Then the police arrived. I like the police. They have uniforms and numbers and you know what they are meant to be doing....
.......I wanted to answer the questions properly, but the policeman did not give me enough time to work out the correct answer.......
He was asking too many questions and he was asking them too quickly. They were stacking up in my head like loaves in the factory where Uncle Terry works. The factory is a bakery and he operates the slicing machines. And sometimes the slicer is not working fast enough but the bread keeps coming and there is a blockage....
I rolled back on the lawn and pressed my forehead to the ground again and made a noise that Father calls groaning. I make this noise when there is too much information coming into my head from the outside world....
The policeman hold of my arm and lifted me onto my feet.
I didn't like him touching me like this.
And this is when I hit him.-From the curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon
Mark Haddon's mystery story, about the death of a dog, of all things- is a lesson on autism and Aspergers- though the author has not stated outright that the character in his brilliant story is actually on the autism spectrum.
It should be required reading for all teachers. Police officers, too. Haddon's story could do a great deal for helping the larger society learn how to interact with people they don't understand.
I am going to talk about the police. And about Darrien Hunt. Like the character in Haddon's story, I like the police. But I don't understand many of them, and many of them don't understand me. And lack of understanding causes confusion. And confusion causes schism.
Darrien Hunt probably liked the police,too. He was, after all, smiling at them before things went so horribly downhill that he was executed by those same police officers just moments later.
I am not suggesting that Darrien Hunt was on the autism spectrum. But you better believe I suspect he may have been from everything I have read. His behavior that day makes me think that. He was cosplaying. In character. He was confronted, in a serious situation. And he miscued. I am of the opinion that he had no idea what was going down, or how badly it was going to end.
And that breaks my heart.
What I do know, is this. Black males are statistically under-represented on the spectrum, and there are thousands of black and Latino males in schools across America that-because they are not identified- are being labeled as something else. And those kids end up in trouble at school, and then they end up in trouble with the law.
And I have seen, first hand, how a small town community over reacts to autism. I have also seen how members of law enforcement- totally caught up in their crime paradigm- miscue and misinterpret and misuse the law to criminalize behavior that is organic in nature. By that, I mean that the behavior is chemical, but has nothing at all to do with criminal intent.
I also know how, and why, many families try to hide personal information about their children on the autism spectrum. That is, if they are even aware of it in the first place.
Where are the Ear Buds, and Why Haven't they Been Mentioned?
Among the many unanswered questions regarding the shooting of Darrien Hunt have to do with the ear buds that Darrien was wearing. How did the ear buds factor into Darrien's hearing the directions being given to him? Why weren't the ear buds mentioned in any reports? Where are the ear buds now? Is it true that Darrien's pants were pulled down. Why? How did this happen?
Cosplay and Ear Buds: Is there a Sensory Component to This?
I can't help but wonder about this kid. The autopsy showed that there were no drugs or alcohol in his system. They also show that he was shot multiple times. In the back. After fleeing and outrunning the two cops who shot him to death.
Ear buds, a smile on his face when confronted by the police, and dressed as a samurai? In the middle of Utah?
It sure sounds like he wasn't cuing very well. His responses to the police demonstrated this. He didn't get it, and the seriousness of the situation may have been lost on him completely.
It sure sounds like he wasn't cuing very well. His responses to the police demonstrated this. He didn't get it, and the seriousness of the situation may have been lost on him completely.
Until they were shooting him.
Why Doesn't Senator Mia B. Love Care About Darrien Hunt
Rule number one in politician motivation is to always follow the money. Mia Love wanted to be Senator really, really bad. In fact, she spent over $4,300,000 to become Senator (click here and here and here).
Did you catch that? She spent over $4 million and none of it was hers. No wonder her investors were watching her social media so closely.
Now you know why Mia B. Love was silent about the shooting death of Darrien Hunt. Why she has nothing to say about the matter.
It would have been bad for her investors.
Did you catch that? She spent over $4 million and none of it was hers. No wonder her investors were watching her social media so closely.
Now you know why Mia B. Love was silent about the shooting death of Darrien Hunt. Why she has nothing to say about the matter.
It would have been bad for her investors.
Police Killings Highest in Decades
USA Today just released an article with a shocking bit of data. Well, shocking if your head has been in the sand (click here). And this data came from the FBI.
The number of felony suspects fatally shot by police last year — 461— was the most in two decades, according to a new FBI report.
