24 March 2010, 12:12 pm
The Phoenix Police Department is under a cloud of supission after an incident involving a police officer and a city councilman. The incident involved Officer Brain Authement and Councilman Michael Johnson outside a burning home in the councilman's neighborhood at 4 a.m. Friday morning the 19th of March.
During the altercation the councilman was put to the ground by the officer and handcuffed. The police were there to control the crowd of people surrounding the home so the firefighters could preform their duty and also for the safety of others. According to the reports the councilman attempted to approach the burning home against the oders of Officer Brain Authement. When the concilman did not comply he was placed to the ground.
Sgt. Trent Crump a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department said the incident is under review by the SID Uint. Police Chief Jack Harris has also become involued and said it would ask the FBI to conduct it's on investigation. These investigations are in response to the rallies held for the concilman outside the police station and at a city council meeting. The councilman has asked the U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke to get involued also.
Charles Muhammad the Phoenix Leader of the Nation of Islam was there and read a statment from Louis Farrakkan which said "If a man such as Councilman Johnson, who is a public servant that has served for a long time with merit, can be treated in this manner, then there is no hope for any citizen with the police department in the city of Phoenix". Coucilman Johnson was a police officer for Phoenix for 21 years before becoming a councilman.
Along with the Nation of Islam there were African-American Christian leaders, Hispainc leaders, Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, Vice Mayor Michael Nowakowski among supporters of the councilman's claims of civil rights abuse. Some were pointing to the number of complaints filed against police officers claiming abuse of minorities in south Phoenix.
In support of the officer is the Phoenix Law Enforcement Asscoication they responded "The responsibility and duty of the officer charged with protecting that fire line is an important one and should not be taken lightly. We believe our officer's actions were reasonable, within policy, and not racially motivated".
Phoenix is headed down a path of division this will not be good for the city. Phoenix should not give into bullies such as the leader of the Nation of Islam Louis Farrakkan who would like nothing more than to divide Phoenix using the race card. The African-American leadership do no good for anyone when without the outcome of an investigation they call for the badge of a military veteran police officer. Officer Authement served America in Iraq and now serves the people of Phoenix doing a job many could not and would not do.
The councilman being a former police officer should have known his actions were wrong and police officers are trained to act in the manner the officer did that early morning. The motivation of the councilman must be qestioned as well divisive politics should not be rewarded. Civil Rights are a two-way street the officer has those same rights as well. Even though he is white he is affored the same civil rights against persecution and is innocent until proven guilty.
The leaders of Phoenix of all race should take a look at a city such as Birmingham, Alabama before they play the race card. Birmingham is a city divided by race and its leaders are at battle everyday leading the city to bankruptcy. A city divided against itself cannot succeed. Allowing leaders of divisive groups such as Louis Farrakkan to dictate policy is the recipe for failure. In a day in which America has an African-American President one would think cities such as Phoenix could move past divisive politics and move into the new age of universal enlightenment.
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