Last week, former tennis pro James Blake was in NYC to do some promotional work around the US Open. He was leaving his Manhattan hotel, waiting for his car to take him to the Open, when a plainclothes police officer grabbed him, assaulted him, threw him around and handcuffed him. This one police officer was part of a group of cops hunting down… a credit card fraud. Not a violent felon. Not someone they suspected would be armed and dangerous. After about 15 minutes, the cops released Blake (and incidentally, they never reported the incident to their superiors). Blake went public with his complaint the next day, telling his story to the NYDN. Within 24 hours, both Mayor DeBlasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton had called Blake to personally apologize. More on that in a moment. First, late Friday the NYPD finally released some security footage of Blake’s assault. This video is chilling:
What it basically shows is that Blake’s story was the truth. He was literally just standing there, minding his own business, even making eye contact with the cop who grabbed him, threw him against a glass window, then tossed him on the ground, sat on him, handcuffed him, and all of that without showing Blake a badge. Once again, even though this was a case of mistaken identity (and the guy the NYPD were really looking for was actually innocent), they were not investigating a violent crime. They were not looking for someone they believed to be armed and dangerous. There was absolutely no reason for this kind of violent takedown.
As for the apologies Blake received from Bratton and DeBlasio, Blake refused to accept them. He’s using what happened to him to talk about larger issues of police brutality and how police forces operate within communities. He gave an interview to CNN this weekend, speaking to Don Lemon (side-eye on that). Blake made the point that if he had defended himself in any way – which would have been normal because the cop didn’t identify himself – his injuries could have been much worse. Blake said he does not accept Bratton and DeBlasio’s apologies because people who have been victims of similar treatment from police don’t get apologies or even acknowledgements that the police actions were wrong, illegal or even criminal. Blake’s stated goal is “open a dialogue … about real solutions, accountability, about making sure that this isn’t going to happen.” Blake also said that the guy who threw him to the ground – a cop with at least four previous complaints for his use of force – should not be a cop anymore. Blake said: “You’ve got the badge and [are] supposed to treat that with honor. I don’t think he deserves to ever have a badge again.”
I have to say, I admire every part of how Blake is handling this. His media strategy is on-point, the message he’s giving is effective and measured. I get the feeling that the NYPD would love it if Blake said something, anything off the cuff that they could twist and make him into a villain.
Photos courtesy of WENN, PCN.
Yeah fire his ass. Enough.
One incident is a “pass” … but this tool has a history. He messed with the wrong guy this time.
I really like that he’s using this incident as a platform for change. The way he’s handling this will hopefully pave the way for more people to calmly and productively seek change and show that the police themselves are not above the law. I’m not pleased this happened, but the level of class he’s handling it with and using the platform to get real consequences for the officer will hopefully start some real changes on both sides.
Police need real consequences and we need to stop the violence and riots that only cause more destruction.
Yes, absolutely the officer should be fired and should go to jail. anyone else would- it’s assault.
With four priors, the cop will probably be fired but the NYPD must follow the due process procedures in its union contract before it does so, which means an internal affairs investigation with a written report, a hearing with a written decision on which department policies were violated, review and recommendations from HR and legal to the commissioner, who then makes the disciplinary decision. Which the cop can and probably will appeal and is probably how he still had a job after the third infraction. Arbitrators and judges reinstate people all the time if the due process in the CBA is not followed closely.
Wouldn’t charging the cop with assault make it easier to fire him?
Sadly, I think doing that would set a precedent for the NYPD that they don’t want to set. Force was definitely not required in this case. In other cases, it’s far more subjective and I think NYPD will strive to avoid creating any practice of immediately charging their cops until after they go through the procedures already in place.
I know many would disagree but I think NYPD should take the time to handle this by the book because failure to do so will let this guy keep his job on a technicality and that would be far worse.
Can I have you, James Blake? Absolutely love him for maintaining that others who suffer this kind of brutality don’t get apologies. He’s amazing. And so, so pretty. Can I has?!?!
Sorry Shambles, he’s been mine since about 1999.
I am actually bowing to Mrs. James Blake, who is allegedly a publicist. He is one smart guy for listening to his obviously brilliant wife.
I don’t think that last statement is true, re: the NYPD, and I think that the us/them rhetoric is counterproductive (and I say that as a wife of an NYPD retiree).
That said, Blake is completely right. This cop was out of line and unprofessional. He needs to be off the force.
