LA Police Chief Caves to Dorner’s Terrorism

So in the last few posts, I have been covering the story of Chris Dorner’s ongoing alleged rampage (here, here and here).  I won’t go through the whole story again, but in a pior post, I reviewed his manifesto and one of the things that leapt out at me was this.  The purpose of his rampage was to call attention to his alleged grievances.  From his manifesto:

Sure, many of you "law enforcement experts and specialist[s]" will state, "in all my years this is the worst........", Stop!!! That's not important. Ask yourselves what would cause somebody to take these drastic measures like I did. That's what is important.

In doing so, Dorner was tapping into the left’s belief that terrorism was motivated by injustice.  He was hoping that the left would tend to sympathize with his motives.  Thus the behavior of the left in the past was part of the motivation for his alleged murders now.  As I wrote:

Conservatives like myself have argued in the past that the tendency on the left to automatically sympathize with terrorists, to assume that they are motivated by some kind of injustice created a bad incentive.  We on the right have repeatedly pointed out that the leftward tendency to try to get at the “root causes” of terrorism encouraged people to engage in terrorism in order to publicize their grievances.  But ordinarily, I admit, this is only theory.

In this case, on the other hand, it was not just a theory.  He pretty much admitted it was the case.  All of which makes this story in today’s LA Times even more dismaying:

LAPD will reopen investigation into 2009 firing of Dorner

As the massive search for the fugitive ex-cop continues, Chief Charlie Beck announces he is reopening the probe into his dismissal, the event that apparently set off his campaign of revenge.

As the massive search for a fugitive ex-cop suspected of three slayings continued Saturday, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck announced that he was reopening the investigation into the firing of Christopher Jordan Dorner from the police department, the event that apparently sparked his vengeful campaign.

Beck said he was reopening the investigation "not to appease a murderer" but to assure the public that his department is fair and transparent. He said he wanted to protect an "increasingly positive relationship with the community" that the LAPD has developed over the last few years.

"I am aware of the ghosts of the LAPD's past and one of my biggest concerns is that they will be resurrected by Dorner's allegations of racism within the department," Beck said in a prepared statement. "...Therefore, I feel we need to also publicly address Dorner's allegations regarding his termination of employment."

Ah yes, give the terrorist what he wants.  That will discourage the next guy.

In other news, we get this LA Times piece on the prior complaints regarding his conduct and his complaints against others:

The fugitive ex-policeman Christopher Dorner, suspected of killing three people and injuring two, had a history of making complaints against fellow officers within the Los Angeles Police Department, and one officer said he had a reputation as a "hot head," according to internal affairs records.

Dorner was accused of punching a recruit in the chest while he was in the Police Academy in 2006. That recruit, Abraham Schefres, was wearing a bulletproof vest and a trauma plate, when Dorner allegedly punched him. After being hit, he glared at Dorner, whom Schefres said responded as though he had made a mistake, records show. Schefres said he believed that Dorner had not been trying to hurt him but that the punch was "more of a 'hello'" and to appear tough.

Schefres told an investigator that he "believed this was part of Dorner’s persona," records show. Schefres described Dorner as "a hot head" who would walk up to fellow recruits and "get in their faces in an aggressive" but joking way.

Schefres is the officer known as “A.S.” in my redacted copy of the manifesto.  This is what Dorner wrote about that:

During the BOR, the department attempted to label me unsuccessfully as a bully. They stated that I had bullied a recruit, [A.S.], in the academy when in reality and unfounded disposition from the official 1.28 formal complaint investigation found that I was the one who stood up for [A.S.] when other recruits sang nazi hitler youth songs about burning Jewish ghettos in WWII Germany where his father was a survivor of a concentration camp. How fucking dare you attempt to label me with such a nasty vile word. I ask that all earnest journalist investigating this story ask Ofcr. [A.S.] about the incident when Ofcr. Burdios began singing a nazi youth song about burning jewish ghettos.

As I said in response to that part at the time “saying he stood up for the guy in that incident—assuming it really happened—doesn’t prove he never bullied the guy himself.”  Now of course if Schefres isn’t upset, I guess we probably shouldn’t be, either, but there was a bit more to this than Dorner said.  A lie, then, by omission.  And we get this detail:

In 2006, Schefres was interviewed about the punching incident during an investigation into allegations that Dorner slapped the hand of another recruit officer, internal affairs records show. Dorner had accused that second recruit--as well as another recruit -- of using a racial slur while they were traveling in a police vehicle during their time in the academy.

