I first heard of Ryan Moats a few years ago after the Eagles drafted him to be the oft injured Bryan Westbrook's backup. He had some talent, but everyone in Eagle Nation knew that Moats couldn't read the Eagle's complex playbook. Still, he seemed like a decent guy, and I was glad to see that he landed on his feet after the Eagles cut him.
Fast forward four years, and Ryan Moats is in the news again. I didn't want to blog about this story last night, I wanted to really scrutinize the tape and get all the facts before I went on my usual "racism chasing" rant. Besides, I was too pissed, and when I am pissed I can't really focus on writing until I calm down a little bit. I am calm now.
Ryan Moats might not have been able to read the Eagle's playbook, but he sure got the playbook of life down pat. I watched his incredible restraint with that Dallas police officer (What the hell is wrong with these law enforcement folks in Texas? I guess, as someone commented on "Deadspin", it's still illegal to DWB in Texas), and all I could think was I could never do that. Sure, as a black man I know all the rules of survival when stopped by the po po, especially if I am on another planet like Texas. I know to keep my hands where they can be seen. I know to point to where my registration and insurance card is, and to tell the officer when I am reaching for it. And I know to dial my programmed home number in my cell phone (to get my home recording device) as the officer approaches my car, and keeping my cell phone on all times. I know to make sure I make a mental note of the officer's badge number and his name. And finally, I know to always show my pearly whites before my yes and no sirs.
I am sure that Ryan Moats knows most of those rules, too. And I am sure that the rules would have worked just fine if it was just a routine traffic stop for a real [or imagined] traffic violation. But this was no normal traffic stop. I don't have to repeat it. You all know the story by now. Ryan Moat's mother- in- law lay dying in the hospital and he was trying to get the family to see her one last time before she went to meet her maker.
Of course we also know by now that Robert Powell wasn't having it. This nig....I mean man in this fancy truck talking back to him had to be taught a lesson in how not to be uppity and to respect authority. What followed was painful to watch and listen to. But everyone of you who have been guilty of DWB can relate; and for you, I am sure it was more painful to watch than it was for others. I know it was for me.
Ryan Moats is lucky to be alive, he might not have learned the Eagles playbook, and it cost him a job in Philly, but learning the playbook of life might have saved his own, and allowed him to live to see one more training camp.
"I wish to publicly and sincerely apologize to the Moats family, my colleagues in the Dallas Police Department, and to all those who have been rightfully angered by my actions on March 18, 2009. After stopping Mr. Moats' vehicle, I showed poor judgment and insensitivity to Mr. Moats and his family by my words and actions, Powell's statement reads."
"Poor judgement"? That's what ignorance and racism is called these days? "Poor judgement"?I hear Mr. Powell is trying to reach Moats to personally apologize. Moats will probably take the call and tell the officer that all is forgiven. That's a part of the playbook,too. Always forgive and take the high road. If you are black in A-merry-ca, that's the part of the playbook that you have memorized: forgive and forget. That always works out. That is, of course, until the next officer Powell comes along, and there is a dashboard camera to see him.
89 comments:
I don't know Field, I'm still trying to get my thoughts around this... Ok, I agree this was a bigot cop move, in fact the officer was clearly being spiteful considering it was in a hospital zone and Moat's hazard lights were flashing (common sense, it's an emergency going on). I'm sure if Moat was white it would have gone down differently.
But lets play devil's advocate here... The bigot cop tried to pull you over because you DID run a red light, maybe he wanted to assist in the emergency, who knows (I don't know if I would have stopped either). Then the bigot cop did sort of allow your wife to go into the hospital without jumping on her or shooting in her back. Then the cop ask you for your drivers license and reg. and what do you say "I don't got none" all because you want to give lip service knowing fully well it's in your car. See that's the kind of dumb shit that provokes stupid cops like this guy. Yes the cop was blatantly difficult, but so was Moats, I have mix feelings either way. I'm just thankful at least the wife was able to see her dear mother before she passed.
Cops are the front line. They determine if something needs to be investigated or not. If someone is going to be arrested or not. If something is suspicious or not. As such, they have great discretion in deciding who gets stopped and who doesn't. Who gets help and who goes to jail. With that discretion they are expected to assess a situation and determine the best course of action for the public good. What this cop did was cruel and inhumane. Period. La Incognita said maybe he wanted to assist in the emergency. Well, if that were true, as soon as Mr. Moats said his mother-in-law is dying, he would have escorted him into the hospital and made sure he got to the room. That would have been assisting. What this guy did was a major power trip. He wanted to show who was in charge and he completely dismissed Mr. Moat's humanity, his distress. It is simply inexcusable and he obviously does not have good decision making abilities, especially since that is so sorely needed if you are gonna be a cop.
I don't have mixed feelings about this situation. Yes, Moats ran the red light and the officer had every right to stop him. Moats drove to the hospital and told the officer what was happening.
The officer could have verified the information with the hospital. A nurse and security came out to help Moats but the officer still didn't let him leave. The officer didn't need Moats there to write the ticket, he could have left it on the car.
The officer was wrong. The Chief of Dallas PD was so disappointed his officer took that action.
I'm not saying the officer should be fired but he needs additional training and desk duty.
I have no mixed feelings about this at all: the officer in question is a racist dipshit fuck and if that was the extent of Moats' "retaliation" than he exercised great restraint in an extremely stressful and distressing situation.
