Mani
12-10-2014, 12:20 AM
Wow the cops are sure quick to point fingers once someone gives them some criticism. Pun intended.:p
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/13/betsy-hodges-pointergate_n_6155978.html
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, who was accused of using a "gang sign" while posing for a photo with a volunteer during a get-out-the-vote event, responded to the controversy in a blog post Thursday.
ABC affiliate KSTP reported that law enforcement officers -- including John Delmonico, president of the Minneapolis Police Federation -- believed Hodges, who was pointing at the volunteer in the photo, used a "gang sign."
"Lots of people point," Hodges wrote, referring to the picture in question, which can be seen below. "The President. Bill Clinton. Stephen Colbert. Babies. It is the earliest form of human communication. I’m not going to stop pointing."
In her blog post, Hodges outlined four possibilities for the criticism from law enforcement:
"First, maybe the head of the police union would like me to stop pointing altogether for the safety of the community."
"Second, maybe the head of the police union wants me to refrain from being in the presence of people whose criminal history I don’t know."
"The third option may be that the head of the police union doesn’t want me standing next to young African American men."
"It could be that the head of the police union wants me to stop working to raise the standards of police culture and accountability."
Hodges said she believes the fourth criticism is "the real option":
If that is the case, he has failed on two levels. First, the people of the internet have called out this story over and over with outrage and humor, shining the light of day on the ridiculous premise on which it was based.
Second, and more significantly, I am undaunted in my commitment to making sure that police–community relationships are as strong as they can be. I am undaunted in my desire to support and develop police officers who serve respectfully and collaboratively every day to keep people safe and make all our neighborhoods stronger. I am undaunted in my plans to increase accountability for consistent bad actors in the police department.
Let me be clear on this final point. There is a critical difference between our good officers who have a bad day on the job, and officers, however few, who have a standing habit of mistreatment and poor judgment when relating to the public, particularly people of color. I am as concerned with the negative effects of this conduct on the police department as a whole as I am with its effects on our community. I am convinced that we can change it, even if it takes years.
Hodges is right that KSTP's story was "called out." On Wednesday's episode of "The Daily Show," host Jon Stewart addressed the controversy by adding pointing to the already long list of "innocent things black people do that look suspicious.” As HuffPost's Amanda Terkel reported last week, more than a few black people have been accused of supporting criminal activity because they made a hand gesture.
Navell Gordon, the man in the photo with Hodges, addressed "pointergate" Tuesday, saying KSTP's report "felt like something racist."
"When I saw my face blurred out, that felt like something racist. Because I'm African-American, but they got the mayor's face showing," Gordon said. "I'm pointing at the mayor. It's not a gang sign. How would I be in a gang if I've been canvassing for two years, going door to door? What kind of gang member pops up at everybody's door? I'm a known member of one of the bigger gangs in Minnesota, and I knock on everybody's door? That's just crazy."
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/minneapolis-mayor-calls-out-police-who-accused-her-allegedly-flashing-gang-signs
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, who has been accused by police and the media for allegedly flashing a “gang sign” and standing with a “convicted criminal” while encouraging voters ahead of last week’s midterm elections, has a message for the people who ridiculed her: “I’m not going to stop pointing.”
“I point a lot. Lots of people point. The president. Bill Clinton. Stephen Colbert. Babies. It is the earliest form of human communication,” the mayor wrote in a blog post Thursday. She said she won’t refrain from being in the presence of people whose criminal history she doesn’t know, nor from standing next to “young African-American men.”
The controversy began when a local TV station in Minnesota recently obtained a photograph of Hodges standing arm-in-arm next to a community volunteer, who is black. The two individuals posed, smiling and pointing at one another. The news outlet broadcast and wrote a story that accused Hodges of flashing a “known gang sign” and standing next to a man who “is a twice-convicted felon for drug selling and possession and illegal possession of a firearm.” The public criticized the news outlet by taking to social media and creating the hashtag “PointerGate.”
The mayor and volunteer had been traveling door-to-door to encourage residents to vote before the Nov. 4 elections. In her blog post responding to the attacks, Hodges outlined several reasons she thinks some Minneapolis police officials criticized her.
“It could be that the head of the police union wants me to stop working to raise the standards of police culture and accountability,” she wrote, noting that she remains undaunted in her commitment to ensure a stronger relationship between the police and community.
