(Written by an American expat of European ancestry living in the European Union)
(This diary is dedicated to the memory of Darrius Kennedy. I never knew him in life but by writing about his death, I have come to know the man and have come to feel strongly that his life must be remembered with dignity.) --
This diary has been republished at the request of readers after being substantially updated with new text, video and photographs. This diary deals with the sobering reality of the death of a man who died unnecessarily because he could not receive the necessary mental health treatment, as he was one of the 59 million medically uninsured Americans. It's also the story of a broken criminal justice system in New York City which has a long troubling history of being infected with racism.
In the heart of New York City in Times Square, a youthful in appearance African-American male, who was obviously mentally ill produced a kitchen knife (with a six inch blade), given his lack of capacity and clear copus mentis impairment, and almost as if it were a magic wand, everyone and everything it seems in Times Square stopped what they were doing and followed him. Now a foreigner seeing or reading this might ask why? Only a foreigner could ask this because the Americans all instinctively knew that the police at any second could kill Darrius lawfully. When the video starts out Darrius has 2 minutes 51 seconds left to live. He would retreat until his pursuers boxed him in, and then he would be summarily executed. This case deserves to be fully investigated by a body outside of the NYPD!
SPIEGEL QUOTE: Police spokesman Browne will later say that the officers opened fire after Kennedy had come within "two to three feet" -- less than a meter -- of them. Police Chief Kelly will report: "The officers got out of the car. As a result, Kennedy approached the officers with the knife; they had no place to go." BOTH MEN KELLY AND BROWNE, AREN'T TELLING THE TRUTH. (End of quote) No one in America's press would criticize these actions, because they are common place. So it was that the mainstream German magazine 'Der Spiegel' in true investigative reporting spoke the truth in the above quote, which is that the police were clearly prevaricating. (Please note: In the youtube video below, when shots ring out the person taking this video was about 25 yards away from the fatal shooting).SPIEGEL QUOTE:The various videos circulating on the Web clearly show that KENNEDY IS AT LEAST 15 to 20 FEET AWAY FROM THE officers STANDING AT THE SQUAD CAR WHEN THEY START SHOOTING. And it isn't as if they had just gotten out of their cars and were taken by surprise by their victim or somehow found themselves in a situation requiring self-defense. In fact, they are standing there with their weapons drawn, waiting for Kennedy, who passes another shop, the Jewelry Patch, before turning around and facing his death.
But you see the European press is capable of telling the truth about this incident, because in Europe in broad daylight in a major metropolitan city surrounded by cell phones never would have allowed this needless tragedy to happen. The American press was quick to point out that this African-American male had been arrested ten times. But what they couldn't report was that there was any evidence that Darrius had ever been violent, while ignoring wholly the mitigating circumstances of Darrius' obvious copus mentis issues. There is some speculation in the press that he might have been smoking marijuana, which as I'm reporting from the Netherlands today is a non-sequitor issue because here that isn't illegal, as it's been decriminalized. As I am headed to London, I note that in London too this incident would have been extremely unlikely, because the ordinary police there don't carry guns. But unlike in New York they do wear stab proof vests, but then in Europe they have universal medical care and mentally ill people can therefore be treated by medical doctors instead of the police. Clearly in view of these issues, we must conclude that the German mainstream magazine the Spiegel was correct in its analysis in that the death of Darrius Kennedy was completely unnecessary. In fact it was completely avoidable. Also the question must be asked why was Darrius shot in the back 3 times? How did that happen?
