Carlos-Valentino stopped his car mid-span and called local news station KCBSwhere he announced that his car was wired with explosives and he had a gun. he then followed up his call to the police where he announced the same thing. Needless to say local authorities went nuts. They stopped traffic, alerted the bomb squad, the free way entrances were closed. People upon hearing this man had a bomb started turning around on the freeway and headed back toward Oakland. Local programming was interrupted and everyone was on edge. We had a man on the Bay Bridge who was ready to blow things up.
Everyone was on edge because they remembered an angry man White supremacist named Byron Williams who back in July was stopped by police on the 580 freeway leading to the Bay Bridge. He was stopped by police for some sort of traffic violation and came out with guns blazing. Williams had on full body armor and had an arsenal fit for a small army. When all was said and done, Williams shot 3 officers and left the freeway strewn with bullets. Williams was on his way to San Francisco to kill liberal workers at the Tides Foundation.
Craig Carlos-Valentino
With respect to Carlos-Valentino and his bomb threat, everyone was on alert. There was a stand-off on the bridge during which this man tossed his gun, allowed his daughter to run off to the arms of police who were near by. He threatened to commit suicide and was talked off the ledge of the bridge, the whole time folks had no idea about his car. Did it or did it not have explosives?
Eventually Carlos-Valentino was taken into custody. We later learned this man was upset because his wife was cheating on him and was gearing up to leave him.
This man causes massive traffic jams and got all sorts of law enforcement involved to make sure he wasn’t a domestic terrorist. Later the police explained his ordeal and Mr Carlos-Valentino will live to see another day.
The key words here ‘He got to live’. Police used caution. They explained away a man who potentially put thousands of people’s lives in danger as someone who was not real threat, but someone who was disturbed. In other words he was humanized. We came away feeling sorry for this man. We don’t know if Carlos-Valentino was abusive, cheated or did anything wrong. He was just a trouble man who issued a bomb threat.
One has to wonder why such caution is not ever afforded to any number of people who have done far far less in terms of endangering the lives of others or themselves, yet wind up being killed by police.
We can look at the case of Sean Bell who shot 50 times drove away from a club where he held a bachelor party. Bell was unarmed, had committed no crime, but well-trained police thought he and his passengers hadreached for a gun.
We can look at the shooting death of 7 year old Ayana Stanley Jones in Detroit. Police busted into the wrong house looking for a suspect, beat her suprised grandmother and shot Jones.
Last month Denroy Henry a star football player at Pace University was shot after being ordered to move his car from in front of club where a fight occurred. Henry who was not involved in the altercation, bumped a police officer with his car. End result was the cop unloading his gun into the car and killing an unarmed Henry.
This list can go on and on. One has to ask the hard questions, why can’t law enforcement show the same restraint they do so many others who arguably do far worse. Hell even Byron Williams is still alive and he shot down 3 cops. Why are these unarmed men and women always being killed by police?
Derrick Jones
This past Monday police were called to the Kwik Kuts barbershop in East Oakland owned by popular 37-year-old father Derrick Jones. Police say Jones was involved in a fight with a woman at the shop, not his wife and when they approached he ran away. Jones who was unarmed was shot 8 times by two officers, one of whom shot him twice while he lay on the ground.
Police said they thought the unarmed Jones was reaching for his waistband. Eye witnesses vehemently dispute the tail. Jones had his hands in the air and was shot by cops who many feel had a vendetta out for him.
According to neighborhood folks, Oakland cops never forgot or forgave the way Jones and his family stood up to police for their brutality and misconduct when he was 16 years old and was accused of stealing his own bike. Disbelieving cops assaulted him and his 19-year-old sister . The family fought back and got two of the officers involved fired.
Over the years Jones was frequently stopped and harassed by police and so were many of his neighbors. As one shop owner who wished to remain anonymous explained, ‘Any excuse to smash on folks near the barbershop was used’. Monday’s altercation was no different. This time the shooting death of yet another unarmed Black man in Oakland came on the heels of killer cop Johannes Mehserle receiving a super light 2 year sentenced for the murder of unarmed Oscar Grant.
Here in pt1 Derrick Jones’ friend speaks about what happened after he got shot by Oakland police and the how witnesses are being intimidated by the police. Also Oscar Grant’s Uncle Bobby speaks and talks about what took place in the courtroom during sentencing. He reminds people what its gonna take to bring about justice and how the shooting of unarmed Derrick Jones and unarmed Oscar Grant are connected.