La~incognita, I agree with you on a lot of things, but not this time. I have no mixed feelings about what happened. Yes, Moats ran a light,(and he did stop in the middle of the intersection to make sure other cars weren't coming, and his flashers were on)but I think we can all understand why. That officer, as Jody said, tried to deny the guy his humanity and made a bad situation worse. Every police officer I spoke to today or heard talking about this situation said the guy was wrong. Period.
Am I surprised? Of course not. Am I sad for the guys's family? You bet I am.
He needs to be fired obviously. Her son could win a civil case too, but he'll probably decide not to.
szpork
Why Y'all Coloreds gotta run red lights all the time anyways??, jeez its like effin Zimbabwe now, then ya got the Mexicans, who slam on the brakes the instant it turns yella cause they're smart, and don't want nuthin to do with the Po-Po(love that word)Ryan Moats should give that Cop a percentage, cause this is the first Pub since he graduated HS...which HS?
"Lynch" HS...it IS Texas afterall.. To bad he's not as good runnin on the Grid Iron is he is on the roadways...
This cop was a first class ass hole and so is anyone who even remotely tries to defend what he did that night. People speed to hospitals every damn day of the week. What if this woman was in labor? What if she had swallowed some poison or was overdosing? Would this stupid cop hold her there at gun point too? People speed to the emergency room because--it's an EMERGENCY!! Any fool knows this. I am just beyond words to to describe what a completely stupid fuck this cop is.
Jody why do you think the cop w=ent on a power trip in the first place? Come on people Ryan Moats ran the light and he failed to stop for the police. Yeah your just begging for a power trip for that one. I don't like it any better than you guys but I could appreciate what La incognita had to say cause there is some point about egging cops on like this guy. If Ryan Moats wanted to see his mother so badly he could have cooperated a little more. I hope that cop loses his job cause it could have been the driver who needed to get inside the hospital for medical attention.
Brother field, I side with some of what La incognita said. I posted my 2 cents on another site earlier. When your the last line of defense for the public and community the cop has to get control of any given situation in order to keep others as well as himself safe. Sometimes looking like an asshole. I doubt people actually know how many times an officer hears on a traffic stop " my family member is in on their way to the hospital," " a family member is having a baby," " a family member is on their death bed" on traffic stops simply to get out of a ticket. I've heard co-workers say they use lines like that hopting the officer will believe they need to move on in a hurry and let them go with a warning. Yeah, the officer could have parked his car, notified his dispatcher that he was out with someone going into the hosptial and actually checked this story out and given a warning if proven true. Something the cop failed to do. You gotta look at this from both ends.
I watched the tape last night and words cannot express my anger. I could have understood the officers action up until the driver and passenger got out of the car, and even when the nurse came out saying they needed Ryan to sign the resucitation papers..He should have let him go at that point...
It’s true, texas has her own mentality, where do you begin with the history .. the urban legend that the texas flag is the only state flag that is allowed to fly at the same height as the u.s .. two years late with the Emancipation Proclamation (I do not understand how that happen .. however Juneteenth in texas is FABULOUS), Clarence Brandley, Camp Logan, integration of state schools, James Bryd, Robert Tolan.. yes, texas is a mess..
I think it's a societal issue.. you guys blog about it everyday, the u.s has a Black POTUS, and we live our daily jigga moments vicariously through him.. texas and other states are a microcosm of a lager race problem. Brother Moats who stop and looked both ways with the emergency flashes on, before proceed through a red light showed caution.. knew the right person to call.. unfortunately for others who are not as well connected when there a problem .. A complaint is filed and nothing happens… I mean nothing really happens.
There’s a lot of work to do in this land of milk and honey exercise … sadly many adults who cross over with us.. have not learned to "let it go". The good news.. we’re living in an activist society and we’ll be just fine.
Hi field, I know this is not pertaining about this post, but did you hear about this story.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/US-Celebrity-Impersonator-bw-14734470.html
Fire his racist police ass. But, Moats read and memorized well the ' how to stay alive when encountering a racist cracka PO-Lice' Manual.
A manual that all caring Black parents give their Black sons before they allow them to even take their driving test.
Officer Powell's lucky, how much do Dallas Cops make anyway?
$30K for the chance of gettin shot by what I'd call the Dregs of Society if it wasn't so unfair to the Dregs.. He'll get a sweet private security job somewhere where he doesn't have to wear a name tag..
Egging the cop on? No, I don't think so. He was trying to get to the bedside of a woman who was "coding," as the nurse described it, on her deathbed. His wife had to see her mother. He had hazards on, it was an emergency, and the cop should have understood that. Moats' "attitude" was urgency that any reasonable person in the same situation would have expressed.
The car wasn't going anywhere. That cop could have run the plates, looked at the registration, and wrote a ticket, all of that, without Moats having to stand there saying "yes, sir" repeatedly while getting lectured about checking his attitude, or in other words, knowing his negro place. When Moats' wife and her aunt went immediately for the emergency room doors, the cop knew what was up (if, and I'm being generous here, he didn't already know) and the cop still refused to respect the graveness of the situation. He didn't need another cop, security guards, and a nurse to tell him what was going on. He was on a power trip, plain and simple. And if the cop was annoyed that Moats continued to drive to the hospital after he turned his siren and lights on, he was supposed to be a professional and get over it once he was sure they were rushing to an emergency. Instead he wanted to use his badge to force Moats to somehow get over the fact that his mother in law was dying and grin and shuffle for him as if nothing was going on.
