I've just come from reading Liprap's, latest post on Humid City, regarding the press conference & 'Crime Meeting' held last Tuesday Night, with District Attorney Cannizzaro & Chief Serpas. It makes for interesting reading, and I recommend reading it here.
But the general drift, again, is what we, as citizens, must do to end crime.
Personally, I'm sickened by the level of crime, particularly violent crime, sweeping our city. I'm particularly sick to death of the talk of how we must understand this comes from the lack of education, low quality of life, blah, blah, blah.
Of course it does. But how in the hell are any of us going to change the educational system shredded by our elected officials, or improve the all important 'quality of life' issues that lead to this level of disregard for human life, when we can't get a damn street light repaired for five years?
My response to her post, to the City of New Orleans, to Superintendent Serpas, is copied below.
I'd like you to read that, too. Please do what you can to help. Even if that means missing the very emotionally rewarding meetings to stay home and call City Hall, write letters, blog away and draw attention to the fact that no matter what we do or how hard we try, traffic stops, press announcements and throwing up ones hands does NOT protect a city from armed killers.
LD
My comment, reposted here:
__________________
This is truly a heartbreaking situation. Again.
I sat at a Silence is Violence meeting next to Dinerral Shavers Mother. Friends & neighbors of Helen Hill, myself included, were there. Speeches & assurances were made.
Now we have a New Superintendent, Ronal Serpas. Speeches & assurances again, all around. Again. This is truly a heartbreaking situation.
I’m not going to delve into the ramifications of Sheriff Gusman’s “celebrating the great work of (Gusman’s) employees”. The inmate death toll there, particularly of those with unmet mental health issues, speaks volumes to us all, about both Sheriff Gusman, and Bobby Jindal, who ripped mental health care out of New Orleans like he was stealing gold from a living tooth…
When Ronal Serpas entered the Final Running For Police Chief, as we all knew he would, I posted several articles and links on this very blog site regarding his technique of law enforcement in Nashville.
I suggest anyone curious as to what will happen here go back & read up….
Endless traffic stops & DUI Arrests out the Ying Yang. (Not that that’s a bad thing. My dad was killed by a drunk driver)
Lots of ‘quality of life’ citations. General Barney Fife law enforcement, designed to nab the bad guys when they inevitably fall into one of these stops. Or in the latest case, drive the wrong way up a one way street, a virtual no-brainer for any cop on patrol.
Now, there’s that phrase we don’t hear so much. Cop on Patrol.
In fact, the word ‘cop’ comes from the English ‘Constable On Patrol’. It might be time they started doing it. Again.
Helen Hill’s killer, never caught, escaped on foot. I’m guessing into the then empty Universal Furniture Building that later housed the 5th District Headquarters. I live next door, and to my knowledge, they didn’t look in there that day, even though it’s 50 yards away.
Wendy Byrne’s killers, 3 kids between 14 & 16, were also walking the streets, carrying around a 9mm handgun they couldn’t wait to use.
The recent series of serial rapes in the St Roch area, culminating with the assassination style murder of Jon ‘Flee’ Hall, were committed by Cedric Berryhill, another psychotically dangerous pedestrian.
The recent armed robberies that have plagued the St Roch & Marigny neighborhoods, as well as Frenchman St, were carried out by a 16 year old perp on a bicycle.
This list, that I can recall off the top of my head, is far to long to list here. My research shows there are too many to make it possible to remember them all. For me, anyway.
Truth be told, I’d rather not.
I’d rather sit blissfully ignorant in my car, playing on my lap top, like so many cops are seen doing in the 5th District. I’d rather be short & mean on the phone, so I don’t have to talk to anyone, like whoever the hell it is that answers at the 5th District. I’d rather be hanging out with a half dozen of my buddies, shooting the breeze and GETTING PAID FOR IT, like these 5th District cops caught video in the Marigny: http://lorddavidtruth.blogspot.com/2011/01/nopd-5th-district-takes-it-to-streets.html
Instead, I track crime reports & repost them on Face Book. My friends & neighbors all exchange text messages when there’s an obvious threat.
In fact, we were doing just that, when the 5th District issued a call to ‘help in the manhunt’ that lead to Cedric Berryhill’s arrest. So we joined in. You can see in the linked video exactly what the Constables On Patrol were doing… Running their mouths in the street past midnight, six cars strong, waking up the locals with their profanity laden bullshit.
And the people who filmed it remain anonymous because they fear for their lives.
So, truth be told, I’d rather not have Ronal Serpas’ job either. It must be a nightmare. I can’t imagine the depth of anxiety he must feel every time somebody else gets killed.
On the other hand, I don’t think he really understands the depth of horror felt by the mothers of Alvin Crosby & Dinerral Shavers.
I don’t think he ever will, in fact, I certainly hope not.
But until he’s willing to admit that there are full blown thugs & bullies out here, wearing the uniform of the NOPD, still, he’s lost the fight.
Until he’s ready to teach a multitude of lazy city employees to GET OUT OF THEIR CARS AND PATROL, walking the very streets where we walk, to & from work, with wives & husbands, sons & daughters, well, Barny Fife law enforcement, with a peppering of criminal bullies wearing badges, is the best we can expect.
As for the citizens of the Marigny & St Roch, we’re DOING our part, while the NOPD, right on up to Mitch’s Favorite Bro, Ronal Sherpas, is failing. And he’s failing with the same techniques his critics in Nashville warned us would fail, before he ever got started.
Please, don’t tell me ‘it’s less than a year’. It’s also close to a year and they're still complaining about him in Nashville.
NOPD – DO YOUR JOBS & STOP PUSHING PEOPLE AROUND. Otherwise, you’re the problem, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment