Policeman flips a bird, loses job

 In local news, a policeman has just been fired for flipping off Black Lives Matter protesters.



Some background is called for: The policeman, an employee of the Shaker Heights Police Department, was working with other local suburban police in a joint effort called EDGE, monitoring a protest in the Cleveland area. For unknown reasons, he lost his temper and raised a middle finger at demonstrators. It was caught on video and he was suspended the next day. Now, weeks later, the Shaker Heights Police Department has let him go, with the mayor writing, "The behavior of this officer violates all that the SHPD stands for including our unwavering commitment to preserving the rights of Black Lives Matter and all demonstrators to peacefully protest."
I suspect that other elements come into play here. First, Shaker Heights is not just an integrated community (slightly over one-third African-American), but it's a famously integrated community, one of the first suburbs to work toward making integration work and defying the "white flight pattern." I've had black neighbors for nearly sixty of my sixty-eight years here. Additionally, we're a very liberal community, and always have been. Heavily educated (two-thirds of adult residents have college degrees), real yellow-dog Democrats as far back as I can remember.
And seriously, if this cop pulled over a local African-American resident, would the latter inevitably wonder if it's because he or she is black? Because if I were black, I sure would.
Still, I can't help wondering if this would matter in most police forces. Folks? Your thoughts?

presented by AlexTheKay


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