Member Contribution: I Can’t Breathe
Just over a year ago, in Minneapolis, a police officer, and the culture of limitless police power, took the life of a man. On a whim. Without regard to his civil rights, or the effect such a choice would have on the people with whom his life intersected. It was a crime perpetrated by a man, a cop, who felt he was above the law. A cop, who most felt at the time, was a good officer, with community service and the safety of others as his priorities. We were wrong. George Floyd’s last words resonate with us all.
I can’t breathe.
Brian Peterson, 39, used Grindr to meet men. He met a man in July of 2019 who he correctly gaged, through texts and a voice mail message, to be an adult, black man around his same age. That man was a police officer, pretending unconvincingly, to be a young teen. Brian was arrested for meeting the adult male. For a man who has not come out to his family, to also be falsely charged with seeking children to sexually abuse… It was too much. Brian had to make a tough choice.
He couldn’t breathe.
A man in Tennessee was arrested for downloading CP to his computer. He denies having done so and sought to cooperate with the police to clear his name. His aging father reached out to me for support. This is a federal case, so the excessive bond required the security of both his and his parent’s properties. He was barely able to get house arrest release while awaiting trial. He is unable to leave the house, even to walk to his mailbox. He is unable to work, and financially unable not to. He is currently being pressured to take a plea bargain, or the prosecutor has threatened to revoke his bail release sending him to jail to await his trial.
He can’t breathe.
There is a man in Oregon, who has served his sentence for a victimless, police crafted and induced ‘crime’. His appeal overturned the conviction. He awaits retrial because, again, he refuses to plead guilty to a crime he did not intend or commit. He has been told he must remain on the sex offender registry until the second trial is over. He has been told he must return to a probationary state while awaiting trial. His life has been on hold for many years now, there is no end in sight.
We can’t breathe.
There was a man in Washington, arrested for a victimless, police crafted and induced crime, who jumped bail. In the state of Washington, police proactive stings have caused 8 suicides since inception in 2015. To date, of the 294 men arrested, the statistics for WA state are that 75% take a plea. 22% who brave a court trial, face a 95% conviction rate and an average sentence of 74 months (about 6 years) per conviction. This man decided he could not face such a future. Carlos Rodriguez, the lead detective, and creator of these stings, noted in a memo he wrote on November 9th, 2015 that “even though our suspect is deceased in that case, we are still following up on other matters”. Rodriguez then proceeds to ask Operation Underground Railroad, the recipient of this email, for an additional $30,000 to fund his next proactive sting.
The man referred to in Rodriguez email, who jumped bail, was eventually located in California. The police surrounded him as he took his own life. His sister was present and watched helplessly.
She can’t breathe.
Written by Lady Justice Myth
Discover more from Florida Action Committee (FAC)
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
LIARS! When Petersen asked for the man’s age, he said “under 18.” Petersen suggested there was “wriggle room”: In Texas, the age of consent is 17.
But after repeated questioning from Petersen about his age, “Fresh Meat” said he was a 14-year-old named Jason. Petersen asked what school he went to, his sexual experience, and if he could “take it.”
Val
Can you post proof of what you are saying? Usually when I blast someone as a liar, I have proof to back that up with. Can you please share some transcripts of the encounter?
I use to be a cop in the past and and will tell you, I met more liars in the department than I did on the streets. One of the reasons I resigned. Got tired of seeing cops kick the brains out of homeless people sleeping on park benches, then lying and saying the guy fell.
Wouldn’t want the rich residents being “Offended” by a homeless guy in “Their” park that their tax dollars paid for.
Ms. Parkworst:
The officer posed as a teenager on an adult website/app. It seems reasonable to see that Mr. Peterson could and would think that he was talking to another adult? The police department’s attempt to entice an adult male to commit a crime seems, at best, of questionable judgement. Two adults talking dirty to each other, no matter how objectionable one finds the language, is not a crime.
Maybe, just maybe, “Some day, when the Glory comes” maybe we can ALL “Breath” a sigh of relief. Until then, we are being choked into submission and of bondage to the system. In the meantime, NONE of us can breath.
I am heartened that someone feels, as I do that our Registered Community (RC) cause is a civil rights movement. When a group is mislabeled and discriminated and treated differently than others by our government and its people, it is a violation of civil rights.
I love this country. But it is not perfect are neither are others. What stands ours apart, is the core belief and one I deeply, deeply share, the one stated in our Declaration of Independence; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..”.
We as Americans have not lived up to this. Whatever your religious or bigot beliefs are, the fact is there are groups of people that have been treated as if they were not our equals. Blacks, American Indians and the LGTBQIA community are the ones that stand out most to me.