I watched the entire incident. It was infuriating to watch Moats' statements go from his understandable frustrated responses to the "Yes sir's" over and over again as that jerk continued to drone on and on, milking every possible minute he could to slow Moats down. Moats knew it was the only thing that would get the cop to get his rocks off and finally let him go.
It reminds me of black men having to look down when talking to whites or answering to "Boy" or "Uncle" in old movies - the necessity to accept being talked to like a child, knowing that one wrong move could result in death. It's dehumanizing and disrespectful. It makes me think of those sanitation workers picketing in the sixties with those "I AM a MAN" signs. We shouldn't have to tell y'all that black men are men!
When I think the possibility of my daddy or my fiancee being put in that position, or my future children... It's infuriating.
http://images.dailyradar.com/media/uploads/showhype/story_preview/2009/03/05/toni_braxton_impersonator_arrested_braxton_and_fan.jpg
Seeing as how Moat's wife was visibly upset and allowed to go, there's no reason why the cop couldn't have let Moats go as well.
As Richard Pryor has said-
"Cops put a hurtin' on your ass, man, you know. They really degrade you. White folks don't believe that shit, don't believe cops degrade;--`Ah, come on, those beatings, those people were resisting arrest. I'm tired of this harassment of police officers.' Cause the police live in your neighborhood, see, and you be knowin' 'em as Officer Timpson. `Hello Officer Timpson, going bowling tonight? Yes, uh, nice Pinto you have, ha, ha, ha.' N****'s don't know 'em like that. See, white folks get a ticket, they pull over, `Hey, Officer, yes, glad to be of help, here you go.' A n**** got to be talkin' 'bout `I AM REACH-ING INTO MY POCK-ET FOR MY LICENSE--'cause I don't wanna be no motherf*ckin' accident!"
Damn shame.
I wouldn't have did a dog like he did Moats. The part about the resucitation is what disturbed me the most. It came to me, that it's a possibility that the woman could have been resucitated and lived another day. However, that officer in his small mind was thinking, "Let me teach this boy a lesson."
who in their RIGHT MIND would be on the fence about this situation. It is evident with this video that the police officer was out of line. As soon as he was informed of an emergency regarding life or death he should have handled that situation first after establishing a secure and safe environment. But NO he said crap like "I can make this very difficult for you" and after they informed him of the severity of the situation he says "IM ALMOST DONE" Almost done! It's heartbreaking and saddening. Ryan Moats did NOTHING WRONG! He was calm and only became agitated when asked for freaking INSURANCE AFTER ANNOUNCING HIS MOTHER WAS DYING!
And after it all this man gets suspended with pay. No he should be fired because its clear he does have the intelligence to properly assess and assist with a situation. I am from Texas and this is just disappointing to see going on in my neck of the woods. A life that could have seen another day was lost due to a ego trip.
Off topic:
I had ordered a lot of books last month, 16 to be exact. One of the books I ordered came in the mail today. I came across something I wasn't expecting to see. While scamming through the book, I ran across a newspaper clipping in it about an uncle of mine who was lynched in LA. The title of the article reads, "Negro Preacher Found Swinging From A Limb." The article goes on to say that they don't know who did the lynching or why. Strange how oil can cost a man their life.
Hey I just came over from Nat Turners Revenge and one of your trolls (Classical One?) is laying some stupid shit down.
You should go help your homeboy out.
www.natturnersrevenge.blogspot.com
This racist cop needs to be fired, and I'm glad I wasn't the one being pulled over. I'd probably be in jail covered in bumps and bruises.
Karma is a bitch; I watched the tape in the morning and laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all. That afternoon I was pulled over for a (perceived) rolling stop by a four foot five Irish cop (I laughed internally, some more).
No if and or buts, this cop decided to have a power trip at Moats expense. As someonne who has lost a parent, the idea that another human could be so cold at such a time is just mind blowing.
I agree that Moats handled the situation well, my 17 yo is starting his driving lessons, I gotta say...Momma is already nervous of him DWB.
No way I can see any other reason for the cops actions other than racism.
Thanks Field, Those are some excellent rules to live by. I was not familar with them, but I assure you I have committed them to memory. As a black female who's truely fearful to drive in some affluent suburbs of boston for fear of being pulled over for "DWB" I truely appreciate your PSA. Thanks.
Field,
I have 2 sons. I can't tell you how much I stress to them on how to behave if ever stopped by the police. They sometimes get a little annoyed with me pushing the issue but it could very well be the difference between life & death.
1. Do what the officer tells you.
2. Keep your hands on the wheel.
3. Make NO sudden moves.
4. Please use Yes sir & No sir.
And I know to dial my programmed home number in my cell phone (to get my home recording device) as the officer approaches my car, and keeping my cell phone on all times.
But I did learn something else from you. Thanks, Field!
Excellent commentary Field. And good lessons for all Black men drving through Texas. I noted the Driving While Black in Texas issue earlier this month.
One thing about the football player's case remained unanswered for me. Does anyone know if his wife was in the hospital room with her mother at the time of her death? Was the mother(-in-law) alone? Or did the football player's wife get there earlier?
peace, Villager
Eh, just another reason why I don't like cops.
And don't give me that shit you'll call them when there is an emergency. In the past, I have had two vehicles broken into and I just let the shit ride. If I don't like, why call them for help?
However, when I had my identity stolen, one of the steps to resolve the issue is to file a police report. So, I did so.
As far as the homefront is concerned, get a shotgun. You don't have to rely on cops to protect you there either.
