Daily Kos: Police Union May Expel Capt. Ray Lewis for Wearing Uniform at Occupy While Backing Crimin
However, as William Bender of the Daily News reports, the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police is looking to expel Lewis from its union for his support of Occupy and for, specifically, wearing his uniform during protests.
As Bender reports, this is a union from which it is nearly impossible to be expelled:
ITS USUALLY TOUGH to get kicked out of Philadelphias Fraternal Order of Police.
You really have to screw up.
Worse than, say, the cop who allegedly beat his girlfriend with a closed fist and left her a voice mail threatening to stomp your f---ing heart out. Or the officer convicted of child endangerment for pointing a loaded Glock at a kid who changed the radio station in his truck at the Police Academy.
Or the cop who allegedly forced a suspect to perform oral sex on him in his police cruiser.
The local FOP, which represents about 14,600 current and retired officers, went to bat for all three of those guys in arbitration hearings. In recent years, the union also has stood by cops accused or convicted of other transgressions, including drunken driving, assault, sleeping on the job and lying during a police investigation.
This is no small matter. Lewis, if expelled, would likely be stripped of all his union benefits, including life insurance policies and free legal assistance the union offers members.
And for what? For legally wearing his uniform in public at Occupy protests, an act that apparently is far more obscene than forcing suspects to perform oral sex or pressing loaded guns to the temple of a child.
[link:http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/05/05/1089006/-Police-Union-May-Expel-Capt-Ray-Lewis-for-Wearing-Uniform-at-Occupy-While-Backing-Criminal-Officers|
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)Odd name for a union. Maybe a lodge?
Lionessa
(3,894 posts)xchrom
(108,903 posts)think
(11,641 posts)99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)raouldukelives
(5,178 posts)Being for honesty, life and liberty is a rare stance for a state mercenary these days. He should stick to beating up the poor, lying about circumstances and shooting unarmed people in the back. Then he'd be guaranteed a promotion and accolades.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)To paraphrase JFK: the police unions need to be smashed into a million pieces.