In answer to your question, I did know but not before the Radiolab episode. I'm sure many people do not know and were first informed through your well written article.
Radiolab produced an episode about this: "No Special Duty" in October 2020. They re-aired June 2022.
Joseph Lozito was brutally stabbed by a mentally unwell man while on an NYC subway train. Police officers were IN the car with him, on the lookout for a man who had in a short period of time unprovokedly attacked many other people with a knife. They were tipped off that the attacker may have fled to the subway. So they were tasked with apprehending a person known to have stabbed multiple people with a knife and they witnessed a man getting attacked by another man wielding a large knife but they hid during the incident because they feared for their lives.
Lozito sued the NYC police for looking on as he was attacked and he lost because the judge ruled that police officers had "no special duties" to protect the lives of civilians at risk of their own lives.
My city approved a quarter of a BILLION dollars for the police department out of the budget for the coming year. The police department ALREADY (like many other cities across the country) received the bulk of the COVID American Rescue Plan funds. Originally it was earmarked for police reforms but they changed it to renovations and improvements for LMPD HQ and a motherfucking WELLNESS CENTER (for cops).
Please think about that for any police department in the country. Now let me tell you where I live, Louisville KY. You might have heard of our cops, they murder people? The DOJ says they violate the civil rights of multiple groups of citizens. Our tax dollars go to pay off lawsuits filed against them because we lost the insurance policy that did that for them years ago due to insurance companies not being suckers. Us taxpayers just have to suck it up though. The DEMOCRAT mayor cut funding to all kinds of other programs so he could kit them out even more and they STILL haven't signed the consent decree yet. It's outrageous. They just killed someone last week too. I definitely feel safer and like it's totally worth it to not have any nice programs anymore. Fuck these cops.
Relying the courts is a very bad idea. We do need to reroute funding for the police to programs that actually work. If we fail to do that, we fail as a society. Thank you for pointing this out. As a nation, we need to hear more about this and not the false narrative that more police make us safer. Other voices have made this point but were shouted down by police unions and their supporters.
Wouldn't it be easier and more practical, at least in the short term, to push for laws explicitly stating that law enforcement has a legal obligation to protect and render aid and assistance? Rather than engaging in what shouldn't be but is partisan politics? And while I agree with Mr Rasids' points on mental health etc, are we in a position, financially, to expand social services to the degree needed to have a meaningful impact? The argument that these services will save money long term is compelling, but initial outlay costs are substantial, and may not be within the practical limitations of most governing bodies, or the will of the voters to implement.
The Denver model shows even the initial outlay costs are affordable and decrease overall costs, because deploying a mental health team costs less than armed law enforcement and the weaponry that goes with them.
Thank you Qasim, plus they have hidden dockets. How much allegedly $ have they received from the Federalist Society and others especially allegedly the immunity case and since Roe overturned.
“Sonya Massey called 911 for help, 30 minutes later police officer shot her dead: Timeline” by USA Today Video inside
I felt pretty much the same way. A sharp downturn in my mood reading about their lack of responsibility to protect us, according to the US Supreme Court.
Its nice to have an article like this to reference when having a legit thoughtful debate about this subject with people who are for some indoctrination nation reason, still not only pro cop, but pro militarization of police. This topic of discussion is right up Police Accountability Reports alley. It would be so dope to see you on the segment. Thank you for the great read.
What really bothers me about the current condition of policing is that so many of them are fascists, who seize every opportunity to kill people who look like me. I don't see them as public servants. I see agents of genocide. I just watched the funeral of Airman Roger Fortson, thinking, "Not protect and serve, but incarcerate and decimate."
Thank you so much for this excellent read. It's great to know that a program like STAR was so successful, but in reality, will other jurisdictions put in the work to create similar programs in their own communities? I'm not feeling particularly hopeful (but happy to be proven wrong).
In answer to your question, I did know but not before the Radiolab episode. I'm sure many people do not know and were first informed through your well written article.
Radiolab produced an episode about this: "No Special Duty" in October 2020. They re-aired June 2022.