Re: another issue of police brutality: here in NYC a young, mentally disturbed Hispanic man walked naked onto a fire escape with a metal pole. A sergeant at the scene (i think he was the sergeant)ordered another cop to taser the man. Well the guy fell at least 30 feet, and died instantly. In front of his screaming, crying mother who called the police begging for help with her son, and a large crowd of upset Black people. After a few weeks of public outrage, that sergeant committed suicide because of the stress of the outcome of his stupidity.
I am truly sick of power tripping White cops. We have an economy destroyed by greedy White execs (hat tip to the president of Brazil), white welfare queens known as CEO's, but some white cops are still targeting certain non-whites as if we have criminal urges in our DNA. Forget firing him: I hope this bastard powell wakes up every morning for the rest of his miserable life and thinks about how his own hatred and insecurities caused so much distress to one family, and maybe he'll do the right thing and off himself one day.
Meant to add, if Mr. Moats decides to accept this clown's apology, i hope he forces him to make it a press conference where powell has to grovel-the same way he tried to force this young man. But Moats sounds like too much of a gentleman for that.
All I can say is that the police officer was a jackass. He was full so much self-importance that he did notice that Moats had on his blinkers, the ambulance siren was on, and he parked into the emergency section parking lot. That should have been a clue that Moats ran the light because of an emergency. The officer should have escorted Moats into the hospital to check on the condition about his mother-in-law, but no he wanted to show everyone that he was big guy in charge.
This reminds me of the incident on MA highway several months ago where the state trooper stopped a man for speeding because he was taking his wife to the hospital who was in labor. Not only does officer gives them a ticket, but made woman open her coat to see if she was pregnant. There two facts of the story, two officers prior to the jackass cop allowed the couple to continue and the couple were white. You just have these two jackasses who have no level of empathy whatever, and they should be police officers.
Not every black person that's stopped is a DWB issue, some are actually valid stops. We have to stop using this term as an excuse every damn time one of us is pulled over or it will become another meanless term.
I saw the video and I think that both men were wrong:
Moats for running the light and speeding and not being calm enough to articulate his personal situation clearly and calmly to the officer, his behavior from start to finish was immature.
Powell was wrong for pulling his weapon and escalating the problem but not for stopping him. He was also wrong for not being more understanding once he knew the facts.
Neither has an excuse and neither should be excused for their behavior.
I don't believe this was a racial (DWB) situation at all. Both of these guys were in alpha mode and both lost control.
Both owe each other an apology.
I watched the video and it's so heartbreaking. Clearly, you can hear the distress in Ryan Moats' voice.
The cop need to be punished...Fire the skin-head mofo!
If it makes y'all feel any better, I got pulled over by a BLACK cop, didn't do ANYTHING, just sittin in the Mall parkin lot minding my own Bee-s Wax, he wrote me up for DUI, Speeding, Mopery with intent to Creep, and Impersonating a Homo Sapiens... Then he tossed the stub of the blunt he was smokin into my backseat and charged me with possession...might have been that Confederate Flag License Plate...
Frank
PS. anyone here Moat's voice in that Video?? thats gotta be the Girliest NFL running back I've ever heard..
Moats for running the light and speeding and not being calm enough to articulate his personal situation clearly and calmly to the officer, his behavior from start to finish was immature.
Did you forget Ryan Moats had gotten a call stating his mother-in-law was dying? Would you be calm in those circumstances?
Like hell Moats owes an apology. The racist power-tripping bigot cop need to be fired.
Bring on the law-suit!
Frank, How old are you? Your comments read like a really immature 6 year old, you know, that age where sometimes little kids will say ridiculous things just to see the reaction of others. The other day, (maybe you were on your meds) you implored people to stop using stereo-types, and yet, here you are, just one sad stereo-type after another. You are not funny, witty, ironic, certainly not intelligent... you are more pathetic. Is that really what you are going for Frank? To see just how pathetic you can be? Why would you do that?
Jody,
Thank you. I was trying to ignore the ignorant fool. I take no pleasure and have no patience for a mofo fool.
Meh...Dallas is in the minor leagues for bigoted asshole cops.
Come on over to good old L.A. of Califor-ni-a if you want to see some of the REAL ways the power elite in this country keep the status-quo.
Part of the things that the US of White America has never understood, even to this day, is that the real reason for the Rodney King riots, that happened all of those years ago in South Central, was not because of the way the brother was treated. It was because that video they shot back then, is a daily occurrence and a grim fucking reality, to black men and women in the hood.
The way that fucking pig acted in Big D makes news all across the country, but in Los Angeles, that shit's just known as "Tuesday."
This happened in Plano, a tacky nouveau riche white flight suburb north of Dallas. I've been pulled over for no reason and asked what I was doing in a Plano neighborhood (leaving a party). I knew Moats was in trouble when I saw the officer with a crew cut and hear the "Git back in dar" yelled to his wife. Men like that give me the chills. Too bad for the officer Moats is somewhat known, otherwise we would never be hearing about this. It happens all the time. Not only am I sick of the Dallas cops doing stuff like this, I'm sick of those who want to give them a free pass and deny it was racism. They're just as responsible for allowing it to happen.
"I don't believe this was a racial (DWB) situation at all. Both of these guys were in alpha mode and both lost control.
Both owe each other an apology."
Your right it makes so much sense for the guy who's "Mother-in-law" laying dying that night to apologies. I mean Mr. Moates is so stupid he should have relaized people die every day and his "Mother-in-law dying is no excuse to pace a red light or snap back at the officer. Mr. Moates is so foolish to have shown distress over someone dying. Human emotions who needs them just look at Saint officer Powell. Mr. Powell used none of his emotions to feel sorry for Mr. Moates wanting to see his "Dying Mother-in-law".
