Harvey Weinstein wants Quentin Tarantino to apologize for his anti-cop rhetoric

Some of you might have missed the story last week, but two weekends ago, Quentin Tarantino attended two rallies on behalf of Rise Up October, a movement associated with Black Lives Matter. The rallies were being held to draw attention to police violence against African-Americans. I didn’t know Tarantino had strong feelings about Black Lives Matter in particular, but he made some impassioned speeches about police violence and at one point, Tarantino said “If it was being dealt with, then these murdering cops would be in jail or at least be facing charges” and “When I see murders, I do not stand by … I have to call a murder a murder, and I have to call the murderers the murderers.” Some people (the NYPD police union) believed that Tarantino was saying that all cops are “murderers” which… not really. There was a context to what he was saying, especially considering he was standing in front of photos of African-Americans who have been killed by police officers.

In any case, the NYPD police union has called for a boycott of Tarantino’s new film, The Hateful Eight. Some people believe that police departments and police unions around the country will follow suit. That conservative film critic, Steve Nolte, even name-checked Tarantino as someone who is “bubble-dumb” and alienating conservative audiences, because I guess Nolte believes that conservatives are all for police officers assaulting, harassing, over-criminalizing and yes, murdering African-Americans? So now it’s a thing. And Harvey Weinstein is trying to get Tarantino to shut up.

Harvey Weinstein is said to be furious at Quentin Tarantino for going to an anti-police rally on Oct. 24 and calling cops “murderers.” With police groups now calling for a boycott of the director’s “The Hateful Eight,” sources say Weinstein wants Tarantino to apologize, or at least walk back his comments.

“The last thing Harvey needs is a boycott that will scare off Oscar voters and hurt the box office,” said one insider.

The movie is set to open on Christmas Day, just in time to qualify for the Academy Awards. The politically active Weinstein, a staunch Democrat, has produced many of Tarantino’s movies since “Pulp Fiction” in 1994, and Weinstein has referred to his distribution company Miramax as “the house that Quentin built.” Weinstein was said to be considering conciliatory moves, such as special screenings of “The Hateful Eight” for police officers and their families.

“Harvey is desperate to find a solution,” said my source. “He’s angry that Tarantino needlessly created a controversy that has nothing to do with the movie. It’s so pointless and unnecessary.” And bad for business.

But a source close to Weinstein told me, “They’ve been friends forever. He knows Quentin is passionate and will speak for himself.” But the backlash continues to grow.

[From Page Six]

It wouldn’t surprise me if both of those things were true, that Weinstein likes Tarantino and wants to protect him, AND that Weinstein is trying to figure out how to do some damage-control on Tarantino’s behalf. I don’t really think Tarantino needs to apologize for anything he’s said, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Tarantino listened to Weinstein and offered some kind of clarification in a future interview. And I’m sure that clarification will garner even more headlines, and what do you know? More free publicity.

Here are some photos of Harvey and his wife Georgina Chapman trick-or-treating with their kids in NYC on Halloween.

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Photos courtesy of Getty, Fame/Flynet and WENN.

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78 Responses to “Harvey Weinstein wants Quentin Tarantino to apologize for his anti-cop rhetoric”

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  1. Sara says:

    I see the kid is dressed in marchesa for hallowe’en.

    I for one am happy to hear a scriptwriter and filmmaker be involved in human rights defense. Movies are always ideological, it’s absurd to see them as entertainment in a cultural void, so why couldn’t filmmakers be involved in current affairs and defend a point of view?

    • Santia says:

      LOL about the Marchesa. Holy overkill, Batman!

      And yes, I agree. Tarantino was not speaking in a vacuum. He was talking specifically about African Americans who have been murdered by police officers. Unfortunately, he spoke about it at a time when police officers were raw because one of their own had just been murdered. The fear is that such talk will incite violence against cops. And, let’s be honest, we cannot live without law enforcement. We just want some of these issues (racism, racial profiling, etc.) fixed.

      • V4Real says:

        I wasn’t interested much in this movie now I will see it. I hope Tarantino doesn’t back down or issue an apology. I’m glad to see a big name in Hollywood is speaking out.

        So sick of NY cops in general getting all up in arms over the truth. Quintin was not speaking about all cops, just the dirty murderous ones who think they are above the law. They want to boycott his movie just like they turned their backs on the Mayor of NY because he spoke out about police brutality.

