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Secret Police Policy Wrong For Baltimore -- Public Trust Sagging
by A.F. James MacArthur, Managing Editor, with T.R. Mencken Editor In Chief11 March 2009
(FINAL -- be part of the process, email suggestions or corrections, or use the comments link below article)
At 17, A.F. James MacArthur enlisted in the U.S. Marines. A qualified expert rifleman able to drop human sized targets 1000 yards out!
NOTE: Ordinarily I would never preface any piece with a disclaimer.
A recent Baltimore Sun editorial, denounced the Baltimore Police Department policy of not releasing the names of police officers who shoot citizens. If this speaks for many of you, if you share the same view, if you truly have a mission to get out the truth, if truly you care for the citizens of Baltimore. If the City Council and Mayor Dixon won't do a damn thing about it. There's only one thing left to do.
SUE THE BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT
The department, along with the City Of Baltimore are in direct violation of numerous laws (wouldn't be the first time). The federal Freedom Of Information Act, and the Maryland "Sunshine Laws" just to name a few. If not the letter of the law, certainly the spirit of the law. THIS IS WRONG! TO PUT UP WITH IT IS WRONG! TO TOLERATE IT IS WRONG!
So as Baltimore Police Commissioner, Frederick Bealefeld once said to me, we need to stop talking about it, and do something. Sue em already! Overturn this thing now! I can guarantee it cannot, nay, it will not, stand up in any court of law, if justice is a creature, rare as it may be, that still exists.
Before I close, let me help you a little. Get with the ACLU, the NAACP (yes, they can help), and all the other groups interested in truth and justice, and do this together. We all may differ in mission and purpose, but on this, we can all be united.
Who will initiate this? My time in this place is short. My resources now severely limited. I once worked with a staff of four in a small office running a company with several million dollars sales per year. Now, I'm just a mere blogger, a citizen/activist journalist. No influence, no reach, and a tiny limited audience.
Maybe the mainstream media will pick this up, but chances are they won't. Too many are afraid of making waves, of stirring things up, of losing precious access, or no longer getting good quotes. Who ever picks up this torch and runs with it will do the people of Baltimore a big service and will be a hero to me. That same torch will shine light on the darkness. The darkness that surrounds this town where corruption and deception runs rampant. When the police shoots someone, we need to know as much as possible in a timely fashion. It is all our business. What do they have to hide. If they keep secrets, how can we trust them?
Like a dam that has broken, it will take a lot more than just a little boy and his little finger to fix this. When you do it, don't give me any credit. I don't need it, I don't want it. Just do it! PLEASE!!! Consider it a parting gift from me to you and to the people of Baltimore. They deserve to know the truth. Like my friends in intelligence used to say, you never saw me, I was never here.
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AFTERWORD: Despite what has been said by some, T.R. Mencken actually is a real person. He's been a mentor, I've known him for a while. A bit reclusive, he prefers to stand back and be out of the spotlight. The entire project of the Baltimore Spectator was actually his idea to help me get out the story of one of my many false arrests and harassment at the hands of the Baltimore Police Department.
With a final trial coming up, injustice and evil can still prevail, and I could wind up locked in jail. We'll see...
So as Baltimore Police Commissioner, Frederick Bealefeld once said to me, we need to stop talking about it, and do something. Sue em already! Overturn this thing now! I can guarantee it cannot, nay, it will not, stand up in any court of law, if justice is a creature, rare as it may be, that still exists.
Before I close, let me help you a little. Get with the ACLU, the NAACP (yes, they can help), and all the other groups interested in truth and justice, and do this together. We all may differ in mission and purpose, but on this, we can all be united.
Who will initiate this? My time in this place is short. My resources now severely limited. I once worked with a staff of four in a small office running a company with several million dollars sales per year. Now, I'm just a mere blogger, a citizen/activist journalist. No influence, no reach, and a tiny limited audience.
Maybe the mainstream media will pick this up, but chances are they won't. Too many are afraid of making waves, of stirring things up, of losing precious access, or no longer getting good quotes. Who ever picks up this torch and runs with it will do the people of Baltimore a big service and will be a hero to me. That same torch will shine light on the darkness. The darkness that surrounds this town where corruption and deception runs rampant. When the police shoots someone, we need to know as much as possible in a timely fashion. It is all our business. What do they have to hide. If they keep secrets, how can we trust them?
Like a dam that has broken, it will take a lot more than just a little boy and his little finger to fix this. When you do it, don't give me any credit. I don't need it, I don't want it. Just do it! PLEASE!!! Consider it a parting gift from me to you and to the people of Baltimore. They deserve to know the truth. Like my friends in intelligence used to say, you never saw me, I was never here.
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AFTERWORD: Despite what has been said by some, T.R. Mencken actually is a real person. He's been a mentor, I've known him for a while. A bit reclusive, he prefers to stand back and be out of the spotlight. The entire project of the Baltimore Spectator was actually his idea to help me get out the story of one of my many false arrests and harassment at the hands of the Baltimore Police Department.
With a final trial coming up, injustice and evil can still prevail, and I could wind up locked in jail. We'll see...
PLEASE FORWARD TO ANY AND ALL WHO MAY HELP -- STOP BALTIMORE FROM DRIFTING EVER CLOSER TOWARDS CHINESE DEMOCRACY, AN OXYMORON IN ITSELF
Get updates and random musings from the mind of MacArthur. Baltimore crime, grime and politics with a sprinkling of nonsense thrown in for good measure on twitter.com/baltospectator
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Discuss this story and other topics on the new show "SPEAK UP"with James MacArthur Live from The Bunker- Heard World Wide
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Discuss this story and other topics on the new show "SPEAK UP"with James MacArthur Live from The Bunker- Heard World Wide
Get updates and random musings from the mind of MacArthur. Baltimore crime, grime and politics with a sprinkling of nonsense thrown in for good measure on twitter.com/baltospectator