I swear Mr. Powell is the true victim here in this situation. Remember folks being distress over a dying loved one is no reason to snap back at beloved power hungry police officer.
If the police in Ohio, can track down a Black woman two days later and ticket her for breast-feeding while driving. I'm sure the police in Dallas could have sent this brother a ticket in the mail.
From the article I read, I was more amazed that after reviewing the tape, Powell didn't think he did anything wrong. That said, fuck him and him wanting to apologize.
Cops have it hard -- yes I know this. But its pricks like this guy who make it harder for them. Moats should be the Field Negro of the day.
This is why I always say I understand when no matter how bad the scum sucking on my own people are, when they exhibit behavior praising killers of police they might not be right but I understand.
Rippa,
I swear you look just like that "Beetlejuice" guy from the Howard Stern show...Once again y'all miss the real tragedy of the case...How old was Mr. Moat's mother-in-law? probably late 40's early 50's. No way women should be dyin of Breast Cancer in this day of a Mammography Center on every corner...Just sayin, if she was white, she'd be doin aerobics and showin off her new Implants...
THAT's what y'all should be pissed about.
Frank
Had a similar issue with a cop in a DWB stop a few years ago. Black guy, with his 85 year old mother in a high end car, in an expensive neighborhood gets pulled over for no visible reason by a young cop.
When the cop came up and requested my drivers license and registration, I asked him what exactly had I done wrong. His response was that my rear plate was covered by a plate holder with clear plastic over the plate, and that was illegal.
While the cop sauntered back to his car to check the documents, I called his Precinct Captain on the speaker phone in my console, a guy I knew both from volunteer work, and helping two of his senior officers on a case by showing them a couple of database and internet search techniques.
We left the line open as the young officer came back, so he could listen. I asked the officer again why he was stopping me, and he repeated the line about the tag frame. I explained that this was the way the dealer delivered the car, and indeed every car they sold had the dealer's plate frame installed. A fact that meant that nearly 1/3 of the cars in my town were "illegal". He proceeded to lecture me, and ask where I was going...
At which point the Captain spoke up, identified himself - and asked for the officer's name and badge number.
And ordered the officer back to the Station.
The Captain called later and apologized for the officer's actions...
And stated he didn't quite have the temperament to serve in our area.
The lesson here, is it's worth getting known in your community, and being active. You get to meet a lot of people, and form relationships - and those relationships with the po-po do not automatically need to be hostile.
BT
I am a black female. A couple of weeks ago, i was pulled WDB. Of course, i was driving my husband's big SUV. The cop walked over with his hand on his gun and walked around the car peaking through the windows. I tried to speak to him but he had all the questions. Wanted to know what i am doing riding this particular truck. I told him my husband worked for it. Before i completed my statement several other cops pulled up flashing. Darn, if my heart didnt jump out of my chest. little me. causing all this. when the hispanic officer saw me. he laughed and said sit still this should be over soon. Well FN, i was in southwest philly, i know the cops are on a heighten state but i too am tired of all the understanding and giving them a little wiggle room. I am tired of forgiving but i did. I told them continue to to a good job and i am praying for them.
Another story of DWB.
DuchessDee,
It makes you wonder what would have happened if it were your husband driving? It could have went bad?
hen the cop ask you for your drivers license and reg. and what do you say "I don't got none" all because you want to give lip service knowing fully well it's in your car.
I don't think it was ever said that way in the video. He couldn't find his insurance. He had his driver's license. In Texas, they have a system in police cars where they can tell if you have auto insurance or not, so they can tow your car when you aren't even in the vehicle now. I live in the city where this hospital is located. He drove maybe one block from the light he ran, which if you saw the video, the guy slowed down at the light to make sure traffic wasn't coming. I think Moats was in a hurry for a good reason, I think the cop was just an asshole. I think Moats was frustrated with the cops lack of sympathy. If it takes another cop to tell you to let them go and two of the hospital staff to plead with you, and you still don't let them go in, that to me is heartless. Moats was frustrated and stressed, and as an officer, Powell should have expected that. He pulled into a hospital, not a Denny's parking lot and he was driving with his hazard lights on, that should have shown him this was an emergency.
The lecture was totally unnecessary, as was telling him '"I can make your night very difficult.""
Read the Documentary History of the Negro to get a longer range perpsective on African Americans and the police.
I think people don't know what to do about this centuries old problem. It's not just the extreme examples but the daily contempt and disregard that too often characterize the relationships between cops and African Americans as well as those lower on the social scale generally. So people resort to - sometimes necessary - compensatory behaviors. Recording devices, having well placed friends, etc. These are survival skills. Imagine what you could do with the time and energy devoted to these things.
The thing that qualifies me for decent police treatment is that I am a citizen and a human being. It's not about being well educated, being a tax payer or anything else. I don't need to behave or respond perfectly to "qualify" for this.
Frank,
An entry level police officer in Dallas starts around $40K with a $10K sign on bonus.
$50K !!!
and you get to taze minorities, heck, wish I'd know that before Med School...
Frank
As a breast cancer researcher, I can agree that Drackman makes a valid point about the incidence of breast cancer among premenopausal minority women. But as a person who has taken a med school class or two in addition to the MCAT, your command of the english language makes me wonder which "MD mill" you attended for medical school.
What? You would have flunked out of the Police Academy...
Saving your folks the expense of you flunking out of Med School?
How...
caring.