John Elder, public information officer for the Minneapolis Police Department, on Friday told msnbc the force had no additional comment. The mayor’s office didn’t immediately respond to msnbc’s request for comment.
Last month, Hodges took a position on law enforcement and community relations. Prior to posing in the now-infamous photograph, she wrote on Oct. 8 in an open letter to the community that “some officers abuse the trust that is afforded to them, and take advantage of their roles to do harm rather than prevent it.” John Delmonico, president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, wrote a response letter, in which he defended the force’s disciplinary system.
Even comedian Jon Stewart joined in on the public outcry this week.
“Mayor Betsy Hodges was doing voter-registration work with a man who wasn’t in a gang, and was brazenly flashing a not-gang sign,” joked Stewart, host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”
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The pointing stuff and gang signs is all nonsense...Let's get to the heart of the issue. The letter that pissed off the cops:
http://stmedia.startribune.com/documents/1forum100914.doc.pdf
Running the city well for everyone means making sure that every resident of Minneapolis feels safe and is safe , in every neighborhood. Hundreds of police officers serve respectfully and collaboratively every day to keep people safe and make neighborhoods across our city stronger.
But not all do:
some officers abuse the trust that is afforded to them, and take advantage of their roles to do harm rather than prevent it. Minneapolis has, and has had, officers like that. These officers do not represent a majority of the department, but their behavior disrupts community trust for all officers in the community. When left unchecked, their behavior fosters a culture inside the department that gives a shove downward to police and community relationships. When that culture exists, good cops face even 2 more hurdles to fostering a positive culture and bad cops have even more room to maneuver, and the downward spiral continues. This is why it is so important to check bad behavior and end it, once and for all. Every leader must acknowledge that this history and this culture in Minneapolis have made the goal of true community safety a challenge to reach. We must also acknowledge the pain and anger in community about it. If part of our community does not feel safe calling the police, if people do not report a crime or come forward as witnesses because they do not feel safe in relationship with the police, then nowhere in our city, and none of us, is safe.
She goes on to recommend body cams, TO FIRE officers that don't meet standards, more accountability, and regularly publish numbers about misconduct & lawsuit settlements, transparency on complaints against officers etc.
No wonder the police hate her guts!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/13/betsy-hodges-pointergate_n_6155978.html
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, who was accused of using a "gang sign" while posing for a photo with a volunteer during a get-out-the-vote event, responded to the controversy in a blog post Thursday.
ABC affiliate KSTP reported that law enforcement officers -- including John Delmonico, president of the Minneapolis Police Federation -- believed Hodges, who was pointing at the volunteer in the photo, used a "gang sign."
"Lots of people point," Hodges wrote, referring to the picture in question, which can be seen below. "The President. Bill Clinton. Stephen Colbert. Babies. It is the earliest form of human communication. I’m not going to stop pointing."
In her blog post, Hodges outlined four possibilities for the criticism from law enforcement:
"First, maybe the head of the police union would like me to stop pointing altogether for the safety of the community."
"Second, maybe the head of the police union wants me to refrain from being in the presence of people whose criminal history I don’t know."
"The third option may be that the head of the police union doesn’t want me standing next to young African American men."
"It could be that the head of the police union wants me to stop working to raise the standards of police culture and accountability."
Hodges said she believes the fourth criticism is "the real option":
If that is the case, he has failed on two levels. First, the people of the internet have called out this story over and over with outrage and humor, shining the light of day on the ridiculous premise on which it was based.
Second, and more significantly, I am undaunted in my commitment to making sure that police–community relationships are as strong as they can be. I am undaunted in my desire to support and develop police officers who serve respectfully and collaboratively every day to keep people safe and make all our neighborhoods stronger. I am undaunted in my plans to increase accountability for consistent bad actors in the police department.
Let me be clear on this final point. There is a critical difference between our good officers who have a bad day on the job, and officers, however few, who have a standing habit of mistreatment and poor judgment when relating to the public, particularly people of color. I am as concerned with the negative effects of this conduct on the police department as a whole as I am with its effects on our community. I am convinced that we can change it, even if it takes years.
Hodges is right that KSTP's story was "called out." On Wednesday's episode of "The Daily Show," host Jon Stewart addressed the controversy by adding pointing to the already long list of "innocent things black people do that look suspicious.” As HuffPost's Amanda Terkel reported last week, more than a few black people have been accused of supporting criminal activity because they made a hand gesture.