The justifiable homicide count, contained in the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Report, has become increasingly scrutinized in recent months as questions continue to be raised about the use of lethal force by law enforcement.
National attention has been drawn to cases from New York to Albuquerque, though much of the focus is on Ferguson, Mo., where the restive St. Louis suburb awaits the decision of a grand jury weighing the fatal shooting in August of a black teenager by a white police officer.
This year, a USA TODAY analysis of the FBI's justifiable homicide database during a seven-year period ending in 2012 found an average of 96 incidents each year in which a white officer killed a black person.
The new 2013 total of justifiable killings represents the third consecutive increase in the annual toll. Criminal justice analysts said the inherent limitations of the database — the killings are self-reported by law enforcement, and not all police agencies participate in the annual counts — continue to frustrate efforts to identify the universe of lethal force incidents involving police.As troubling as the data is, equally troubling is that there is no uniform standard for reporting data. The result are numbers that are deceptive. For this reason it has increasingly fallen on citizens groups, civil rights advocates, and political activists to get the word out when the law fails to "Protect and Serve" and turn their weapons on United States Citizens. The reason the FBI and the Department of Justice are taking notice is because of these so called "radical" citizens. Without these noisy activists the wholesale slaughter- that is becoming increasingly noticeable- would be virtually ignored.
University of South Carolina criminologist Geoff Alpert, who has long studied police use of deadly force, said the latest number of justifiable homicides, while increasing, still likely represents a significant under-counting......
At least seven U.S. police departments have been the subjects of federal reviews in the wake of fatal police shootings since 2010.
In addition to Ferguson, one of the broadest examinations has been occurring in Albuquerque where the Justice Department last month announced an agreement that requires the city's troubled police agency to transform its lethal force policy.
Since 2009, according to municipal records, Albuquerque officers have been involved in nearly 50 shootings, with at least 32 resulting in death, including several mentally ill suspects
Why Are Law Enforcement So Heavily Armed?
The question of the decade. Why did the United States Government give all this surplus weaponry to law enforcement? How did they think law enforcement would react? Is this what they hoped the outcome would be, or is the War on US Citizens a- for lack of a better term-misfire?
It is time to stop the madness. Take that equipment back.
What Happens When You Give a Power Tripper Unlimited Power? or Outrunned and Outgunned- Why Was Darrien Hunt Shot in the Back?
One can't help but wonder why Darrien Hunt was shot in the back. I can't help but think this was some kind of messed up powertrip. Everything I have seen and read- from comments on Facebook before he took his page down- to his web presence- indicates some serious posturing.
Father of the Year arming a child with an assault weapon
This is both in the blogs he's written, and in the cyberspace that he mysteriously vacated- but which still shares a vestige of his presence. I doubt seriously that anyone who knows him- and who is honest in their heart- will fail to concur that this guy thinks a whole lot of himself. His online rants against drug use comes across like a personal crusade- and is so lacking in logic that it comes across as obsessive.
Paired with his disdain for drugs, was a strange dislike of Bob Marley that would have been funny if the young man he killed didn't look remarkably similar to Marley. Was it too much for this guy to swallow? That he was being shown up by a guy who looked like Bob Marley?
Why did he shoot this kid in the back so many times?
Was it because Matthew Schauerhamer had a bruised ego?
That for all of his bravado, and working out, and weight loss- was all for naught? Because he was being outrun by a young black dude in a kimono?
Was this all because Schauerhamer- the mighty cloud hammer- couldn't catch the kid?
Why did the officers stop chasing?
Were they reloading?
Was that the sword on the ground?
One question I have- since this guy is so obsessed with drug use in others- is why? What is going on in this guy's head that has made him so determined to stop others' drug usage so vehemently?
Was this guy- who shot someone one in the back repeatedly- ever drug tested for steroids?
Or is this considered normal behavior by the investigating junta in Utah? That after giving up chase, an officer just pulls out his weapon and fires at a citizen carrying a toy.
Do Walmart shoppers in Utah pose a similar threat?
Will the Walmart where Darrien Hunt was executed become the OK Corral on Black Friday?
Will Santa Claus- the most famous cosplayer of all time- be shot to death outside of Saratoga Springs Walmart for carrying a bag of toys, too?
Matthew Schauerhamer, Artiste
Why has this upstanding Utah cop- who makes more than $100,000 a year- taken down all of his online artwork?
