Page 16 - August 2016 Newsletter

The American Police Officer
One night a few weeks back after trying to make sense of the recent massacres of Police Officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, I found myself flipping through the channels on the television. I came across Sheriff David Clark of the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Depart- ment having a discussion with reporter Don Lemon from CNN. Sheriff Clark was speak- ing about the anti-police rhetoric that has
been fueled by a hateful ideology made up from a tale of lies. Throughout the interview, Sheriff Clark was interrupted by the reporter if he made any refer-
ence to the fictitious tales that these newly-mint-
transported to Northwestern Hospital. Reflecting on the incident, I could not help but think about what Sheriff Clark said on CNN about the American Police Officer and how I had witnessed his sentiments first-hand.
The officers who approached that offender at the Bat- tle of Fort Dearborn Park would never imagine that an incident like this would happen at 18th and Calumet. This is an area comprised of million-dollar townhomes and high rises. Yet when called upon to investigate the
individual acting strangely in the park, these officers did not hesitate. These American Police Officers went to the area where they were told something was not right and because of their training and the good Lord being on their side, they were able
THOMAS
THOMAS
MCDONAGH
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ed activist groups were founded upon. Sheriff
Clark pointed out that the false narratives being pushed by mainstream media have been factu-
ally proved false, yet they continue to be reported
as true. Sheriff Clark further stated, “There is only one group in America that truly cares about the lives of those living in isolated urban areas, the American Police Offi- cer.” Sheriff Clark is the advocate for police in the U.S.
Fast forward to the evening of July 21, when I related a story about three American Police Officers that Sher- iff Clark could have been referring to. On this evening, three Bike Officers from the 1st District were heading back to the 1st District after a concert they were detailed to work at Northerly Island. While en route, the three of- ficers were flagged down by two females on 18th Street between Calumet and Prairie who related that there was a male in the Battle of Fort Dearborn Park acting strange- ly. The officers rode back to the park and observed the offender sitting on a bench. The officers approached the offender to perform a Terry stop, and as they began their interviewing, he reached into a backpack, pulled out a handgun and began firing. All three officers returned fire, one was struck and the offender ran toward a fence where the two able-bodied officers in pursuit found him collapsed. Once the two officers ascertained that the threat was neutralized, one ran back to his injured part- ner and proceeded to create a tourniquet out of his gun belt in an effort to stop the bleeding created by the bul- let wound. I later asked this officer how during all of this chaos he had the sense to think of using his duty belt as a tourniquet, and he stated that he attended LEMART training the previous week. A squad car working Spe- cial Employment was the first police vehicle on scene and one of the officers in that vehicle had also attend- ed LEMART training recently. This officer happened to have a tourniquet on hand that he had purchased on his own, and applied it to the wounded officer who was
Field Representative
REPORT
to return to their loved ones.
Now, the fate of these three officers rests upon
the result of an IPRA investigation. As someone who was personally on the scene that night, I would like to point out that IPRA never made it to Area Central the night of this incident nor did IPRA have the courtesy to inquire about the well-being of the involved officers. So much for a fair and impartial investigation.
I would also like to mention that one of the two fe- males who flagged down the three Bike Officers on 18th Street, Amani Abou Harb, is on the staff of Injustice Watch. According to the website, Injustice Watch is an organization launched late last year with a clear goal to expose institutional failures that stand in the way of a just and fair society. And guess what institution they have set their sights on: Ours.
Harb was interviewed for an article after the shooting and she describes how you sometimes have a gut feel- ing that something’s not right or someone’s not acting normally. Harb further related that she and her friend did not feel safe with this offender in the park and left in search of the police until she saw the three Bike Officers and described what had occurred and what the offender looked like. Soon after Harb saw the officers cycling to- ward the park, she heard several gunshots. Harb stated that some people have since blamed her for the death of this offender and she stated that she just reported what she saw and that’s what the police are for and if you can’t tell them, she doesn’t know what you’re supposed to do. I hope that Harb utilizes her position at the Injus- tice Watch to tell the story about how the institution her group vilifies and questions saved the lives of many in that neighborhood, and the story of The American Po- lice Officer. d
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