Navell Gordon, the man in the photo with Hodges, addressed "pointergate" Tuesday, saying KSTP's report "felt like something racist."
"When I saw my face blurred out, that felt like something racist. Because I'm African-American, but they got the mayor's face showing," Gordon said. "I'm pointing at the mayor. It's not a gang sign. How would I be in a gang if I've been canvassing for two years, going door to door? What kind of gang member pops up at everybody's door? I'm a known member of one of the bigger gangs in Minnesota, and I knock on everybody's door? That's just crazy."
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/minneapolis-mayor-calls-out-police-who-accused-her-allegedly-flashing-gang-signs
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, who has been accused by police and the media for allegedly flashing a “gang sign” and standing with a “convicted criminal” while encouraging voters ahead of last week’s midterm elections, has a message for the people who ridiculed her: “I’m not going to stop pointing.”
“I point a lot. Lots of people point. The president. Bill Clinton. Stephen Colbert. Babies. It is the earliest form of human communication,” the mayor wrote in a blog post Thursday. She said she won’t refrain from being in the presence of people whose criminal history she doesn’t know, nor from standing next to “young African-American men.”
The controversy began when a local TV station in Minnesota recently obtained a photograph of Hodges standing arm-in-arm next to a community volunteer, who is black. The two individuals posed, smiling and pointing at one another. The news outlet broadcast and wrote a story that accused Hodges of flashing a “known gang sign” and standing next to a man who “is a twice-convicted felon for drug selling and possession and illegal possession of a firearm.” The public criticized the news outlet by taking to social media and creating the hashtag “PointerGate.”
The mayor and volunteer had been traveling door-to-door to encourage residents to vote before the Nov. 4 elections. In her blog post responding to the attacks, Hodges outlined several reasons she thinks some Minneapolis police officials criticized her.
“It could be that the head of the police union wants me to stop working to raise the standards of police culture and accountability,” she wrote, noting that she remains undaunted in her commitment to ensure a stronger relationship between the police and community.
John Elder, public information officer for the Minneapolis Police Department, on Friday told msnbc the force had no additional comment. The mayor’s office didn’t immediately respond to msnbc’s request for comment.
Last month, Hodges took a position on law enforcement and community relations. Prior to posing in the now-infamous photograph, she wrote on Oct. 8 in an open letter to the community that “some officers abuse the trust that is afforded to them, and take advantage of their roles to do harm rather than prevent it.” John Delmonico, president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, wrote a response letter, in which he defended the force’s disciplinary system.
Even comedian Jon Stewart joined in on the public outcry this week.
“Mayor Betsy Hodges was doing voter-registration work with a man who wasn’t in a gang, and was brazenly flashing a not-gang sign,” joked Stewart, host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The pointing stuff and gang signs is all nonsense...Let's get to the heart of the issue. The letter that pissed off the cops:
http://stmedia.startribune.com/documents/1forum100914.doc.pdf
Running the city well for everyone means making sure that every resident of Minneapolis feels safe and is safe , in every neighborhood. Hundreds of police officers serve respectfully and collaboratively every day to keep people safe and make neighborhoods across our city stronger.
But not all do:
some officers abuse the trust that is afforded to them, and take advantage of their roles to do harm rather than prevent it. Minneapolis has, and has had, officers like that. These officers do not represent a majority of the department, but their behavior disrupts community trust for all officers in the community. When left unchecked, their behavior fosters a culture inside the department that gives a shove downward to police and community relationships. When that culture exists, good cops face even 2 more hurdles to fostering a positive culture and bad cops have even more room to maneuver, and the downward spiral continues. This is why it is so important to check bad behavior and end it, once and for all. Every leader must acknowledge that this history and this culture in Minneapolis have made the goal of true community safety a challenge to reach. We must also acknowledge the pain and anger in community about it. If part of our community does not feel safe calling the police, if people do not report a crime or come forward as witnesses because they do not feel safe in relationship with the police, then nowhere in our city, and none of us, is safe.
She goes on to recommend body cams, TO FIRE officers that don't meet standards, more accountability, and regularly publish numbers about misconduct & lawsuit settlements, transparency on complaints against officers etc.
No wonder the police hate her guts!!