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LA Times-Officer Involved Shootings Renew Anger In Inglewood
latimes.com — Separate slayings by a single officer erode hopes that a new police chief would transform a troubled department. This week the department and City Hall are once again under intense criticism from residents and civil rights activists after a fatal shooting Monday involving an officer already under investigation in the killing of a man two months ago
alapoet- 409 diggs
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- alapoet, on 07/23/2008, -3/+28How many people does this trigger-happy cowboy have to shoot before they take his badge?
- pintomp3, on 07/24/2008, -1/+11he has to shoot a white person for it to stop.
- padth, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1He has to shoot someone who didn't deserve it.
- ronpaul20008, on 07/24/2008, -4/+3well, cowboy bush has over a million kills under his belt, and he's still got his badge.....
- sugarazor, on 07/24/2008, -1/+220,008? Maybe ol' Obi-Ron will have a chance by then.
I hate Bush too, but this has pretty much nothing to do with him, there are other problems in the world besides Dubya. - howufinna, on 07/24/2008, -2/+0So if Obama assumed power in January and decided to keep troops in Iraq, even if it was for only 2 more years (which isn't going to happen), would he then be subjected to the title of murderer in the theoretical two years he keeps troops in Iraq?
- sugarazor, on 07/24/2008, -1/+220,008? Maybe ol' Obi-Ron will have a chance by then.
- greanbean, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1at least 3 apparently.
- jasonalangraves, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Inglewood isn't exactly the safest city in America. In 2007, there were 18 homicides, 19 rapes, 480 aggravated assaults and 518 armed robberies, totaling 1,035 violent crimes in an area with a population of only a little over 100,000.
http://www.cityofinglewood.org/depts/police/chief/ ...
Of this population, according the the census bureau, only around 63% have finished high school, and less than 14% have completed a 4 year college degree. More than 80% of residents are not white.
A majority of police officers of the Inglewood police department are also not white, including the police chief, the head of the administrative services bureau, and the head of the patrol bureau.
I certainly hope this was not a racially motivated incident, and based upon the already excessive level of violence in the community, murder, for example is 3.6 times the national average, it seems reasonable to expect the police force has a higher probability of responding to already violent crime scenes.
The best thing the Inglewood police department can do is fire all of it's white police officers, because any time they respond to any call, there will always be allegations of racially motivated law enforcement. It's unfortunate, however it seems this is a reasonable conclusion.- sx66gns, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2thank you! , he's in an area where 90% of the people on the street are trigger happy.
- pintomp3, on 07/24/2008, -1/+11he has to shoot a white person for it to stop.
- debunkthelies, on 07/23/2008, -2/+25If they take his badge he'll probably go to work for Blackwater.
- ColonelTribune, on 07/23/2008, -1/+8That probably wouldn't happen in Chicago. But Jody Weis has had an interesting run so far with the CPD:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/c ...- Abomonog, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3It used to happen on an almost daily basis in Chicago back in the late 70's and early 80's. During the street war between the Vice Lords and El Rukins CPD used the chaos as cover and murdered the Vice Lords almost to the last man. They were also very good as posthumous gun plantings. Their favorite form of murder indeed was the snatch and drop. They would kidnap someone, strip them of all their money and arms, haul them across town, and then drop them off right in the middle of enemy gang territory very visibly. The sight of the police dropping off a rival in your territory meant that said person was not going to make it home alive. It didn't end until the 'Rukins and 'Lords saw what was happening and turned against the police. The weeks after that is the reason why Chicago police carry assault weapons in their cars and use hollow point bullets in their side arms.
It has happened before and it will happen again.
- Abomonog, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3It used to happen on an almost daily basis in Chicago back in the late 70's and early 80's. During the street war between the Vice Lords and El Rukins CPD used the chaos as cover and murdered the Vice Lords almost to the last man. They were also very good as posthumous gun plantings. Their favorite form of murder indeed was the snatch and drop. They would kidnap someone, strip them of all their money and arms, haul them across town, and then drop them off right in the middle of enemy gang territory very visibly. The sight of the police dropping off a rival in your territory meant that said person was not going to make it home alive. It didn't end until the 'Rukins and 'Lords saw what was happening and turned against the police. The weeks after that is the reason why Chicago police carry assault weapons in their cars and use hollow point bullets in their side arms.
- infimprob, on 07/23/2008, -3/+14Sean Bell in New York and now this someone needs to get these racist cops under control. Personally I think the guy is just a pussy and got scared twice because he encountered a black man that was bigger than he was.
- shotgunefx, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2For all I know the guy is a grand wizard, but assuming that because the shooter was a white cop and the the person shot was black, it was BECAUSE he was black, is absolutely no different than assuming all blacks are criminals, because a higher percentage of blacks are felons. It's the same myopic view, just favoring different biases.
Maybe the shooting was justified, maybe it wasn't, the story linked to is a bit light on details. I'd be more interested in hearing details of the first (unarmed) shooting - Namco, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3It's real hard for a cop in Inglewood to respond to a disturbance and NOT find a black man... not that skin color has to do with anything, but the man had a gun and pointed it at cops. If the cops were black, the same outcome would have occurred.