Sadly, though, that is exactly what NYPD has done every single time they’ve been caught with their pants down – twist the words and actions of the accuser to justify the assault or murder. It’s not rhetoric, it’s the truth. (Also coming from the wife of a NYPD retiree.)
Exactly.
The second anyone tries to call them out on bad behavior it DOES become us vs. them with them going so far as to essentially prot at the Mayor until he goes back to licking their boots.
Yup it’s common words when cops get caught in unjustified force. The victim is always asking for it. At this point black people can be standing around and that somehow justifies this kind of force. James is completely correct in his statements and if people haven’t learned how these cases work from the past year they haven’t paid attention. Do you know how much money the NYPD has paid to victims of police brutality in the past year? Enough to make people cringe at the number. And that’s ONE police force.
Cops should have independent oversight groups. Investigating their own has lead to very few prosecutions for former cops which leads to guys like this with four incidents before getting caught by the nation
T Fanty – I agree that us vs them is counterproductive but the statement is a fair one based on the Police Commissioner’s initial statement.
Bratton acknowledged they were looking into Blake’s claims, but added that bit at the end… “we have a saying that the first story is never the last story”. IMO the implication was pretty clear. He was already setting up a us vs Blake. He had no reason to say that.
This guy has got game! And I’m not referring to tennis. I hope he keeps up the momentum and continues to engage the media. It looks like he has a strategy for some concrete changes in police conduct and that would be a significant contribution! Team Blake forevah!!
Agreed. Love the way he’s handling this. Very wisely played. Sounds like he has an intelligent wife who is also providing wise counsel. Bravo to both of them.
At the very least the officer should be fired. But I LOVE that this guy is the face of what’s really going on, though I know he didn’t ask for it!
My god, he literally just jumps him. The officer doesn’t even appear to say anything before he grabs Blake, just wrestles him to the ground. Blake doesn’t resist at all, not even to break his own fall, but it doesn’t make any difference.
On the plus side, I hope that lady in the pink T-shirt is telling the cop off as it looks like. If so she is my new hero.
I can’t imagine how frightening it would be to be suddenly assaulted like that. And the minute that Blake processed that it was a cop he knew to not try to defend himself at all or he might get really hurt. This cop is a loose cannon who should not have a badge to give him an excuse for violence. Good for Blake for not accepting the apologies. The only way for good cops to defend their reputations is to get rid of the bad ones.
Exactly. Loose cannon, trigger happy, ready to fight, whatever you want to call it, people with a desire for ruckus, quick to raise their voice or get off on the whole ‘power’ cop thing disturb me.. are you above the law because you’re a cop? Did you complete a 4 yr degree or aspire for any type of of higher learning beyond highschool? Ugh!
@sarah, not all cops act in the way that you describe. Also, plenty of cops have college degrees and many are prior veterans. Many cops aim to serve and protect not harass people on the streets.
Videos like this always make me think of my mother and those with disabilities or illnesses that aren’t “visible” (at least from far away). My mother has arthritis and multiple joint replacements. She would absolutely be seriously injured by this officer’s actions. Mistakes like this can’t be made with her. It just terrifies and angers me!!!
I agree James has/ had scoliosis so it could have been dangerous for him as well.
He’s right. That cop should be fired and charged.
They’re probably like ‘we already apologized, stop nagging and be grateful we didn’t killed you’.
BLACK. LIVES. MATTER.
If, after watching this video, you still don’t get the point of Black Lives Matter and still wish to derail the conversation with “All Lives Matter!!,” then please, please show yourself out.
I hope James Blake continues to speak out about this.
Or the good old: “He doesn’t look black TO ME. Thus, because I am the barometer by which all else is measured, he does not look black to anyone other than people who walk around all day with race in their eyes. Are you SURE the cop thought he was black?”
Sit.
Thank you. This times a million.
I agree, black lives do matter. But, I really don’t think this was about race. He looks identical to the suspect (who was innocent).
This is just an unhinged cop on a power trip.
Cops on power trips led to the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice… and countless other black victims of senseless police brutality. It absolutely is about race.
But, Mrs B, that is the problem – every time this happens, it’s just, it’s just, it’s just – it’s just one person, it’s just a power thing, it’s just. Well it’s not. The incidents add up and there is a clear trend of black people being targeted and responded to with disproportionate violence by the police.
