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Ex-tennis star James Blake* roughed up by NYPD

YogiNole

YogiNole

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Another incident of excessive use of force by the police. I guess Blake should consider himself lucky he didn't get shot.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/m...stakenly-tackled-white-cops-article-1.2353983

Five white undercover cops slammed retired black tennis star James Blake to the ground outside his Midtown hotel Wednesday in a violent case of mistaken identity.

The cops were investigating a credit card fraud operation when they took Blake to the ground around noon.

A police source said Blake was misidentified as a suspect wanted for buying a cellphone with a bogus credit card. A man who was standing near Blake was arrested in connection with the scam, police said.

* James Blake musician jokes here
 
Ugh, unbelievable - yet sadly, so utterly believable.

Like why would they even need to slam the real perp to the ground. Why not just be adults about it and be like "Sir we need to talk" and then detain him, rough him up if he resists. The real suspect is alleged to have used a stolen credit card, not been a violent nutjob.

Just imagine if one of the cops wasn't a fan of mid-tier men's tennis - how long would this guy have been humiliated while handcuffed on the sidewalk? SMDH.

Knuckleheads. These idiots will cost the city a few hundred thousand after the lawsuit gets settled. I hope Blake makes a big deal out of this, just as I wish Thabo Sefalosha had after they broke his leg before the Hawks playoff run.
 
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YogiNole said:
Another incident of excessive use of force by the police. I guess Blake should consider himself lucky he didn't get shot.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/m...stakenly-tackled-white-cops-article-1.2353983

Five white undercover cops slammed retired black tennis star James Blake to the ground outside his Midtown hotel Wednesday in a violent case of mistaken identity.

The cops were investigating a credit card fraud operation when they took Blake to the ground around noon.

A police source said Blake was misidentified as a suspect wanted for buying a cellphone with a bogus credit card. A man who was standing near Blake was arrested in connection with the scam, police said.

* James Blake musician jokes here
Click to expand...

RIP

images
 
ohio#1nolefan said:
He's barely black....I don't think this should be news.
Click to expand...
Apparently being even barely black is black enough to get pile-driven for maybe possibly being a guy that could perhaps slightly resemble someone who is alleged to have used a stolen credit card.
 
Cops being cops.....be hyper-aggressive first -- "hey, I wanted this badge and gun for a reason" -- and, if mistaken, oh well. Still makes for a good story at the doughnut shop.
 
With all that's been in the media the last couple of years it's easy to lean into making this about race but it's really about the over aggressive nature of policing in the US. Now I feel for all those cops getting shot lately. However you can't treat people like animals and criminals for for years and years and years without some backlash. It irritates me that they want to make it about race pointing out the cops were white. I don't think he would have been treated different if one of the cops was black and two were Hispanic, which in the NYPD that could have very easily been the case. If you take a walk around NYC its a pretty diverse police force. It's a problem with overly aggressive tactics.

Again this was due to him being misidentified over fraudulently purchased cell phones. A nonviolent crime met swiftly and immediately with an escalation of violence.
 
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FreeFlyNole said:
With all that's been in the media the last couple of years it's easy to lean into making this about race but it's really about the over aggressive nature of policing in the US. Now I feel for all those cops getting shot lately. However you can't treat people like animals and criminals for for years and years and years without some backlash. It irritates me that they want to make it about race pointing out the cops were white. I don't think he would have been treated different if one of the cops was black and two were Hispanic, which in the NYPD that could have very easily been the case. If you take a walk around NYC its a pretty diverse police force. It's a problem with overly aggressive tactics.

Again this was due to him being misidentified over fraudulently purchased cell phones. A nonviolent crime met swiftly and immediately with an escalation of violence.
Click to expand...

And the guy couldn't have been more passive. He said he actually smiled as the guy was coming at him because he thought it must be an old friend giving him a bear hug. I actually applaud his innocence. I would be expecting the worst.
 
FreeFlyNole said:
With all that's been in the media the last couple of years it's easy to lean into making this about race but it's really about the over aggressive nature of policing in the US.
Click to expand...

The aggressive nature of policing is definitely a major part of it. But it's hard to envision this kind of aggressive response by the cops if James Blake was replaced by a middle aged white investment banker type.
 
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FreeFlyNole said:
With all that's been in the media the last couple of years it's easy to lean into making this about race but it's really about the over aggressive nature of policing in the US. Now I feel for all those cops getting shot lately. However you can't treat people like animals and criminals for for years and years and years without some backlash. It irritates me that they want to make it about race pointing out the cops were white. I don't think he would have been treated different if one of the cops was black and two were Hispanic, which in the NYPD that could have very easily been the case. If you take a walk around NYC its a pretty diverse police force. It's a problem with overly aggressive tactics.