BT
That cop was a jackass. He could have gone with dude to the mothers room and waited to write him a ticket.
I knew about all the other "driving while Black" rules, but I didnt know to call my voice mail so as to have a verbal record of what went on. I might think about doing that the next time Im pulled over.
L
"The way that fucking pig acted in Big D makes news all across the country, but in Los Angeles, that shit's just known as "Tuesday."'
Preach!!!
Frank, so I guess your our resident racist or wannabe comedian or just another silly jerk? Which is it?
Field and some of the others, I respect your perspectives, but I'm looking at this outside the box and from all angles. I am in NO way defending the bigot cop, even though the beginning part of his pursuit was legit. I'm just disappointed that he was so damn spiteful and empathetic to this family.
However, I can't fully embrace Moats early actions either. He could have had someone in the vehicle call in 911 for assistance during or even before the pursuit, just a thought. I didn't like how Moats ignored the police siren. That totally pissed me off, and that was the attitude I referred to. Wrong is wrong, there are ways to do things. I'll also admit I may not have wanted to stop either, especially if I had a vwet sick child/person in my vehicle. And even that would be more of an understandable situation, like it or lump it.
I guess it's where you would draw the line.
You know, I wonder how many of you would be singing the same tune if Powell was a power driven black cop and Moats was a white male. What if Moats wasn't an NFL player, what if his nick name was Pookie?
Please.
GrannyStandingforTruth said...
"Frank, so I guess your our resident racist or wannabe comedian or just another silly jerk? Which is it?"
Field needs to invest in troll spray. I tried to play nice with the un-happy meth head, but it's beyond an exorcism now.
My Wife's Pommeranian is named "Mookie"...
She's a Mets fan..
As the Misunderstood Rodney King Said...
"Can't (sniff) we (sniff) just all get along??(sniff)"
Ok, that word "vwet" was meant to be "very". Don't ask me how the hell that happen... damn acrylic nails.
Field, I know you have a policy of allowing all to comment and I do respect that. However, it seems that with Frank, we have a child that is just begging to be grounded and have his priveleges taken away. Consider it.
@ La Incognita:
Please, nothing.
If Pookie responded to this azzhole's line of questioning with the same respect and humility as Moats, I would still be pissed. But of course if it was Pookie we would not be hearing about it, would we?
oooops, that shoulda been BluTopaz
There is no hypothetical what if in this situation. I must be watching a different video then some who have objections to the way Moats acted. How many stories have we heard of pretty people able to wiggle out of worst traffic infractions by the cops? The language that Moats used was exasperation and frustration and he had repeatedly tried to tell the cop why he was in a hurry and had to get into the hospital. Moats was only displaying human nature and he should not be expected to be a perfect picture of stoicism when someone that he knew was dying. Moats had his hazard lights on even when he blew through the stop therefore that should have alerted the stupid soulless cop that there was an emergency, even when Moats clearly pulled immediately into the hospital parking lot. There was no traffic at that hour, thus Moats was clearly not endangering anyone even though it was a traffic infraction. The cop repeatedly cut him off and got belligerent and refused to listen to him. In no manner was he disrespectful to the Officer that warranted him being chastised and treated in this matter. Over 10 minutes passed when Moats waited dutifully and quietly in the parking lot (while the other officer and Powell chit chatted and cracked jokes) with his father and law and said nothing.
Even the nurse and the security officer even went to the cop and politely verified the story, but he was still an a*s about it and continued to verbally berate Moats. If anything Moats was showing a good deal of restraint and was basically polite when there was an impending death. How many "yes sirs" and no sirs" were interspersed throughout the exchange yet, the cop continues to belittle and berate Moats like he was a child? How would you expect anyone to act under those types of constraints? I didn't even hear profanity just Moats arguing with the stupid cop to be reasonable.
Even more, Moats did not use his status as an NFL player to curry special treatment thus how in the hell did Moats provoke this kind of abuse of power and verbal assault I’m just wandering how other people would have acted when confronted with that situation—hardly would all be acting calm rational and be ready to pull out your cards without having to worry that the cop is thinking your pulling out a gun.
To justify and to be callously dismissive of the cop’s behavior that Moats deserved because he was acting irrational and like a caged animal ready to pounce on the cop is ridiculous. The wife and her companion told the cop immediately when they jumped out of the car what was happening, Moats told him what was happening and showed every indication that he was a distraught person in an emergency. The cop didn't care to listen. The incident did not happen on a highway--it was in front of the hospital.
I wonder how some of you would have acted in a situation where you knew a loved one was dying and an officious cop felt his ticket and 13 precious minutes of wasted time was more important.
And let’s be real, Moats was not the one who turned in Powell another COP turned in Powell and again not once throughout the video did he use his NFL status to curry favor with the cops, thus we are hearing about it BECAUSE another cop told on POWEL not Moats running to the Press to cry racism.
And as for Frank dreck Drakman, I have voiced my concerns about his scatological, execrable, half witted, illiterate, hateful, ham hocked rantings about Black people to Field on another post and he feels that it is improper for him to censor his juvenile filth no matter how offensive. Still, if he really is a Doctor it just confirms the undercurrent of racism and disgust that many heath professional who are supposed to uphold the Hippocratic Oath have for their specifically Black patients—a physician who is supposedly there to heal but is spewing forth such anonymous hateful racist filth should have their MD license revoked. Frank and all the other anonymity postings are in no way humane beings who are worthy of anything other than blistering contempt.
