Amy Goodman/Denis Moynihan: Don’t Just Fire Officer James Frascatore—Arrest Him

[marmar]

Don’t Just Fire Officer James Frascatore—Arrest Him

Posted on Sep 16, 2015
By Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan


New York City Police Officer James Frascatore has given new meaning to the Grand Slam of tennis. Last week, he violently assaulted retired tennis champion James Blake in front of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, tackling Blake as he was waiting for a ride to watch the U.S. Open. Blake, a 35-year-old African-American, was formerly the top men’s tennis player in the United States, was fourth in the world and has scores of trophies from around the globe. Blake didn’t know what hit him.

If the New York Police Department had taken previous charges against Frascatore seriously, Blake would have never been attacked. Frascatore is white and has been with the NYPD for four years, and in that short time has provoked multiple lawsuits alleging police brutality and excessive force, as well as numerous complaints to the police oversight Civilian Complaint Review Board. So, while James Blake has long excelled on the court, James Frascatore excels at being sued in court. Frascatore has a clear pattern of racist violence against innocent citizens. It is only because he assaulted a man of means, a celebrity, captured on video, that his conduct is under scrutiny. Both Police Commissioner William Bratton and Mayor Bill de Blasio have called Blake and apologized.

Warren Diggs is still waiting for his calls of apology from the two men. On Jan. 13, 2013, he was riding his bicycle home in the neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens. As he reached his driveway, he told us, speaking on the “Democracy Now!” news hour: “I go down the driveway, and on the way down, I hear somebody yell to me, ‘Stop! Where are you going? Where are you going?’ So, I’m not sure if it’s for me, because, you know, there’s no reason for it, but there’s nobody else outside at this time.”

He went on: “Officer Frascatore, two other officers come running down the driveway. ‘Where you going? Where you going?’ I said, ‘I’m going home. What’s the problem?’ They said, ‘What’s your name? Do you have any ID?’ I said, ‘My name is Warren. Yes, I have ID, but I don’t have it on me. It’s inside.’” ..................(more)

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/dont_just_fire_officer_james_frascatore_--_arrest_him_20150916

[Betty Karlson]

1. Kicked and recommended. n/t