Minister Keith & Uncle Bobby
We finish off with some enlightening remarks from Yvette ofBAMN who runs down what this case is about and why it appears to be some sort of vigilante killing. Jones was targeted by OPD
http://www.swift.fm/mrdaveyd/song/77329/
In pt 2 Minister Keith of the Nation of Islam gives a passionate speech about the legacy of ‘unarmed Black men’ being shot. He also gives details as to how these shootings are supposed to be investigated. He calls out the DA Nancy Omally
Nice unbiased article...not. This guy obviously had some sort of suicide wish to turn and face the police after willfully running and begin retrieving an object from the front of his waistband. Are the police supposed to run away and be the ones that are shot in the back when it turns out to be a gun? Come on man. Common sense if he had followed the directions of the police and not created a situation that appeared he was confronting the police with a weapon this never would have happened. All this conspiracy speak by the family seems very unlikely. It seems they have a problem accepting responsibility for their family's actions.
ReplyDeletehey anonymous...do you work for the OPD? Even if the police actually did believe he was reaching for a gun, which remember is the excuse they use EVERY TIME they shoot an unarmed black man, why did they have to kill him? Couldn't they have just shot him somewhere non-lethal but still would have incapacitated him? And in regards to him not following police orders and running...clearly you haven't spent much time in East Oakland or talked to anyone who lives there because most residents realize that regardless of what they did, if they don't run the police will just brutalize them regardless.
ReplyDeleteDon't pretend like equal justice is served or that the relationship between the cops and poor folks of color has anything to do with "protect and serve"
Just to clear up any "unspoken insinuations" Carlos-Valentino, although bi-racial identifies as a Black Male despite "outward" appearances.
ReplyDeleteBefore articles and personal comments such as these are written, it would be nice if you checked your facts first and not base your slanderous words on the one sided, twisted story of the some blood thirsty reporters!
ReplyDelete"We had a man on the Bay Bridge who was ready to blow things up."
He was NOT ready to blow things up rather he threatened to have a bomb, correct? Obviously he didn't have any explosives, it was a "threat" and the authorities never closed the bottom of the bridge because even they knew it was only a threat and untrue!
"There was a stand-off on the bridge during which this man tossed his gun, allowed his daughter to run off to the arms of police who were near by. He threatened to commit suicide and was talked off the ledge of the bridge, the whole time folks had no idea about his car. Did it or did it not have explosives?"
He ALLOWED his daughter to run into the arms of police? NO, he told his daughter he loved her and instructed her to go to the awaiting police officers for safety! She is 16 and could see her father was in emotional pain, did you ever think she may actually love her father and not want to abandon him rather stay by his side to try to comfort and save the mans life?
And the SUV obviously did not have explosives because once again, the authorities deemed his threat as not credible!
"We later learned this man was upset because his wife was cheating on him and was gearing up to leave him."
You LEARNED? Unbelievable! Once again, you should check your facts before slandering peoples lives! Were you there to witness his wife cheating on him? Did he witness her cheating on him or was this a desperate man who THOUGHT she was cheating on him? Were any of you there in his house, behind closed doors for the years that led up to this??? NO you weren't! So PLEASE do not speak on something you don't know all the facts about!
cont...
"They explained away a man who potentially put thousands of people’s lives in danger as someone who was not real threat, but someone who was disturbed. In other words he was humanized. We came away feeling sorry for this man. We don’t know if Carlos-Valentino was abusive, cheated or did anything wrong."
ReplyDeleteNobody's life was ever in danger except his own! Yes he did inconvenience a hell of a lot of people but did anyone ever stop to ask what caused him to react like he did? Not to blame everything on his "cheating wife" and ask what would cause a man to have a mental break down and react so out of character? If you all know so much about this man then you would KNOW this was never something he would just do for attention or to inconvenience people!
He is human and deviously does need a lot of help and he also needs to serve whatever time a judge decides to sentence him to, but none of you hold the gavel and are not God!!!!
And once again, you are correct, you don't know if he was abusive, cheated or did anything wrong but guess what??? It's none of your business! He is a person who reached his breaking point and snapped and made some VERY bad choices that day and for that he will be made to repay his debt to society but how dare anyone of you who didn't walk in his shoes EVER have the gall to judge him, shame on you!
"One has to wonder why such caution is not ever afforded to any number of people who have done far far less in terms of endangering the lives of others or themselves, yet wind up being killed by police."
So because of some police officers who over reacted and made some bad choices, you think this situation would have been better off if they ended up over reacting to his threats and killed him? Wow, we are such a compassionate society!
"Just to clear up any "unspoken insinuations" Carlos-Valentino, although bi-racial identifies as a Black Male despite "outward" appearances."
Just how exactly would you know what he identifies as? If you knew what you were talking about you would know he identifies as "HUMAN" and not a black male! Outward appearances? Can you get anymore racist?
I am absolutely sickened by the hateful, uncaring, slanderous, racist comments and reports about this story! Do you care if any of this hurts the daughter or other children or the wife or even him?
Do you even care that his 8 children are not all by his wife, rather 3 of them are?
Please realize the family is already suffering enough without all the hurt & damage from inaccurate statements!