Too often I hear discriminatory, racist, and false based comments about Blacks by fellow RCs, and so it is with great appreciation that I see this posting equating their cause, their “I Can’t Breathe”, to our cause. And let me be perfectly clear….the treatment of Blacks in our country is, by FAR, worse than for our Registered Citizen community. The number of Blacks that have been killed, the number that have been improperly imprisoned thru slavery is by far worse than what we RC have experienced.
What we do have in common is that their treatment and ours is based on bigotry, racism or ignorance.
Bigotry defined as “an obstinate or unreasonable attachment to a belief, opinion, or faction; in particular, prejudice against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group”.
Racism is defined as “the belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities, or qualities, especially so as to distinguish them as inferior or superior to one another”.
Ignorance as in when persons believe incorrect data or quotes such as “frightening and high”.
Now we RCs are learning to know what it is like to “can’t breathe”. Some of us have been killed because of misinformed belief, many falsely imprisoned, and many imprisoned longer and punished far more than merits.
We are all in this together. It is why I champion Black, American Indian and LGTBQIA movements. Because that is what a true American does. It is not that you wave the American flag, or worse use it as a weapon against law enforcement or anyone else. No. It is that you adhere to our founding principal that we are ALL created equally and should be treated as such. If we all believed and acted this way, we would not have the discord and hostility towards each other we Americans are currently experiencing.
Be wary of leaders, and do not listen to those uninformed, that denigrate and blame “others”. Look to those that want to elevate us ALL, so that we become stronger, TOGETHER.
Thank you for your comments. I KNOW that people of color have experienced this type of discrimination, and worse, for much longer. But there definitely is a comparison to be made as well. Thank you for your support!
Thanks for the follow up. I agree there is a certain level of comparison and was what i was opining. And that we should not discriminate nor label others based on bigotry and ignorance if we seek to not be discriminated against. To do otherwise to me seems very hypocritical.
And I capped ALL only to highlight that point. Discrimination and false labeling should not be used against anybody. We are all created equal in the eyes of the Declaration and what a true American compatriot should believe in. Not the divisive and name calling of others as not Americans and not patriots that is being done based on misguided and uninformed personal bigotry and racist beliefs.
Really appreciated your posting and hope we Americans get to a place of compassion and understanding based on science and fact. It would unite us all and make for a true greater America.
I have come to the belief that the sex offender registry as it exists now in the United States could not exist in any other country — precisely because of our history of racial and ethnic discrimination.
For instance, what is the actual difference between the redlining of the past that segregated many cities and residence restrictions today? Or the similarities between the Alien Registration Act of 1940 and sex offender registration laws?
Our national history gives us a ready-made template to create laws that exclude certain “undesirable” people from polite society.
ML
Please, do not forget the Salem witch trials. Burn someone at the stake and if they live, they are a witch. If they died then they were not. Of course none survived so how many witches did they find?
These woman (Not saying they were all saints) were ostracized from society because they were different.
Can you imagine a “Witch registry”?
Good point.
To G :
I believe in what you say but all of one statement you made blacks suffer more than register Sex offenders; now correct me on this if I am wrong but wasn’t their own kings and queens that sold them into slavery? Well they did. Now it has been over 200 years since their freedom, we even have had a black president, so as too them being treated unfairly is not entirely true if they can’t get their own way the first thing they do is yell racist and then go set fires and loot and cause destruction, but let one of us Sex offender say we are being treated unfairly and what do they do make a law that says we have to do this and that. Now I’m not saying what has happened to them was right but not one black American has suffered what we have too do or have to deal with what we have to deal with. Now also not one black American that is around today has been in slavery, so to say that they are being treated unfairly more than what we are being treated unfairly is a straight out lie. Now I can’t say that they don’t get discriminated against but don’t we do also? Now you brought up the American Indian, now here here is a ethnic group of people that we tried genocide them. Now they truly have a legitimate reason to say that they got shafted from their own land and got treated unfairly, but do you hear them crying or saying they our being treated unfairly? No that’s because we damm near eliminated them. Now did their chiefs sell their people into slavery, no they didn’t so why is it that when blacks get a unfair situation the first thing they do is bring up discrimination? Well I’ll tell you why because they know that people don’t want to have any confirmation and then they get what they want. Now us Americans were all criminals when our ancestors came to this land and we took it from the true rightful owners of this land. I am trying to say this we Sex offender get sentenced for the same crime that some of us did over 20-30 years ago and are still being re-sentenced for the same crime we did , now what do we do, we bow our heads and cry in shame. Now what that cop did to George Floyd was wrong but what everyone is forgetting is Floyd tried to use a counterfeit bill so Floyd was not innocent, so now why do we Sex offender have to deal with the same crime that we did over 20 years ago ? Well here is why , because we allow a government that has been in office for years and years. What we need to do is get some new blood in our government, but to say that blacks get treated worse than what we are being is wrong. NOW PLEASE REMEMBER THIS I AM NOT SAYING THAT WHAT YOU HAVE SAID IS TOTALLY WRONG I AGREE WITH SOME OF WHAT YOU HAVE SAID BUT THE AMERICAN INDIAN WAS TOOKEN ADVANTAGE OF. But we Americans are no better than what nazis did with the Jews thank you for your comment.