SPIEGEL QUOTE: Michael Massett, 41, 18 years on the job, shoots three or four times. Peter Rogers, 33, a police officer for the last seven years, pulls the trigger of his Glock nine or 10 times. Thirteen bullets strike Kennedy: six in the chest and abdomen, three in the back, two in the left upper arm and one in each thigh. He is pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital, at 3:42 p.m. (End of quote) As an American Expat living in the E.U. I note that Europeans are disturbed by the fact that the police in a posthumously degradation of Kennedy had allowed him to be dehumanized by the fact that officials didn't even wash away his blood on the sidewalk,(as if to leave a medieval blood stained calling card behind as warning to others) as they clearly had as little regard for him apparently in death as they did in life. SPIEGEL QUOTE:His story lives on for another two days. On Saturday, the police spend hours searching the crime scene, securing evidence and surveying the site, but after that, no one feels the need to wash away Kennedy's blood.On Sunday, the dark pool of blood becomes a minor attraction, as tourists from around the world..... Local reporters show up to write minor reports on how amusing it is to see visitors from Europe, in particular, surprised and even outraged about the fact that no one is washing away the blood. It's still there on Monday, and more tourists begin showing up with their cameras. (End of quote)
Link to full Spiegel article: http://www.spiegel.de/...Mental health professionals should be treating mentally ill medically uninsured Americans, rather than the police treating them. As in Darrius' case all too often that treatment ends in death in what might be termed a summary de facto public execution carried out by white police officers. We also may note that America's prison system is overrun with mentally ill people, because there are 59 million medically uninsured Americans. As a middle aged American male of European ancestry, it isn't possible for me to know fully what the African-American community must feel like after Darrius' death. One thing however is clear, particularly in the wake of Darrius' tragedy and others like it in a clear posture where 40% of all inmates are African-American, though they only comprise 13% of the population wherein approx 6.5% of said population would be African-American males.
It must therefore seem that African-American males in the United States are being hunted, especially in view of the recent Chavis Carter case and the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin. Additionally we note that in a clear posture where one third of all African-American males are crippled by the fact that they have felony convictions. It seems that the legacy of slavery in America is still very much with us today. To the extent that this is true I was never fully aware of this truth until I started living in the European Union, where racism against people of African heritage is far less pronounced, than in America by far. Though I accept for people who haven't lived outside of the United States this may be difficult to accept.
But then Americans are brainwashed into accepting by the American plutocrat owned media many things, to include the fact that 59 million Americans are left medically uninsured, whereas in Europe that number is close to zero. (This means that mental health services are available to everyone as a human right in the European Union, which has a population that is 200 million people larger than the population of the US). A fact that is tragically lacking in America's for profit medical system, where the police are left to treat the uninsured mentally ill on the streets and in America's for-profit prison systems. As such it seems clear that America pays a high price for its lack of a social safety net, wherein though the United States only comprises 4% of the world's population, we have 25% of the world's inmate population. This gives new meaning to the words 'Only in America
The spirit of only in America in the Youtube video below depicts a knife wielding mentally ill man in France who is taken into custody by French police, who tackled him and disarmed him with in 1 minute 15 sec. Please note none of the French police officers had their guns drawn pointed at the man, as they were not interested in deploying lethal force. They were interested purely in taking him into custody, so that he may receive appropriate psychiatric treatment.
Now here's an idea why don't we employ the H1B visas, which have been long abused by the plutocracy, so as to enrich themselves, this time I would propose they be used to bring to America, French peace officers like the ones shown in this video. They seem to know how to efficiently disarm knife wielding suspects faster than a speeding bullet without firing a single shot the old fashioned way, simply by wrestling them to the ground. They really would be New York's finest, and like the statue of Liberty a gift from France, that would be lionized.
Here are 2 other links of interest with similar stories: http://www.bbc.co.uk/...
In the end a legal remedy by the world community must be effectuated to stop the carnage in keeping with notions of global comity, equity and human rights that oppose summary executions by police carried out on American streets or legislatively sanctioned executions on America's death row under color of law. In order to enjoin these types of race based human right's violations of America's poor, by American officials and police, American voters should consider lobbying the Obama administration to finally join the International Criminal Court, so that the prosecution of recalcitrant American officials could be effectuated.
The NYPD has been criticized by retired NYPD police gold shield Detective Frank Serpico for it's stop and frisk policies in 2012. For anyone who is not familiar with Detective Serpico he became famous leading anticorruption efforts in NYPD. (Please note he was awarded the NYPD highest Medal). As a American hero Detective Serpico became the subject of T.V. movies and best selling books.
(Video link) http://www.youtube.com/...
Clearly we see the race based stop and frisk policies of the NYPD lead to the unnecessary death of Mr. Darrius Kennedy, by pushing a medically uninsured psychiatric patient to the breaking point. Under pressure this caused a vulnerable Mr. Kennedy to snap! At the same time some NYPD officers complain about being pushed to fulfill stop and frisk quotes using racial profiling. Clearly the NYPD is part of a broken American law enforcement system.
Finally I note (colloquially put) the axiomatic reality, that most of the real crooks in New York City aren't in Time Square, they're on Wall Street and their profits are protected by the NYPD!