Many years ago when I lived in East Village in New York, I had the pleasure of watching hundrds, if not thousands, of cyclists whizzing down First Avenue as a part of Critical Mass, the monthly gathering on the last Friday of each month to raise the awareness on cyclists’ rights to use the roads in the city.
The last weekend of August, 2004 was the weekend that ultimately turned me against Republicans, NYPD and GW Bush. Remember during the Republicans National Convention, the press mentioned that about 1,200 “protesters” were arrested on the first day of the convention?
They were not protesters. In fact, these “protesters” were nowhere close to Madison Square Garden where the convention took place! Madison Square Garden is on 34th Street and 8th Avenue. Critical Mass often whizzed down from Harlem to Houston Street on First Avenue. But that did not stop NYPD from putting the vans on First Avenue as a part of strategy to squeeze the cyclists into a small line so that the cops who hid in front of the vans — they were ready to yank the cyclists off from their bicycles.
The officers yanked all kinds of people including teenagers and small children off from their bicycles. And in the process, the officers smashed, trashed and damaged thousands of bicycles. There was a pile of bicycles which quickly grew to a large mound.
I was there. On sidewalk, that is on First Avenue and 12th Street — watching the whole episode that basically extinguished my faith in law enforcement ever since.
I was horrified. I quickly wondered, “What if Deaf people were part of this? We’d be maimed, crushed and injured.” And to top it all, the cops had the means to indict us with anything else in particular. They can invent a charge and waste my time, effort, energy and money in the courts. That moment, I realized that the cops harbors such power to trumpet the charges on anyone else in particular. Even you and I can’t come out of blue and charge them with anything — only they can do.
This is the same batch of New York Police Department whom lost their lives on 9/11 when the terrorists destroyed World Trade Center. This is the same group that the Americans viewed them as ‘heroes’. I do not view them as heroes — in fact, they were paid by taxpayers to do their jobs, that is to serve and to protect. Death comes with territory, like it or not.
Not many people knew that when these cops perished at Ground Zero, many widows went on to marry these cops’ best friends. It turned out that these cops has some kind of culture behind that Blue Wall where they cheated on their partners, best friends by sleeping with their women & men.
So noble. So heroic.
Not.
I just viewed this video and this simply affirmed my personal belief, first and foremost of all — I cannot trust any police officer. I don’t care if you are the son, the father or the best friend of a cop — whoopee! — it does not matter if your cousin’s father-in-law’s best friend’s uncle is a good cop. Does not matter at all.
Last month, I was at Arby’s ordering food for my lunch when I was tapped on my right shoulder — it was the local police officer trying to talk with me in ASL. Turns out that he has a sister who went to Gallaudet. Went or taught, I’m not sure. He was quite nice and his signs were shitty, to say the least.
But I was polite and brutally honest. I made it clear that I don’t trust cops, I don’t even trust him as well. I can read his face that he was bit hurt by that statement.
He went on to assure that he will not do such things to people, deaf or not. One positive thing about him is that he is college-educated. He went to the University of Florida, the nation’s No. 1 party school. But still, I told him that I still cannot bring myself to trust him or his group until they proved me wrong.
So far, the cops across the country has not proved me right. In Memphis, the transgender prostitute was attacked by a cop inside the precinct. In Ohio, a college student was tasered by a cop twice AFTER he was handcuffed.
And this link with the latest incident in New York where the so-called noble NYPD Officer Patrick Pogan attacked a cyclist out of blue. This scumbag, Patrick Pogan filed a compliant claiming that Christopher Long swerved his bicycle as a weapon into Pogan!
Just another reason why I do not trust cops.
Maybe The Fates has decreed that the perished cops at Ground Zero … was well deserved? Who knows.
What Do I Think of Deafhood? I am Deaf. What I experienced throughout the life defined me as a Deaf individual. And that is Deafhood. I’m 100% firmly behind the idea. It is not a cult. It is the way of life. I’m fine with it. There are parts that I wanted to define but could not come up with terms until I learned what it is: Colonialism and deficit thinking.
Ping! This were the ones that I wanted to pinpoint the issues that plagued us from day one. Deafhood is personal journey for each individual and how they wanted to incorporate one into their lives are cool.
What of MishkaZena? I can’t trust nor rely on her thoughts. Did you know that she attempted to contact one of my siblings in an attempt to dig up my personal information? My sister contacted me to tell me that MZ contacted her out of blue asking about me and my whereabouts. That raised a red flag. That was a sign that she is not to be trusted. Just my two cents.
Did You Know? My new cat’s name is Herpes.
Cheers,
R-
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The Countdown To The Resurrection 