Blue Topaz, you still didn't answer the initial hypothetical question. Dark Moon, I for one was not dismissing the actions of the bigot cop, and I stand by my feelings. Furthermore, your assessment on Frank the resident incorrigible meth head being a so call physician was priceless.
Dear Dark Moon, La-wateva, sorry if I offended anyones causes I don'ts be speakins the rights ways... English is my 2d language anyway... I'm the one who pointed out the criminally high Cancer Death Rate in the African American Community, while Y'alls bees wantin some poor cop fired and celebrating 4 gettin killed tryin to get a rapist off the street. Y'all don't think white peoples get messed with by negro cops? They're just smart enough not to do it on camera...Y'all need to take a chill pill,
Wiedersehn,
Frank
Frank:
Yeah, we can get along and most of us do get along on this blog, even those we argue with fiercely. However, let me explain something to you, you know, give you a little tip. I can understand English being your second language and there are a few others on here that applies to as well. However, unlike you, they do not come on here thinking that by using ebonics that will make them fit right in because they have sense enough to know that would be insulting.
Now, I will admit you do every once in a while bring up a few good points. People on here would pay more attention to what you have to say and be more receptive if you would JUST BE YOURSELF because this is not the HOOD. Besides which, your attempts at trying to relate to black people in that condescending manner is not going over too smooth with the blacks that do post on here and, evidently, some of our white sisters and brothers.
You're not communicating with riff raff on here. Most of the people on here are professionals and scholars. Therefore, do you think you can step up to the plate and cut the BS? BTW, I don't cuss, so I hope you know what BS means, if not, I'm sure someone on here will do me a favor and tell you.
One more thing, throw that ebonics dictionary away and use a standard English one. That will work much better.
Driver License $10.00
Car Insurance $ 200.00 per month
Ticket for Running Red Light $ 100.00
Standing by your mother-in-law’s side as she passes PRICELESS
In 1990 my mother died of Breast Cancer, we got the call at 2:00 am. The nurses said she only had a few moments please hurry. We drove exactly like Ryan Moats, hazard lights on, speeding and rolling through red lights. When the police stopped us ,at least a mile away from the hospital, he believed us through uncontrollable crying and loud frustrated voices. He asked us to follow him and he put on the red and blues all the way to hospital. We got there in time I held my mother’s hand while my sisters and my brother-in-law prayed with my mother. That cop helped us share her last moments.
A Father and son-in-law were denied those precious last moments. I get that he initially did not understand the situation, I get he was following safety procedures but after eight people (The wife, The Aunt, The Father, The son-in-law, two security guards, the nurse and the Plano Officer) told Officer Powell that a relative was dying he should have cared.
PRICELESS
Never understood the big desire to be there for someone's last breath...there's a reason they execute people in private... Shortly after death, the sphincter muscles that normally keep feces in the rectum and urine in the bladder relax, in layman's terms, the dear departed craps and pisses themselves... then there's that nasty breath a dying person has for the last few hours...the smell of ketones as the body canabilizes its own tissues in a futile attempt to survive...thats how those "Cancer Sniffing" Dogs can tell who's gonna die, Cats can too.. Let the poor patient die in peace for cryin out loud... and I admit, the Cop was a Jerk...
Frank
Frank:
"Never understood the big desire to be there for someone's last breath..."
Well, Frank I think it has something to do with being able to say their last goodbyes,seeing them alive one last time, to let the dying person see them for the last time, and just being there for them.
When my husband died, a few days before he died, he told everybody to make sure that they come see him on such and such a day, because on this day (he gave the date) I'll be gone home with the Lord, and it happened just like he said. To the person dying in a strange way it's a comfort to them before they take their last breath.
I understand what you saying though because death is not a pretty picture.
Much better, Frank.
Incognita:
I understand what you were saying and I can relate to all of it. At first, that was what I was thinking too concerning Moats. I too at first felt like he could have stopped and let the cop know what was going on. However, I thought about when my father was dying and my reactions, and also, what I've observed in others. Usually, when people are in that type of situation their not really thinking clear, it's like you're in a daze. Your aware of what's going on around you but your sort of in another world in a sense.
Where I fault the cop at is he let self and his ego get in the way and figured he make Moats suffer for not stopping and teach him a lesson. However, it was the wrong time to be teaching someone a lesson and lacked compassion for human suffering. Sometimes if people would stop and think how they would feel if someone did them like that, they would avoid a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings and negative reactions.
I don't like the tone of the officer's voice when he was lecturing Moats. It sounded to me as if he thought it was more important to "school him" on how to behave "respectable in society" as if that is more important than a man's MOTHER DYING. I don't appreciate the officer's ego or his arrogance or his air of superiority. I see a pattern here. Redneck cops that resent rich black people and want to put them in their "place". Same garbage, different decade.
There are too many mentally ill bigots being allowed to slip through the police academy and into our streets and gun down our children at will. We have enough sociopaths and mentally ill people in the black community turning on each other and then the cops come and start up a senseless war that has been raging forever. Both groups, cops and blacks seem reluctant to acknowledge mental illness.
Indoctrinating children to hate is child abuse and those children grow up to be monsters. They are sociopaths that need to be locked up and treated before they are let back into society and given weapons to use at will. Perhaps they should be screened more thoroughly before being given a badge and a license to kill.
T:
"Perhaps they should be screened more thoroughly before being given a badge and a license to kill."
Thank you T, that is a solution to the problem, and I wish they'd use it. However, they do thorough background checks, but that doesn't stop those with the wrong type of views from getting in there.
