I can only imagine the sense of loss his parents are working through; my thoughts and prayers are with them.
I am very impressed by the Friends For Fullerton's Future website. The consistent effort to stay on top of the investigation into Kelly's murder, and reporting how City Officials responded immediately following his murder; is something we all should be grateful for. Holding elected representatives accountable to the people they represent appears to be something Friends For Fullerton's Future does very well indeed!
In this post I am going to share what this non-profit organization declares it's purpose to be. I am also going to share two things posted that speak of a tragic loss; and serve to remind us that Kelly Thomas' death was a tragedy that should not have occurred. The first post I want to share from this website is about respect; because it very eloquently states respect is not to be demanded, but earned; that a lack of respect is never an excuse for abuse of authority. Public Servants whose duty it is to Protect and Serve who seek to avoid consequences of felonious behavior, should not be assisted by other Public Servants in this. People who assist a person who has committed a felony crime to avoid being held accountable, and Police Officers who fail to stop or report crimes they witness, are choosing to be complicit; this choice makes them accomplices.
Regardless of what opinions a person may have about the mental health care system; or ideas about who needs to be doing what to or for people with schizophrenia; I believe that we all need to bear in mind that Kelly Thomas was a beloved son. Some people have used this tragedy to further agendas which they had before Kelly was killed; and some have even done so while minimizing or defending the actions of those who killed him. I am extremely grateful to find out that John Mirisch and The Beverly Hills City Council had the decency to pay homage to the fact, that Kelly Thomas, more than anything else, was first a person who was a member of a family and a community. Kelly Thomas was a beloved son. This is what needs to be remembered by everyone. I believe this especially must be remembered by those of us who are actively working to address difficulties faced by people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Kelly Thomas was a son, and his murder need not become a symbol of Police brutality, or symbolic of the failures of our society to be utilized in an attempt to further a particular political agenda.
If anything, Kelly Thomas' death should serve as a reminder of how very precious a person's life is, and how senselessly and carelessly it can be taken. I hope that Kelly's tragic murder inspires personal reflection; that each of us seeks to discover how individually and collectively we can better meet our duty to help people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and to support their families. It is only by doing this can we hope to not be complicit in the continued stigmatization, discrimination, mistreatment and abuse experienced by people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. When we do this, we can stop blaming victims who are victimized; stop blaming and finding fault with their families; and stop blaming "the mental health system." We can start by being responsible for holding the individuals who victimize vulnerable people with psychiatric diagnoses legally accountable. We can start by holding the people responsible for Kelly Thomas' murder accountable; and stop placing the blame for his murder on anyone other than the men who killed him.
via Friends for Fullerton's Future:
About Us
"the issue of whether the police deserve or should feel as if they require citizens to be “respectful”, and what the consequences should be if they are not.
Let me just put this out there. Disrespect of a LEO is not itself a crime. It is NEVER a valid excuse for any of the following: assault, false arrest, perjury, murder.
But that is what we are seeing in case after case. Officers who feel “disrespected” fly off the handle, lose it, manhandle the citizenry, arrest them on bogus charges, and commit perjury about these cases.
We have the right to disrespect each other without being beaten or falsely arrested for it. You can disrespect me, and I can disrespect you. Being a cop doesn’t make you special, and it doesn’t entitle you to respectful treatment from every person at all times. If I am clearly threatening bodily harm to you during an encounter, by all means use force if necessary to subdue me and take me in (though kindly stop when I am subdued rather than just beating me for the fun of it, but that’s a separate issue). If I am rather just mouthy, disrespectful, and contempuous of your authority, you know what? Too bad. That is not a crime.
Being a cop is NOT like being in a gang where you are entitled to respect. Being a cop means you work for the citizenry. They have every right in the world to disrespect you. A lot more disrespect is coming your way soon. The cop mentality of “don’t you dare disrespect me” is a relic of the past which will only lead to lawsuits and citizen revolts ala Fullerton. And we’re not even close to being done with this department yet.
I am very impressed by the Friends For Fullerton's Future website. The consistent effort to stay on top of the investigation into Kelly's murder, and reporting how City Officials responded immediately following his murder; is something we all should be grateful for. Holding elected representatives accountable to the people they represent appears to be something Friends For Fullerton's Future does very well indeed!
In this post I am going to share what this non-profit organization declares it's purpose to be. I am also going to share two things posted that speak of a tragic loss; and serve to remind us that Kelly Thomas' death was a tragedy that should not have occurred. The first post I want to share from this website is about respect; because it very eloquently states respect is not to be demanded, but earned; that a lack of respect is never an excuse for abuse of authority. Public Servants whose duty it is to Protect and Serve who seek to avoid consequences of felonious behavior, should not be assisted by other Public Servants in this. People who assist a person who has committed a felony crime to avoid being held accountable, and Police Officers who fail to stop or report crimes they witness, are choosing to be complicit; this choice makes them accomplices.