Yes, he is not only a blogger, he is an artist. In fact, he's more of a Renaissance Man than yours truly.
Here's some of his stuff.
Maybe it will add a little more insight.
Maybe not.
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| Touch me, or else |
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| STASI STYLE |
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Meanwhile in California: Is Los Angeles a Playground for Police Shootings?
Living in Los Angeles has shown to be unsafe for many people. Especially people of color. Giving a statistical voice to tears of hundreds of families destroyed by this ongoing problem, The Huffington Post reports that 600 people- many of them black or Latino, have been shot by the police in Los Angeles since 2000. This is paired with a fatality rate of about one per week for the last 14 years. The data came from a report titled Don't Shoot to Kill (click here)
From 2000 to 2006, the report says, overall homicides in L.A. County ranged between 1074 and 1231 per year. During that period, officer-involved killings made up between 2.5 and 4.5 percent of that total. However, since 2007, as overall homicide rates have trended downward -- there were 941 total killings in 2007, but only 595 in 2013 -- law enforcement use of deadly force resulting in homicide "doubled to between 4 and 8 percent" of the total, the report reads.
The report found that of the 314 people killed between 2007 and 2014, 97 percent were male, a combined 82 percent were black or Latino and 52 percent were under age 30.
There are 57 different law enforcement agencies in L.A. County, and "many departments had no killings" during the 14-year period examined in the report, said Kim McGill, an organizer with the Youth Justice Coalition.
The YJC go on to make recommendations to help reduce this problem. Among their recommendations is to demilitarize the police departments, eliminate the use of surplus military equipment, and my personal favorite, end the gang injunctions.
"We do know that, by far, the highest numbers [of police killings] are [committed by] county sheriffs and LAPD, with Long Beach and Inglewood leading among smaller cities," McGill told The Huffington Post in an email.
Of course, that may run contrary to the bread and butter of our resident douchebag city attorney. Right Mack?
The YJC report offers a number of detailed recommendations to help reduce police and community violence. It calls on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to launch a civil rights investigation into officer-involved shootings and the use of force countywide. It also calls for demilitarizing the police through the elimination of surplus military equipment, as well as the end of stop-and-frisk searches, gang databases and gang injunctions.
"We know personally that police violence isn’t only the bullets that pierce our dome, but the police baton that breaks our bones, and the battering ram that breaks our homes," the YJC report concludes, quoting from a statement authored by the group that was originally read at Ford's burial in August.
"It’s the war on drugs and the war on gangs that gentrifies our communities and fills our prisons," the report continues. "It’s the separation of families through gang injunctions, incarceration and deportation that leaves us orphaned. It’s California’s addiction to police and prison spending that bankrupts our schools and shuts down positive resources in our communities –- jobs, youth centers, libraries, health and mental health clinics, parks and playgrounds. It’s these programs that Ezell needed and all of us need -– not the police lock-down of our neighborhoods."
"Demand a city, a state and a nation where Ezell Ford and Deandre Brunston, Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, Oscar Grant, Suzie Peña, and Devin Brown would be in college and not in the ground."
If You Have a Problem, Don't Call a Cop
It is becoming increasingly clear to many of us that when we have a problem, the last thing we want to do is involve the police. As long as the response of the police leads to the kinds of interventions we have seen in tragic situations- such as Kendrec McDade (click here), Michael Nida (click here), Michael Brown (click here), Kelley Thomas (click here), John Crawford III (click here), and Darrien Hunt (click here)- then the last place many of us feel safe in doing is to ask law enforcement to help us solve problems.
Unless we are seeking death as a solution.
It is such a serious problem in this country that those who speak up find themselves pursued online, and many of them live in fear. This is serious stuff, folks.
The fears that have been brought to my attention on a daily basis from people all over this country- who are out there putting their money where their mouths are- feel the pressure for speaking up. These are people who feel it is their civic duty to speak up- and they are facing the ultimate test. And they feel threatened. Seriously harassed.
This is right here in the United States of America, folks.
#OPDarrienHunt
An Op, or operation, is what members of the internet coalition Anonymous call a focused- for lack of a better term- event. As far as I can tell, these events bring international attention to questionable events. Such as the shooting of an unarmed man. Because Anonymous is a loose, unstructured coalition of activists and hacktivists (click here) it is difficult to really get an intellectual grip on their desired outcomes. It is really subjective and based on the interaction between members and their desire to see justice prevail.