    • belle de jour says:

      You are being far too reasonable.
      And funny:)

      • kcarp says:

        I think any high profile voice is important. I think people need to understand that the general population thinks the following.

        1. Black Lives Matter=Cop Killers
        2. Thugs are attacking cops while they are helping old women cross streets.
        3. Cops have to treat people rough because they are violent criminals.
        4. The cops that have done wrong are just a few bad apples.
        5. Cops treat everyone the same.

        Currently in middle America the population does not see the rise in violence and if they do it is because of the above issues. I was one of them. I finally started reading and educating myself about what was going on.

        I am really concerned about why city police have tanks, machine guns, and military gear. Absolutely they should be armed to defend their selves but who are they going to war with?

      • belle de jour says:

        @kcarp: Wish I could find the link a colleague sent me a few months back (I’ll post if I do), listing exactly what military accoutrements about a hundred US municipalities had purchased and received in the past two years; it read like the materiel list of a small country preparing for war. The article also noted that the local cops buying up this stuff hardly ever received proper training in using it – often taking it to nearby fields and rural areas to ‘see what it could do.’

        The police union in NYC is particularly infamous for its efforts at censoring dissent and exposes, so their response to QT was woefully predictable. As was Weinstein the Walrus’ weaselly backtracking for the bottom line. And the attitude you mention is not limited to flyover states; I’m here in the South for a bit, and am constantly inundated with media and comments reiterating all the beliefs you cite – the prevailing ethos seeming to be, ‘The more armed to the teeth (including the police), the safer we’ll be.’

        One thing about opposition to mega-armed/police violence is that it makes odd bedfellows of lefties, activists, One World Order opponents, conspiracy theorists and Libertarians…

      • Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

        Unfortunately, those groups who generally oppose arming police to the teeth largely and very suddenly have no problem with the arms when they’re used against certain people. Then it’s ‘comply or die’. It’s really unfortunate, but the only way that the majority to really oppose this is for it to happen to them. Just look at the War on Drugs, people were fine and dandy with it until meth and heroin use skyrocketed amongst white people. Almost 90% of the people who tried heroin for the first time in the last decade were white, now, they want to halt the war. That’s not just me blowing off steam, that’s coming from Michael Botticelli, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

        There are local police departments that have stopped punishing many heroin users. In Gloucester, MA, people who enter a police station and ask for help, even if they are carrying drugs or needles, are no longer arrested. Instead, they are diverted to treatment. That approach is being replicated by three dozen other police departments around the country. But what about that personal responsibility everyone wants to talk about? Now that heroin is increasingly a ‘white’ drug, it’s pretty fricking legal. So, I have no doubt that people can think, ‘Police are overly-armed’ and think, ‘until they use those arms against someone who doesn’t look like me’ at the same time. ‘Drugs are illegal, but not when we do them’.

        It’s bunk.

      • cr says:

        Radley Balko’s Rise of the Warrior Cop is a good history of the militarization of the US police:

        http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Warrior-Cop-Militarization-Americas/dp/1610394577

        The scariest thing about this is there is no longer any oversight of this, especially not civilian oversight. Those most in favor of militarization don’t want it.

      • belle de jour says:

        Thanks for the link & book ref, cr.

    • KB says:

      I had to scroll back up to see what the kid was wearing, actually laughed out loud when I did!

  2. Ben Dover says:

    He can go f himself.

  3. Saphana says:

    is that a costume or his casual wear?

    • qwerty says:

      Is that makeup or his everyday face? Seems like he dressed up as death warmed over. Have a green smoothie, Harvey. And don’t put bacon in it.

  4. Sullivan says:

    I have no comment about this, but I do wonder what Weinstein’s wife thinks about Ashley Judd’s blind item.

    • kcarp says:

      I can’t imagine it would come as a shock to her. Not to be rude/body shame/not attractive shame or whatever shame but take a look at her and take a look at him.

      • antipodean says:

        How on earth does she face getting into bed with him every night. The gravel rash must be excruciating. I guess that is the price she has to pay for being able to “design” those execrable frocks.

    • funcakes says:

      I was pretty much going to make the same comment. Harvey should tend to his own backyard. This must be his way of deflecting.

    • Caro_ says:

      @sullivan

      I think she’s used to it. She just had to recently deal with that model’s story that he sexually assaulted and harassed her. It was big, and it really looked like ol Harvey might be going to jail, but apparently someone got to her. Somebody should do a check in and see what she’s up to. Wouldn’t be surprised if she owned a small island or had her own business courtesy the pig.