The department confirmed Dorner’s slur allegation against one of the recruits but not the other, the records said. The agency concluded that Dorner's punch of Schefres did not rise to the level of misconduct.

What is interesting is that “slapping” incident in the first paragraph seems to be referring to this incident in the manifesto, with apologies for the language:

While traveling back to the station in a 12 passenger van I heard [M.M.] refer to another individual as a nigger. I wasn't sure if I heard correctly as there were many conversations in the van that was compiled of at least 8 officers and he was sitting in the very rear and me in the very front. Even with the multiple conversations and ambient noise I heard Officer [M.M.] call an indivdual a nigger again. Now that I had confirmed it, I told [M.] not to use that word again. I explained that it was a well known offensive word that should not be used by anyone. He replied, "I'll say it when I want". Officer [H.B.], a friend of his, also stated that he would say nigger when he wanted. At that point I jumped over my front passenger seat and two other officers where I placed my hands around [H.B.’s]  neck and squeezed. I stated to [H.B.], "Don't fucking say that". At that point there was pushing and shoving and we were separated by several other officers.

The thing I am not getting is this.  The allegation was that he “slapped” the other recruit, but in his own telling he basically tried to strangle the man.  So did Dorner embellish this story, to make his reaction seem even more violent?  Because plainly Dorner did think it was perfectly okay to assault a person if they said the n-word.

Finally it should be noted that they are reporting this line:

Monica Quan, a Cal State Fullerton assistant basketball coach, and her fiance, Keith Lawrence, were found dead Sunday in Irvine. Irvine police on Wednesday named Dorner as the suspect.

Previously, I had read that Lawrence was actually married to Quan and thus the son-in-law of Randal Quan, who committed the "horrible" crime of representing Dorner.  I can’t account for the discrepancy, but it ultimately doesn’t matter.  Whether he was her fiancé or her husband, he was equally innocent and Dorner's alleged murder of him equally unjustified.

Anyway, it is an interesting piece, so I suggest you read the whole thing.

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My wife and I have lost our jobs due to the harassment of convicted terrorist Brett Kimberlin, including an attempt to get us killed and to frame me for a crime carrying a sentence of up to ten years.  I know that claim sounds fantastic, but if you read starting here, you will see absolute proof of these claims using documentary and video evidence.  If you would like to help in the fight to hold Mr. Kimberlin accountable, please hit the Blogger’s Defense Team button on the right.  And thank you.

Follow me at Twitter @aaronworthing, mostly for snark and site updates.  And you can purchase my book (or borrow it for free if you have Amazon Prime), Archangel: A Novel of Alternate, Recent History here.  And you can read a little more about my novel, here.

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Disclaimer:

I have accused some people, particularly Brett Kimberlin, of reprehensible conduct.  In some cases, the conduct is even criminal.  In all cases, the only justice I want is through the appropriate legal process—such as the criminal justice system.  I do not want to see vigilante violence against any person or any threat of such violence.  This kind of conduct is not only morally wrong, but it is counter-productive.

In the particular case of Brett Kimberlin, I do not want you to even contact him.  Do not call him.  Do not write him a letter.  Do not write him an email.  Do not text-message him.  Do not engage in any kind of directed communication.  I say this in part because under Maryland law, that can quickly become harassment and I don’t want that to happen to him.

And for that matter, don’t go on his property.  Don’t sneak around and try to photograph him.  Frankly try not to even be within his field of vision.  Your behavior could quickly cross the line into harassment in that way too (not to mention trespass and other concerns).

And do not contact his organizations, either.  And most of all, leave his family alone.

The only exception to all that is that if you are reporting on this, there is of course nothing wrong with contacting him for things like his official response to any stories you might report.  And even then if he tells you to stop contacting him, obey that request.  That this is a key element in making out a harassment claim under Maryland law—that a person asks you to stop and you refuse.

And let me say something else.  In my heart of hearts, I don’t believe that any person supporting me has done any of the above.  But if any of you have, stop it, and if you haven’t don’t start.