Donna Hernandez

Threatened With a Bottle, NYPD Kills Another Mentally Ill Brooklyn Man

Brushes, bottles and mental health issues are reasons for getting shot to death in Brooklyn, but carrying a gun however, and shooting several people will get you shot in the leg and restrained.

Although I’m glad to hear police managed to follow procedure in one case it is disheartening to hear of yet another fatality as a result of NYPD. Over the weekend, another mentally ill man was fatally shot after getting into an altercation with his housemate and running outside with a broken wine bottle.

Brooklyn is turning out to be one of the deadliest boroughs. And history has proven that random objects will get you killed by New York’s finest shooters. Does NYPD training teach officers that you should empty your gun to get control of a situation? Shoot first; ask questions later, doesn’t sound like a part of training either but it appears to be the norm in major cities across the US.

Why do we even have courtrooms if justice is being served on the streets? Why do we even have a constitution if civil liberties no longer matter? What ever happened to police oversight? Without proper sensitivity training, cultural awareness and adrenaline control in police departments, our families and communities will continue to suffer.

This week one of the largest parades is scheduled to take place in New York City – the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade. Balloon carriers beware – floating cartoon characters might be on the NYPD deadliest weapons list.

Posted at 8:58 AM, Nov 19, 2007 in Permalink | View Comments