"Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses ..." -- "Killing in the Name of" - Rage Against the Machine
From the Arizona Republic:
Mesa police plan to discipline an officer who admitted making an obscene gesture as he drove past pro-immigrant protesters Wednesday in a marked police vehicle.
Sgt. Mike Doherty, a 20-year veteran, admitted he made obscene gestures "due to his general distaste for protesters," according to Holly Hosac, a Mesa police spokeswoman.
Doherty was in uniform when he passed about 30 members of Immigrants Without Borders, an immigrant advocacy group that has protested in the past against crackdowns on undocumented immigrants by Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
The group was protesting peacefully at Alma School Road and Main Street. Several group members reported an officer displaying an obscene gesture twice as he drove past them. Information from witnesses led police to identify Doherty.
"While Doherty stated that he did not know what the demonstration was about, he acknowledged his actions were inappropriate and unprofessional," Hosac wrote in a press release.
Police Chief George Gascón said the department is required to respect the Constitutional rights of everyone, saying, "there is no justifiable reason for this type of behavior."
Police said disciplinary action against Doherty is pending but did not elaborate. He was working as a school resources officer for the past two weeks, but will be reassigned, police said.
I personally know several policemen and their intentions are noble and they seem to be in law enforcement for the right reasons. But civil service, whether it be police or politics, can also attract those that seek nothing but power. The goal of both should be to be the voice for those that don't have a voice.
This police officer should have been vigorously defending this group's right to protest. Instead, while in a position of authority, he let his inner-racist show.
3 comments:
I'm sure there's a lot of tension there regarding immigration issues, but that does NOT excuse his behavior at all.
You wanna see racist cops (and firemen), come to Chicago. The Irish and blacks have a special animosity toward one another here...
He has a general disdain for protesters, eh? If he hates the Bill of Rights that much then maybe he's living in the wrong fucking country.
Guys like that give cops a bad rep.
dbackdad... I've just reviewed The God Delusion if you want to comment on it. I know that you've read it so I thought it might be interesting comparing notes [grin].
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