When I
first heard the news about former LAPD police officer Christopher Dorner,
another name immediately came to mind; Larry Davis. 19 year old Larry Davis,
who later changed his name to Adam
Abdul-Hakeem, was a
former police informant, small time drug dealer and aspiring rapper who went to
war with the NYPD in 1986 after a controversial and highly disputed shootout in his sister’s apartment.
Davis
claimed the police illegally barged their way into his sister’s apartment and
without asking any questions, began firing at him despite the fact that young children
were in the apartment. Davis fired back and escaped by jumping some 25 ft to
the ground. During the shootout, Davis shot six police officers and was a
fugitive of the law for almost 20 days.
Davis
eventually surrendered peacefully, but not to the NYPD. He gave himself up to
the FBI out of fear of being murdered by the blood thirsty, racist, corrupt, and
revenge seeking NYPD. He expressed great concern that the police were
out to get him and told several relatives that if he was caught in the streets,
the police were going to shoot him. He vowed to shoot them first.
Davis
and his lawyers successfully argued that he was the target of corrupt police
officers, who had the reputation for being hostile and brutal towards Blacks
and Hispanics in the New York area. To many, Larry Davis was a man standing up
against the authorities and understood his need to protect himself against the
police. A lot of Bronx residents thought Davis was doing something brave and
his acquittal sent a message to the community that white officers were not going
to continue to shoot down young Black people without a proper response.
He was
acquitted on several accounts of attempted murder and aggravated assault, but
was convicted on weapons charges and sentenced to 5-15 years. While already
serving time, Davis was convicted of another murder and sentenced to serve
an additional 25 years to life.
The
interesting thing about the Larry Davis saga was the media coverage of the
events that transpired between himself and the police. Without knowing all of
the facts, both the television and print media had already labeled Davis as
public enemy number one. They depicted Davis as a savage killer, who was armed
and dangerous.
Unlike
Davis, Christopher Dorner’s past was not as shady as his east coast
counterpart. He was a 33 year old, former Naval Officer who was dismissed from
the LAPD in 2008 for lying during a hearing in which he claimed a fellow police
officer physically abused an inmate. In his lengthy manifesto, Dorner claimed
he was the victim of a corrupt police force who turned against him for being a
whistle blower.
Also
unlike Davis, Dorner’s rage was against the LAPD and he specifically targeted
police officers and their family members to seek revenge for his firing from
the force. The killing spree he went on is inexcusable, especially for a man
who knows the difference between good and evil, right from wrong, just from
unjust. His well written manifesto proves that he was a smart individual, but
there is no justification for his violent actions.
Dorner
was clearly a man who had lost faith in the same system he spent his adult life
protecting and violated everything good he learned during his time in the
military and on the police force. Restoring his good name was the central theme
for his manifesto, but his violent pursuit of justice will tarnish his name
forever because of all the innocent people who were affected by his decision to
take on the LAPD by himself.
While I
adamantly disagree with his actions, I cannot completely dismiss the
allegations made in the manifesto. Like the NYPD, the LAPD is notorious for
their harsh and brutal treatment of Blacks and Hispanics. This fact is not
arguable or debatable. There was no intention on Dorner’s part to be captured
alive and the LAPD had all intentions on honoring his request, as witnessed in
the moments of the final confrontation.
No
matter how much of an image makeover the LAPD has tried to do over the last 20
years, some of the same bad apples are still on the force. Why would some of the officers captured
nearly beating the life out of Rodney King be in leadership positions in the
department today? A better question would be why those jokers did not go to
jail?
Whether
people want to believe it or not, there is a Christopher Dorner waiting to
happen in every city, in every state in America. He should be the poster child
for why people should not be allowed to legally obtain as many weapons as they
want to. When he purchased his cache of guns and ammunition, he was a law
abiding citizen. He was a time bomb waiting to explode and unfortunately,
innocent civilians and a couple of police officers were killed. Not to mention
the thousands of southern California residents who were on pins and needles
during the search for Dorner.
What
ties Larry Davis to Christopher Dorner is the way the media reported each story
before having any physical evidence. I watched a couple of documentaries about
Larry Davis, to include “The Larry Davis Story: A Routine Typical Hit” and the
television series American Gangster which featured Larry Davis’ story.
The
rush by the media to label Davis a ruthless killer and armed vigilante was
front and center on every news station and in most of the print media in the
greater New York area. Ironically, there was a completely different reaction
from the people in the communities who had been harassed and terrorized by the NYPD.
People
in the community gave Davis the benefit of the doubt and were happy to know
that someone finally gave the police a taste of their own medicine. At the end of the day, a jury of Davis’
peers determined that Davis shot the police officers in self-defense.
In
analyzing the media coverage of the Christopher Dorner case, it was scarily
similar to the coverage Davis received. It’s like the media reports whatever
the police tell them and in a rush to be the first to report “breaking news”
they present a one sided story to the public as if it were gospel.
People
in communities all over the country appreciate the hard working, decent cops
who perform their jobs in an honorable and professional manner. On the other
hand, people are sick and tired of the cops who abuse their authority. For
every cop killed by Christopher Dorner, there are countless incidents in which
police officers have shot and killed unarmed Black males.
Remember
these names: Amadou Diallo (New York-1999), Patrick Dorismond (New York-2000),
Ousane Zongo (New York-2003), Orlando Barlow (Las Vegas-2003), Timothy
Stansbury Jr. (Brooklyn-2004), Ronald Madison and James Brissette (New
Orleans-2005), Aaron Campbell (Portland-2005), Sean Bell (Queens-2006), Oscar
Grant (Oakland-2009), Victor Steen (Pensacola-2009), Steven Eugene Washington
(Los Angeles-2010), Alonzo Ashley (Denver-2011), Wendall Allen (New
Orleans-2012), and Ramarley Graham (Bronx-2012).
Here
are a few examples of these senseless killings within the last year you might
faintly hear about on the local or national news for a few days and then the stories fades away as if nothing ever
happened.
“Protests
in Houston after police shoot unarmed man in wheelchair”
“Chicago Council
approves settlement for unarmed man shot by officer”
“Pasadena Trayvon Martin: Police shoot unarmed black teenager
Kendrec McDade, then blame death on person who called 911”
“Another Car Shot Up
and Unarmed Black Victims Killed, This Time by Cleveland Police Officers”
To some people, police officers are the only bulwark between
civilization and an army of evil criminals, even as the police tortures
innocent victims to admit to crimes committed by other police officers. Without
question, our communities need law enforcement officials to serve and protect
the citizens, but we do not need police officers being the judge, jury, and executioner. We need to recognize
that authority figures are capable of wrongdoing as well and every criminal
suspect is not the monster they are portrayed to be by the media or law
enforcement agencies.