Donald
If it was not for my ancestors when white man came to North America, many that arrived by ship would have died. The native Americans gave food and other help to those in need. Movies made them out to be savages that hunted down white people and killed them. That was only AFTER, they started taking over the land by force.
My Grand Mother was full blooded Cherokee. She wanted to marry my Grandfather (an immigrant from Germany) but they were “Registering” (Sound familiar?) Native Americans and sending them to reservations. She was afraid she would never see my Grandfather again so she cut her hair and dyed it with Lye. She also found a Pale face’s dress and wore it with a bonnet to fit in.
Her and my grandfather moved away and got married. If not for that, I may have never been born, because my Mother may not have been born. My Grandmother was 15 and my grandfather was 20. Today you would go to prison for that. They were married for 68 years when Pappy died from a stroke. Granny died at 98 years old. She live through WWI, The great depression, and WWII.
Hi Cherokeejack,
I am watching the series Little House on the Prairie, and it is incredible. Never would have imagined myself saying that until I actually watched it. One of the recurring themes is how the Charles Ingalls, the patriarch of the family fights against the racism and bigotry against Indians in those times. If you have not seen it I fully recommend it.
I personally feel America is heading in the right direction when I read about the appointment of Deb Haaland. Am I right in that I can only imagine your pride?
And in all this banter about the beginning of the USA, has everyone forgotten those WHITE EUROPEANS from that country called SPAIN? Has anyone ever heard of the “conquistadors”? That translates to “conquers”. The Spanish speakers we have in Mexico, Central and South America today all derived from rape of black and native slaves from those WHITE SPANIARDS. But everyone focuses on the USA’s part in it.
Pretty much every country and region of the world has been pillaged, women raped, men and women killed, etc. Need “proof”? Open a bible.
The SOR was started because of a few VERY YOUNG kids who were kidnapped, molested and then MURDERED by obvious psychopaths. People who would never see a day on the registry because they’ll spend their entire lives in prison.
I don’t recall any teenager-adult relationships being the cause of the registry. I don’t recall any teenage sexting being the cause of the registry. I don’t recall anyone urinating in a public park or behind a garbage dumpster being the cause of the registry.
These things can still be illegal or, in the latter 2, an infraction, but how the hell did they become registration offenses that ruin lives forever?
I’m a lot sick and tired of the political correctness that even the most die hard “Christian” conservatives have bought into, so much so that attorneys and people who speak up at legislative hearings won’t dare to tell it like it is.
The more we keep pandering to political correctness such as “We understand the victims’ needs here…blah blah blah” we’re not gonna get anywhere. That word “victim” is all that needs to be said and you’ve pretty much swayed the minds of the powers listening to you to against you.
There was a time when generation X (and maybe even the baby boomers) did the nasty in the back seat of a car at “inspiration point” if you get my drift. Today, THAT lands both parties on the registry as “threats to public safety”. What in the ever loving f**k!!!????
We need to start telling it like it is and stop equating “sex offense” with “child molestation”.
“Conquerors”.
Donald,
It makes no sense to try to minimize how blacks have been treated as compared to sex offenders unless you have walked in their shoes. I can travel anywhere outside of my neighborhood and be treated just fine because all those people see me as is a middle aged white man. And to say that no blacks have ever been treated as badly as we are shows a complete lack of knowledge that sex offender registries include ALL colors, ethnicities, and races. There are many black people on the registry. They have more prejudice to deal with than just that registry. It’s certainly better for black people today than it was years ago, but there are still too many pea-brained people who think that skin color defines you as a human being.
Agree.
Hello Donald.
I am responding under the assumption that you are open to new ideas that may change how you view. If not it is ok, and we can agree to disagree.
Your writing to me indicates a resistance to the idea that we are all equal.
For example, you write that African Kings and Queens sold slaves as if that justifies what was done. Is that not like putting all the blame on a pimp that sells an underage girl and none on the John who buys her? Anyone involved in slavery was wrong and does not diminish that the girl, in our case the Blacks, were the ones exploited. And to be clear, forced labor was not uncommon — Africans and Europeans had been trading goods and people across the Mediterranean for centuries — but, enslavement had not been based on race until then.
And you write “Now it has been over 200 years since their freedom, we even have had a black president, so as too them being treated unfairly is not entirely true if they can’t get their own way the first thing they do is yell racist and then go set fires and loot and cause destruction”. 200 years of freedom? Freedom to me means not being forced to sit in the back of the bus, which happened less than 60 years ago. And that is just one example. I won’t go into further ones as they are readily available in the daily news, historical periodicals, movies, documentaries, podcasts, and racial social justice periodicals just to name a few sources.
