Even More on the Tragic Raid
Not from me, but Andisheh has been all over this, in anger at the city’s response, over at his blog.
See 1, 2, 3, and 4 (in chronological order) and, I’m sure, stay tuned to his site for more:
It’s a mystery to me why Atlanta has had to wait one week for the Mayor to even seem sad that an old woman was gunned down in her house by police. Was she unable to find an appropriately shaded carnation?
It’s a rare thing to hear people clamoring for a Mayor Bloomberg-like response to a situation, but Andy’s dead on with this one. And it seems like such a dropped ball by Mayor Franklin. In the past, she’s been very on top of things. This one-week delay in responding to the raid (and the lukewarm response that she gave) is very out of character of her otherwise very well managed administration.
Some comments that have been left here have suggested that it would be inappropriate for Mayor Franklin to comment before the facts are in. I’m all for reserving judgment until a clear picture has arisen but it seems to me that no matter how this is sliced there was some bad policing going on. A long speech is not needed, just an acknowledgement that something went terribly terribly wrong and that it, in all likelihood, was not the fault of the civilian.
While it is a tragedy that this woman was killed, let’s not forget that she shot at the police, wounding three of them.
She was allegedly shot by police.
Was that her alleged funeral in East Point yesterday?
If Brian Nichols allegedly murdered half a people, then this woman was allegedly shot by police. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
… half a dozen people…
Police don’t deny shooting Ms. Johnston.
Ms. Johnston doesn’t deny being dead.
There’s no reason, legal or ethical to add “alleged” to the sentence unless you’re being petty, which, with your goose/gander comment, you’re pretty much owning up to.
She was not allegedly shot by police. She was shot by police. The only allegations at this point are of incompetence before the shooting and felony obstruction of justice after the shooting.
Ok, she was allegedly killed by the incompetence of the police.
daniel, i believe you are referencing my comment in your “some comments left here” reference and i do not believe you have accurately paraphrased what i meant to say.
i was in no way, shape or form suggesting that the mayor should not have commented on the situation, expressed regret, promiesed to get to the bottom of it, etc.
simply wanted to make the point that i feel it would be inappropriate to pass judgment on the situation until an investigation is done and i do not feel the mayor should engage in hyperbolic rhetoric.
i have clarified over there as well since i apparently didn’t do such a good job expressing myself the first time.
She SHOT AT THE POLICE. The police shot back. Why is this such a big deal?
Why is this such a big deal?
Because an innocent, old woman is dead and three police officers were wounded.
That’s enough reason for most people, but if you want more . . .
2. Because it’s reasonable to assume that a 92 year-old would not have gotten into a gun battle if she realized that it was the police breaking down her door.
3. Because if you live in a poor section of Atlanta, you live with the fact that the APD and the Fulton County legal system will not and cannot protect you from the thugs in your neighborhood, so you keep a gun in your home for protection.
“Do you own a gun?” That’s what three APD officers asked me, on three seperate occasions, after I was robbed at gunpoint AT MY FRONT DOOR.
4. Because I don’t use drugs or sell drugs, but several people in my “transitional” intown neighborhood do. If a crackhead informant gives police the wrong address and they knock down my door by mistake, without making it clear to me that they are police, chances are that I’d die in a shootout with police.
That poor woman could have been any one of the thousands of Atlantans who have rely on guns to protect their lives and property.
There have been more than a dozen burglaries in my neighborhood in the past month. Police response has been pathetic. When a group of neighbors actually caught a burglar last month, cops didn’t show up for more than one hour.
5. Because in the wake of the shooting, police lied to reporters by stating repeatedly that an undercover officer bought drugs from the house and by asserting that “narcotics” were found on the premises.
6. Because a confidential informant whom APD repeatedly called “reliable” has said that officers involved in the case asked him to lie on their behalf.
One more thing.
If you’re not a criminal and never have been and a someone knocked your front door in, would you even believe them if they yelled police? Remember, we’re talking about a split-second reaction.
Police procedures need to take that sort of thing into account. They mostly do, that’s why this sort of thing is so rare.
There is nothing more repugnant than a person who can moralize one week about speeding laws, then makes snide comments the next about the death of an 88 year old woman.
Adam, you’re a perfect representative of your political philosophy. Keep it up.
Really, I think it’s no mystery at all – just politics as usual. Most politicians lack the courage to stand up and say that when anyone gets killed it’s a tragedy – they’re afraid of being seen as soft if they indicate the slightest bit of sorrow over someone who might turn out to be guilty. Apparently it took a week for Franklin to determine enough facts and triangulate politically before taking the courageous step of calling the event a “tragedy.” Not a screw-up, not a reason to examine the use of confidential sources for no-knocks – a tragedy.
The nice thing about that word – for the mayor, anyway – is that it’s so free of content that you get to say something while saying nothing. Next week maybe it’ll just be a tragedy that three valiant officers were wounded while doing everything by the book. Or perhaps that an innocent old women was gunned down in her own home. Or maybe just that everybody got so upset and worked up. Gotta keep your political options open, after all.