Joseph Lozito was brutally stabbed by a mentally unwell man while on an NYC subway train. Police officers were IN the car with him, on the lookout for a man who had in a short period of time unprovokedly attacked many other people with a knife. They were tipped off that the attacker may have fled to the subway. So they were tasked with apprehending a person known to have stabbed multiple people with a knife and they witnessed a man getting attacked by another man wielding a large knife but they hid during the incident because they feared for their lives.
Lozito sued the NYC police for looking on as he was attacked and he lost because the judge ruled that police officers had "no special duties" to protect the lives of civilians at risk of their own lives.
I'm so glad you pointed out this little-known truth, Qasim.
My city approved a quarter of a BILLION dollars for the police department out of the budget for the coming year. The police department ALREADY (like many other cities across the country) received the bulk of the COVID American Rescue Plan funds. Originally it was earmarked for police reforms but they changed it to renovations and improvements for LMPD HQ and a motherfucking WELLNESS CENTER (for cops).
Please think about that for any police department in the country. Now let me tell you where I live, Louisville KY. You might have heard of our cops, they murder people? The DOJ says they violate the civil rights of multiple groups of citizens. Our tax dollars go to pay off lawsuits filed against them because we lost the insurance policy that did that for them years ago due to insurance companies not being suckers. Us taxpayers just have to suck it up though. The DEMOCRAT mayor cut funding to all kinds of other programs so he could kit them out even more and they STILL haven't signed the consent decree yet. It's outrageous. They just killed someone last week too. I definitely feel safer and like it's totally worth it to not have any nice programs anymore. Fuck these cops.
Relying the courts is a very bad idea. We do need to reroute funding for the police to programs that actually work. If we fail to do that, we fail as a society. Thank you for pointing this out. As a nation, we need to hear more about this and not the false narrative that more police make us safer. Other voices have made this point but were shouted down by police unions and their supporters.
Wouldn't it be easier and more practical, at least in the short term, to push for laws explicitly stating that law enforcement has a legal obligation to protect and render aid and assistance? Rather than engaging in what shouldn't be but is partisan politics? And while I agree with Mr Rasids' points on mental health etc, are we in a position, financially, to expand social services to the degree needed to have a meaningful impact? The argument that these services will save money long term is compelling, but initial outlay costs are substantial, and may not be within the practical limitations of most governing bodies, or the will of the voters to implement.
The Denver model shows even the initial outlay costs are affordable and decrease overall costs, because deploying a mental health team costs less than armed law enforcement and the weaponry that goes with them.
Thank you Qasim, plus they have hidden dockets. How much allegedly $ have they received from the Federalist Society and others especially allegedly the immunity case and since Roe overturned.
“Sonya Massey called 911 for help, 30 minutes later police officer shot her dead: Timeline” by USA Today Video inside
Thank you for writing this. I'll be sharing this widely.
"No conditionally protected property interests..."
That phrase is tolling in my head like a bell from hell. It's as far as I've gotten in the article and I need to take a break because I feel sick.
I felt pretty much the same way. A sharp downturn in my mood reading about their lack of responsibility to protect us, according to the US Supreme Court.
It's time to expand the court and term limits!
Policing is a means of control. I made a whole podcast on the policing deception, link below:
https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/HXXUlywiYJb
Great read, much truth, hope it get around widely!
Its nice to have an article like this to reference when having a legit thoughtful debate about this subject with people who are for some indoctrination nation reason, still not only pro cop, but pro militarization of police. This topic of discussion is right up Police Accountability Reports alley. It would be so dope to see you on the segment. Thank you for the great read.
so ... did Denver Lower the Police budget?
If there is a Thomas Payne Award for Common Sense you deserve it
What really bothers me about the current condition of policing is that so many of them are fascists, who seize every opportunity to kill people who look like me. I don't see them as public servants. I see agents of genocide. I just watched the funeral of Airman Roger Fortson, thinking, "Not protect and serve, but incarcerate and decimate."
Thank you so much for this excellent read. It's great to know that a program like STAR was so successful, but in reality, will other jurisdictions put in the work to create similar programs in their own communities? I'm not feeling particularly hopeful (but happy to be proven wrong).
Thank you. And yes hopeful others adopt a similar strategy.