GO TO: Police Brutality | Sonoma County Free Press Home Page | Columns | Features

"These people had it coming to them" A reader develops better understanding through dialogue by Karen Saari

On Feb. 8 I received this correspondence from AC of San Joaquin County in California, who is the daughter of a retired policeman and a supporter of police violence. She believes deadly force is necessary, that the victims deserved to die and that we should be grateful for police who are protecting us and preserving our lives and liberty. AC agreed to let me post her comments along with my replies.

I hate to tell you, but your list of people who "died from police abuse" probably had it coming to them. Look at the causes of death for each individual....shot, crashed evading a sobriety check, high speed chase, died in prison, killed by fellow inmate. These people had it coming to them. Your liberal mind is narrowed to the issue and you have to realize that if these people were not restrained, you could have been their next victim. These police officers are here to protect you. I hope you never see the day when you are the victim in any situation. If you ever saw that side, you would understand how hard police officers have to work to keep these kind of people from harming others, the kind of people that don't care about morals or ethics, the kind of people that don't give a damn about human life or a damn about the law, the kind of people that are better off dead.

Sincerely, AC

Thank you for your response. (I think.) The list you were looking at does not elaborate on the circumstances of the deaths. In many cases the newspapers did not publish any additional information which in itself is suspicious.

I don't think these people deserved to die – most of them were not a threat to anyone.

Take, for example, the case of Shiloe Johnson who was killed in May of 1997. Shiloe was walking his bicycle across a bridge late at night. He was wearing a Walkman and could not hear what was going on around him. A cop came up to his companion who was walking behind him and yelled for him to stop. Because the Walkman was on, Shiloe could not have heard that interaction. Then cop then came up behind Shiloe and yelled for him to stop. Shiloe did not hear the command. The cop then jumped Shiloe from behind. Naturally, Shiloe felt threatened; the two tumbled down an embankment. There, in a matter of seconds, the cop shot Shiloe point blank in the head. Shiloe never stood a chance. That cop had been dismissed from the LAPD for brutality. As I understand it, he is still employed as an officer in Napa, CA – Shiloe is dead.

People who are deaf or do not understand English and do not hear commands are in great danger of police abuse.

I wonder how protected Judith Harris felt. Her cop husband had been having an affair with the former family baby-sitter for years. When his wife confronted him, he slashed her throat and allowed her to bleed to death. Then he hid her body and tried to cover up his crime by reporting his wife as missing. When his story fell apart a week later, he killed himself.

When an inmate is killed by another inmate in prison, it is usually the result of prison guards instigating a fight between them. This is a game that prison guards enjoy.

Most of the victims of the high speed chases were innocent motorists – they were not the suspects being pursued. Often unmarked police cars with no lights and sirens engage in these high speed chases and the motorist has no idea that a police pursuit is under way. Studies show that 70% of high speed chases end in car crashes. Concerned municipalities are putting more restrictions on the kinds of situations where police can engage in high speed chases.

It is fairly common knowledge that jail and prison officials intentionally withhold necessary medical treatment from inmates.

Regarding the two teenagers who crashed and died after evading a sobriety check point: The newspaper accounts I saw did not elaborate. It is entirely possible from what I know of police behavior that the police threatened their lives at the check point and the two boys raced away in an effort to save themselves.

I think it is naive and dangerous to think that the police are there to protect you or anyone else. The police are here to maintain control. Sometimes this might protect you and your family and sometimes it might not.

In Sonoma County most of the killings occurred when police responded to 911 calls about someone causing a disturbance – not someone posing a deadly threat. When police arrived, the situations were not diffused but rapidly escalated to the point where police contend they were compelled to use deadly force.

It is interesting to me that a cop can "justifiably" shoot and kill someone if he/she perceives that there is a threat to his/her life. It does not have to be an actual threat, just the cop's perception of a threat.

None of these victims of police abuse deserved to die. Few of them had committed a crime. Most were people of color, immigrants, youth, mentally ill or people experiencing a psychiatric episode. These are the most vulnerable members of society and cops are well-known for making fun of them and treating them in a hateful and disrespectful manner.

Lastly, I find being called a "liberal" offensive; liberals are so busy trying to "understand" everyone that they never get around to taking a stand on anything. I consider myself a social justice activist.

Thanks, Karen Saari

These instances are few of many, as you have said. The incident regarding the cop husband killing the wife is merely one of domestic violence. He could have been a factory worker and the result would still have been the same when jealousy rears its ugly head.

As for the prison inmates dying while IN PRISON....well, that says it all. Also, it is not common knowledge that prison guards enjoy taunting the prisoners. Some of them do, yes, but with my dad being a retired police officer and working in the prisons for some time, I know for a fact that this is not what you consider to be "common" behavior.

You stated the following:

It is interesting to me that a cop can "justifiably" shoot and kill someone if he/she perceives that there is a threat to his/her life. It does not have to be an actual threat, just the cop's perception of a threat.

My response to this is that the law plainly states that if any individual citizen feels that their life is in danger, then they can justifiably shoot and kill someone. If you even perceive that your life is in danger, you can shoot and kill someone. There is no special circumstances for police officers in general. This pertains to every individual.