That can only happen in a police culture where racism and violence are condoned, if not glorified. One guy with toxic ideals is not going to flourish in a police department where everyone else disagrees with him. If it was a one-off, I would agree. But it’s not. Hell, it’s not even a one-off with this particular officer, let alone the NYPD as a whole.
Well, from where does he get that power? (And I don’t mean his badge. He’s empowered by something else–something ingrained.) And on whom does he use it excessively? (Even more excessively than normal for the NYPD?) THAT’S the point.
@TIF and Embertine. I hear you and I absolutely agree that racism among the police force is a problem. There have been several unarmed white teenagers/men shot and killed in the last year or two as well. The media just isn’t reporting them much because that doesn’t fit the narrative. I would encourage you both to research it. So, yes absolutely sometimes it is about race. But, the problems are even more widespread than that and I think it would benefit everybody to realize that.
Google Zachary Hammond, Justin Way and Nehemiah Fisher. Those are just a few that come to mind. They were reported on, but really haven’t gained any traction.
MrsB,
What you’re doing is classic deflection. When a white person is shot by the cops, do you immediately bring up that black people have also been shot? I’m gonna go ahead and guess, “no.” Saying that the media isn’t reporting white shootings because it doesn’t fit the narrative is an attempt at deflection (“no, don’t look there — look at the WHITE PEOPLE being brutalized. That’s more important.) Also, in playing the “media card”, you’re slyly implying that black people get preferential treatment from the press, which is asinine. Just because you type that race is problem doesn’t make it believable that you actually think that. It’s like someone who types “IMO” in front of a defamatory statement, thinking it’s some sort of magic legal shield — people can see through your hollow qualifiers. Straight up: you still have lots of learning to do when it comes to race issues.
@LadyG reading comprehension is hard. But, I think you need to re-read my post. I’m not deflecting anything. The fact is police brutality is a huge problem, and as I said it is about race sometimes, probably even a majority of the time. But, the problems are WIDESPREAD and it does no good for you to have you head in the sand about that.
What I was implying about the media is that they report on what they know will rile people up. As an example, media reporting on the Baltimore riots: even though a very small percentage of people turned violent, that’s all that was shown. They didn’t show the peaceful protesters. Because it didn’t fit their narrative.
Did you bother looking up those three names I gave? I’m guessing not. It is perfectly logical for me to think that racism is a problem but not the whole problem. Those two are not mutually exclusive.
Hey MrsB, I get what you’re saying. Police brutality is an issue that cuts across race and gender.
However, here we’re talking about how police brutality is often, majority of the time, directed toward black people. When you see people do a charity thing or discuss breast cancer, do you walk up to them and ask them to discuss ALL cancer or tell them stories about the evils of pancreatic cancer? No, because while we understand there is a general issue, at that point we are discussing a specific part of that general issue.
When your reply to Black Lives Matter is “white people suffer too, here are three examples”, you’re showing us that you’re not listening. In fact, you don’t even know what it is we’re all talking about. And if you’re not listening then you’re part of the problem.
Beautifully spoken, Des. You’ve truly said it all, and I admire the way you can be so matter-of-fact, and so calm and considerate all at once.
*applause*
Ok, this is my last comment on the subject because everybody’s mind is made up. But, yes the Black Lives Matter movement is very important, one I agree with. But my point is, I don’t think at the end of the day it is going to solve the larger problem.
The fact is, since 9/11 our police have become militarized and their training has changed. We need to do something about that or nothing will ever change, whether you want to admit it or not. Giving a spotlight to how bad the problem is, is NOT taking away from the black lives matter movement.
And, to answer your question of course I don’t walk up to somebody at a breast cancer walk and talk about other cancers are important, because that would make me an a-hole. However, I do advocate and give my time and resources to the lesser known and rare cancers and diseases.
MrsB, you’re not listening. Instead, you’re basically telling me I’m dumb, when in reality, you simply can’t comprehend what we’re saying to you. YOU don’t get it and you’re not willing to try. That is the problem, here — not my reading comprehension.
Tifzlan, you are always so great in your response to these situations.
I really hope he succeeds in getting this cop fired. He had actually been mentioned on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer show because of of a woman who recorded him arresting her in front of her children. Her ‘crime’ was getting her bicycle which her husband left after being arrested for marrijuanna possession. The tape is chilling.
What’s really scary about this video is that James is lucky he was slow on his reaction. For some, your instinct kicks in and you might fight back (since he didn’t have on a uniform or state that he was a police officer before attacking) and end up shot.