  5. Kitten says:

    Harsh but the first thing that came to mind when I saw these pictures was: I can’t believe she has sex with him.

  6. BNA. FN says:

    I don’t care that QT wants to support Black Lives Matters, but his timing was not appropriate at that time. We have to remember that a NYPD cop was shot by a career criminal a few days before and his timing was just wrong on many levels. There are cops that should not be on the force. But there are many good cops in NYC. Whenever we have a problem, someone breaking in your house Ect the first number called is 911 asking for police help. QT needs to apologize because his timing was wrong. He could have marched after the funeral of the po.

    Btw, I hope he will be marching for all the innocent people killed everyday by career criminals, their lives matters also.

    • Sara says:

      So just because many good cops exist we should not support victims of police brutality? That’s bizarre logic.

      • original kay says:

        thank you.

        I posted, deleted it. I came back because this logic is SO bizarre.

      • original kay says:

        this is what I said on the OT.

        every loss is terrible, of course. however, it is their job, they took that job knowing there could be a time when their life was in mortal peril. It was a choice.

        If you break the law, you deserve to be caught, arrested, and to go to trial to defend yourself or face sentencing. End of.
        You do not deserve to be tossed into a holding vehicle so your body breaks, denied medical attention, and you die. Or a case of mistaken identity discovered AFTER you are on the ground in handcuffs. Or shot at and killed when you don’t even have a weapon. Or if you are running, which some people about to be arrested do, should not result in being shot in the back and then handcuffed. Or smoking in your own car, arrested for not putting it out, die in jail and then it’s covered up as suicide.
        Just a few examples of when excessive force was used against civilians who never even had a chance to have a choice.

        It’s not ok.

      • BNA. FN says:

        What I’m saying is, he should have waited a few days before marching. I don’t want you to believe I’m saying he was wrong, but just show some respect to the dead officer who was doing his job trying to make the city safer. I’m sure you have read where I said there are those that should not be on the police force. and yes, those PO should be charged with murder when they murder innocent people. Jmo.

    • Nebby says:

      Of course their lives matter, that’s why that career criminal is being charged with murder. The problem black lives matter addresses are the murders that ARE NOT prosecuted. Do you understand the difference?

      • Alicia says:

        Just because a suspect is killed at the hands of a police officer doesn’t necessarily make it a murder. For example, Darren Wilson never murdered anybody (even the Justice Department admitted as much).

      • qwerty says:

        Alicia, no it doesnt always make it a murder …. murders by police apparently never happen though and THAT is the pfoblem here.

      • Alicia says:

        Murders by police happen A LOT less than what they’re being accused of and THAT is the problem. BLM is pushing a narrative that simply doesn’t square with reality.

      • cr says:

        “Murders by police happen A LOT less than what they’re being accused of and THAT is the problem. BLM is pushing a narrative that simply doesn’t square with reality. ”

        MINNEAPOLIS — So far in 2015, U.S. police killed 776 people, 161 of whom were completely unarmed at the time of their death.

        The data was compiled by The Guardian for a project called “The Counted,” a continuously updated, interactive database of police killings in the United States. Based on their figures, police have killed, on average, about three people per day so far this year. The Counted database is the most comprehensive information available on police killings, since no U.S. government agency maintains a similar listing.

        Police killings in America have sparked a national movement for police reform, especially since the death of Mike Brown last year in Ferguson, Missouri.

        Based on The Guardian’s statistics, police killed more white people than any other race this year. A total 385 white people have been killed by police this year, and 66 of them were unarmed at the time of their death.

        However, activists like the members of the Black Lives Matter movement argue that police kill blacks at a rate disproportionate to their total percentage of the population — an assertion supported by The Guardian’s statistics. Police killed almost five black people per every million black residents of the U.S., compared with about 2 per million for both white and hispanic victims.

        http://www.mintpressnews.com/776-people-killed-by-police-so-far-in-2015-161-of-them-unarmed/209127/

        The federal government keeps statistics on how many Americans go to the symphony every year (25.6 million), how many Botox procedures are performed (3.7 million) and how many acres of farmland exist in the United States (914 million).

        What it cannot tell you, at least not reliably, is how many people are killed or injured by police.