Also, the victims of high speed chases, even if, as you say, they are innocent and are not the ones that are being pursued, are not killed because of police officers. They are killed because of the trash that police officers are pursuing. If not for the criminal whom the police are attempting to stop, they would not be in the situation that they get forced into everyday. I think the blame needs to be redirected to society and the lack of civility that these criminals have. The victims are dead, yes, but not due to the police. They are doing their job by protecting others from this obviously dangerous individual whom they are pursuing. Without these police officers, your life is worth nothing, absolutely nothing.

I don't know if your intention is to favor anarchism and the abolishment of the laws that are so freely provided for us, or if it to merely direct blame to the wrong party, but let me assure you that when you get inside the head of the victim or you become a victim yourself, you will understand why the police are there and your level of respect for them will be so great that there won't be a word to describe it. I can't imagine what my life would be like right now if my father was not there to protect us or any if any other officer out there was not there to protect my life and my liberty. These men put their lives at risk everyday in order to make this world, this society and this dangerous country a better place for you and I to live. I don't understand the bitterness that you feel towards these individuals that so graciously stick their necks on the line everyday. But a little respect for someone that is protecting your life when all you want to do is destroy theirs seems to be appropriate.

Once again, my point here is not to be argumentative, just to merely show you that the majority of officers and law enforcement agents out there are not in the business in order to hurt others. Quite the contrary. And I feel that the lack of respect given to them from you is quite narrow minded. They are not perfect individuals and neither are we. They are protected with the same rights and they should act accordingly. But remember that unlike the common citizen, officers of the law are not protecting only themselves, they are looking out for everyone.

Thank you, AC

I suppose we could carry on into the next millennium. Maybe we should. You clearly have a different view towards cops and so-called criminals (i.e. trash) than I do. I do think that if you learned the truth about the extent of police brutality, you might change your mind. One way to do this is to go to the October 22nd web page at unstoppable.com, load up the Stolen Lives Project and read the circumstances of the victims' deaths.

You say that your dad is a retired police officer. Have you read the Dale Hughes story on my web site? Dale, who was recently shot and killed by the police, was the son of a former police officer. His father is heartbroken and ashamed to admit that he was ever in law enforcement. Things have changed in recent years.

You seem to think there are a lot of dangerous citizens out there: I don't believe that. I think most people around are good, decent folks. Shock media and the police would like us to believe we are surrounded by scumbags and criminals. It is, after all, what keeps them both in business. In California in January of this year, according to my research, police killed more than 2 times as many people as did so-called gang members. (Most homicides were perpetrated by ex-lovers or family members.)

Cops and their wives and girlfriends: The number of cases that come to light about cops involved in domestic abuse and sexual harassment is alarming. I cannot imagine how many situations never receive public attention because the women involved are too fearful of reprisal to come forward. I don't think that men who have obvious problems with anger control and women have any business carrying weapons or responding to calls concerning domestic violence, i.e. they should not be police officers.

My life and liberty: As a loyal daughter of a cop, it seems quite reasonable that police care about your life and liberty. For me, things are quite different. As an outspoken critic of law enforcement, I may be in a considerable amount of danger from police. I have no illusions that they have any genuine interest in my liberty - particularly my freedom of speech.

My feelings toward cops: I feel disgust for current trends in law enforcement, not bitterness. I don't have personal feelings one way or another toward individual cops.

Regarding prisoners: (1) Many people in prison have been framed by corrupt police or sent up on extorted false confessions or phony evidence. (2) Most of the people in prison today (over 80%) are there for drug-related crimes. This country has a serious problem with drug addiction. Drug addiction is not a crime; it is a social problem.

High speed chases: Cops initiate high speed chases usually in an attempt to catch car thieves. I consider this a rather trivial crime compared to the risks it subjects the innocent public to. Most of those chases end in crashes – I believe the number is 70%. So – the stolen car is destroyed and too often people are killed and injured. I hold law enforcement responsible for reckless behavior that shows blatant disregard for the general public's safety.

You have made some assumptions about me that are erroneous.

One: I do not favor anarchy as a solution to the current epidemic of police violence. What I do say is that cops need to stop the beatings, stop the killings and stop manipulating evidence. In other words, they need to do their jobs without breaking the law.

Two: I think there are aggressive, sadistic law enforcement officers around and their numbers are rising. These cops may still be in the minority but they dominate their departments. The so-called "good" cops do little or nothing to stop them. Consequently, I have little respect for law enforcement. But, in all fairness, it is not only law enforcement that allows brutality to continue. The mainstream media looks the other way. District attorneys look the other way. The courts rarely intervene. The elected officials do nothing. In other words, we have a system that by doing nothing ends up sanctioning brutality. This is what people mean when they say police brutality is a systemic problem. One important way to bring an end to this violence is for cops who witness brutality to come forward and expose it. Two of the most powerful and effective activists I work with are ex-cops.

Three: I do not want to destroy any cop's life. I do, however, want to make some very legitimate criticisms.

Angela, thank you for responding. I have had fun doing this. I don't often have the opportunity to talk to someone with your perspective. It has given me a chance to clarify some of my viewpoints. I appreciate your willingness to let me put your contributions up in my column. If you have more to say – go right ahead.

Sincerely, Karen

From the way the stories on your web page read, it sounded as if you had it in for all cops. This is why I had such a hostile attitude towards you to begin with. I've had fun. I can say you've clarified many things that I've been pondering. Thank you for your insight. I have to get going for now though. Work calls. Thanks again.

– AC

Send Email to Sonoma County Free Press

Sonoma County Free Press Home Page | About The Free Press | Columns | Letters to the Editor | Features
Our Supporters