BOSTON, MA- The family of a Massachusetts police officer killed in the line of duty in 2013 has taken out a full page newspaper ad in support of police, according to Boston 25 News.
Sean Collier Ad courtesy: Internet
On April 15, 2013, two cowards set off bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Only days after the bombing, on April 18, 2013, as law enforcement conducted a desperate search for the suspects, Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier was killed by the suspects, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan as they unsuccessfully tried to take his gun.
Collier was shot, execution style, as the prosecution in the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev said in court that one gunshot wound to Collier was from close range, while the other two were from a gun being pressed directly to his head. Fortunately, one of the Tsarnaev’s, Tamerlan, was killed when he was run over accidentally by his brother in an escape attempt.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted of multiple counts at trial was given a sentence of death, however a federal appeals court recently overturned the death sentence.
Collier’s older sister, Nicole Lynch spoke to the news outlet about her little brother.
“His smile…every day, I miss that smile,” Lynch said.
“Everything about him was always a weighed and measured decision as far as what was right and wrong and he was definitely one of the good ones,” she said.
The full-page ad, which was run in both the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald starting Friday is intended to show that police officers like her brother are human, Lynch said.
She also emphasized that the ad is not meant to be political whatsoever.
“There really wasn’t a purpose in the timing. It doesn’t have anything to do with the election. It just is something that’s been weighing heavily on our hearts and minds,” Lynch said.
Lynch said the impetus for the family’s concern are the nationwide anti-cop protests being conducted nationwide. She did say that there is perhaps some room for changes to be made.
“I can understand where some of these people are coming from and that maybe change does need to happen,” she said.
Lynch told WHDH in Boston that it is important to remind people that members of law enforcement and their families make sacrifices in order to protect the public, and that sometimes those sacrifices end up in their losing their lives.
“Sean was a person behind the badge and his ultimate goal in life was to help people, and serve his community and get to know the people that he served, and this is what we believe the police officers in the Commonwealth and across the country…that is also their ultimate goal,” Lynch said.
Collier’s murder at the age of only 27 set off a manhunt in Boston and resulted in the city being locked down, as well as some surrounding communities.
There have been calls across the country to defund police in the wake of the death of George Floyd while in custody of the Minneapolis Police Department, and Breonna Taylor in Louisville during a botched no-knock drug raid.
The family wanted to place the ad, along with other police organizations and agencies in order to remind people about the humanity of police officers.
“It’s disturbing and disheartening and you know, we just want everybody to know that there are good cops out there,” Lynch said.
In an interview with WBZ TV4, Lynch said, “These are everyday average people that have families, that have spouses, that have children to go home to,” she said. “And their only hope is to help somebody. I think that’s getting lost at this time.
Lynch was asked what her brother would think about his role as a police officer in a time when police have been made the bad guys while criminals are being held up by some.
“Sean was a man of very few words but he was a man of action,” she said. “He would have been out there in the community making friends, getting to know people, and just trying to be that positive change that’s so needed.”
Aside from the Collier family, the ad was also sponsored by several Boston area police organizations, including the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society, the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement officers, and the New England Police Benevolent Association, among many others.
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Middle school principal shows anti-police propaganda video to students, superintendent supports it
This editorial is brought to you by a staff writer for Law Enforcement Today.
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DUXBURY, MA- A middle school principal showed her students an anti-police propaganda video. The video depicted high profile Black Lives Matter activists, including Colin Kaepernick kneeling on a football field during the National Anthem.
According to reports, Tatyana Semyrog, a concerned parent and who is also running for State Representative, shared the incident as well as screenshots from the presentation via Twitter. The tweet has since been removed from her account, but below is a screenshot of it:
Duxbury Middle School Principal Sarah McGuire Forces Kids To Watch BLM Propaganda On Zoom Orientation, Claims It Promotes “Overcoming Challenges” – TB Daily News https://t.co/SeyR5rlEUh
— PRD (@prd1967) September 9, 2020
In response, Superintendent John Antonucci explained that he fully supports the principal’s decision to show the anti-police propaganda video. He said:
“In the spirit of fully transparency and honesty, you should know that I fully support Mrs. McGuire and her use of the TV commercial with the students. The commercial is mean to be inspiring and motivating and in fact, I also used it on opening day with our staff.”
He added:
“In addition, it has been widely broadcast on television and the internet all summer, so it is already in the public realm. Although the intent of airing the commercial was not political, I would add that the Duxbury Public Schools is fully committed to promoted anti-racism.”
He continued:
“To shield our students from a topic that is so pervasive in our country right now would be irresponsible and detrimental to students’ education. We will continue to address topics that may make some people uncomfortable, which is an important part of the learning process.”
The superintendent stated that shielding their students from this relevant topic would be irresponsible, but what is really irresponsible is only showing their students one side of the story or presenting BLM as something that is not divisive when many large cities across the country are literally burning to the ground during violent protests.