- shotgunefx, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2For all I know the guy is a grand wizard, but assuming that because the shooter was a white cop and the the person shot was black, it was BECAUSE he was black, is absolutely no different than assuming all blacks are criminals, because a higher percentage of blacks are felons. It's the same myopic view, just favoring different biases.
- Lynx55, on 07/23/2008, -3/+6It's sad that the same characteristics one needs to BE an officer, taken to the extreme end up with this guy and others like him. Hmmm...come to think of it, you don't often , if ever , hear of female cops going on these rampages do you?? Something to think about. Testosterone overloads! Suck that testosterone outta those guys!
- groo68, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1This is terrible but
I'm sure the female cops could help with that.
- groo68, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1This is terrible but
- Surferess, on 07/23/2008, -1/+5That is quite a history list.
- sherrife, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5Racist cops, racist state.
An example from Australia, a policeman beat up an aboriginal man till death:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/officers-blow- ...
And was then given compensation when aboriginal community fought back:
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,2 ...- DestroyFascism, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1This sucks and I am ashamed to say Queensland Cops are working in remote places can get away with it. Its easier for the QL government to lie and ***** with expensive lawyers than it is to pay a tribe, a community compensation and to admit that QL cops are at times, assholes~
- ImperialRome, on 07/24/2008, -4/+5Sean Bell attempted to run down police officers who were trying to detain him. He was behind the wheel of a car when he tried to escape from police, and then reversed his car in an attempt to back up and run over the cops who tried to prevent his escape.
What are the cops supposed to do when someone tries to kill them in the process of escape? Let them go and hope for the best?
If you answer the door in Inglewood, with a gun in your hand, and there are four cops there at the door, the smart sensible law abiding person puts the gun down. Only a dumbass would point the gun at the cops.- shotgunefx, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Don't you know? They are supposed to allow themselves to be killed and sing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life".
- SillyDigger, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Source ImperialRome?
I watched the local coverage of that shooting and I don't remember any of that happening.
- tomarocco, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Is everyone really surprised by this?
- moviscop, on 07/24/2008, -3/+4Maniac Cop. Nuff' said.
- greanbean, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4maybe he doesn't get many visitors because he points a gun at people that come up to his door?
- sinurgy, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1As if anger ever left Inglewood, which we've all heard is up to no good.
- minox, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2"Police said Ragan and three other officers responded to a report of a family disturbance at the building. When officers knocked on Wicks' door, he answered it holding a handgun that he suddenly raised at the officers, according to police accounts."
I'm sorry, but was the officer supposed to hand him a PBA card? - Xfrost4, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Punishment: You know that guy he put in jail... I think that guy deserves have a brand new spanking bitch to toss his salad every night!!!
- censorme, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2If you have ever been to Inglewood it wouldn't be that hard for you to imagine how a cop could get into two fatal shootings in such a short period of time.
- IRPro, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4How the blind like to speak here on Digg.
Man raises weapon at Police, Digg'rs expect the Police to let themselves be shot. Digg'rs are just ignorant son's of bitches.- pintomp3, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1in some states you are allowed to shoot someone if they are on your property without your permission. not sure if it applies to cops.
- IRPro, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1That's the "Castle Doctrine", and no, it doesn't apply to Police.
- padth, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1And it doesn't apply in California anyways.
- pintomp3, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1in some states you are allowed to shoot someone if they are on your property without your permission. not sure if it applies to cops.
- Namco, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I grew up in Inglewood man, it's ***** rough. When I left in 1993, I read in the paper that there were 1000 unsolved murders on the books. The place was a *****. It's practically south-central LA.
- padth, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1It's not as bad now. The police have really cleaned things up since the early nineties. I've lived here for the past 4 years and I've never seen any gang activity and little to no graffiti. In fact, there has been a lot of new construction recently, the city is starting to go through a real gentrification.
- sugarazor, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2I'm surprised the police continue to go to Inglewood. Aren't there areas of South Central that police don't even bother patrolling anymore?
- padth, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Inglewood is it's own city with it's own police force. There's no where else for them to go. South Central (or South Los Angeles as they call it now) is part of the city of Los Angeles so I suppose the police can choose not to put as many resources there, although Operation Hammer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hammer_%281 ... would indicate they did.
- howufinna, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0No crime, no cops. But that's never going to happen. Deal with it and don't live in troubled areas, or tell your gang member family or friends to stop being hoodlums so cops don't treat the citizens of the city unfairly anymore. I don't see no cop shootings in friendly neighborhoods.
- brendan25, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Yeah man! pigs are blah blah blah and racist blah blah blah. Fire that guy! Try not answering the door with a gun. Its a dangerous job in a sh**hole town. He saw a gun and reacted properly.
- smacksaw, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Inglewood is one of those places that should be razed, and if you're from there, you're not allowed to come within 10 miles of it for 10 years. They need to dilute that place, the people, the city council, the cops - you name it.
- padth, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1That has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. The vast majority of people are just trying to live their lives. And most people live here because the rent is extremely cheap compared to the rest of LA county.
Secondly, you realize that Inglewood isn't out in the middle of no where, 10 miles would include a good chunk of Los Angeles (including down town), Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Culver City, Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, a large stretch of the ocean, in fact most of the west side.
- padth, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1That has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. The vast majority of people are just trying to live their lives. And most people live here because the rent is extremely cheap compared to the rest of LA county.
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