Again this was due to him being misidentified over fraudulently purchased cell phones. A nonviolent crime met swiftly and immediately with an escalation of violence.
Click to expand...
Totally agree with everything you said. Good post!

One thing I'd clarify, at least with regard to my opinion, is that race does have something to do with it - police disproportionately use excessive force towards minority targets, regardless of the race of the officer.
In short, the race of the cop doesn't matter as much as the race of the 'subject' in terms excessive use of force.
 
FreeFlyNole said:
With all that's been in the media the last couple of years it's easy to lean into making this about race but it's really about the over aggressive nature of policing in the US. Now I feel for all those cops getting shot lately. However you can't treat people like animals and criminals for for years and years and years without some backlash. It irritates me that they want to make it about race pointing out the cops were white. I don't think he would have been treated different if one of the cops was black and two were Hispanic, which in the NYPD that could have very easily been the case. If you take a walk around NYC its a pretty diverse police force. It's a problem with overly aggressive tactics.

Again this was due to him being misidentified over fraudulently purchased cell phones. A nonviolent crime met swiftly and immediately with an escalation of violence.
Click to expand...

Nailed it. Why? What's the point?
 
Here's the recently released video of the NYPD officer James Frascatore running up on Blake and winding him, face-down, to the ground.



Compare that, if you will, with the tact officers took when detaining psychotic, racist, violent, mass-murderer Dylan Roof



Crazy to think a mass-murderer sitting in his car, potentially heavily armed, was approached and treated significantly more gently than a suspected credit card scammer standing peacefully in plain sight.

Unusual to say the least IMO. I mean these guys holstered their weapons as they walked up to him, wtf?! For all the incidents where cops are paranoid and wind up beating or shooting someone, they were almost absurdly relaxed approaching this murderer's vehicle.
 
BacardiNole said:
Here's the recently released video of the NYPD officer James Frascatore running up on Blake and winding him, face-down, to the ground.

View embedded media


Compare that, if you will, with the tact officers took when detaining psychotic, racist, violent, mass-murderer Dylan Roof

View embedded media


Crazy to think a mass-murderer sitting in his car, potentially heavily armed, was approached and treated significantly more gently than a suspected credit card scammer standing peacefully in plain sight.

Unusual to say the least IMO. I mean these guys holstered their weapons as they walked up to him, wtf?! For all the incidents where cops are paranoid and wind up beating or shooting someone, they were almost absurdly relaxed approaching this murderer's vehicle.
Click to expand...

I would agree both are inappropriate. Black or white if the crime is nonviolent then there's no reason Leos should use any level of force to detain them unless the suspect becomes violent first. Meanwhile, I would NEVER expect such a peaceful submission by a murderer.
 
Clear case of excessive use of force... let's see what Blake does with this if anything. Just more bad pub for law enforcement, and of course people like Bacardi throw some example of how police handle a white guy (who is known to be violent) to make this into a clear racial issue.... because just like the Geico commercial says, that's what he does.

Ever been in a Geico commercial yet Bacardi?
 
wdnole said:
Clear case of excessive use of force... let's see what Blake does with this if anything. Just more bad pub for law enforcement, and of course people like Bacardi throw some example of how police handle a white guy (who is known to be violent) to make this into a clear racial issue.... because just like the Geico commercial says, that's what he does.

Ever been in a Geico commercial yet Bacardi?
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A) My post said nothing about race, you drew the black arrest / white arrest comparison. I highlighted bafflingly poor procedure in both of the arrests.
B) Is it really me, some message board poster, making cops look bad, or Officer Frascatore?

I haven't been in a Geico commercial - my friggin acting career seems like it might never take off! SMDH!
 
BacardiNole said:
Compare that, if you will, with the tact officers took when detaining psychotic, racist, violent, mass-murderer Dylan Roof

View embedded media


Crazy to think a mass-murderer sitting in his car, potentially heavily armed, was approached and treated significantly more gently than a suspected credit card scammer standing peacefully in plain sight.

Unusual to say the least IMO. I mean these guys holstered their weapons as they walked up to him, wtf?! For all the incidents where cops are paranoid and wind up beating or shooting someone, they were almost absurdly relaxed approaching this murderer's vehicle.
Click to expand...