        For a year, the country has focused on the conduct of police officers, particularly in their encounters with black men — men like Michael Brown and Freddie Gray and Samuel DuBose. But nobody knows how many others there are.
        Law enforcement experts say that accurate data would be an important step toward repairing the rift between police departments and the public, and toward curtailing unnecessary use of force.

        Ezekiel Edwards, director of the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project, said that a national database could provide answers to some basic questions: Which police departments are killing the most citizens — justified or not — and which the fewest? Why? Who are the victims, by race, gender and age?
        http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/one-year-after-ferguson-why-nobody-knows-how-many-people-n405376

      • The Real Alicia says:

        @Alicia:

        The police have killed over 975 people already this year – many of whom were mentally ill or were unarmed. Many are also black and/or Hispanic.

        You can sit there and claim all you want that BLM is making stuff up but they aren’t.

      • blogdiz says:

        @Alicia
        Darren Wilson not being charged or proven in a court of law of murder does not necessarily mean he didn’t murder someone
        if memory serves me correctly OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony were not proven in a court of law to be murderers either but it hasn’t prevented the vast majority of Americans for considering them as such

    • MexicanMonkey says:

      If I remember correctly they did apologize during the march for the bad timing but the rise up October protests have been months in planning and they couldn’t stop and rearrange everything after the cop was shot.
      And yes of course there are good cops but the protests aren’t what’s damaging their reputation, n it’s the blind defense by the police departments. If you’ve got bad cops come out and say it and let them be punished for what they did/do, what’s the point in protecting murderes?

    • Nicolette says:

      Completely agree. The timing was horrendous and insensitive. And @Sara, the comment made by @BNA. FN said nothing about not supporting victims of police brutality. But the demonizing of ALL police officers needs to stop. They are the line of defense between law abiding citizens and the criminal element. What on earth would society be like without them? Criminals would rob, rape, murder and so on without the threat of any repercussion. It would be complete and utter lawlessness. Would criminals just stop what they do and act like civil members of society if there were no police? Mayhem would rule the day.

      • Sara says:

        TIming? How can you talk about timing when innocent people’s lives are destroyed and disrupted for no good reason except the color of their skin? Police officers, for better or worse, have great responsability and power in society, and should be held to a high standard of conduct.

        Soldiers die every day on battlefields, so according to this logic we should never protest against systemic rape in the army? abuse inflicted on civilians? Most soldiers, police officers, teachers are good people. Some are not, and we should protest against their behaviour.

        There will never be a “good timing”.

      • Nebby says:

        Nicolette, no one is demonizing all police officers, if you paid attention you would notice how almost all critiques of them are began with “I know most cops are good”. It’s ok to point out how some cops are bad, it’s ok to criticize (how would they become better if we never told them their mistakes), and it’s ok for people to be upset and voice their grievances. We know not all cops are bad, it’d be great if you understood not all cops are good.

      • BNA. FN says:

        @Nicolette, Thank you for understanding what I was saying. I’m telling you, there are certain area in ny where the people are afraid to go of their apartment because of the criminal elements that prey on innocent elderly and law abiding remnants.

        Again, I’m not saying the PO who are criminals should not be on the force and should pay for their crimes but let’s be fair, the PO are not all criminals and murders.

        I live in a very nice borough, but at one times I had to visit a family member in a not safe building. Whenever I visited I had to leave my pocket book at home. Kept my money in shoe and hope I would not get mugged in the building. Believe me, there are lots of people in the poorer neighborhood that appreciate the police. There are areas where there are a police car parked 24/7 to prevent crimes.

      • cr says:

        “Again, I’m not saying the PO who are criminals should not be on the force and should pay for their crimes but let’s be fair, the PO are not all criminals and murders.”

        They’re not, but there seems to be an extreme reluctance on the part of the good POs to denounce the bad ones. And this is just not NYC, it’s everywhere.
        So the timing was bad? The timing will always be ‘bad’, there’ll always be something to be brought up why we can’t criticize the police. Always.

      • The Real Alicia says:

        Since there’s another person with the name “Alicia” commenting I want to distinguish myself from her ignorant comments.

        Did you read the report the Associated Press report put out on Friday? That over 1,000 police officers in just the past 6 years have been fired because of sexual assault and other crimes. And this report didn’t even look at California and NY cops. – that would raise the number by a couple of thousand.

        Very few of these officers were prosecuted or convicted, others just were fired and were able to go to other police departments. Many times the departments ignored what the cops were doing until there were multiple victims who complained and media attention was put on them. This is more than just a “few bad apples.”

