Community activists hope to bring awareness and change to a police department they believe is too violent. The leaders of Copwatch, Vecinos United and Albuquerque Answer Coalition said this year's 12 shootings involving Albuquerque Police Department officers is too much and might constitute police brutality. They plan to hold a rally outside police headquarters at 4th Street and Roma Avenue NW on Friday at 3:30 p.m. It's part of a nationwide awareness campaign called National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality.
They said they want to send a message to the police department, community leaders and the citizens of Albuquerque. "There are some APD folks who aren't necessarily safe and who the community is scared of and it needs to change," said Derek Minnobloom who heads up Copwatch, a group that videotapes officers at work. "Traditionally if someone's got a camera on and there's five people watching they're going to act a little differently."
APD Chief Ray Schultz said he has no plans to address the rally Friday. He said he respects the activists' right to protest but questions their tactics. "I think they're trying to play on people's emotions," Schultz said. He said he wants the community to keep in mind that his officers have to make a split-second decision about how they're going to defend themselves. And Schultz said that guns are not always the weapon of choice. "Last year in 2009 the Albuquerque Police Department utilized the Taser in 190 applications," he said.
The activists have invited families of the 12 people shot by APD this year to attend the hour-long rally. Some are expected to attend.Later that evening, the group will walk down Central Avenue with their signs. Then Copwatch will hit the streets with their video cameras in hand.
Do you think that APD is becoming too violent? Do you think we should provide police officers with more training? What are your general thoughts on the use of aggression by the police. Do you think that rally is necessary?
-Noriega
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I think that they might be becoming to violent. I think that they might need more traning. I that is wrong on the use of aggerssion by the police. I think it might be good to do the rally. I think it is necessary
ReplyDeleteby nicole romero
I think that APD is becoming too violent. I say that the police officers do need more training when it comes to handling/shooting a gun. Because i mean i understand that police officers shoot when it comes to a serious situation, but to kill him/her is just wrong. And if you haven't noticed police always kill people and they dont do anthing about it. This has been going on for years all over the U.S not just New Mexico. But anyways i think that doing this rally is a good idea because the agression that the police has needs to stop.
ReplyDeleteBy:Cecilia Ortega 3rd per.
I think that the APD are being very violent. But i think that they are becoming violent because the people from now are getting more agressive with the polices.
ReplyDeleteOlga Alcantara Per.4
I can't answer as honestly as I would like, because I haven't seen the situations for myself. But, without pointing fingers, both parties should take their part of the responsibility (whatever that is). I think some people are obsessed with blaming the person who shot the victim, mostly because the victim was the one who got hurt so they couldn't possibly have done anything wrong. I also think there do come scenarios where the police overreact on their part, becoming a aggressor, when should probably be a defender.
ReplyDeleteEven without knowing which takes the most blame, I agree with APD Chief Ray Schultz comment on the rally. What I believe we should be doing is utilizing our time on rationally and thoroughly looking at the problem and suggesting the punishment equal to it, not throwing out mindless vehemence towards every police officer nor MAKING everyone else feel the same.
--Ting Ting
In my opinion the rally is a good idea. It brings awareness to the problem most people don’t know exist. Though it may not seem a lot at glance but 12 people dead is a big number. I think that its important that the officers get more training. Like the article said, it’s a split second decision, and I think that if they are trained more they’d make a better decision.
ReplyDelete-Alissah Gutierrez
Per.3
I honestly don’t think that the police department is being that violent. Now and days the crime rate has gone up and the crimes are becoming more violent. I want to believe that every time an officer had shot, there was no other option. The police officers are taught to shoot the target when there is serious trouble, which is more common these days. However, I do believe that if APD gave the police officers more training with guns it might make me feel better. The officers could learn to have better aim and when the time comes, when they do have to shoot, they will be able to shoot the perpetrator so that they are only weakened. Now I think people are just overreacting. I know the rally is meant to send a message, but really the officer’s are just doing their jobs. At the time the officer must be under a lot of pressure and must make a snap decision. So I believe that the department isn’t being violent, and that we shouldn’t pay that much attention to the rally.
ReplyDelete-Alex Pena per 3
I don't believe that the police are getting to violent. I also believe that because the crime rate in New Mexico is getting so high and more and more people are willing to hurt police, the police need to be on they're guard. But I also think that giving our officers more training wouldn't be a bad thing, just like riding a bike the more you learn about it and do it the better your able to do it. It would be a ton of pressure if you had to make a split decision like that, and also, the police are trained to shoot to wound and stun, not to kill. But we have to remember that they aren't perfect and will miss sometimes so that puts even more pressure on they're shoulders. I agree with Cheif Ray Schultz comment and I believe that the police department shouldn't have to worry about the rally.
ReplyDelete-Katie Tye
-3rd Period
I think that sometimes they need to be violent
ReplyDeletebut not all the time.They also need more training because some polices don't care and just do what they want and i don't think that it s not good that polices get to kill people maybe just try to hit them in the leg but not kill them
I think the activists are going a little too far. They need to be a cop in order to know what goes on. In a lot of situations it's necessary for the police to use more force, they're protecting themselves while removing dangerous people. Sometimes they may go a little too far, but APD has one of the top 3 academy's in the U.S. That's because if you look around at the situations they're put in they need to be brutal. My brother is a cop and my dad was a cop, they say there are just some situations where extra force is needed. People are unpredictable and you need to restrain them asap so they can't come after you. Police get enough crap already. But a little more training wouldn't hurt anyone. Everybody could use more training in whatever they do. They never know it all.
ReplyDeleteI think that APD has become a little to violent. I do think that they should have more training just in case something serious happens. Sometimes the police do need to be aggressive in order to protect themselves. I don't think that they need to pay that much attention to the rally unless things get out of hand.
ReplyDeleteRebecka Nisbet
Pd. 4
I don't think that they are too violent. Our crime rate here is too high but a rally isn't a bad idea. Neither is more training
ReplyDeleteAmanda
Period 3
:)
I think that the police are being very violent, but whats running through their minds when someone is going at them is "its my life or yours" Police are trained to hurt and not kill but alot of police let it get to their heads that there a big police now and they can do whatever they want but in all reality their just regular people like us. I think more training will help and i also think that the rally will help because then they will know that people ar keeping an eye on them and they need to watch what they are doing.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that the APD is becoming too violent, but that as well the perpetrators are becoming too irrational. Younger police members are not as well trained, so they cannot figure logically how to simply disarm the criminal and not kill them in order to survive which is indeed natural instinct. More training could be useful in this situation to at least level down the amount of irrationality on at least one side.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that the APD is becoming too violent, but that as well the perpetrators are becoming too irrational. Younger police members are not as well trained, so they cannot figure logically how to simply disarm the criminal and not kill them in order to survive which is indeed natural instinct. More training could be useful in this situation to at least level down the amount of irrationality on at least one side.
ReplyDeleteHalei Marshall
Period 3
Police brutality has been an ongoing issue. The fact that there is an ongoing campaign to end it is important. Some police are even trained to default to violence, which leads to unnecessarily wounds and sometimes even death. Police may not necessarily need more training, but higher quality training.
ReplyDelete