Discussion: 9 Georgia Cop Fired After Black Savannah Man Dies In Jail

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Discussion for article #236185

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“I want this case to be tried in a court room, not a court of public opinion,” Heap told the Savannah Morning News.

In other words, we trying find the best way to spin this.

Heap said that the case will likely go before a grand jury next month.

So, no charges will be filed against these assholes.

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Can’t wait for you-know-who to defend the deputies.

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Obviously authorities didn’t get the memo it was “Whoop Up On Ni**ers Day” in Chatham County. Probably busy with payroll or something.

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There has to be a whole lot more to this story. It only takes one person to use a stun gun, how were the other eight culpable? Sounds to me as though the GBI opened a can of worms with this investigation, especially as two other deputies were fired “for violations unrelated to Ajibade’s death.” That’s 11 deputies in all. Where is Chatham County? How many deputies are there, i.e., what percentage of the total force was fired? Sounds like this is the tip of a much bigger iceberg.

It kind of makes me sick to my stomach that 11 sheriff’s deputies could be so wrong that they are fired BEFORE a grand jury meets. Usually, especially in the south, they are kept on the force until they are actually charged, if then. Their behavior must have been especially egregious for outright, en masse firing.

(Edit: Oh, I see, it’s Savannah, but I would still like to see a percentage. I’d also be interested to know how many of them were street deputies and how many were staff. Because it happened after his arrest, it sounds as though it’s office staff rather than street cops. In some ways that makes it even uglier. They can’t plead “fear of life” or “heat of the moment.” Also, it seems to me that those closest to the Sheriff (i.e., those who work in the building with him, would be more attuned to what they can get away with than those in the field. Just saying…

Also, didn’t mean to reply to whatithink specifically.)

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The county’s insurer picked up the phone. Mitigation of damages.

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Gee, another black man tortured to death by police in a Southern city.

What possibly could be the problem?

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Exactly. Lawyers always win, except in court.

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If these types of investigations are the result of actions and protests
(and likely civil proceedings and probable settlements)
following the debacles in Ferguson, NYC, and Tulsa?

Perhaps Mike Brown’s, Eric Garner’s and Eric Harris’ deaths will not have been in vain.

This is how change starts.
When PDs and Sherriff’s Depts are faced with lengthy internal investigations-- and cities and towns are made culpable civilly. The culture change has to come from an attitude of jettisoning those responsible-- instead of protecting them.

jw1

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The prompt firings and indictments in several cities in the South and the MidWest send a clear message that CHANGE is in process.

Gee, wonder who was elected in 2008 that promised CHANGE?

Hmmm.

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I think they are culpable in the same way the 6 officers were complicit in Baltimore.

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They would have used 18 officers but 9 of them were busy changing a light bulb.

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When will there be news of several unarmed white men shot or tazed by Latino or Black officers?

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“Less than lethal force may only be used to gain control over a non-compliant and/or aggressive subject, and is never applied maliciously or as punishment,” the memo reads, according to the Savannah Morning News.

At least a step in the right direction -

Reminding officers that “maliciousness” is what our laws are designed to stop - what they are supposed to stop, not practice.

Also, “punishment” is to be handed out by courts, not individual officers.

Too many in police forces have blurred the lines - not only between them and the courts, but between them and criminals.

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…as if Black Lives Matter in NYC and Baltimore…

Spread the blame where it needs spreading.

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The last time Meg Heap had to deal with an officer-involved death, she presented “all the evidence” to a grand jury and let them instruct her as to whether to prosecute or not. She did not go the grand jury seeking an indictment, but seeking guidance, or something (escape from accountability?). There was no indictment. Sound familiar? " ‘I want this case to be tried in a court room, not a court of public opinion,’ Heap told the Savannah Morning News." But she may have meant “behind closed doors in a grand jury room.”

On the up side, good on the Sheriff for taking the action he took. And the new Police Chief is also cleaning house as his predecessor is on the way to prison. Hard time to be law enforcement in this area. Often even harder to be a young black man.

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In Chatham County, the Sheriff runs the jail and provides court services (serves warrants and transports prisoners to and from court.) About 600 employees in the department, most of them assigned to the jail.

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Gee, I didn’t know Baltimore, Chicago or New York City moved South.

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An unarmed white man was killed by a black police officer the same day Michael Brown was killed for instance, but that wasn’t “news” enough.

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I know, right, First Ferguson, then Staten Island, Tulsa, and Baltimore. Now Savannah. Lousy Southern cities with their lousy Southern cops!

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