        The culture of policing in this country needs to be cleaned up considerably. There are good police officers but they don’t speak out against the bad officers because when they do they are ostracized by the other officers and get zero support from their commanders.

      • Nicolette says:

        @Sara, yes I’m going to mention timing when an officer has been killed and was about to be buried. HIS LIFE MATTERED. The protest could have been planned for a later date. Highly disrespectful, but then again those protesting could give a damn right?

        @Nelly, I never said all cops are good. Ever. There is good and bad in all facets of life. Some people put on a uniform and are instantly on a power trip. Not just police officers, ANY uniform. But to constantly see the police force be demonized, yes demonized, is wrong.

      • Nicolette says:

        @Nebby, sorry for mis spelling your name, iphone puts date over name and read it incorrectly.

    • Luca76 says:

      It’s never the right time is it? Right now black people in this country are being shot down like animals in the street. It’s tragic when an officer dies in the line of duty but they were fully aware of the risks they were taking when they became officers. No one told Tamir Rice that playing in a playground like any other little boy could get him murdered. No one told Sandra Bland that if she failed to signal she would end up jailed for days and mysteriously dead. No one told James Blake that the act of standing on a sidewalk was punishable by a takedown by a cop who has been cited several times for brutality.

      • The Eternal Side-Eye says:

        Never the right time to talk about gun control either. Can’t do it too soon to another mass shooting, have respect for the victim’s family and – ah whoops! Dang it! There goes another mass shooting!

    • The Eternal Side-Eye says:

      The first number you call is a cop because THAT is their job. The first number you call when you’re having a heart attack is an ambulance.

      Realistically the relationship between the public and the police force have soured to this point (consider how the public once revered priests and so violently rejected them after the molestation scandal broke). Cops want to represent a unit and be part of a force when it’s time for respect and then be considered poor individual citizens when something bad happens. That switch won’t flip so easily and the message the police union keeps sending out is no one’s life matters unless they’re rich/famous or a cop.

      That really isn’t going to garner a lot of sympathy regardless of who is shot, which is wrong. A better man and Union leader than Bratton would have been working diligently to mend this broken public trust. Instead, he just creates more and more division literally instilling an ‘us vs. them’ mindset in the police and General public.

      Do you know which officers turned their back on the governer? Do you know which have been written up for past assault, racism, or planting evidence? Is that information in any way made public to you so that when you call 911 you can request a good cop who won’t use his power to exert control and humiliation? Or do you dial 911 and pray the police force that hired him or her actually gave a damn to get the monsters off their payroll? What happens if you get the cop that they didn’t? What happens when you need to call 911 and you’re not sure of which option (the crime or the police) is scarier and may leave you with more scars?

      • Alicia says:

        “Realistically the relationship between the public and the police force have soured to this point.”

        Not really. The vast majority of the public supports the police and appreciate how difficult and thankless their job is.

      • The Eternal Side-Eye says:

        @Alicia

        The same thing happened with the Los Angeles Police Force and Rodney King. I’ve no doubt they also had plenty of fans after their brutal beating of a black man was exposed, that’s how it goes for some folks. But the tide had turned on their public reputation and so many years later it hasn’t really changed back. Police Forces all over the U.S. are feeling the heat of this newly contentious relationship. It’s up to them if they want to fix it.

      • cr says:

        Sort of.
        Some of this support seems to be along the lines of support for politicians: politicians are assholes, but I like my asshole just fine. Meaning, there are bad police, but not my police.
        Majorities of the poll respondents said they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in their local police department and in police nationwide, as well as in the FBI. Americans were a bit less trusting of three other federal agencies, though around half expressed similar support for the CIA, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Secret Service.

        When asked about their local police department, 25 percent of respondents said they have a “great deal” of trust in those officers, while 36 percent said they had a “fair amount” of trust. As for police officers nationwide, 19 percent said they have a “great deal” of trust and 37 percent said they have a “fair amount.” White Americans were more likely to support the police, with 67 percent indicating some level of trust in their local police and 63 percent saying the same for police nationwide. Black Americans expressed considerably less support, with 36 percent indicating some level of trust in their local police and only 27 percent saying the same for police nationwide.

        http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/22/law-enforcement-trust-poll_n_7118634.html

        Amid continuing tensions over the police shooting of an unarmed teen in Ferguson, Mo., most Americans give relatively low marks to police departments around the country for holding officers accountable for misconduct, using the appropriate amount of force, and treating racial and ethnic groups equally.

