Hundreds inhabited the Downtown Fullerton Plaza to make a unified voice against the way the homeless are treated. Spattered through out the crowd were yellow t-shirts that read "Justice 4 Kelly Thomas." The Fullerton event was a Benefit Concert and Food Drive in memory of the fallen Kelly Thomas, who died after an altercation with the Fullerton Police.
In the middle of the crowd stood one, single, solitary, police officer.
As the large crowd enjoyed several rock groups with social justice messages, the Fullerton Police officer stood there among a group of homeless, media reporters, and protestors. The event, which was charged with political activism and messages against the Fullerton Police and city government, naturally should have had several officers to maintain security.
Nevertheless, there stood the solitary officer, talking to a few citizens that wanted to give him an ear full.
In some ways, the one officer encapsulated the large outpouring of outrage from the community versus the sounds of silence that have caused public criticism of the Fullerton Police Department.
The same crowd that took part in supporting the homeless at the rally would be elated only a few days later when the Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announced that at least one of the officers would be charged with murder.
Today, several with bright “Justice 4 Kelly Thomas” shirts, and several around the world are awaiting the beginning of the court trials. At the same time hoping to make a vibrant voice for the homeless and needy that live in Fullerton.
This is so strange that there would only be one officer there. You'd think that with the high profile of this case they'd at least try and have a presence for PR purposes. Or at least a high ranking officer to talk to the people and give a statement to assure them of one thing or another. Poorly played, FPD, poorly played.
ReplyDeleteWhat if there were more officers and people who are angry at the FPD right now started retaliating and harassing, rather that purely expressing their opinions?
ReplyDeleteThe way this whole thing came together didnt help the fullerton community feel better about anything. The main issue, which has been previously mentioned, is the fact that only one officer was on site. Doesnt make any sense.
ReplyDeleteWhy would the FPD send a ton of officers to an event where no one wants them there? To me having a lot of officers would only create more issues. The one officer already had to listen to everyone's comments, because those people wanted to be heard. I think if more officers were there people would become more violent or aggressive. All these people were there because they had an extreme view and passion for this cause, if the people they were protesting were all around I think things might have been a little crazy. I think it was a good thing there was just one cop because someone was there to monitor things and able to be there for people who needed anything.
ReplyDelete