Yes. And he could have been badly hurt, or God forbid, put into a chokehold with terrible consequences.
How is this stuff happening in this day and age. It’s so upsetting. If that had happened to me I would not have been smart enough to not fight back. I probably would have bit the guy. But I’m a white girl, so it probably would have been ok. 😡
I saw the interview live and was deeply impressed. Smart man, great perspective, rational, caring, successful. It’s worth every moment of viewing.
He looks exactly like the suspect. Apparently black people should never look like other black people, because that’s racist. He wasn’t hurt, he was apologized to multiple times, city officials apparently think it’s a good use of their time to meet with him instead of dealing with other issues. The cop might have other complaints, but a.) are they valid (I know you guys will think so!) and b.) how major are these other complaints?
He’s handling this terribly, although, again, I know the hand-wringers here at Celebitchy won’t see it that way. He’s now a voice to be listened to, despite the fact no one cared about him before this moment. Use your fifteen minutes, guy! You feel entitled to them.
1) He does not look exactly like the suspect, but it surprises me not at all that someone defending this cop would think so.
2) The suspect was not considered to be violent so even if Blake had been him, there is no justification for the officer behaving as he did.
3) He was wrestled to the ground by a police officer who refused to identify himself, for a non-violent crime that he didn’t even commit, just for being a young, bald, black man in the right-ish place, but sure – he wasn’t killed so I guess he should be grateful.
4) It’s cosy to assume that the other complaints against the cop were probably as a result of PC “hand-wringers”, and not as a result of his own actions. Doesn’t seem to match the evidence though.
I’m assuming you’re not affected by racially-motivated police brutality and that’s why it’s so easy to dismiss it as hysterical over-reaction. I may be a hand-wringer, but you’re a hand-waver – waving away anything that doesn’t affect you as unimportant.
Tell me, do you eat babies for breakfast too, Bookish?
First off that suspect was also COMPLETELY INNOCENT. Second the police officer didn’t identify himself. Just tackled and handcuffed him while he was standing on the street is this America or a country behind the Iron Curtain in the Soviet Era?
As for the other complaints that were so well documented not only did the city pay out in lawsuits several times but an expose of the officer was done on the local radio last December.
http://www.wnyc.org/story/cops-complaints-and-one-ugly-altercation-caught-tape/
And considering that Jason Blake was once the #4 tennis player in the world and is a graduate of Yale the idea that he’s using fifteen minutes is such a silly statement that reflects poorly on your basic reasoning. Maybe you just weren’t educated enough to know who he was but those of us that follow the tennis world have been well aware of him and fans of his class on and off the court.
“Use your 15 minutes”? He was a well-known professional tennis player before this happened, and the only reason the cop who JUMPED HIM because he was suspected of CREDIT CARD FRAUD (excessive, much?) got off of him was because someone recognized him. But I guess it’s easier for you to discount his legitimate complaints as famewh0ring because that makes you more comfortable.
And if the “hand-wringers here at Celebitchy” bother you so much, leave. That simple.
Sorry, but we’re here to have a discussion. Saying that people who disagree with you should “leave, that simple” is counter-productive. If we all said that about everyone we disagreed with, we’d never learn anything. I find that expression so offensive, whether it comes from Donald Trump or #blacklivesmatter. It’s the sound of a mind closing.
@Junior – Bookish apparently doesn’t know the whole story, otherwise he/she would have known that James Blake doesn’t need 15 minutes of fame because of a wrong and violent take-down by a cop who has anger issues. Nor is he using it to put forward a biased opinion based on nothing more than a simple case of mistaken identity. So we ARE having a discussion, but don’t respond well to boneheaded and cruel comments of “handling the issue terribly”. James has been nothing but dignified, calm and rational. We’re not disagreeing with anyone here or wringing our hands, we are enlightening someone with a closed mind who clearly needs enlightening, including yourself.
For a second I wanted to explain how wrong you are, but I’m seriously tired of explaining to people like you why being assualted by people meant to protect us is wrong. You are racist and enjoy black bodies, innocent or other, being violated. Im over being nice and accepting to this racist bs.
Yeah I typed out some counterpoints and then was like, why am I feeding into this bullshit? The OP’s comment deserves deletion IMO because it’s racist/bigoted AF.