        However, most also continue to express at least a fair amount of confidence in their local police forces to avoid using excessive force and to treat blacks and whites equally, though there are large racial gaps in opinion here as well as in views of police performance nationally. Public confidence in community police in these areas has not changed substantially since 2009.

        http://www.people-press.org/2014/08/25/few-say-police-forces-nationally-do-well-in-treating-races-equally/

      • Alicia says:

        “But the tide had turned on their public reputation and so many years later it hasn’t really changed back.”

        What are you basing that opinion on? Current polls show the public supports their police.

      • The Eternal Side-Eye says:

        @Alicia

        I suppose the more clear way to express my point would have been to say non-white opinion of police isn’t in the majority as evidenced by cr. Blacks and minority groups are the ones being overwhelmingly targeted by police, whites can face abuse at a destructive police force but to a greater percentage. I imagine those who never had a negative experience with the police would still support them whereas other races feel quite different.

      • Bridget says:

        @Alicia: I’m sorry, did you just say “polls show the majority of people support their police”? That is one of the most generic statements I’ve ever heard. Any context? Is this all of America? NY? LA? Was that literally the question? Because of course I support police officers, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t know that the police force in my city (Seattle) has some SERIOUS issues that still haven’t been addressed. The same thing for the NYPD. Their union is led by a man that takes any criticism (no matter how valid) as a direct attack and tries to bludgeon any opposition. Times are once again changing and while they have support now, that WILL change if they don’t wise up, and they will find themselves on the wrong side of history.

    • Bridget says:

      The timing will always be ‘wrong’ though. There will always be some reason why they don’t think they need to be held accountable and will throw a temper tantrum when someone dares criticize them.

    • Veronica says:

      It’s more appropriate than ever. The actions of corrupt or abusive cops undermine the sacrifices and contributions of police who actually care about their communities. If they refuse to control the behavior or engage in cover up, then they have no right to expect civilians to care about their losses. That “us VS them” mentality is exactly what created this situation in the first place. The entire reason an officer is given the right to deadly force is because he or she is held to a HIGHER moral standard of behavior than civilians. If they can’t be held accountable to the same laws as anyone else, what exactly separates them from any armed criminal beyond a badge?

  7. Miran says:

    That’s rich coming from Weinstein.

  8. anniefannie says:

    Ha! One more reason it’s great to be a Royals fan! Sorry Harvey DENIED!!!

  9. LAK says:

    The police appear to be fighting the wrong war.

  10. meme says:

    I know I’m alone here but I will not go see Tarantino’s new film even if he apologizes. If he’s so stupid that he didn’t realize the timing was so inappropriate, he doesn’t deserve my money.

    And this is from a fan.

    • geezlouise says:

      He used the rally to bring attention to himself and his new movie. He told so many lies during the rally I’m surprised the organizers didn’t ask him to sit down however a lot of made up stuff comes out of that movement. Controversy sells.

  11. The Eternal Side-Eye says:

    And still I see a police force more concerned with having their boots licked than actually tackling a problem.

    You know what any other industry on earth would do if it had a problem this severe? Come out with a bullet point list with multiple sub divisions of issues that need to be solved, manners in which it will be handled and ways to ensure it doesn’t happen again – PUBLICLY.

    What have the police force done? I do believe I hear the lovely sound of crickets.

    • The Real Alicia says:

      There are some chiefs that want to return to community policing and help strengthen the ties between the community and the police but many of the police unions and the rank and file officers are opposing it. If you police an area you need to get to know the residents of the area – go to the churches, go the neighborhood events, go to the community centers, go the libraries, etc. It’s harder to shoot someone dead or bash their skull in if you know them ahead of time and can defuse a situation by actually talking to a person.

      There have been interviews with older/retired police officers who are shaking their heads at the newer generations of police. One guy said that the younger police he trains want nothing to do with community policing and just want to go out there and “get some action” or act like they’re in a video game – drawing their weapons at even the slightest sign. Forget talking a mentally ill person down, just shoot them dead and fill out the paperwork later.

      • The Eternal Side-Eye says:

        You’re absolutely right.