You write “set fires and loot and cause destruction”. Funny how whites get all riled up when Black anger at the injustice spills over the streets, but when whites celebrate a sports team winning and they turn over cars and cause destruction then it is ok. Then it is boys being boys! I wish they would get just as riled up and angry when an American is killed by law enforcement or jailed and forced to rot in jai for a crime they did not commit. Nope. No anger there. And I won’t even go into how you are generalizing the behavior of some as if all Blacks act that way. Sound familiar? Think of the mindset that ALL sex offenders can’t control themselves. ALL sex offenders are evil, disgusting creatures. No disrespect, but I bet if people were given your life biography and compared it to Obama, or Powell. non racist, non bigoted persons would rather have these Blacks as a neighbor and friend than you or I, even if we did not have our charge.
You write “not one black American has suffered what we have too do or have to deal with what we have to deal with.” You may want to do some digging so you can see for yourself, that as is the case on all crimes, American Blacks are overrepresented in the SO registry, so your writing the not one black has suffered is incorrect. As an aside when referring to groups in racial, ethnic, or cultural terms you capitalize it. So it is Blacks, not blacks.
You write ”Now I can’t say that they don’t get discriminated against but don’t we do also?” Of course. That was my point. We face similar prejudices. That is why I find it sad that despite that, I hear racist and bigoted comments from those on the registry.
You write “ you brought up the American Indian, now here here is a ethnic group of people that we tried genocide them. Now they truly have a legitimate reason to say that they got shafted from their own land and got treated unfairly” I guess you believe that kidnapping Blacks form Africa, forced imprisonment, abduction of their children to be sold to other slave owners, forced labor, lynching and killings are not legitimate reason for the Black. You further write “but do you hear them crying or saying they our being treated unfairly?”. So I guess you are saying if a woman is raped it is OK because she is not standing up for herself and speaking out about the injustice (or crying about it as you call it). It seems you are saying American Indians are better because they do not stand up and complain about the injustices. It seems you believe a quiet Black or Indian is a good Black or Indian. Additionally American Indians have been vocal about the theft of their lands, the killing of their people for years. It is just most of Americans don’t care. Otherwise, they would vote for politicians that do and demand this be addressed. The high incidence of rapes and killings in Indian Reservations is well documented. Americans just do not live by their own credo that “we are all equal”. Something I wish we would all work to change. Unfortunately, even today too many Americans have racist and bigot beliefs.
You write “Now what that cop did to George Floyd was wrong but what everyone is forgetting is Floyd tried to use a counterfeit bill so Floyd was not innocent” as if that justifies what happened. So then why are you not OK that we Registered Citizens are castrated and banished for life cause we were not innocent?
You write “ but to say that blacks get treated worse than what we are being is wrong”. I guess we will have to agree to disagree.
You write “But we Americans are no better than what nazis did with the Jews”. To me this is a disturbing trend. To call someone you do not agree with a Hitler. It minimizes that Hitler purposely sent humans to burn in ovens simply because of their religion or that they were descendants of the Hebrews (there are non practicing Jews). No, America is not purposely burning a group of people. What Hitler did was pure evil, and we should remember it and not minimize it by comparing it to people that are not doing similar evilness. I feel it a disservice to Jews and what they went thru.
I hope this provides fodder for thought. I hope it awakens a compassion for others, a true belief that we are all equal, more alike than unalike. It is my personal belief that if we RCs do not act in this manner towards others, then we have no moral ground to ask others to act in that manner towards us.
“ To call someone you do not agree with a Hitler. It minimizes that Hitler purposely sent humans to burn in ovens…”
Boom! Instant and well deserved mic drop.
Yes, law enforcement officials are going all out to ruin lives and add more notches to their resumes. I met a man from Canada while in prison who was enticed by a cop posing as a 15 year old girl. Obviously their entrapment schemes have become international as well. He served years in prison here, and will never be allowed back in this country again, even though there was never any victim. In Michigan, the legal system has stretched the child porn law to include mere writings. I searched the internet for more such instances and only found 2. One was a federal case where the woman accused refused to appeal further, despite organizations encouraging her to do so, because she was only sentenced to House arrest. In the other case, that state’s supreme court overturned the man’s conviction because the law was not written to include writings as pornography. I have studied Michigan’s law on the subject. It clearly defines it as depictions of children in images, not writings. But, of course, the man convicted had nothing but a public defender who never even fought the issue. Although he was already serving time for nasty crimes against children, it still doesn’t justify adding to his sentence with a conviction of a nonexistent crime.
https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2017/01/prisoner_gets_two_years_more_a.html
This is how I feel about my situation I’ve been thinking the same way I can’t breathe so why go on? Can’t get it fixed so ….
banishment justice for the Walsh’s