Regardless of what opinions a person may have about the mental health care system; or ideas about who needs to be doing what to or for people with schizophrenia; I believe that we all need to bear in mind that Kelly Thomas was a beloved son. Some people have used this tragedy to further agendas which they had before Kelly was killed; and some have even done so while minimizing or defending the actions of those who killed him. I am extremely grateful to find out that John Mirisch and The Beverly Hills City Council had the decency to pay homage to the fact, that Kelly Thomas, more than anything else, was first a person who was a member of a family and a community. Kelly Thomas was a beloved son. This is what needs to be remembered by everyone. I believe this especially must be remembered by those of us who are actively working to address difficulties faced by people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Kelly Thomas was a son, and his murder need not become a symbol of Police brutality, or symbolic of the failures of our society to be utilized in an attempt to further a particular political agenda.
If anything, Kelly Thomas' death should serve as a reminder of how very precious a person's life is, and how senselessly and carelessly it can be taken. I hope that Kelly's tragic murder inspires personal reflection; that each of us seeks to discover how individually and collectively we can better meet our duty to help people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and to support their families. It is only by doing this can we hope to not be complicit in the continued stigmatization, discrimination, mistreatment and abuse experienced by people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. When we do this, we can stop blaming victims who are victimized; stop blaming and finding fault with their families; and stop blaming "the mental health system." We can start by being responsible for holding the individuals who victimize vulnerable people with psychiatric diagnoses legally accountable. We can start by holding the people responsible for Kelly Thomas' murder accountable; and stop placing the blame for his murder on anyone other than the men who killed him.
via Friends for Fullerton's Future:
About Us
Intelligent, Responsible, and Accountable. These are the general qualities we seek in our elected representatives – plus the independence and integrity required to be effective leaders.We intend to support candidates in Fullerton who possess the willingness and ability to use their independent intelligence in weighing public matters; who will be responsible to his or her constituents; and who will insist on accountability for all the actions that he or she takes. We will actively oppose incumbents who have failed to demonstrate the qualities described above; who fail to remember that they are servants of the public; who believe that being a “team player” is more important than principle; who don’t have the courage to stand on principle when it means standing alone; who are not humble enough to admit error and are incapable of learning from their mistakes; and those who fail to treat constituents with the respect and dignity they deserve. And we will oppose candidates who through their words or actions indicate that they would not provide intelligent and responsible leadership, accountable to citizens of Fullerton. If you agree with our philosophy, you are a friend of Fullerton’s future.
excerpts from the post Respect:"the issue of whether the police deserve or should feel as if they require citizens to be “respectful”, and what the consequences should be if they are not.
Let me just put this out there. Disrespect of a LEO is not itself a crime. It is NEVER a valid excuse for any of the following: assault, false arrest, perjury, murder.
But that is what we are seeing in case after case. Officers who feel “disrespected” fly off the handle, lose it, manhandle the citizenry, arrest them on bogus charges, and commit perjury about these cases.
We have the right to disrespect each other without being beaten or falsely arrested for it. You can disrespect me, and I can disrespect you. Being a cop doesn’t make you special, and it doesn’t entitle you to respectful treatment from every person at all times. If I am clearly threatening bodily harm to you during an encounter, by all means use force if necessary to subdue me and take me in (though kindly stop when I am subdued rather than just beating me for the fun of it, but that’s a separate issue). If I am rather just mouthy, disrespectful, and contempuous of your authority, you know what? Too bad. That is not a crime.
Being a cop is NOT like being in a gang where you are entitled to respect. Being a cop means you work for the citizenry. They have every right in the world to disrespect you. A lot more disrespect is coming your way soon. The cop mentality of “don’t you dare disrespect me” is a relic of the past which will only lead to lawsuits and citizen revolts ala Fullerton. And we’re not even close to being done with this department yet.
Cops – do not think that the public must fear and respect you. Do your job, do it politely and professionally, and understand that RESPECT IS EARNED. If you can maintain a calm and professional aspect even as I flip you off, you may actually earn that respect.
There will come a day when I can walk right up to a cop and politely tell him to fuck off and he will know that there is absolutely nothing he can or should do about it. That I am just expressing my first amendment rights, and those rights are far more important than his fragile ego or sense of self-worth related to his position of power and authority.
Any cop who does not understand this will be forced out of public service. The citizenry will no longer tolerate public servants who think they exist on some higher strata above the citizenry. If you cannot deal with this Reality, you must find a line of work in which you do not profess to “protect and serve.” “Protecting and serving” require humility and an ability to endure the disrespect of those for whom you serve."read every word
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