I have had a Twitter account for about a year. In that time the band has made about 4,000 connections. In the Twitter world it is the use of hashtags (#) and directed messages (@) that get people connected. At least as far as I can tell.
The use of mass Twitter Storms (click here) is one way the group spreads the word and brings attention to its causes. I use twitter for my band, but I am really a novice, and not very effective as a marketer in this area. However, I have been involved in using this social media device, usually to aid people in locating missing persons.
About one week ago I was contacted by an Anon to support #JusticeForDarrienHunt and #OpDarrienHunt. In a matter of hours I watched this group- which started in the hundreds when I chose to hit follow- explode. It grew to 12,000 within 48 hours, and is currently at over 34,000. In one week.
What is the point?
People care about this issue. A lot of people.
The NAACP Call for a Federal Investigation
A call for a Federal investigation has been requested by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
The NAACP is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the shooting of Darrien Hunt by two Saratoga Springs police officers.
The shooting, ruled justified last week by the Utah County Attorney’s Office, has prompted the civil rights organization to get involved. At a news conference on Monday, NAACP Salt Lake Branch President Jeanetta Williams said they reviewed the findings and disagreed with them.
“He was carrying a sword, running away from officers, when he was shot six times in the back,” Williams said. “The NAACP is asking for the investigation to include the alleged initial confrontation with the officers, and the shots that were fired as Darrien Hunt was running away from the officers.”
Williams said the NAACP wanted to know if Hunt’s civil rights were violated, focusing on police tactics and whether they were consistent with law enforcement policies and procedures.
Williams said the NAACP waited until the Utah County Attorney’s Office had ended its investigation before getting involved.
“The NAACP is seeking transparency and accountability,” she said. “We do not want our young people to look at police as their executioner, but as an authority of safety.”
In a statement to FOX 13, the U.S. Department of Justice acknowledged the NAACP’s request — but did not confirm any federal probe.
“We acknowledge the NAACP’s request this morning. We appreciate their concern. However, we do not comment about investigations,” the statement said.
More Documents.
The following documents seriously call into question some of the conflicting information provided by the responding officers. Clearly, Darrien Hunt was NOT on drugs. The diversion of drug use is being used- and will be continued to be used- in order to portray the victim of this crime as an aggressor. In other words, that he somehow deserved to be killed because he was on drugs.
This is a common straw man argument. He wasn't on drugs, but create a diversion by saying he was. Then justify the killing based on that diversion.
Keeping in mind that the original premise is moot. It is not a capital offense to have a past history of drug use.
And there you go. The drug argument is completely moot. But you best believe that the Saratoga Prings Police Department will try to use it again. and again.
Why?
Because they think the populace of Utah are a bunch of stupid, ignorant crackers who don't know better and can't see through a ruse.
A Proud Spouse?
A couple of weeks ago someone was tweeting a post they said came from the spouse of one of the police shooters. I thought it was funny, but it was too vague for me to believe was actually legit. I did a search and was able to easily locate the wife's page. I was able to determine that she is a "Stand by Your Man" type. I still wouldn't authenticate this post based on that.
But it still speaks volumes, whether it is authentic, or just more pablum and propaganda. She's got that Blue Line mindset, and that inevitable 'You're with Us, or You're the Enemy" drivel as a foundation.
Whatever. I meet a thousand people just a stupid as her every day. Most of them, though, are married to people who don't shoot people in the back. She must be really proud of that..
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There is a mindset in our world that if you oppose the acts of rogue individuals who bastardize the system to meet their own personal agenda, that you somehow oppose the system entirely. And on the political spectrum- with all of its distortion and ignorance- plays into this mindset as well.
I have news for you. I actually like the police departments I have interacted with. Having said that- I have met bad apples, and I know how they behave. But I hardly hold them up as exemplary in the field. I hardly consider them human beings at all.
I know the difference, and it doesn't make me an enemy. It makes me like most law abiding citizens.
When the police are militarized for even the most peaceful of demonstrations, and when they are shooting and beating citizens to death- then something is definitely wrong with our democracy.
When I can't tell the difference between a demonstration in Ferguson from a riot in China, then there is something wrong.
But there is something really, really wrong in this country. It came post 911, and it never really faded away. It is the mindset that if you dare speak out against the gatekeepers, that you are somehow affiliated with terrorism and the destruction of democracy. And it's the biggest lie out there. But guess what? For an entire generation it has been sold as the truth. And that is what we are dealing with.
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