Duxbury Superintendent Tells Parents That He Supports BLM Propaganda In Schools Because It’s Already On TV And Will Inspire Kids To Loot, Riot, And Hate Cops https://t.co/GTzIkUVavd via @TurtleboyNews
— Jacqué Stoddard (@jacquestoddard) September 9, 2020
It is also irresponsible to teach students that they live in a country filled with racist people and racist police officers or to tell them that if they do not support BLM then they do not support black lives.
The superintendent stated that as a school they will continue to address topics that might make some people uncomfortable.
If they plan to have the uncomfortable conversations about police using excessive force and systemic racism, are they willing to have the uncomfortable conversations about the true facts and evidence surrounding officer-involved shooting cases?
And that in many of those incidents the individual had prior convictions, a warrant for arrest, a weapon on them, and/or that they did not listen to the officer when they were given verbal commands?
Black Lives Matter started a riot in this Dallas establishment with the sole purpose of creating chaos and anarchy. They wrecked the entire restaurant. pic.twitter.com/URV0eIYVPK
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 15, 2020
Will they also be discussing the murder of David Dorn at the hands of BLM protesters or the fact that Colin Kaepernick has never even voted in an election before?
If the superintendent claims they are going to continue to have these uncomfortable situations and not shield their students from the issues happening across the country right now, why are they not educating their students on the bigger picture?
Why are they not telling all sides of the stories?
Extraordinary new meme by media and Democrats that “looting is not violence.” Tell that to widow and family of retired police Captain David Dorn, killed during looting in St Louis. Looting and violence go hand in hand. Americans know this! https://t.co/NlC4bnCx7Z
— David Asman (@DavidAsmanfox) September 2, 2020
Why are they not educating their students that the First Amendment allows people to peacefully protest and push for change, but that it does not give people the right to physically assault law enforcement officers who are still standing and trying their hardest to serve and protect their communities.
The response from the superintendent is alarming and disheartening. Many of America’s cities are burning and suffering from looting, vandalism, and destruction of property to locally owned businesses.
Law enforcement officers are being assaulted and gravely disrespected to the point where they can no longer protect and serve their communities to the best of their ability.
People are being murdered by the dozens within days, including young children under the age of 13. True education requires teachers and administrators to have all of the uncomfortable conversations, not just the ones they believe are important because of their own bias and prejudices.
Here is another article from Law Enforcement Today about a teacher who told their students that it is more common for police to shoot at people of color:
This editorial is brought to you by a staff writer for Law Enforcement Today.
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GLASTONBURY, CT- An Open Letter to the Glastonbury (CT) Board of Education:
Law Enforcement Today represents the nearly 800,000 police officers across the United States of America. Those officers currently have a bullseye on their back, due to the selfish act of one officer in Minneapolis.
Like most of the country, an overwhelming majority of those officers condemn what happened to George Floyd at the hands of that one officer.
However, that does not matter.
All police officers nationwide have been painted as racists. That narrative has been driven by the media, by politicians, and now sadly by our public schools, in this case the public schools in Glastonbury, Connecticut.
If you look at television and wonder why all these young high school and college students appear to absolutely hate police officers and authority, look no further than our educational institutions.
Kids have been becoming increasingly radicalized by far-left educators that teach in our public schools, as well as our colleges. The current spate of violent protests is what they have given us.
These officers are not only public servants. They are husbands and wives, sons and daughters, moms, and dads. They are the softball coach, the karate instructor, and the Big Brother or Big Sister.
They raise untold amounts of money for charities such as the Special Olympics, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and untold others. They run toy drives at Christmas so that children who would not otherwise enjoy a joyful holiday can get toys. They help out in soup kitchens and food banks.
These officers have children who attend YOUR schools.
We have become aware of a new social justice and anti-racism addition to the Summer Learning website in Glastonbury. While it is important for children to understand racism and the importance of acceptance, the summer learning curriculum directed toward three-to-five-year old preschoolers is appalling.
Superintendent Bookman FB Post photo Facebook screenclip
Contained within resources for parents is the following suggestion for talking to children about “Racism, Police Brutality and Protests.”
First of all, the introduction to the webpage entitled Aha! Parenting is speaking about the “deaths of black men and woman at the hands of police.”
Contained therein, there is a sentence which says the following that is factually incorrect and does not provide proper context.
“My community of parents are different races (and genders, and sexualities), but we are all feeling devastated. This is made worse by our memories, not so long ago, of the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and 12-year old Tamir Rice, followed by the acquittals of the police officers who shot them.”
The first, most-glaring error involves Michael Brown. Brown had just robbed a convenience store and assaulted the owner. When police attempted to stop Brown, he got involved in a scuffle with the officer and tried to grab his firearm. This was by all intents and purposes a totally justified shooting and in fact the officer was cleared of any wrongdoing.
The second error involves Eric Garner. Garner was not shot by New York City police…so there’s that.
Finally, the death of Tamir Rice, while a tragedy, was made possible in part because he had in his possession a facsimile firearm. When police were dispatched to an incident involving a gun, anything resembling a firearm is considered a threat. Sadly, this young man possessed such a facsimile.