I agree with everything everyone has responded to Bookish, with the exception of his/her comment should be deleted. We need opposing views/voices here on CB, otherwise, we might as well be FOX. This site always has intelligent posters and great discourse. Let’s not dumb ourselves down by demanding that opposing voices be silenced.
I feel the same way, it’s become very exhausting trying to explain how this use of force is unacceptable and criminal towards people of color. Whether it’s a choke hold or shooting unarmed black men each time the narrative is changed and the victims character is defamed, making the police justified in their actions.
+1.
And when taking up our time responding to people who say stuff like this, it’s natural to get exhausted and disheartened. I think that’s why our society’s been spinning its wheels so much for the past twenty years or so. It makes it that much harder to come together and think of solutions to big problems. Personally, I am trying to simply ignore them from now on, because all they do is drain energy.
@Santia, let me clarify. I’m not advocating censorship, I was simply stating my opinion (hence why I specifically wrote “IMO”). I personally don’t view the OP’s comment as an “opposing” view or voice whatsoever. As I mentioned before, I think it’s a blatantly racist/bigoted remark that does absolutely nothing to elevate the conversation, and it is comments like these that in fact “dumb ourselves down”. At least upthread there’s some back and forth between individuals attempting to express themselves in a civil manner, instead of just dropping troll bombs like the OP and letting the regulars unanimously cry foul.
Btw, where are you Bookish, care to enlighten us with some more of your dialogue?
For having a handle like “bookish” you have little or no intellectual curiousity. All of the points you made are easily disputed by the facts. But, hey why bother weighting yourself down with facts.
And FYI just because you aren’t aware of Blakes stellar tennis career it doesn’t discount his achievements. Clearly If anyone should go away its YOU!!!
If being concerned over a cop assaulting an innocent citizen makes me a hand-wringer, I’ll gladly accept that. It’s so much better than to be a racist troll.
Word. Beyond tired of this bullshit on CB.
Yup.
1. He doesn’t look exactly like the suspect except to the racist cop and yourself. The suspect was also innocent which means he ALSO shouldn’t have been taken down like a tweaking kidnapper with a gun to someone’s head.
2. He was hurt. City officials are acting because they look like shit and the apologizes are bull because the disgusting nature of the NYPD has been revealed – again.
3. We all know how he could have hundreds of complaints and it wouldn’t but you at all in your bubble where any excuse works because you’ll never find yourself thrown down and assaulted with the thought you could die at that very moment going through your mind.
4. You’re pathetically contradicting yourself. He became a voice the second he was a successful professional in a field. He was given opportunity to USE that voice the second an unprofessional police force assaulted him and rather than having the balls to just apologize tried to pin some of the blame on him. His 15 minutes will paint an already disastrous police force in an even darker light and lead to their slow decline from even the last vestiges of respect.
In short: You’re an angry dinosaur. Your world is growing smaller. Piece by piece we are dismantling the structures that make you feel safe while destroying others. One day you won’t recognize the world you live in and progress will continue to be made while you only grow more bitter and isolated.
You’re a good person, TESE. I’m envious of your energy to even expound and engage because all I want to do is *head/desk*.
Actually he doesn’t look just like the other guy.The other guy appears much darker and has different face shape.Regardless if James had body slammed the cop mistaken him for a mugger.James would be in jail.
I thought I read he was surrounded by other police officers. I didn’t see that, at least that was visible in the video. But I saw this man just rushed and attacked by the undercover officer. He was just standing there, minding his own business, and when this first happened never resisted. And to be thrown on the ground and treated like that, probably being yelled at by the officer, as all these people are walking by staring at you, and not knowing what the hell is happening, must be so hard to experience, and the fear and humiliation and vulnerability like he said, much less re-watching over and over must be painful. My fury level would be boiling over each time I watched it.
He has handled himself with so much dignity and class and is shining the light on this in a way that is necessary, rather than accepting some belated apology. And, yes, that cop needs to be fired.
This. He was the victim of an assault. He is handling this with far more grace and dignity than most people would be capable of mustering after such an upsetting experience.
No kidding. He handled the situation with as much diplomacy and clear-thinking as anyone could. I wish he set the baseline for all human conflicts. #wishfulthinking
Agree with Blake that the officer needs to be dismissed. And wow, is he handling this with such grace. He’s a refreshing, rational voice in the face of recent high profile events. i.e. Kim Davis.
That video is awful and that officer sounds unhinged. How many other people out there has he pulled this on that were too afraid to complain or speak up?
