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Death threats on cops.
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Police group asks Justice Department to investigate remarks
2002-07-24
By Graham Underwood
Associated Press Writer
A national police group is asking the U.S. Justice Department to investigate televised remarks made by an Oklahoma City man after a videotaped beating by police of a suspect.
Steve Young, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, called for a federal investigation into comments by Sean Baker that, Young says, advocate violence against police officers.
"I am sickened beyond expression at Baker's remarks in response to this incident and his apparent call for the assassination of police officers," Young said in a news release Tuesday.
Marty Stupka, president of the organization's Oklahoma City chapter, said he requested the national organization get involved and sent Young a videotape of Baker's comments.
"I've talked to FBI here," Stupka said Wednesday. "They didn't believe there was enough there to pursue."
Baker, a member of the Oklahoma City chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, made the remarks after two police officers were caught on videotape striking Donald R. Pete more than two dozen times during an arrest.
At a news conference after the videotape was shown, Baker said: "It's getting to the point now where the community is outraged and beginning to think they have to take to the streets and begin retaliating. Of course, we don't want that to happen, but I think the only message the police officers will understand is when they have to start passing flags to the wives and paying some death benefits. Nothing else has worked."
Stupka said the remarks are a direct call to violence and blamed them for an attack on a Bethany police officer. Someone fired at Officer Eric Farmer as he was on patrol shortly after Baker's interview was aired. Farmer's car was damaged, but he was not hurt.
"There's no justification for his comments," Stupka said of Baker. "Violence does not stop violence. To come out and say we're going to stop the violence with more violence - that's ludicrous."
Bethany police Chief Neal Troutman said Wednesday there are no suspects or leads in the case and no indication it was prompted by Baker's remarks.
Troutman said Farmer resigned earlier this week, in part because of the shooting.
Baker, reached Wednesday, said his comments were misrepresented.
"The only thing I have to say is I didn't do anything wrong," Baker said.
He said television news accounts did not air his complete statement and excluded his spoken wish that no violence happen. Baker said reports also omitted his statements about the NAACP's commitment to nonviolence.
"With your edited comments, they make them sound however they want to make them sound," Baker said.
Roosevelt Milton, president of the Oklahoma City NAACP chapter, said reporters are partly to blame for the tension over Baker's comments and that the remarks were wrongly attributed to the NAACP.
"Sean Baker, like every American, is supposed to have constitutional rights to have his opinion about something," Milton said. "I think Sean had a right to say what he said, but he certainly did not represent the NAACP."
Pete, 50, was arrested in a church parking lot after a neighbor activist called officers to report suspected prostitution. He has been charged with resisting arrest, drug possession, engaging in a lewd act and destruction of evidence after officers said he tried to eat marijuana before it could be confiscated.
The officers involved in the videotaped arrest, Greg Driskill and E. J. Dyer, are on restricted duty. Investigations by the Police Department's internal affairs division and the FBI are continuing.
http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=891467&pic=none&TP=getarticle
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
2002-07-24
By Graham Underwood
Associated Press Writer
A national police group is asking the U.S. Justice Department to investigate televised remarks made by an Oklahoma City man after a videotaped beating by police of a suspect.
Steve Young, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, called for a federal investigation into comments by Sean Baker that, Young says, advocate violence against police officers.
"I am sickened beyond expression at Baker's remarks in response to this incident and his apparent call for the assassination of police officers," Young said in a news release Tuesday.
Marty Stupka, president of the organization's Oklahoma City chapter, said he requested the national organization get involved and sent Young a videotape of Baker's comments.
"I've talked to FBI here," Stupka said Wednesday. "They didn't believe there was enough there to pursue."
Baker, a member of the Oklahoma City chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, made the remarks after two police officers were caught on videotape striking Donald R. Pete more than two dozen times during an arrest.
At a news conference after the videotape was shown, Baker said: "It's getting to the point now where the community is outraged and beginning to think they have to take to the streets and begin retaliating. Of course, we don't want that to happen, but I think the only message the police officers will understand is when they have to start passing flags to the wives and paying some death benefits. Nothing else has worked."
Stupka said the remarks are a direct call to violence and blamed them for an attack on a Bethany police officer. Someone fired at Officer Eric Farmer as he was on patrol shortly after Baker's interview was aired. Farmer's car was damaged, but he was not hurt.
"There's no justification for his comments," Stupka said of Baker. "Violence does not stop violence. To come out and say we're going to stop the violence with more violence - that's ludicrous."
Bethany police Chief Neal Troutman said Wednesday there are no suspects or leads in the case and no indication it was prompted by Baker's remarks.
Troutman said Farmer resigned earlier this week, in part because of the shooting.
Baker, reached Wednesday, said his comments were misrepresented.
"The only thing I have to say is I didn't do anything wrong," Baker said.
He said television news accounts did not air his complete statement and excluded his spoken wish that no violence happen. Baker said reports also omitted his statements about the NAACP's commitment to nonviolence.
"With your edited comments, they make them sound however they want to make them sound," Baker said.
Roosevelt Milton, president of the Oklahoma City NAACP chapter, said reporters are partly to blame for the tension over Baker's comments and that the remarks were wrongly attributed to the NAACP.
"Sean Baker, like every American, is supposed to have constitutional rights to have his opinion about something," Milton said. "I think Sean had a right to say what he said, but he certainly did not represent the NAACP."
Pete, 50, was arrested in a church parking lot after a neighbor activist called officers to report suspected prostitution. He has been charged with resisting arrest, drug possession, engaging in a lewd act and destruction of evidence after officers said he tried to eat marijuana before it could be confiscated.
The officers involved in the videotaped arrest, Greg Driskill and E. J. Dyer, are on restricted duty. Investigations by the Police Department's internal affairs division and the FBI are continuing.
http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=891467&pic=none&TP=getarticle
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878