Police raids: Protecting the community…or scaring the shit out of us?
The unnecessary death of 7 year old Aiyana Jones in Detroit has inspired me to write this blog.
Have you ever seen a police raid, or been a part of one? Ever been a suspect that they picked up in one? Have you ever been an innocent bystander in one? Whatever the case is you will most likely never forget and forever fear the police and any other alphabets that came through your house like a “run of the bulls.”
Personally, I’ve been in one. I wasn’t the suspect but I was close enough to see all those barrels at 6am pointing at me. Of course this was after I was awoken by banging, knocks, yells at the door…and in a stupor I wrapped my sheet around me (I sleep naked) ran to the front door which these knuckleheads thought was the back and there they were…the early morning raid! There I stood, with 10 barrels in my face and an order to “put my hands up!” Keep in mind– all I had on was a sheet. I closed my eyes in fear, knowing I was dead and screamed, “I’m naked!”
Looking back, that was dumb, dumb move. I could have been dead today because of it, but what do the police think people are thinking when they wake them up out of their REM sleep? We don’t know who you are, what’s going on, and we are scared. I won’t even mention the nightmares that came after that experience. Now, if one of these scared people pulled a gun and shot back, they’d be the villain of all villains. How dare somebody shoot a cop? Well how dare you shoot a sleeping 7 year old girl and attempt to cover it up and JUSTIFY it. NO way…there is no justice here.
[pagebreak]
If it wasn’t for a crime show The First 48 (A&E TV) taping this raid, I wonder what really would have happened. Some think the cops were over excited because of the cameras. Some say these TV shows contribute to the carelessness and glorification of crimes. I say police raids on civilian homes should be unlawful unless there is a hostage situation.Throwing a flash grenade into a house? Those are hostage/terrorism situation tactics.
Why did the police decide to raid this particular apartment?
A warrant was issued charging a murder suspect Detroit Police were seeking, Chauncey Louis Owens, 34, of Detroit, with the shooting death of 17-year-old Southeastern High School senior Jerean Blake, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office. Blake died May 14. It is alleged that after a verbal confrontation with the victim, Owens left the area for several minutes and returned to shoot Blake. Owens will be arraigned on charges of first-degree murder, being a four-time felony offender and various gun charges.
This sounds like a good reason but here are the problems:
1. They had the wrong apartment (the suspect was arrested in an upstairs apartment, NOT in the downstairs, separate apartment that Aiyana was in.)
2. The police informant is 90% of the time probably another criminal offender that just gave them enough info to get out of jail that day (ex: the right house, wrong apartment)
3. I do not get the point of a no knock warrant. If your intel is good, then why not wait until the unsuspecting criminal just comes out of the house?
[pagebreak]
In my opinion, the police raids need more s