        I’ve also heard from other police in interviews that the one thing that helps is having that community outreach and communication and lately it’s been hampered to a disastrous degree. It’s easier to see good kids who may go astray and reach out to guide them than merely be there to collect them when they have committed a crime. Furthermore it’s better to have a community that comes to you with concerns about their bad eggs than one that’s terrified of being lumped together and harassed. This might makes right, military weaponry and tanks doesn’t make us safer and isn’t giving us better police.

  12. anniefannie says:

    A year ago I was stopped for failing to yield. 1 week prior I was involved in a terrible accident (a woman ran a stop sign) my car was totaled and the tow truck dude drove off with my license in the car, anyhoo when I was pulled over I didn’t have my license. The PO violently grabbed my shoulders and threw me over the hood of my car and cuffed me as I was in the midst of explaining my situation! I was baffled and shaken. Thankfully another officer saw his treatment pulled over and insisted on taking over. Once I explained my situation the 2nd officer radiod in to check the validity of my explanation, un cuffed me and sent me on my way with no ticket AND an apology. ( all the while shaking his head) Prior to this I was always deferential to PO’s.
    There are bad apples in every profession but PO’s have people’s lives hanging in the balance so more over site should be expected and welcomed

  13. blogdiz says:

    America promotes itself as the bastion of democracy , its one of a few countries that citizens are free to criticize the Govt, either political party, the sitting president the church , your mayor etc.
    And yet the only people in America you cant criticize are the Police ?How is that so Is America now a police state ? How are very people you pay to protect and serve and hold life and death in their hands are above constructive criticism?
    And for the record no one is demonizing ALL police , this has been said ad naseum people are disingenuously using this narrative to deflect deny accountability and paint police and the police only as victims and shame and shut down the much needed conversation about bad policing
    Funny the#notallcops rhetoric sounds eerily similar to # notallmen

    • Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

      Look at all of the people who aren’t targeted who know so much more about targeting than the people who have to deal with it, the arrogance knows no bounds. These days, I’d wager that there are some people who join the force to be gods among men because people have been trained out of defending their own rights and are emboldened by the prospect of denying them to others. People jump through the most warped of mental hoops to justify any and all police misconduct. Look at the Spring Valley video, you had television commentators watching the tape of a child getting her arm broken by a grown man and saying that she assaulted him, but they want to say Black Lives Matter distorts things? Bull.

      What about the ongoing case of the off-duty black LAPD police officer who was profiled? He was DWB and some asshole pulled him over, demanded his papers, held him up for 20 minutes and when he got them, made up some garbage about black gang members impersonating cops, followed him home, made him do the same thing all over again in front of his house and after another 20 minutes of that finally left. The next day, this officer filed a profiling complaint and HE was punished. He was transferred, put on desk duty and has been ostracized non-stop. So, yes, he’s suing. And no, he’s not unique. We hear stories like this all of the time?

      If all cops are perfect, how are both of them right? People have to accept that you can’t call something thousands and thousands of isolated events and look like a sane person. I thought problems are meant to be fixed, but it’s beyond clear that many, if not most people just think that the problem is black people, full stop. Nothing new, there.

      I don’t know why I even have to say it, but I will: It’s terrible when cops are murdered, murder is a horrible thing and this cop died for trying to keep cruelties like that in check, but you want to talk about timing? Black Lives Matter didn’t run counter to the officer’s family’s wishes and say, throw a hissy fit at someone’s funeral because they were mad? When was the good time for that?

  14. kimbers says:

    I want Harvey to apologize for exploiting young ladies and justifying to himself and his pals…he’s disgusting. His wife knows.

    • funcakes says:

      She’s the wife of a power player. She’ll never rock that boat.Someone give her Camille Cosby’s phone number so they can compare notes.

  15. Holmes says:

    I’d like Harvey Weinstein to apologize for being a fat slob, but we can’t always get what we want, can we, Harvey?

  16. MND says:

    Oh FFS there’s more to life than Oscars. I thought we’d established that the Oscars were awards given by predominately old white men.

  17. Liz says:

    He’s disgusting.
    I only found two photos of one of his daughters. One of those was in Vogue with her mother. They really try to protect their faces, at least.

  18. Really? says:

    I have refused to go see or rent movies by director woody Allan since I learned of his sick pedophiles-like personal life. Ditto now on Tarantino movies. I vote with my feet/pocket book. There are too many other options to spend my entertainment money on. I am sick of entertainers mouthing off and proving they are morons. Shut up and act/direct/create. Idiots!