nypd - Jezebel

posts about #nypd more →
The Thin Blue Fine
The Grim Blue Line
Hollaback Girl

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

angryblackgurl
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
Thank you Anna, this picture says it all....
Reply

angryblackgurl was starred angryblackgurl was unstarred

Evie Havok
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
I hope whomever shot him gets what's coming to him. Asses.

Condolences to Officer Omar Edwards' family.
Reply

Evie Havok was starred Evie Havok was unstarred

Easybreezy
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
This is just about the saddest story I've ever heard.
Reply

Easybreezy was starred Easybreezy was unstarred

Eleanor Ramilly
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
Murder is murder
Why're they confused?
Another man dead
I read it in the news
Who gave them the fucking right
To run around like they own the night?
Oh bang! bang!
Wrong fucking time
Wrong fucking place
There is no fucking way
This is not about race
Reply

Eleanor Ramilly was starred Eleanor Ramilly was unstarred

pax
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
I live in NYC; coverage of the story here has been nearly constant, as well it should be. Officer Edwards is now Detective Edwards (to max out his police pension benefits for his family), but I sincerely doubt the story will end there.

Hearing about the kind of life this guy lived would break anyone's heart. Married with two YOUNG children who will grow up without a dad now. Coached youth football, organized a block party for the kids on his street...he sounds like a treasure. I teared up on my way home from work listening to his neighbors describe him.

Is the guy who shot him a stone-cold racist? Probably not, but is there racism that is subtle and unspoken in assuming that a black guy running through the streets of Harlem is probably armed and dangerous? And why, why, WHY is it always "shoot to kill"? Were there warning shots? There are a lot of unanswered questions and not just about police procedure.

And all the best to his poor family, who lost a truly good man.
Reply

pax was starred pax was unstarred

DionneFonzie
06/05/09

@pax: I completely agree with you. I don't know what the protocol is, but I thought maybe a shot to the arm or leg to take the person down initially would be sufficient. And it still has not been confirmed whether the shooting officer identified himself as a cop.
Reply

DionneFonzie was starred DionneFonzie was unstarred

HarpMadness
06/05/09

@pax: This is just such a tragedy. It's hard to grasp.

But, yeah, racism doesn't only have tragic results when the person is some KKK reject who purposely wants to kill someone of a different race. Racism does much of its damage by just subtly influencing our thoughts, sometimes so subtly that we aren't even aware of it.
Reply

HarpMadness was starred HarpMadness was unstarred

HarpMadness
06/05/09

@DionneFonzie: Not that I don't think there needs to be a long, long look taken at the protocol for the use of deadly force, but it's actually nearly impossible to hit a moving target in the leg/arm or anything like that. So, I think when guns are drawn, basically shoot to kill is just about the only option -- which, IMHO, means that we need to take that long, long look about what constitutes a situation where guns to need to be fired.
Reply

HarpMadness was starred HarpMadness was unstarred

Clare116
06/05/09

@DionneFonzie: Aren't officers trained to shoot for the torso? Like, if you're going to shoot, you must be in a jam and fancy Annie Oakley style shooting is not advised or expected. Sidearms aren't sniper rifles, and beat cops aren't snipers. While shooting for legs and arms would be ideal, I think it's actually pretty hard to pull off when you're running down a street making a split-second decision about lethal force.

(I don't know the details of this poor man's case; I'm just speaking more generally.)
Reply

Clare116 was starred Clare116 was unstarred

Zombies make the heart grow fonder
06/05/09

@pax: There are no "warning" shots because warning shots are bullets that land somewhere, god forbid in an innocent bystander. You cannot aim for a limb because that neither immobilizes nor stops a fleeing felon- if you were even able to hit such a small moving target. You aim for the torso which is the most mass on a moving target and the warning is the multiple requests for you to freeze, stop, etc.
Reply

Laulau
06/05/09

@Clare116: Absolutely. My brother-in-law is a cop, and when I asked why the rule is "shoot to kill" he said, if I need to shoot someone, it's because I think he is going to kill me or someone else. The only way to be sure he doesn't is to shoot to kill. Life isn't like a Western; you can't reliably shoot someone in a limb. If it's important enough to shoot, it's important enough to kill.

