It is a profound confirmation of President Barack Obama’s sterling qualities that regardless of the barrage of criticisms from his unrepentant foes, he has remained cool, calm and focused. Of course, like the rest of us, he has his “off days” (bad hair day), especially when his poll ratings take a tumble for reasons which have nothing to do with his concrete achievements. Indeed, it seems it is regardless of his superlative efforts to rescue the American economy, create jobs, engineer affordable healthcare (“ObamaCare”) for the underprivileged, and demonstrate compassion for immigrants and victims of economic slavery. To quote him: “My job is to work for America 24/7 and I shall continue to do so until my last day in office.”
Obama’s enemies are unrelenting. They have massed their troops at the gate of the White House ready to give him hell until he caves in. Their alternative strategy (“Plan B”) is to impeach him! It has nothing to do with his performance on the job. Rather, it has more to do with the fact that the likes of Rush Limbaugh and the Tea Party ultra-conservatives insist that Obama should not have been elected president in the first place, not to talk of securing a second term. According to them (with billionaire Donald Trump at the head of the howling pack), Obama was born in Africa, not America! Perhaps that explains why Barack Obama is so genuinely concerned over the plight of the “Senior Elder Citizens” (ex-KPMG partners who are still awaiting their gratuity and pension). The more vicious and mendacious the assaults on President Obama, the more determined he is to prove that he is a cool guy who has been given a very difficult job. Period.
Besides, Obama is clearly having problems with the Black Brothers. First, they argued that he was not sufficiently “black” to be a Black President. Also, perhaps out of envy, the veterans of the Black Movement who were the direct disciples and contemporaries of the legendary Martin Luther King Jr. insist that Barack was merely a beneficiary of their own monumental struggle and lethal/fatal sacrifices. According to them, Obama has not redeemed his IOUs. On the contrary, he has nailed his mast to the sail of Wall Street (not the High Street) as well as the ruthless denizens of high finance, be they venture capitalists or hedge fund managers, whose rapaciousness has gone nuclear under Obama’s watch. Particularly galling is the litany of police brutality. Here are a few cases –
(i) Ferguson, Missouri: The shooting of Michael Brown occurred on August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St Louis. Brown, an 18-year-old African American, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, 28, a white Ferguson police officer. The disputed circumstances of the shooting and the resultant protests and civil unrest received considerable attention in the US and abroad and have sparked debate about law enforcement’s relationship with African Americans and police use of force doctrine.
(ii) Staten Island, New York: On July 17, 2014 Eric Garner died in the Tompkinsville neighbourhood of State Island, New York, after a police officer put him in what many view as a choke hold or blood choke, but which others argue was a headlock and that no choking took place. The use of chokeholds is a violation of New York City Police Department policy. Garner was initially approached by Officer Justin Damico on suspicion of selling “loosies”, single cigarettes from packs without tax stamps. After Garner expressed to the police that he was tired of being harassed and that he was not selling cigarettes, officers moved to arrest him. Two seconds after Garner allegedly resisted arrest, according to the police, by raising his hands and saying, “Please don’t touch me”, while turning to face the officer speaking to him, Officer Daniel Pantaleo, also at the scene, put his arm around the much taller Garner’s neck and pulled him backwards and down onto the ground, as shown in a video of the event.
(iii) Arizona: November 5, 2011 Danny Rodriguez, 28, was fatally shot by Officer Richard Chrisman in Phoenix during a domestic disturbance at their home. Rodriguez picked up a bicycle from the living room and Chrisman then shot him twice. Chrisman also shot Rodriguez’s pit bull (dog). Chrisman was charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault and animal cruelty. In 2013, Chrisman was convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter and aggravated assault and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
(iv) California: November 18, 2011 UC Davis pepper-spray incident. During an Occupy Movement protest at the University of California, Davis campus, a group of protesters who were seated on a paved path were pepper-sprayed by UC Davis Police officer John Pike. On September 26, 2012, the University of California announced its decision to offer $30,000 to each of 21 plaintiffs who were pepper-sprayed by John Pike, according to a proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit. UC Davis Chancellor Linda PB Katehi apologized to the students, saying that the police had acted against her orders for there to be no arrests and no use of force.
(v) Colorado: September 1999, a Denver Police SWAT team performed a no-knock raid on the home of 45-year-old Mexican national, Ismael Mena, believing there were drugs in the house. Police said that Mena pulled a gun on officers and opened fire, necessitating deadly force to be used. Allegations of a police cover-up of the shooting were never substantiated. Information from Mexican authorities indicated that Mena was a suspect in a homicide there. No drugs were found on the premises. Media and critics of the police department’s handling of the situation have pointed out inconsistencies in the officers’ stories. Joseph Bini, the officer who gave the address to the SWAT team, was charged with first-degree official misconduct and sentenced to 12 months’ probation. The city of Denver later settled a lawsuit filed by Mena’s counsel out of court for the amount of $400,000.
(vi) Soundview, Bronx, New York City: On February 4, 1999, Amadou Diallo, a 23-year-old immigrant from Guinea, was shot and killed by four NYPD plainclothes officers: Sean Carroll, Richard Murphy, Edward McMellon, and Kenneth Boss, who fired a combined total of 41 shots, 19 of which struck Diallo, outside his apartment at 1157 Wheeler Avenue in the Soundview section of the Bronx. The four were part of the now-defunct Street Crimes Unit. All four officers were charged with second-degree murder but acquitted at trial in Albany, New York. Diallo was unarmed at the time of the shooting and a firestorm of controversy erupted subsequent to the event as the circumstances of the shooting prompted outrage both within and outside New York City. Issues as police brutality, racial profiling and contagious shooting were central to the ensuing controversy.
Much as we Senior Elder Citizens were tempted to join the vigorous debate and damn the grotesque statistics regarding the shooting of blacks by white cops with impunity, we were gobsmacked by the barrage of abusive emails which were delivered to our hotel (The Ritz Carlton at 4445 Willard Avenue, Suite 800, Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815, New York, USA). The message was clear: we should mind our own business.
J.K Randle is Chairman/Chief ExecutiveJK Randle Professional Services Chartered Accountants.
