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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
NY Police Kill Unarmed Black Teen
Posted by Justin Jeffre
As we approach the anniversary of Sean Bell’s death from a hail of 50 police bullets, the NYPD is now facing another scandal over killing another unarmed African-American. Khiel Coppin died Monday night in a hail of 20 police bullets. He was 18 years old and only carrying a hairbrush.
According to http://www.democracynow.org, Coppin’s mother had called the police for help following a violent argument with her son. Coppin reportedly had a history of mental illness. According to witnesses, one police officer shouted in vain for the others to stop shooting.
The NYPD gets paid to protect and to serve, but as this Michael Moore video shows, they have a serious problem with seeing things. Michael Moore on NYPD Racism & Police Brutality is a fun video to watch, but it’s sad that these injustices continue with such regularity.
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14 Nov 2007 at 06:17 pm | #
It is almost certain that no jury will convict any cops. After all they are the enforcers of the masses and the responsibility for the act of police reflect directly on the public, who are ultimately responsible. The people hide behind conditional immunity, which does not allow the police ,therefore the citizenry, to be held accountable.
Remove the conditional immunity so that officials can be sued as easy as other citizens and you might make a dent in these tragedies.
Until that happens the government has a license to kill.
14 Nov 2007 at 08:03 pm | #
Yeah, and Edward Longmire received life without parole today for murdering a good soul who was unarmed. The man had attempted to get the purses this Longmire had stolen. I guess you didn’t see the film segments with Longmire smirking while the court proceedings were going on.
Oh well. It was just another worthless white person erased off the face of the earth for trying to do a good deed. Oh yeah, this Longmire criminal has been spared the death penalty. It all evens out, right? I figured you’d see it that way.
14 Nov 2007 at 08:11 pm | #
Jones, what does that have to do with the NYPD shooting unarmed black men?
How does that even out?
15 Nov 2007 at 11:16 am | #
What does, the NYPD shooting a black man who convinced his mother and the police that he had a gun, and then charged them, have to do with? Is it your contention that they did it to celebrate the anniversary of the death of Sean Bell?
15 Nov 2007 at 04:16 pm | #
JFD/Bill Landeck, what are you talking about?
He didn’t convince his mom or the police he had a gun. The NYPD has a well known history of filling black men full of lead for carrying hairbrushes, wallets, keys and candy bars. They have a real problem with seeing things that don’t exist. It’s funny how you like to make up things too.
No, that is not my contention. I found it noteworthy that there’s another scandal involving yet another young unarmed black man that got shot by the NYPD within two weeks of the anniversary of Sean Bell’s murder last year. It’s bad enough they shot these men, but to unload their guns on them, reload their guns and do it again should clearly be unjustifiable, even to you.
Michael Moore made his movie about unarmed black men being shot for having wallets and other non-lethal objects before either of these cases came out.
I hope you never get a badge or an armed militia Bill.
15 Nov 2007 at 07:23 pm | #
JJ #5: “He didn’t convince his mom or the police he had a gun.”
He was heard by the operator,in the background when his mom called the 911, saying he had a gun. That’s the report I heard. Since you weren’t there I don’t have any over riding reason to take your word that he didn’t.
JJ#5: “I hope you never get a badge or an armed militia”
Don’t want a badge. What do you think about ” Clifton Heights Armed Response Militia”, otherwise known as CHARM?
15 Nov 2007 at 11:40 pm | #
JFD, I didn’t see that reported, but it really doesn’t matter because the bottom line is he didn’t have a gun and shouldn’t have been shot 20 times. And the larger issue is that this keeps happening, unarmed black men being gunned down for carrying a hairbrush, wallet, keys or candy bars. This has been going on for a long time and is a real problem even if you don’t get it.
CHARM? I think it’s a really bad idea Bill!
16 Nov 2007 at 10:20 am | #
JJ#&: “They (the police) have a real problem with seeing things that don’t exist.”
Apparently, so did the mentally ill victim of his own actions.
JJ#7: “CHARM? I think it’s a really bad idea”
Well then what about; “The White Tigers Not To Be Confused With The Black Panthers”? I realize it’s rather wordy, but it has hometown appeal with it’s reference to the tigers at the zoo. It’s politically correct as it separates us from a well known hate group. It’s only short coming is it doesn’t work into a concise acronym.
16 Nov 2007 at 11:20 am | #
Mr. Landeck, I saw a report with new details on the case and was struck by how young the eighteen year old Coppin looked in his picture. He looked like a child in the picture I saw.
You’re contradicting what I’ve seen reported. Where do you get your information from JFD?
16 Nov 2007 at 11:50 am | #
The difference between the mentally ill victim (of the NYPD’s actions) and the NYPD is that he didn’t have a gun, he didn’t shoot anyone and he didn’t have a history of shooting unarmed blackmen. They shot him 20 times even though he was unarmed and they were told he was unarmed.
The Black Panthers weren’t a hate group. They were the Black Panther Party for self defense. They had the countries first free breakfast for kids program, they had health clinics and they fought against police brutality. They carried guns (legally), tape recorders and law books.
Why don’t you call your group “The White Pussies”? There aren’t any tigers in Clifton Heights Bill, but we have all kinds of pussy cats running around the neighborhood.
16 Nov 2007 at 10:28 pm | #
Black Panther ex-cons: Huey Newton, George Jackson, Elmer Pratt, & the list goes on.
And way back, some soft heart Judge cut several BPs some slack, but the SF 8 continue to sit & rot in Federal prison: Ray Boudreaux, Richard Brown, Richard O’Neal, Hank Jones, Francisco Torres, Herman Bell, Jamil Muntaqim, & Richard Bridgeforth is still a fugitive.
Their one big claim to fame is the murder of an SF police officer. Behind that, is a score of conspiracy charges that go over several years.
It’s nice to see that you don’t think the BPs are criminals. They’re criminals, just the same as the Klan.
Not that JFD can’t speak concisely for himself, which he does in a superb manner, just what in the freak are YOU doing to increase the quality of life & decrease in crime in Clifton Heights or any other neighborhood, Jeffre?
Again, another student was conked by a shiftless, lowlife criminal over an I-Pod. Jeffre, I didn’t see you get off your plush bottom to do anything.
I applaud all community volunteers who step up in a valiant effort to take back their sidewalks from the criminal element. They give a lot & put themselves at dire risk. It’s the only way to get things accomplished.
16 Nov 2007 at 11:09 pm | #
JJ#!*: “Why don’t you call your group “The White Pussies”?”
We thought about it, and didn’t want to be confused with 98 degrees.
17 Nov 2007 at 07:37 pm | #
anon, as I said the Black Panthers weren’t a hate group and they really weren’t criminals. It was the FBI that was engaged in criminal activities with their COINTELPRO program.
They harassed everybody including Dr. King, Ceaser Chaves and the NAACP. They used fraud and other methods. They murdered Fred Hampton in his sleep.
The Black Panther Party wasn’t anything like the Klan. They didn’t lynch people or burn crosses.
Bill Landeck, that’s a good one. I’m sure people ask you if you’re in 98 degrees all the time and people tremble when they see you walk by.
18 Nov 2007 at 11:04 am | #
JJ#13: “The Black Panther Party wasn’t anything like the Klan. They didn’t lynch people or burn crosses.”
I guess shooting them was a kinder gentler approach to their racism.
JJ#13: “Bill Landeck, that’s a good one. I’m sure people ask you if you’re in 98 degrees all the time and people tremble when they see you walk by.”
Actually they don’t; as I can’t sing and I won’t dance like a girl. Nobody trembles when I walk by, as I’m neither a street thug, nor a pop star.