Sadly, in this case, it sounds like it clearly was not important enough to shoot.
Reply

Laulau was starred Laulau was unstarred

Ipomoea
06/05/09

@pax: @HarpMadness: @Clare116: @Zombies make the heart grow fonder: @Laulau: @coffee milk: To echo everyone: police and military are taught to aim for the largest target: the torso. It's a lot easier to miss a moving leg or arm and hit a bystander. It's unfortunate, but also necessary.
Reply

Ipomoea was starred Ipomoea was unstarred

ImDatNinja (loves her Red Sox)
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
There are many reasons why this is an amazing and heartbreaking photograph.
Reply

Jello Mix
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
As the wife of an NYPD officer, this is my greatest fear. It happens far, far too often, though it usually isn't fatal. My deepest sympathies to Officer Edwards' family, friends, and colleagues.
Reply

Jello Mix was starred Jello Mix was unstarred

Ipomoea
06/05/09

@Jello Mix: I'm not in NY, but thank you to your husband, Jello. I know the vast majority of cops are good cops.
Reply

Ipomoea was starred Ipomoea was unstarred

Ms. Ville Valo
06/05/09

@Ipomoea: They are? They must be very well hidden. The vast majority of cops that I have encountered have had the biggest god-complexes, power hungry attitudes I have ever seen.
Reply

Ms. Ville Valo was starred Ms. Ville Valo was unstarred

Jello Mix
06/05/09

@Ipomoea: Yes, most cops are good cops. Unfortunately the assholes are more noticeable.
Reply

Jello Mix was starred Jello Mix was unstarred

TheUptightMidwesterner
06/05/09

@AvaBaer:The assholes are the only ones you can remember.
Reply

Agent1BDI
06/05/09

@Jello Mix: I'm late to the thread Jello, but my husband is a police officer too. Cuts like a knife every time you see something like this. ((Hugs))
Reply

Agent1BDI was starred Agent1BDI was unstarred

Jello Mix
06/05/09

@Agent1BDI: I'm glad I came back to check! Hearted you, and hugs back.
Reply

Jello Mix was starred Jello Mix was unstarred

Remedios Varo can't see no huevos.
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
Jeebus, this is terrible.
Reply

notheretomakefriends
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
for anyone who is interested, this article from Latoya Peterson of Racialicious: [www.racialicious.com]
Reply

HarpMadness
06/05/09

@notheretomakefriends: A very thoughtful article, pulling in a lot of supporting research. It's well worth a read. Thanks for calling my attention to it.
Reply

HarpMadness was starred HarpMadness was unstarred

schweppes
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
Weird that they referred to him by his first name in the blurb, don't most articles, after giving the subject's full name, refer to someone by their last name from then on out?
Reply

schweppes was starred schweppes was unstarred

Flackette Goes Retro
06/05/09

@schweppes: That's what AP style dictates - using last names or title + last name when appropriate after first reference.
Reply

schweppes
06/05/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: Are the blurbs under these pictures written by the AP or jez. editors?
Reply

schweppes was starred schweppes was unstarred

Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd)
06/05/09

@schweppes: I believe they are written by the photo service, in this case, Getty Images.
Reply

EkaterinaBallerina
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
In terms of racism, the NYPD needs a MASSIVE overhaul.
Reply

EkaterinaBallerina was starred

OurLass
06/05/09

@EkaterinaBallerina: So does the British police force. At the Old Bailey today 13 cops are on trial for press-ganging two sex-workers and an addict into testifying against three innocent black guys in a murder case. The case was later solved using DNA, and now all the old cops are all in court. 13 years later.
Reply

OurLass was starred OurLass was unstarred

EkaterinaBallerina
06/05/09

@OurLass: We can also add the LAPD to this list. Honestly, most police forces need some re-programming in terms of racism. It's astonishing how often they get off.
Reply

EkaterinaBallerina was starred

Ipomoea
06/05/09

@EkaterinaBallerina: Don't forget Seattle PD. I'm pretty sure they could pull over any person of color, claim they had a gun, beat the crap out of them, and still be exonerated by the guild and oversight committee.
Reply

Ipomoea was starred Ipomoea was unstarred

TheUptightMidwesterner
06/05/09

@EkaterinaBallerina: Minneapolis is notorious as well.
Reply

shorty63136
06/05/09

@EkaterinaBallerina: Please add St. Louis PD to this list as well.
Reply

shorty63136 was starred shorty63136 was unstarred

bluebears
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
Jeez. How horrible. This week has been depressing, yes?
Reply

bluebears was starred bluebears was unstarred

lovecake
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
Someone please explain the concept of "friendly fire" to me...
Reply

lovecake was starred lovecake was unstarred

Maritsa
06/05/09

@lovecake: Yeah, it doesn't ever make much sense, but seem particularly wrong here. It's not a case of a soldier mistakenly shooting into an area where his comrades are, this guy saw Officer Edwards clearly and shot him.
Reply

Maritsa was starred Maritsa was unstarred

Trulymadlyme
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
My heart is breaking looking at that picture. I hope his family and co-workers and friends eventually find some solace in the loss. Tragic.
Reply

Trulymadlyme was starred Trulymadlyme was unstarred

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

#nypd

Jezebel

SUBSCRIBE TO Jezebel

The Thin Blue Fine

The Grim Blue Line

Hollaback Girl

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment