No global focus on J'can killed by cop in US days before Floyd's death

[malaise]

https://www.loopjamaica.com/content/no-global-focus-jcan-killed-cop-us-days-floyds-death
<snip>
The family of a Jamaican-born man is seeking justice after he was shot dead during a routine traffic stop by a police trooper in New Jersey in the United States, just two days before the captivating death of George Floyd.

The incident occurred on May 23 along the Garden State Parkway in Bass River, New Jersey.

Maurice Gordon, a 28-year-old resident of Poughkeepsie, New York, was raised in Spanish Town, Jamaica. At age 19, he migrated to the US, where his father was living, according to a US-based news website, NJ.com.

Tragedy struck when Gordon, who was unarmed, was allegedly shot multiple times by a white trooper after he reportedly removed his seatbelt a number of times while he sat in the trooper's car.
--------------
more at link

[samsingh]

1. for exposure

[malaise]

2. The silence is deafening particularly since there is so much Bob Marley music

playing at the protests

[sheshe2]

12. I just caught part of an interview on MS NBC.

His parents were being interviewed and they want answers.

[malaise]

13. Thanks - missed that

[samsingh]

3. murder pure and simple

so the young man was already in a police van. Presumably searched before being put in the back seat.

so the trooper decided to murder the unarmed man in cold blood.

[Alex4Martinez]

4. malaise, murder by cop is so commonplace as to rarely make the news these days...

That's what needs to change before the people demand reform.

I'm so sorry to read about Gordon, murder victim.

[MineralMan]

5. How things go viral can be difficult to figure out, in many cases.

However, in the case of George Floyd, the cell phone video showing exactly what happened was the immediate cause for the global spread of the story.

It seems like video of an incident is an essential element.

[malaise]

6. It was the length of the video and the fact that

so many people were at home to see it with no sports to distract them.

It is going to be a significant moment to remember

[MineralMan]

7. Yes. Both things were in play.

The video also recorded his words of "I can't breathe." It's perfectly audible on the video.

Thanks go to the brave young woman who recorded that grisly scene!

[malaise]

8. The video that changed the world

We can hope for a real new world order

[MineralMan]

14. I sincerely hope you're right.

This is certainly the largest expression of public disgust over such an incident involving police injustice I have ever witnessed. I hope it leads to good things. I worry, though, that it will not, and that will be an even worse tragedy.

Keeping the memory alive of George Floyd's murder should be Job 1 until we see changes happen.

[moonscape]

29. And the very personal aspect, the chilling

coldness, deliberateness, with which he casually watched George suffer, with his hand in his pocket. That video, that image, is seared for a lifetime.

[malaise]

31. +1,000

I watched it in a state of stunned incredulity (stole the sentence from a cricket commentator)

[marble falls]

9. To our eternal shame: there's been too many. This is the first I've heard of it and I try ...

be kept up on these outrages.

Part of the reason I think is the fact that there were no other witnesses or videos. the police have only released a portion of the car video to his family's attorney and it seems that this cop will claim his weapon was being reached for and he felt in danger of his life: the cops get out of jail, collect one free murder card.

[Wounded Bear]

10. MSNBC is reporting this right now, I think...

with Ayman Mohedin talking to parents.

[samsingh]

11. The story is on MSNBC right now

they are interviewing the Mother.

Poor lady.

[IronLionZion]

15. The protests are for systemic reforms against police brutality

to hopefully prevent this type of tragedy in the future.

The US Park Police executed a young brown American of Persian heritage for no apparent reason, no weapons, no crimes, nothing, because they feared for their lives and that didn't get much focus outside of brown people in the DC area.

George Floyd's case had that powerful video and lots of witnesses and not much else in the news. Tensions were already high because of quarantine and job losses so when a fellow mistakenly uses a counterfeit $20 bill to buy food, and is killed for it, things bubble over.

[appleannie1]

16. I posted that article to facebook. Hopefully it helps bring light to what occurred.

[kas125]

17. They killed a young man here in August. He was sitting in his car

in front of his house with friends. They still haven't told the family what happened, but the witnesses have. They've had protests, they've filed lawsuits, and still nothing. National attention? No national interest for him, either. Hell, even when I posted an article about it here, I was told it wasn't something of national interest and it was removed from LBN.

[malaise]

18. Add the link here

please

[kas125]

22. This is from August -

Last edited Tue Jun 9, 2020, 12:20 PM - Edit history (1)

https://abcnews.go.com/US/rashad-cunninghams-loved-answers-gary-indiana-police-shooting/story?id=65054865

Gary police officials would only confirm that an officer-involved shooting occurred, saying it happened about 3 a.m. following a traffic stop, according to ABC station WLS-TV in Chicago. No officers were injured in the incident.

The officer who shot Cunningham has not been publicly identified by police. Police did not immediately respond to phone calls and email from ABC News on Monday.

Fox sent a letter to Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson on Sunday asking that she arrange for her and her boyfriend's family to view any police body-camera and dash-camera footage of the shooting.

Andrew Stroth, a Chicago civil rights attorney representing Fox and Cunningham's mother, said he has not gotten a response from the mayor or the police department. (there's more, but I only posted the first four paragraphs.)
-----------------------

Nothing has changed since then, except that the family has filed lawsuits to try to get answers and still haven't gotten any. They're still having protests. I don't even understand how it can be almost a year and still nothing.

[kas125]

24. This is part of an article about the car owner's lawsuit-

"The suit states Hill was the driver, and Rashad Cunningham, 25, of Gary, was the passenger. A third individual was also in the vehicle.

"Without cause or provocation and within approximately ten seconds from exiting the car, (Price) fired his gun at Rashad ... killing him," Hill's attorney, Tracy Coleman, wrote in the complaint. "At the time ... (the vehicle occupants) were not engaged in any criminal conduct or the violation of any law."

The city of Gary declined to comment on Hill's suit.

Police have released few details of the Aug. 17 encounter since reporting that officers were responding to a report of shots fired in the area, found a parked vehicle with three occupants, and an officer’s weapon was discharged, fatally wounding Cunningham, as officers approached the vehicle to investigate. Police initially reported that they initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle."

[uponit7771]

41. omfg .. do they say they have dash or body cam vid?

[kas125]

42. They say there is no video. And that's about all they've said.

Ten months and nobody still knows what happened. For the first few days they said it was a traffic stop. Then the friends started talking and suddenly they were answering a call about gunshots, but they won't release the dispatch call. It's sounded wrong from the very first day it happened in August. It's horrible and I feel so awful for that family. They have filed several lawsuits and still no answers.

[uponit7771]

43. Are they required to wear body cams in those areas? thx in advance

[kas125]

45. They say they're working on getting them for every officer,

but just haven't had the funds. I guess that could be true, Gary doesn't have much money. At the protests last weekend I kept hearing people say nobody cares about this one because the cop was black too, but I think it's because there is no video, there's been no stupid defense by the police yet because they just aren't talking, and not many people know about it. The friends say two cops just walked up on them in the dark, surprising them, and one started shooting. Then they dragged him out, beat him up and stepped on his head while threatening him. And when they finally do say something it'll be all about how Rashad had a gun. He was exactly 26 miles from where that viral picture of the guys lined up with guns along a white fence menacing BLM was taken.

This is a news report from August. Every one since then only says the family has filed a lawsuit to try to get answers because they still haven't released a statement. It is utterly insane and I just don't know how they can do that.

[kas125]

47. They arrested his sister a few days ago for disorderly conduct

because she stepped into the street with her protest sign.

[Delmette2.0]

19. No weapon was found.

So why would the officer fear for his life? Why would he shoot multiple times? What training did the officer receive? Was the officer taught to fear and shoot to kill black men?

Rec'd for exposure because we will never know the answers to these questions.

[lostnfound]

32. So annoying it is when your kids keep taking their seatbelt off in the car.

Most of us just yell when that happens.

👀
Seriously this is A) so sad, B) basically as bad as the George Floyd case, and C) nauseating.
His poor family. Poor man.

[roamer65]

20. K&R.

[in2herbs]

21. I caught snippets of 60 Minutes last night and was upset by the talk. The people being interviewed

were saying that "people forget" "time heals" etc. and that is why progress stalls time after time. I call BS. People don't forget and time doesn't heal all things. IMO what we must NOT forget is that the courts have the last say and when the courts have spoken in decisions involving prior incidents/protests those decisions have muzzled the movement forward. For example, cops are given quasi to blanket immunity for their behavior under USSC decisions, making it basically impossible to challenge their behavior through the judicial process. I can bet that the police unions will be challenging any decisions by municipalities to defund or change policies and that move ensures the behavior will remain and remain unchecked.

For this series of national protests/demonstrations to have lasting effect we must tell judges, at local, state and USSC level, that we are coming after them next when they make decisions that protect one class of citizens over another class of citizens.

We can do it in November if we GOTV, keep the House and take back the Senate and the WH.

John Roberts and the rest of you USSC conservatives: are you listening?

[malaise]

25. Great post

Should be an OP

[lillypaddle]

23. K&R nt

[JustAnotherGen]

26. Gurbir S Grewal - is our AG - and We Aren't Ignoring It in NJ

Please contact his office:

Main Number: 609-292-4925
Citizen Services: 609-984-5828

Webmail - Not sure if you can use it if you are out of state.
https://www.nj.gov/lps/formmail.htm


Please help us - we have a good man in the Governor's Mansion and a good man in the AG's Office -

They will listen to you!

[malaise]

27. Thanks

Will pass this on

[J3AC4]

28. No Video

No Justice

[flibbitygiblets]

30. There's no video of this murder (I assume). Not that it matters any less

Not that it's any less tragic or horrifying.

But as to why this young man's death isn't causing public outcry, I think the reason is "video evidence". We all know these atrocities are going happening. And I guess we thought there wasn't anything we could do about it. But in the case of George Floyd, seeing him being murdered so callously, actually seeing it, I think just broke open the floodgates. The world's eyes are open. And now that the world is shaking our fists in outrage, now is the time that we need to make changes.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Malaise.

In the words of Skip Marley "another brother shot down, but that's not news; tell me that's not true"

[Judi Lynn]

33. Kicking. Thank you, malaise. n/t

[malaise]

44. Hi there

Long time no see

[Demovictory9]

34. kick

[crickets]

35. K&R for visibility.

[SunSeeker]

36. K & R for exposure.

[IronLionZion]

37. Gordon's case is getting more attention now

in news and social media sharing his story

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/08/maurice-gordon-shooting-video/

And whenever you hear about a local news story like this, you can always submit to national and international news media to see if they report on it. The tide looks to be turning. The public wants reforms.

[malaise]

38. I was speaking with someone this morning who went to school with his mum

She spoke with the mum yesterday and also said that he was never in trouble, but was always fearful about murder by cop.

[IronLionZion]

39. People shouldn't be afraid to be murdered by police

shining a bright light on this issue should help get enough support for reforms this election year

[malaise]

40. The police is JA aren't saints either

we have way too many police shootings

[MustLoveBeagles]

46. K&R for exposure