Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Monday, April 12, 2021

America, the country where it’s more dangerous to be a black motorist than it is to be a white insurrectionist.







By now most people have read of or heard about the Windsor, Virginia, police stopping Black/Latino Army Lieutenant, Caron Nazario, and pepper spraying and threatening execution after pulling him over for a supposed motor vehicle violation. He was driving his new SUV with temporary plates in view on the back of his new vehicle.





Lt Nazario, who is Black and Latino, was in uniform and driving with a temporary paper license plate on his back window on 5 December, when he was told to pull over in the town of Windsor. 

He then stopped at a petrol station and kept his hands outside the window, while asking the policemen why he was being stopped. 

"To unbuckle his seatbelt, to do anything, any misstep - he was afraid that they were going to kill him," Mr Arthur told CBS. 

The suit filed by Lt Nazario says that Mr Gutierrez acknowledged why the army officer had waited to pull over in a lighted area. "I get it, the media spewing race relations between law enforcement and minorities. I get it," the policeman said, according to the suit.

The complaint alleges that the officers' behavior is "consistent with a disgusting nationwide trend of law enforcement officers, who, believing they can operate with complete impunity, engage in unprofessional, discourteous, racially biased, dangerous, and sometimes deadly abuses of authority." "What's going on?" Nazario, dressed in uniform, repeatedly asked. 



Windsor Police Department officer Joe Gutierrez responded: "What's going on is you're fixing to ride the lightning, son." 





 "Fixing to ride the lightning," is a murder threat, the complaint that was filed against the Windsor, VA, police, claims.

It is a colloquial expression for execution that refers to death by electric chair. 

 




Metallica used the phrase for the name of their 1984 album, Ride the Lightning. 

Ride is the second studio album from the heavy metal band, released 1984. 

 The eponymous track includes the following lyrics: “Death in the air / Strapped in the electric chair / This can’t be happening to me”.




11 comments:

Bluebullamerica said...

It is disgusting how this veteran was treated, but I do have one issue with the article. "Ride the lightning', these days anyway, refers to being tasered. Luckily, the police officer was fired and will, hopefully, no longer work in LE. This kind of thing just has to stop and police need to get the 'us vs them' attitude out of their systems. Very strict mental evaluations as well as social biases must become routine when reviewing applicants for the police academy and then periodically during their careers.

Les Carpenter said...

As a former active musician I'm reminded why I never liked heavy metal. That's just me. Never considered loud noise music.

With the loud noise I was never able to enjoy the lyrics.

Shaw Kenawe said...

RN That was the first time I ever heard anything by Metallica. And the last.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Bluebullamerica

FBI warned of white supremacists in law enforcement 10 years ago. Has anything changed?

This is what is going on. And it has to end!

Bluebullamerica said...

Agree 100% on the police as well as heavy metal. Never been a fan. Really not a fan of much rock either, honestly. I like country, jazz and easy listening if it's not too 'bubble gum'.

Jerry said...

New technology has allowed us to see what we have heard of before but dismissed. On many issues it takes a hammer to the head to get Americans to pay attention and know the issue is real. Usually, at that point, Americans pressure their elected representatives to act. Our federal legislator has a reputation for being slow. It seems slowest in its response to racial equality. We have made some progress, but certainly not enough as the dead bodies tell us.
We have a big trial going on in Minneapolis about the death at police hands of George Floyd and in that same town in just the last few hours there has been another death at police hands. When will these murders stop? When we change the attitude of police towards minorities. Maybe a squad within the police to weed out the bad cops would help. Tearing down the blue wall of secrecy would also help.

Mike said...

The lieutenant did just what the police have been telling us to do for the last 30 years, if you don't feel safe, drive to a well lit area.

bluzdude said...

No matter the negative attention, no matter the protests and parades, no matter the circus trials, it just keeps happening, doesn't it? It's that ingrained in police culture.

I'd Rather remaine Anonymous said...

The next time that ANY RIGHT-WINGER TROLL BITCHES, OR COMPLAINS about Shaw's deleting,or not publishing their comment. Tell them about the HYPOCRITE AOW who CONSTANTLY deletes MY comment from her BIAS blog, every single time that I write something there, BECAUSE SHE KNOWS THAT i AM A Liberal WHO FREQUENTLY COMMENTS HERE .

Shaw Kenawe said...

I'd Rather remaine Anonymous

Typical GQPers to cast stones on others while they do the very thing they're casting stones about.

Yes. I'm often criticized for doing exactly what those right wing blogs do. Don't look for logic from GQPers. They, after all, still admire the guy who incited an armed mob against his own government!

Les Carpenter said...

The veteran police officer of 26 yrs that mistakenly shot Wright is not the same circumstances as Floyd who was actually murdered by Chauvin. I think intentionally.

Potter must have been disoriented or suffering some trauma. She, as well as her boss (the Cheif of Police voluntarily resigned. Both have already acknowledged and accepted accountability. Potter will probably face negligent homocide charges.