We had a campaign in Europe called “stand up speak up” against racist behiavour in football fans. He embodies that perfectly !
I wish celebrities would pressure the gov for some change.
Keep standing up James! For all those who cant !
Cops have been caught on tape murdering people and never get charges or fired.
But I guess James thinks he is a special snowflake that can demand a cop be fired.
Bless his heart
He’s trying, that’s all he can do. I agree though that police officers have got away with so much worse, it just doesn’t seem as though there is any accountability at all. It’s almost unbelievable.
He’s trying to “open a dialogue … about real solutions, accountability, about making sure that this isn’t going to happen.”
You’re going to ridicule him for that? I increasingly have no hair left to pull out after reading the comments here on CB as of late.
This.
No where does it say that James is demanding the cop be fired. He says ” I don’t think he deserves to ever have a badge again.” That is not a demand. It is his opinion of which I agree with.
Ya, by all means let’s ignore police brutality, poor judgement and power trips certainly that won’t lead to a tragedies…..right?!?
And a matter of fact he was a “special snowflake” long before this tragic incident which is why has the where with all to be heard and not ignored like so many others.
I guess Toodywhatever would be fine with being tackled by a huge man who failed to identify himself as a police officer, as is required by law, for no reason that he/she knew of. I hope it happens to you, Toody. We will see how you like it. “Special snowflake.” Please. I’m leaving this thread before any more of these comments make me vomit. Sickening, disheartening, embarrassing and shocking to see the absolute indifference to the obvious racism of some of our police force by these posters. No wonder they get away with it. No wonder they think they can do what they want without any consequences.
Since your second comment explains your feelings on this topic better I’ve written my response there.
This isn’t to say that Blake is wrong but….
Imma just be honest.I had a real.REAL problem with Blake using kid gloves when the story first broke saying this incident “may have been” racially motivated.
I read that and was like “mofo, where have you been????? John Crawford, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Eric Garners etc. ..where the hell have you been? Have you not heard of the black and native people being murdered by cops with impunity? I realize you are a wealthy tennis player living in a mostly white world and you are half white but wtf!!! Do you know what your father’s people face in this country from police???” Are you angry? Do you even really care or are you just upset that they harassed a good tax paying citizen with a blonde white wife?”
I feel so torn with this James Blake shyt.
Eh I get where he’s coming from. He’s being strategic. I do believe Blake knows it was racially motivated, but I think he also knows he can’t prove it. What he can prove is that this cop acted with excessive force, what he can prove is that he has several other complaints against him. He’s trying to get this officer off the street and save other, poorer, black and brown people with no access to the media from this type of harassment, and sometimes leaving things unsaid is the smarter way to handle these things.
Somebody is upset because James has a white wife .That’s the only reason you brought up her race and hair color.Get over it
BTW James’ white mother believes it was racially motivated and his white blonde wife encouraged him to speak about the incident.
Tbh even if, and we don’t know for sure, he didn’t take the plight seriously before that doesn’t make his response and the way he’s handling this issue wrong.
We all know there are structures in this world that condemn and control us and we all know how those structures lessen the closer to rich, white, and male you get.
MAYBE Blake wasnt getting the full exposure and maybe he did think it was something that happened to ‘other’ blacks but that’s what makes him in this situation the perfect voice.
We all know how easy it is for many to dismiss a ‘certain’ type of black voice. “Eric Garner was a ‘big’ guy who was still doing some type of ‘criminal’ activity and wouldn’t just drop to the ground for the police which is why he got killed. It’s ‘his’ fault” I’m sure you’ve heard some variation of that phrase so let’s be clear THIS INCIDENT from a rich black man who wasn’t doing anything better than just standing there innocently is like a gift.
They have no excuses. They tried to allude to something even in their first response to this him before they finally realized they touched the wrong one and became ‘SO’ apologetic. Blake has PR on his side and can also show that the police have done nothing to curb their behavior since Eric Garner’s illegal chokehold.
Ah. I see now what’s bothering you. But I think you should think about putting aside the fact that he has a “blonde wife” and realize that this incident and his manner of handling it may eventually help someone with a brunette wife. Someone you think is worthy of help. If this man can bring attention to a problem that needs addressing, it’s a good thing. There shouldn’t be any excuses. But of course people are coming up with them anyway – he looks white, he looks just like the other guy, and all that, because they don’t want to see the problem. You obviously see the problem, but you can’t get past the blonde wife enough to care. And that he didn’t immediately start saying it was racist, which, just so you know, would have discredited what he was saying in the minds of a lot of people. I can’t pretend to know what life experiences have brought you the place where you see this as him being a whiny special snowflake. But I think he’s been the opposite, and is aware that he is being treated differently than the people you named who were so senselessly wronged. I don’t know what more he can do.
