved refuses to take adequate disciplinary steps and/or enact required policies, then start protesting -- loudly but legally -- and whenever possible, vote any elected official who refused to clean house out of office!
What about racists & bigots among journalists and corporate management?
Vote with your wallet (boycott their businesses, if necessary) and demand that they be disciplined or fired.
If you're a colleague of such bigots and/or a witness to racist conduct, then speak up, expose it and refuse to tolerate it -- unless you actually support racists & bigots.
If you or your group have been victimized by racism & bigotry, then don't just vent your anger -- consult with an attorney and take real action -- file complaints with all applicable regulators & agencies, report it to the Mass Media, report it on Social Media and, if warranted, file lawsuits and seek all available compensation, punitive damages and court-imposed policy changes!
With all that in mind, I hope that the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Police Department take adequate measures to discipline city employees who spew racist & bigoted rhetoric in public and/or on the job.
More importantly, let's make sure that policy is implemented to reduce and prevent such misconduct in the future.
Otherwise, I'll probably need to write or record a hologram or other future high-tech post on this subject 30 years from now in 2049.
Seriously, what do you think?
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Philadelphia Police Department takes 72 officers off street amid probe into controversial Facebook posts.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
by Chris Palmer, Updated: June 19, 2019- 8:17 PM
The Philadelphia Police Department has taken 72 officers off street duty as it continues to investigate scores of racist or offensive Facebook posts allegedly made by city cops — the largest number of officers placed on desk duty at one time in recent history, Commissioner Richard Ross said Wednesday.
During a news conference at Police Headquarters nearly three weeks after advocates published a database cataloging the posts, Ross said that although no officers had yet been disciplined, he expected dozens to face internal consequences and at least several to be fired. He did not identify any by name.
Article Photo by TOM GRALISH / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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Group catalogs racist, intolerant Facebook posts by hundreds of Philly police officers.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
by Chris Palmer, Stacey Burling, Nathaniel Lash and Julie Shaw, Updated: June 1, 2019
Advocates researching police bias published a database Saturday of what they said were racist, intolerant, or otherwise offensive Facebook posts or comments made by hundreds of current and former Philadelphia police officers.
The database, compiled by a group called the Plain View Project, highlights posts from officers in eight police departments across the country. The list cited 330 active Philadelphia police officers — including an inspector, six captains, and nine lieutenants — who made posts or comments that researchers considered dehumanizing, supportive of violence, and that “could erode civilian trust and confidence in police.”
INQUIRER / FILE PHOTO
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