So you think the proper approach to apprehending a violent psychotic racist, that is in his car, that potentially has weapons, is to rush in?
I really don't think the Blake incident was that bad.. The cop rushed him and spun him round to the ground. It wasn't like he beat him down. Maybe the real guy they were targeting had a violent history? It looked to me like Blake resisted a bit thus the cop spinning him to the ground.
Having said all that, anyone in Blake's position would resist considering he did nothing wrong and it being a plain clothes cop.
 
BacardiNole said:
Here's the recently released video of the NYPD officer James Frascatore running up on Blake and winding him, face-down, to the ground.

View embedded media


Compare that, if you will, with the tact officers took when detaining psychotic, racist, violent, mass-murderer Dylan Roof

View embedded media


Crazy to think a mass-murderer sitting in his car, potentially heavily armed, was approached and treated significantly more gently than a suspected credit card scammer standing peacefully in plain sight.

Unusual to say the least IMO. I mean these guys holstered their weapons as they walked up to him, wtf?! For all the incidents where cops are paranoid and wind up beating or shooting someone, they were almost absurdly relaxed approaching this murderer's vehicle.
Click to expand...

Cops being cops. They love to overpower people who are defenseless and no threat to anyone. "Hey, there's a weak lamb who won't fight back.....watch this." Makes them feel "powerful" -- which most meatheads crave -- and, of course, it's safer than apprehending real criminals. All of this over some low-level fraud scheme that involved no guns and no violence whatsoever. And then the taxpayers will foot the bill for the settlement of the lawsuit and the payment of the cop's lifetime pension. Great job, officer.
 
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That is actually pretty scary. Your natural inclination when being attacked by someone in street clothes (and he was attacked) is to fight back, which gives a nervous, trigger-happy cop all the reason he needs to tase you or even shoot you. Heck, if you were carrying you'd probably be justified in shooting that cop. Easy to see how it can spiral out of control and end up with someone dead.
 
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Formerly Rockymtnole said:
That is actually pretty scary. Your natural inclination when being attacked by someone in street clothes (and he was attacked) is to fight back, which gives a nervous, trigger-happy cop all the reason he needs to tase you or even shoot you. Heck, if you were carrying you'd probably be justified in shooting that cop. Easy to see how it can spiral out of control and end up with someone dead.
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Was thinking this as well. Blake says this bonehead never identified himself as a cop, as such it's surprising Blake didn't swing on this random stranger that jumped him - he would have had every right to protect himself. And no doubt the cop would have probably defended himself in response with a disproportionate beat down. All for what? Could have been a simple turn around and put your hands behind your back, I'm nypd" situation.
 
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MIKE_G said:
The bonehead cop also has a history of using excessive force. Or at least has been accused of it twice before.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...d-james-blake-has-history-of-force-complaints
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This is one of my bigges issues with cops: very little self-policing. They know they have bad apples in their ranks, but they are rarely voluntarily thinned out. Just spew some rhetoric about "protecting the community," bury them deeper in the organization, and keep everyone's pensions in tact.
 
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ohio#1nolefan said:
So you think the proper approach to apprehending a violent psychotic racist, that is in his car, that potentially has weapons, is to rush in?
I really don't think the Blake incident was that bad.. The cop rushed him and spun him round to the ground. It wasn't like he beat him down. Maybe the real guy they were targeting had a violent history? It looked to me like Blake resisted a bit thus the cop spinning him to the ground.
Having said all that, anyone in Blake's position would resist considering he did nothing wrong and it being a plain clothes cop.
Click to expand...

Not that bad? You are nuts. As others - and even you - stated, it would be entirely reasonable for Blake to have fought back, and fought back hard. The cop didn't identify himself, he just ran in & grabbed him forcefully. I'm shocked that Blake didn't start throwing punches or make more a more aggressive defensive reaction. It didn't turn out very, very bad ONLY because of how Blake handled himself. If his reaction had been what most would have done, he'd have likely gotten shot.
 
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JohnnieHolmesNole said:
This is one of my bigges issues with cops: very little self-policing. They know they have bad apples in their ranks, but they are rarely voluntarily thinned out. Just spew some rhetoric about "protecting the community," bury them deeper in the organization, and keep everyone's pensions in tact.
Click to expand...

And when they are thinned out, it's done in a manner that protects the offending officer's pension.
 
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SeaPA said:
Not that bad? You are nuts. As others - and even you - stated, it would be entirely reasonable for Blake to have fought back, and fought back hard. The cop didn't identify himself, he just ran in & grabbed him forcefully. I'm shocked that Blake didn't start throwing punches or make more a more aggressive defensive reaction. It didn't turn out very, very bad ONLY because of how Blake handled himself. If his reaction had been what most would have done, he'd have likely gotten shot.
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Not that bad meaning in the actual violence. He got thrown/spun down and it was over. I agree, it sucks and fortunately Blake didn't throw punches or really fight back. It was obviously a mistake by the police that fortunately didn't end worse.
 