The piece then goes on to recall an incident involving Sen. Corey Booker (D-NJ) where he was pulled over years ago. The piece makes sure to note that Booker was a Stanford graduate and honored as a Rhodes Scholar. Driving a vehicle that was similar to the stolen vehicle and matching the description of the car thief, Booker was detained for about a half-hour, then released.
The article said he was “jumped by six police officers with their guns drawn.”
Then we get to the curriculum for three-to-five-year-olds in dealing with the George Floyd situation as an example.
The piece says, “Then give basic facts. For example:
“A police officer was arresting a man named George. He pressed his knee into George’s neck for a long time and it killed George. The officer was very wrong to do this.
“The police officer was White, and George was Black. It is much more common for police officers to hurt and kill people of color [which has statistically shown to be a lie].
Some people think that the officer would not have killed George if he had been White. That would be terrible, right? That maybe if he had not been African American, the officer might not have killed him? Naturally, that makes people very angry and they are marching to say this needs to change.
“Most of the protests are peaceful. Some of the demonstrators are so angry, though, that they are destroying property, including attacking police stations, or breaking into stores [not to mention stealing other people’s property and burning buildings down].
In one city (St. Louis) someone even shot bullets at the police; luckily, the injuries were minor. [except for the one that killed retired police captain David Dorn]. But is that ever okay? (Wait to see what your child says).
“Anyone would be angry that police officers killed an unarmed man. I feel very angry about that. And it is important to stand up for what is right, to gather and protest. But some of the demonstrators are so angry at the police officers that they are not using their words. It is never okay to burn property or take things that aren’t yours.
“Naturally, when the protesters burn the police building, that is threatening to the police department. Fear makes people do bad things. And some police officers are angry that they are being criticized. So, some are misusing their power and hurting demonstrators even when the demonstrators are trying to be peaceful in their protests. (emphases added).”
Further down in the “lesson” (let’s call it propaganda though, because that is what it really is), the piece says:
“And (in the case of George Floyd) then the police tried to hide what happened.”
The police never lied about what happened. Video of the incident was released right away, so even if police were inclined to “lie about it,” the video evidence was there.
It gets worse of course as the grade levels get higher. In the elementary school portion, it alleges:
“Police officers are also more afraid of people of color, and fear makes people do bad things. And I think sometimes police officers assume that they can use illegal force against an African American person and get away with it, when they wouldn’t do so to a White person.”
The lesson plan excuses away looting even while saying it is “wrong.” It propagates the lie that “most protests are peaceful” and says:
“Many police departments are not handling the protests well. Many are frightened of being attacked [probably because they are being attacked, with cars, guns, knives, and bricks]. Some of them are responding with violence, even to protesters who are not being violent. There are many accounts from reporters who have seen police officers assault peaceful protesters.”
Preteens and teens are given the quote attributed to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, “A riot is the language of the unheard,” which is being totally taken out of context, according to his niece Alveda King.
Over the past nearly 30 years, police departments across the country have worked hard to engage with students in school through a variety of School Resource Officer programs. What this program did is humanize police by having them in the schools, eating lunch with children (including inner city children by the way), playing basketball, teaching classes, and just showing the human side of policing.
What the Glastonbury Public Schools is doing is demonizing police and is going to make children afraid of them. When you see how young people are treating police officers in these “peaceful protests” taking place across the country, it is no wonder they are showing zero respect to the officers. They are being indoctrinated, apparently now at the early ages, that police are the enemy, are out to kill people and cannot be trusted.
Law Enforcement Today became aware of this due to a Facebook Post that was forwarded to us. In that Facebook post, written by someone close to a law enforcement officer, the following was written:
Facebook Post photo Facebook screenclip
Then below that, the following:
He doesn’t enjoy writing tickets—but you didn’t know
He cried when he found your daughter lying in a ditch, high on meth—but you didn’t know
He was devastated when he found the 32-year-old veteran dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound—but you didn’t know
He missed his kids birthdays, school plays and family trips because he had to work—but you didn’t know
He had nightmares about the 2-year-olde he found crushed under a truck tire while mom was inside buying dope—but you didn’t know
He is never comfortable at social gatherings because with the things he has seen, he can’t trust anyone—but you didn’t know
He has seen things you could never imagine—but you didn’t know
He really didn’t like putting people in jail—but you didn’t know
His job is hard on his family—but you didn’t know.
The Superintendent of Schools in Glastonbury is a man named Alan Bookman. As the writer of the Facebook post said, “don’t just send out links so you can check a box.”
The Glastonbury Police Department is a nationally accredited police department through CALEA and was one of the first in the State of Connecticut to be so designated, having achieved its initial accreditation in 1986.
For the superintendent of that community to throw all police departments and police officers under the bus by approving the implementation of this summer curriculum is an insult to the very department charged with protecting his schools. Teaching this propaganda to our most vulnerable students is an outrage.
This is what departments are facing now nationwide. Children of all ages are being taught to distrust police, believe all police are racist killers, and those who try to kill them in return are just exercising their rights to protest.
Bookman should be ashamed of himself. It’s small wonder parents are pulling their kids out of the public school indoctrination factories and educating them at home.
We’ll standby for the apology.
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