Tribute
St. Louis Police officer (rookie) Norvelle Brown was shot and killed on the streets of North St. Louis late Wednesday night. Brown was a young shining star on the Police Department, and was adamant about protecting his neighborhood. He also volunteered his time working with youth in his community.
Some (myself included) immediately wondered why Brown was out on patrol by himself in one of the city's worst areas, rather than patrolling with an FTO or veteran partner? It's too late to ask these questions now... those are questions that the police department should have asked before-hand. Hear audio report from KMOX Radio....the host is speaking with Kevin Ahlbrand - the President of the St. Louis Police Officers Association.
I recently posted a blurb about violence in the city.... while overall crime seems to be down, violence seems to be going up. Other cities are also dealing with what seems to be a lot of violence this year... or an increase in the severity of the violence that is taking place.
I was once provisionally hired (academy) by the SLPD.... back in the mid 1990's.... but I decided to go to school to pursue a degree instead. I also did not want to deal with the grueling physical challenges of the academy... so I quit. With the kind of violence that goes on day to day in St. Louis, I am glad I made that decision, although my choice to go to school has yet to reap any rewards.
UPDATE:
A 15 year old is now in custody, along with 2 other suspects. See Report
And people want to continue to make excuses for the lack of Parenting???
Poverty and the White man caused the officer to get shot... blah blah.....
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9 comments:
My heart hurt just looking at the picture. Here he is, committed to helping others, putting his life on the line, and some 15 year old punk is responsible? Need I ask WTF a 15 year old is doing with a gun?
You are right. Don't want to hear nothing about blaming someone else, and I'll bet his mother will come up with some BS about him being a ' good boy'.
WHATEVER.
It a crying shame to read what is going on in my hometown. Is it “kill a cop” for these young thugs to make a name for themselves in St. Louis? My mother told me about two months ago about a cop being ambushed at the corner of Lee and Taylor.
When I lived there I worked with law enforcement and have many good friends who are still in law enforcement there. I can only pray for their safety, including yours AI and the other men and women who risk their lives to keep the streets of St. Louis safe.
I agree, we need to OWN the problems with our youth. We can no longer afford to sit by and blame the 'WHITE MAN' when WE are perpetrating these acts on each other. Just as in the case of Dunbar Village - another heinous black on black crime. Our youth are totally out of control and in some cases full of hate and outright disrespect of human life.
Crime is out of control in America, Always has been, capitalism breeds crime with low-income communities. In mostlarge urban black communities and neighborhood crime has been out of control since the 1970's. I have a brother who is a homicide detective he sees things that we don't see. He is a hardened man, but he wonders why no one says anything in the communities ravaged by crime. 11 year old girls raped as you black boys vide tape it, mothers being raped as the 12 year old son is forced to have sex with the mother, wha kind of sick madness is going on here. And let us not talk about the Congressional leadership. Black neighborhoods sound like Iraq Neighborhood, but Iraq Neighborhoods have our National Guards fighting Street Crimes, we have scared black women protecting the only thing they have, their children. While brotha's are in jail, or committing the crimes. It's time for local leadership within community to take back community. We need to create a "It's OK to snitch on those that kill us Campaign" something that the CBC should be doing, but there too busy planning their Congressional Black Cacus Weekend of parties in Washington, DC. We need to stop being "politically Correct" and tell it the way it is... Our baby's are dying, our young brave black men, like Norvelle Brown and his family deserve more. "It's OK to snitch on those that kill us"
Our communities are dying its time to snitch.
I spent Saturday in the park relaxing with friends. This was something I did often as a child with my family.
My friends and I couldn't help but notice how the park was teeming with male-headed immigrant families from all over the globe. Latin America, Southeast Asia, South Asia, East Africa... Families of fathers, mothers, along with grandparents and children.
There was one adorable black couple with their young kids but that was about it. There were several white gay (male) couples with their kites, rollerblades, and smiling, happy black kids in tow.
Everyone was on the same page: there to enjoy family and friends and, more importantly, to show children the joys of life and living.
It really bothered me that I didn't see more black men with their kids...
"With the kind of violence that goes on day to day in St. Louis, I am glad I made that decision, although my choice to go to school has yet to reap any rewards."
Curious statement about school, against the backdrop of a community in chaos - care to elaborate?
Curious statement about school, against the backdrop of a community in chaos - care to elaborate?
I just came to the conclusion that I should finish school and expand my options. I have no regrets or apologies for that.
You have to understand the Law Enforcement environment here. The gangs, especially on the city's North side, shoot at police for sport. In the months preceding the killing of this officer, there were several attacks & ambushes against police officers.
Another issue here is that Police just don't get much respect anymore... there is almost an environment of anarchy in some parts of the St. Louis Metro. Combine that with the fact that police are under more scrutiny every year (often leading to more restrictive policies in terms of how they police...often limiting their effectiveness and how aggressive they can be). It's as if their hands have been tied. At the same time, the pay has not really been all that great. So the upper hand has been given to the street thugs.
Everytime there is an incident involving the police, we have a group of Black clergy here who come out of their holes to condemn officers & convict them in the court of public opinion...before they even take the time to find out what happened. It's as if the public, and the government officials, have taken the side of the criminals... this is one of the reasons why the thugs have been able to take over the streets. Throw in a "stop snitching" hip hop culture for good measure, along with a poor performing public school system & a lot of poverty and what you have is a lot of different variables coming together to form a perfect storm that is killing the inner city....literally sucking the life (and often the hope) out of Black/poor neighborhoods.
These conditions don't make the job of a police officer very appealing. This is why police staffing is such a problem in St. Louis and in other parts of the country.
The profession is also still reeling from Rodney King. The post Rodney King era for policing is a lot different than what it was before that milestone. The stress is so bad that many officers only last 3-5 years... (if that) and they are off looking for other work...at another department or a different line of work altogether.
And becoming an officer is harder than ever.... especially physically. The police department recently had a veteran officer die in training because of the departments strict physical fitness rules. Departments across the country are basically recruiting for athletes now... recruiting is no longer focused on background or academic strength per se. They want officers who are more physical... And I barely passed the physical test. I had a big brain in the context of what they were looking for, but I was on the margins physically...barely beating the time.
Considering all of this... and considering some personal matters, I decided to try something else.
It was not because I didn't want to serve the community... but because the government structure and social situation made it difficult for me to do so... So I decided to do what I thought was best for me at the time.
Thanks. Illuminating. But saying that education has yet to payoff paints a dim road for our youth. No regrets sounds like you left a tough situation (agreed), but by what measure (and there are many) has education not paid off? Why should young people follow, or not? Thanks for taking the time.
Hi,
We have created a free and open memorial site to pay tribute to those loved ones who have passed away, http://www.people-to-remember.com
A special page has been started for Police Officer Norvelle Brown http://www.people-to-remember.com/wiki/index.php/NorvelleBrown
Thanks,
Josh
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