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angryblackgurl
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
Thank you Anna, this picture says it all....
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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.
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Easybreezy
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
This is just about the saddest story I've ever heard.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Jello Mix
06/05/09

@Ipomoea: Yes, most cops are good cops. Unfortunately the assholes are more noticeable.
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TheUptightMidwesterner
06/05/09

@AvaBaer:The assholes are the only ones you can remember.
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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))
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Jello Mix
06/05/09

@Agent1BDI: I'm glad I came back to check! Hearted you, and hugs back.
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Remedios Varo can't see no huevos.
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
Jeebus, this is terrible.
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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]
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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.
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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?
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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.
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schweppes
06/05/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: Are the blurbs under these pictures written by the AP or jez. editors?
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Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd)
06/05/09

@schweppes: I believe they are written by the photo service, in this case, Getty Images.
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EkaterinaBallerina
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
In terms of racism, the NYPD needs a MASSIVE overhaul.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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TheUptightMidwesterner
06/05/09

@EkaterinaBallerina: Minneapolis is notorious as well.
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shorty63136
06/05/09

@EkaterinaBallerina: Please add St. Louis PD to this list as well.
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bluebears
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
Jeez. How horrible. This week has been depressing, yes?
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lovecake
06/05/09

In reply to The Grim Blue Line
Someone please explain the concept of "friendly fire" to me...
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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.
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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.
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TheUptightMidwesterner
05/07/09

In reply to UK Police Told Not To Wear Underwire Bras
Trust me. You so do not want to wear anything that makes the sisters perky or sticky-outish when you are wearing a Kevlar vest.
You need to wear a sports bra. You want them flat and kinda in a comfy spot.
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save jinger
05/07/09

@TheUptightMidwesterner is (insert general bitchery here): But even my sports bra has underwire!
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A Small Turnip
05/07/09

@TheUptightMidwesterner is (insert general bitchery here): See, while I get this (and love the insight), I.....still have a problem. My friends don't really do flat. With a sports bra, I just get a kind of jutting shelf of breastage, which does nobody any good. A good minimiser underwired bra would probably be the best bet, but then I'm back to the old oh-god-my-bra-is-literally-going-to-kill-me problem again.

And how do you know about this stuff, anyway? ARE YOU A SECRET AGENT? YOU DEFUSE SUICIDE BOMBERS IN YOUR SPARE TIME, DON'T YOU?

I knew it. I totally called it.
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SpiceMustFlow
05/08/09

@TheUptightMidwesterner is (insert general bitchery here): I'm with you. My D-cup sistahs are contained without benefit of underwire in a tight sports bra that's more of a multi-layered spandex halter.

Yeah, there's a little uniboob going on, but I don't care as long as they aren't getting in the way while I'm bench pressing.
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Jenloveshercurves
05/08/09

@fluffybudgie has an avatar: I can't jog without an underwire. It DOES NOT WORK and is painful.
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