#toodles
Sadly it reflects on much of America that it takes this happening to one of the ‘good ones’ for them to care(we have even seen snuff clips for goodness sake!)
The reality is many people (black & white ) believe class /education/ wealth / respectability & good behavior will insulate from these things and this may be wake up call for them
Even if some of his initial comments sounded very detached from the reality of the average POC in hindsight his measured approach has been more effective than had he come out swinging claiming racism,and he has admitted the poor and those without a voice have been treated like him or worse
yea it sucks the people are being beaten /killed without a murmer but thats not his fault and looking at it overall , I support the way hes using his voice
Well, it’s the NYPD’s luck that this time, they happened to assault a guy who:
-was completely innocent
-was doing absolutely nothing when he got assaulted
-didn’t try to fight back or resist arrest
-and has absolutely no criminal record or history of violence. Heck, I am a tennis fan and I can’t even remember a time he argued with an umpire.
In many of the other instances, the police blamed it on the perps by trying to spin even an arm movement as evidence of resisting arrest. ButThe NYPD won’t be able to spin this and blame the victim because they chose to bully an upstanding citizen, who is well-liked by the tennis community.
Good for Blake. Love the way he’s going about this. As a side note, I’d love to know what the little lady in hot pink was saying to the cop when this happened, at about 1:09 in the video. Has there been any mention?
I don’t have any faith in the police union. They care more about making sure no cop loses his job than making sure only the qualified and responsible are doing their job.
They’ll kill or maim someone again and I only hope their reputation becomes more stained until someone finally has the upper hand to play hardball with them and force positive change down upon them. Bloodstained organization.
He is correct. I am SO glad that most of the commenters here get why this is such an important issue to bring light to. For anybody that just don’t get it, I just can’t with you. Being deliberately obtuse even after seeing the video. Open up your minds and venture out of your little bubble every in awhile.
*sits next to AlmondJoy forever*
*pulls Mimif a little closer* 😘
Whichever supervisor said the suspect and Blake could be twins needs to place the cop’s picture with the so called “twins” pictures and describe to the public on camera what he sees. (NYPD…you have serious problems, as does many police departments across the nation. Start with internal affairs and the top, work down.)
Anger is useful as a catalyst for change, but now we need to use our common brain and figure out how to make things better. How can we keep our communities safe while making sure African-American men, in particular, don’t feel under attack? We need to work on new policing methods, not just yell at each other.
I’ve seen several articles about how murder rates have risen over the summer, particularly in urban communities, and many of the victims have been children, including teenagers, mostly boys. Let’s be outraged about THIS.
What happened to James Blake is wrong, but he’s going home to his family. The 100+ murder victims so far in 2015 in my city, Milwaukee, will not.
The local police chief recently said “People on the right don’t really care unless it happens in their part of town. People on the left don’t really care unless the violence comes from a cop.”
This sounds like a veiled, ‘what about ‘black-on-black’ statement? There was a spike earlier this year, but (to the shock of Chris Christie who is still desperate to bring back stop & frisk) it’s been a quiet summer vis-a-vis violent crime. This, ‘yeah, but’ attitude towards white-on-black crime doesn’t a) account for the community initiatives that are concerned about and working against violence b) address the fact that violent crime has been in decline for a long time–since the ’90s– so something is beginning to take hold, c) only comes up in relation to black people and it’s transparent, nothing is cancelled out. If cops are so worried about the left, they know exactly how to keep the left quiet, but it’s too much fun busting black people, so I guess they have to take the bitter with the sweet.
yes, he is right.
I LOVE THIS MAN!! I love that he isn’t willing to give them a pass, that he is willing to be a voice to the voiceless and that he has played this so beautifully that it’s forcing everyone to listen and has boxed the NYPD in (deservedly so). He could have easily taken the apology and moved on but he is willing to risk his safety (you know cops are turning on him) to do what is right.
He is right carrying a badge is suppose to be an honor, and a respected position so the police need to be held to accountable for their actions. They aren’t above the law!
SO MUCH RESPECT FOR THIS MAN.