Atlanta police call in sick to protest murder charge against officer who shot Rayshard Brooks

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Washington Post

By Katie Shepherd

Hours after the Fulton County district attorney announced felony murder and other charges against the former Atlanta police officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old black man, in the back, a number of Atlanta police officers called in sick just before a shift change Wednesday evening.

The city was left scrambling to cover absences as the Atlanta Police Department tried to tamp down rumors of a mass police walkout that spread widely on social media.

It’s unclear how many officers declined to show up for their Wednesday night shift. The police department declined to answer specific questions about the no-shows and the mayor did not release specific numbers when she spoke to reporters late Wednesday.

“We do have enough officers to cover us through the night,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) told CNN. “Our streets won’t be any less safe because of the number of officers who called out.”



Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/18/atlanta-rayshard-brooks-walkout/

[wryter2000]

1. Assholes

The streets will be safer without them.

[Dawson Leery]

2. CUT THEIR PAY!

No work = no pay.

[jayfish]

3. "50% of the Atlanta Police Department not showing up last night because of "blue flu"..."

Link to tweet

ON EDIT: Jeebus, I promised myself I would never post a Tweet. "The times they are a-changin'"

[The Magistrate]

11. I Agree Completely With Mr. Dyson

These officers have shown themselves more loyal to a fellow cop than to the law they are sworn to enforce, and so have declared themselves unfit to serve in any police department. The best that can be said for trash like this is that they have stepped up and identified themselves for the chop. Every one of the cops who called in sick that night ought to be fired out of hand.


"Kill one, warn one hundred."

[Another Jackalope]

15. I agree 100%, Sir nt

[tom_kelly]

12. +1

[Blasphemer]

18. Well said...nt

[PatrickforO]

4. I never in a million years thought I'd be saying this, but

here is a union that needs to be broken and reformed, retooled just like the police force itself.

The union should never, ever be responsible for covering up and perpetuating brutality. It's job is to negotiate fair wages, pensions, healthcare (until we have Medicare for all Americans) and ensure that accused officers get due process.

NOT to return brutal officers to work with no consequences.

[Ferrets are Cool]

6. THIS

[47of74]

17. Yeah I am a total union buster when it comes to police unions

In their current form they are a tool of the devil as far as I am concerned. As long as they continue to cover up and short circuit any attempts to bring the fucking barrelfull of bad cops to justice they should not be busted up and reformed. Once they return to the traditional role of labor unions and have an acceptance rate of white supremacists, bad cops, and militarized police forces that is in the goddamn negative numbers then I'll reevaluate how I feel about those unions but not until then.

[BigmanPigman]

25. They are giving unions a bad name.

They HAVE to go! Good riddance!

[Ferrets are Cool]

5. While it may not be appropriate, I consider these "cops" to be part of a

dangerous cult. They are opening flaunting their "oath" and supporting a person charged with MURDER.

[aggiesal]

10. They want to be able to kill indiscriminately ...

then get qualified immunity.

[Phoenix61]

7. Those are the ones who shouldn't be cops.

Thanks for self-identifying. Now IA needs to start digging into the background of every single one of those assholes. Deep dives into all of their social media accounts. Shouldn’t be hard to find all kinds of racist shit there.

[Thomas Hurt]

8. The thin blue liners are going to try to hold citizens hostage...

after all the world will end if the cops aren't on the streets, right?

[33taw]

9. They are trying to force the DA into not making them accountable.

[healthnut7]

14. WOW!!

So they think what he did is okay. That says a lot about them. I'd be firing them.

[tonedevil]

16. Defund the police /nt

[matt819]

19. That's fine

They have sick time. Let them take it. No need to fire them. Yet.

When they request sick time they don't have, deny it.

If they take the time off anyway, don't pay them. And if there are rules regarding taking sick time when it's not available, then use those rules. If termination is an option, terminate. If suspension is an option, suspend them.

Same applies to annual leave. If they have it, let them take it. Just don't make any exceptions when then request time that they no longer have.

Switch assignments. Take the plum assignments away from the sick time takers. Switch sick leave takers to desk jobs.

Union aside, there are two sides here. They want to work to rule, or whatever, then the city can manage to rule. By the book. Say, no overtime - for anyone, for any reason. Let everyone suffer for the actions of few. Don't promote. The city doesn't need to link these decisions to their sick time. They're bureaucrats. They can be bureaucratic.

Get the word out to the community that the city needs to show that it can do without the sick leave abusers. So cool it on the crime. I know that sounds silly, but you get the idea. Use the city's other services to respond to matters that don't require the police. use this as an opportunity to address the "defund the police" groups.

Use Nancy Pelosi as a role model. Smile when you cut off their balls. Smile when you kneecap them. Pray for them when you fire them. All for the greater good.

[Dustlawyer]

20. How dare you attempt to hold us accountable for our actions!

[Baclava]

21. The Purge, Election Year...surely everyone has weapons and plans for their own protection by now

[moonseller66]

22. Reassignments?

Maybe it's time for some to reassigned ( to fill in or for retraining) to traffic direction, babysitting, meter "maiding" or other jobs that don't involve life or death decisions?

They can "Protect and Serve" other members of the community - check in on the elderly, in-firmed, visit hospitals to show how much they care about the community - while other, less authoritarian types replace them...temporarily, of course - like say for 10 or 15 years.

Menial jobs need to be done. Time for some to do them.

[Corgigal]

23. Do better,

Quit.

Shooting someone in the back is only justified 1 percent of the time.

[Baclava]

24. So the threat worked? "Every Atlanta police officer will get a $500 bonus today"

ATLANTA, Ga. (WBMA) — Every Atlanta police officer will receive a $500 bonus today, according to local media reports.

The bonuses add up to $2 million raised by the Atlanta Police Foundation, WSB-TV in Atlanta reported. No city funds will be used.

https://abc3340.com/news/nation-world/every-atlanta-police-officer-will-get-a-500-bonus-today

[roamer65]

26. Start boycotting all police fundraising.

[ProfessorGAC]

27. Been Doing It For Years

Too much abuse, too much corruption, and too many hostile jerks or Barney Fifes.
I've known personally 15 cops in my life.
2 were great people and high ranking cops
2 were ok guys just doing a job.
The other 11 were punks. None have risen past patrolman. 4 of those from dinky towns.
Unionizing workers is not supposed to lead to a mass superiority complex.