EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. — More than two dozen protesters attended a scheduled appearance of a retired Providence police officer known as the “Dancing Cop,” but the ex-officer himself did not show.
Tony Lepore has been drawing heat after he protested outside a Providence coffee shop because an employee wrote “#blacklivesmatter” on an officer’s cup. Lepore asked that the employee be fired.
In response, Providence officials let him go from his decades-long gig directing holiday traffic with exaggerated dance moves.
Lepore says he has since been hired to direct traffic in neighboring East Providence. He says he did not attend a Christmas celebration there on Sunday after the mayor told him about the planned protests.
The above might be the dumbest story I have ever read, on all levels.
Why would someone write #blacklivesmatter on a coffee cup of a patron? Can you imagine that happening at Starbucks? I can’t. I am not sure I would demand that someone lose their job but I might report the incident to the owner or manager.
Why would the city get involved? Why would the guy be fired? These folks all have too much time on their hands to be doing all this political stuff while at work.
Does anyone want to make a prediction about how long BLM will be relevant? The more they bully, the less credibility they will have, would be MY prediction.
…black lives do not matter to this police officer?
Good question. If you look at the video, he seems to be friendly to all people out there on the street.
The movement Black Lives Matter doesn’t matter to me. I think they are an ill-behaved bunch of bullies from what I have seen. Whatever their message was, it has been lost by exhibiting bad behavior every time they get near a camera. When the suggestion becomes one race’s lives are more important than anyone else’s, especially in a diverse society, that movement will lose relevance.
I will stick to all lives matter. If there is bad police behavior, then it needs to be addressed. As the parent of a couple of ex teenage boys, I can tell you, there is a conversation that white parents have with their teenage boys also–a very serious life or death conversation, regardless of where you live. Yes, there is a driving while black problem. There is also a driving while young problem and a driving while female after 11 pm problem.
One more thing…if groups want to be heard by people who are going to implement change, the way to get that change is to appear reasonable and go armed with facts, rather than hysteria and bully tactics. BLM appears to be rude, self-centered, and extremely young and immature. I expect just as many white people both criminal and non criminal have been killed by police over the years. where are those statistics? I certainly wouldn’t go around whining that White Lives Matter. I also believe COPs lives matter. They go out each day and don’t know when some crazed individual hopped up on the drug du jour isn’t going to ambush them.
The way to fix some of this is to hire more highly qualified police officers. Todays climate sure isn’t going to attract that kind of candidate. Low pay and crappy working conditions don’t attract the best candidates.
@Moon-howler
” I expect just as many white people both criminal and non criminal have been killed by police over the years.”
I would expect the number to be much, much higher, considering the racial make-up of the population.
BLM has already engaged in violence, as in riots, and is now threatening to kill whites in retaliation for the shooting of a black suspect (the cop has been charged with 1st degree murder) in ChIraq:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/30/us/university-of-chicago-closed-threat/
Since we are condemning “fiery rhetoric” these days, why is it that Louis Farakhan gets a pass?
He certainly shouldn’t get a pass.
Clearly BLM is only concerned when a black male is shot by police. They are silent when blacks shoot blacks. Silent also is the National media. While all focus is on a shooting in the vicinity of a planned parenthood clinic (none of the victims were shot inside the clinic, even though the shooter and several witnesses were inside for 6 hours), there isn’t any regarding a shooting involving more suspects and more victims. Why? Because it’s black on black, and appears to be gang-related. Doesn’t fit the narrative: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2015/11/new_orleans_playground_shootin_3.html#incart_river_index
I don’t know what BLM is concerned with. I have never heard much of anything other than cops shooting black males. If there is more I haven’t heard it.
As for the national media–I hear about blacks shooting blacks every night on the 11 o’clock news. Usually the coverage allows you to see this for yourself. I have never heard about whites shooting whites (by race) or black cops shooting white people in general.
@Moon-howler
It is because of your privilege that you are ignorant of the daily microagressions, which is why you are not permitted in the “safe-zone”. Don’t you know that sitting through a freshman US History class is a microagression and leaves these precious little snow-flakes traumatized?
I am privileged in comparison to many people. My parents were both college educated. My mother’s father paid her way. My father got his by bashing his brains in every day playing football, basketball, and baseball. He had to live above the pool hall at “the Corner.”
I also have tried to give back a little.
Screw those with thin skin. I am tired of victim mentality. I looked up microaggression. I found examples. Most were just stupidity. The rest were being thin-skinned.
Actually, I am now smiling. You don’t know how many times I had to write up a referral on kids for using the N word or the S word. It was always from a member of that ethnicity thinking they were entitled to use those words. You know, if a word is rude, it is rude, regardless of who was saying it. There was always an argument.
So glad it is no longer my problem.
@Moon-howler
You were privileged to have parent(s) who worked hard and valued education.
Me? I was privileged to join the Marines, graduate bootcamp, work my way up to Staff Sergeant, earn selection for a commissioning program, graduate OCS, and pay my own tuition, then serve an additional 5 years as a payback for the privilege.
“Like button” clicked
Too bad we can’t all choose our parents, isn’t it?
Life is full of choices, BUT we cannot choose our parents (too bad if the parents have dark skin)
nor our place of birth, and that makes a lot of difference.
Ask anybody born in one of the Sub-Saharan countries
or Bangladesh or Burma or the Amazonian jungles or ….
That’s my main reason for not being too persnickety about those who want to be in America, for freedom and work. How lucky I am to have been born here. I feel especially bad for the children who end up being vilified with names like “anchor babies” and “parasites.” People really shouldnt be uppity about where they are born. They had nothing to do with it.
@Moon-howler
I’ve never had an issue with those who want to legally immigrate to the US, assimilate to the American way of life, and really become “Americans”. I don’t have any issue with those who want to maintain some aspects of the culture they left behind, either. I grew up in such a place. My friends had last names such as Rizzo, Distefano, Leblanc, Aucoin, Basterache, Diaz, Pino, Pineau, Hogan. Many were 1st generation American. They went to the “Sons of Italy” or the “French-American Victory” clubs, with their parents, some of whom spoke little English. Irish, Italian, French-Canadian, Greek, Puerto Ricans made up my neighborhood, and I had friends from all of these ethnicities. When I was in junior high, some Vietnamese and Cambodians settled in the community, and in High School, Haitians. I worked with French-Canadian, Italian and Portuguese meat-cutters, all immigrants. They were rough, but patient men, who taught me a trade. All were proud to be American, and were willing to pursue the American dream.
When I left for bootcamp, a Haitian man with whom I worked, threw me a going-away party. His wife was a sweet lady, and the food was fantastic. He had been what we would call a CPA in Haiti. He was cleaning crew at our meat shop, and was happy to be working there.
What I get “persnickety about” is those who come here, some illegally, and then demand our society change to accommodate them. I understand there are some who might need some public assistance to get going, and I am all for adult and child ESL classes, as mastery of the language is key to assimilation. What I can’t stomach is kids and parents who don’t value the public educations system, or believe that the public assistance is a perpetual benefit. I certainly can’t stomach those who come here and engage in crime, or parents who permit their kids to do so.
Yes, We who were born here should feel fortunate, and those legal immigrants even more so. They should want to become part of what makes our nation great. Unfortunately, some just feel entitled, and others down-right hateful.
I think it should be easier for good people to immigrate. Otherwise, I don’t disagree with anything you said. Naturally, I prefer legal immigration. But…you ought to be allowed to do it with you aren’t a thug or coming here for benefits.