Ok...here comes my law enforcement view. (Opinions welcome)

This is not excessive force. Blake is brought down to the ground and never beaten on, kicked, etc. We don't know what information they had on the suspect as far as history of resisting arrest or weapons.

The part I don't like is the fact that the plain clothes officer never really had anything visible identifying himself as an officer. I'd probably resist myself if someone came up to me and started to take me down to the ground and having no idea he is a police officer.

And enough about the race...

Blake hardly looks black, and more middle eastern than anything. We as officers make mistakes. It looks like NYPD apologized and admitting they messed up. What else should NYPD do? As far as excessive force complaints go, people have the right to file such complainant. A majority are false, and ade justified.

Open to opinions...
 
JonSch7 said:
Ok...here comes my law enforcement view. (Opinions welcome)

This is not excessive force. Blake is brought down to the ground and never beaten on, kicked, etc. We don't know what information they had on the suspect as far as history of resisting arrest or weapons.

The part I don't like is the fact that the plain clothes officer never really had anything visible identifying himself as an officer. I'd probably resist myself if someone came up to me and started to take me down to the ground and having no idea he is a police officer.

And enough about the race...

Blake hardly looks black, and more middle eastern than anything. We as officers make mistakes. It looks like NYPD apologized and admitting they messed up. What else should NYPD do? As far as excessive force complaints go, people have the right to file such complainant. A majority are false, and ade justified.

Open to opinions...
Click to expand...

This was very much "excessive force," especially since the tennis player should not have been touched in the first place. Why was he "brought down to the ground" at all? Why the need for any force at all? Doesn't it seem like you should have a 110% accurate identification before you start body-slamming people? Would you agree that this tennis player would have been justified in shooting your fellow cop since he failed to identify himself, and seemed to be a random assailant?

This act was/is totally indefensible, but the fact that you are trying to defend it underscores the bigger problem in cop/public relations.....you guys needlessly cause many of your own problems.
 
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JonSch7 said:
Ok...here comes my law enforcement view. (Opinions welcome)

This is not excessive force. Blake is brought down to the ground and never beaten on, kicked, etc. We don't know what information they had on the suspect as far as history of resisting arrest or weapons.

The part I don't like is the fact that the plain clothes officer never really had anything visible identifying himself as an officer. I'd probably resist myself if someone came up to me and started to take me down to the ground and having no idea he is a police officer.

And enough about the race...

Blake hardly looks black, and more middle eastern than anything. We as officers make mistakes. It looks like NYPD apologized and admitting they messed up. What else should NYPD do? As far as excessive force complaints go, people have the right to file such complainant. A majority are false, and ade justified.

Open to opinions...
Click to expand...

This is a borderline troll right? Anyway, your view of this is entirely why people are questions police officers. So you have to beat down the "suspect" now for it to be excessive force? What a joke. It's been reported that the suspect they were looking for is wanted for credit card fraud. There hasn't been any reports about that person being violent. With 5 undercover cops on the case don't you think this officee could have walked up and told Blake that he was being held because he fits the description of a suspect? Just because the NYPD apologized doesn't make it go away. You know what they could do more? How about police their own kind and offer better training so that crap like this is avoided. Believe me, it will do police officers good in the long run. It isn't good to piss off the people.
 
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JonSch7 said:
Ok...here comes my law enforcement view. (Opinions welcome)

This is not excessive force. Blake is brought down to the ground and never beaten on, kicked, etc. We don't know what information they had on the suspect as far as history of resisting arrest or weapons.

The part I don't like is the fact that the plain clothes officer never really had anything visible identifying himself as an officer. I'd probably resist myself if someone came up to me and started to take me down to the ground and having no idea he is a police officer.
Click to expand...

I think this helps illustrate the difference between law enforcement and ordinary humans. If this is how you treat every suspect, no wonder people have a bad taste in their mouth after encounters with law enforcement.

JonSch7 said:
And enough about the race...

Blake hardly looks black, and more middle eastern than anything. We as officers make mistakes. It looks like NYPD apologized and admitting they messed up. What else should NYPD do? As far as excessive force complaints go, people have the right to file such complainant. A majority are false, and ade justified.

Open to opinions...
Click to expand...

That is true that everyone makes mistakes. The solution is to own up to it and fix it instead of trying to dance around the issue on semantics. Sure, he looks more middle eastern than african american but the cops would've approached this differently if the suspect was a white middle aged investment banker.
 
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