Granny:
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the idea that some states refuse to issue a gun to a person with a known mental illness but so many cops are obviously crazy and they get to have authority AND guns?
Maybe part of a psych eval should include some detectors for potential prejudice against certain groups. Clearly, bigotry must somehow be classified as mental illness and should disqualify anybody from a job in law enforcement where they must carry guns.
Its an issue that I believe is worth building.
La♥Incognita....
Okay, I know you got a lot of these replies, but I felt the need to chime in.
Here is why I disagree with you.
In America we have a few things on our side as citizens. One is the right to have a punishment fit the crime, the other is extenuating circumstances.
Now, Moats said I can't find my insurance, and he begged the cop to give him a ticket. Legally, if you break the law, you get a punishment. In the case of traffic violations (driving with insurance) he could have given him a ticket or towed the car. When Moats realized that a ticket was not protocol in this case, he promptly looked for the insurance. He begged the cop to give him his ticket for the other traffic violations. Now, a ticket is the legally appropriate punishment for running a red light. All that other stuff that the cop said about taking him to jail, well, that was questionable, at best. Even if arresting him was appropriate, the cop could have reasonably (as mentioned before) escorted him to his mother's bedside before taking whatever actions he deemed necessary. I have been told that prisoners (people who have actually been convicted) can, under certain circumstances, get to see their dying loved ones. It is called humane treatment (another right as an American citizen).
Lastly, Black men get a bad rap for how they treat women, especially Black women. Here we have a Black man, risking his life (literally) for his wife, his Black wife. La♥Incognita, are you close to your mother? Is she still alive? If not, did you get to say goodbye? Do you have a husband? If you did, wouldn't you want him to be the kind of man who says "F*ck it. Baby, I am getitng you to the hospital. We are so close, I will just explain it to the officer (PUBLIC SERVANT) and I will be there to hold you hand." Especially if you are in the back of the car hysterical with grief and worry?
Now lastly, for real this time, when did we as women, as people of color, as human beings, get to the point where NOT shooting an unarmed woman in the back on her way into a hospital earns you the benefit of the doubt? Really?
FYI this morning on Good Morning America, the cop's "apology" was accepted by the family.
Just as predicted.
The apology was read to them by the interviewer.
I was a bit mollified that one family member requested a personal apology as well, though. Tamisha said that she wants a personal apology and stated that up to this point, he had not made contact.
Moats' 2nd mistake:
"When Powell asked for proof of insurance, Moats grew more agitated and told the officer to go find it."
Don't blame everything on 'racism, field neeeegro.
Fuck all white people when will ya learn they aint shit fuck these devils
I'm telling you, po po ain't worth shit!
Whites arent ever gonna come around yall! they got thier good but not enough!
400 years of trying to reason with these clean lepors & they kill us on the daily!
why are you so afraid to get your hands bloody for a rightous cuase? The needs of the many,out way the needs of a few good white people.
Wake up please!
33
Field, if you ever stop "racism chasing" or blogging, I'll have you tarred, feathered, and run out of town. Peace.
Robert Powell, the cop in the Moats incident, resigned.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6354724.html
When does that ever happen?
But it's unfortunate because maybe he should talk about what made him do what he did -- not use therapytalk but really spill on what was going through his mind during the incident.
Might help some other cops to improve their on the job performance.
I was on vacation and away from this website when that whole thing went down. I found it outrageous, shameful, and depressing. I also think Moats's reaction was incredible. He came across to me like a real class act of a man, much better than the piss-poor excuse for the police officers who detained him.
p.s.: I once got stopped by a black cop in Milwaukee on a charge of WWW (walking while white).
It was 6:15 a.m. and I was driving my motorcycle to work on first shift in a factory. Every morning I'd stop on the way for a donut and a cup of coffee. I walked across the street in the middle of the street instead of at the corner. There wasn't a car within sight.
Out of nowhere comes this black cop on a motorcycle to give me a jaywalking ticket. At first I couldn't believe he was serious. I didn't back talk to him, I said, "Really??" That street was literally so deserted that I could've sat down in the middle of it and eaten the fuckin' donut and drank the coffee before a car came along. The situation was beyond absurd.
Yeah, really. Then I told him I had to be at work by 7 a.m. so could he please try to write it quick so I wouldn't be late? Well, that caused him to take 20 minutes to write the ticket, causing me to be late.
I survived, and he got even for something someone had done to him or to someone he knew. I told the whole story to the foreman and he laughed and told me not to worry about being late that day.
This in no way excuses what happened to Moats. It was ridiculous, and FAR more destructive than my jaywalking ticket. But you don't have to be a white cop to be a random asshole, that's for sure.
You know, I wonder how many of you would be singing the same tune if Powell was a power driven black cop and Moats was a white male. What if Moats wasn't an NFL player, what if his nick name was Pookie?
I would shake my damn head at the officer and Pookie would have my sympathies. My cousin who is referred to as "June Bug" had a similar situation, but the white cops in that instance acted much differently. They used compassion. June Bug was driving when he had a stroke. The cops saw him swerve, they didn't assume he was trying to get out of a ticket. They didn't even ticket him for not stopping. They saw him drive to the hospital, got out of their cars, and helped escort him in. June Bug is a 6'4 350 lb black man, and the white cops in the small east Texas town showed compassion towards him, unlike this cop. The only reason this injustice made news is because Moats is in the NFL, and note Moats didn't throw around his status at the time of the stop to justify his actions. He was trying to get his family to see their mother in law one last time. How crazy is that.
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