I really wish someone would call my Dad, a retired Capitol Hill police officer (37yrs), to talk about the difference in preparation. The stories he’s telling me about prep for Farrakhan and others vs why yesterday happened the way it did is mind blowing.
cc @JoyAnnReid
cc @JoyAnnReid
He just told me about a time when Farrakhan was on the Hill with 4 men. Not 40. Not 14. FOUR. They had the SWAT Team in the garage and held the entire department until Farrakhan left.
He said if you even mentioned his name, all days off were canceled due to prep.
He said if you even mentioned his name, all days off were canceled due to prep.
When Obama was elected he said they did a surprise background check on all of the police officers on the Hill. He said they had never done it since he was on the force & he was there from Nixon thru Obama.
He said they found out two officials, one Sgt and one Lt, were members of a racist motorcycle club. He said he the conditions are worse than when he was there b/c you don’t have the same voices & advocates on the force. He retired in 2009 & was the #1 senior person when he left.
He said since they got rid of the german shepherds and they got rid of the horses. He said if that was Black Lives Matter they would have called in Park Police horses for crowd control. He said there was NO crowd tools yesterday.
He said where the crowd tried to enter, where the lady was unfortunately killed, is where the members were located. He said when they entered that building all officers would have been within reason to do whatever was in their power to protect the senators & members of Congress.
He said normally, in a situation like yesterday you would have Capitol Police, Park & Metropolitan police working together when you know there’s a big crowd or demonstration. That didn’t happen yesterday. MD state troopers, VA state troopers & everyone else came AFTER the fact.
He said they had the intel and the chief did not prepare. PERIOD.
He said even before Black Lives Matter, any time you talk about Blacks, officials got scared and over prepared.
He said what makes it so bad is that the folks yesterday had weapons. And they knew that it was going to be a 50-50 chance that something could go wrong.
He said what makes it so bad is that the folks yesterday had weapons. And they knew that it was going to be a 50-50 chance that something could go wrong.
He said ask the people, where were the dogs?
He said because of who they were and because of who called them down there, they didn’t prepare...
He said who those people represented made a difference. Just like who Black Lives Matter represents makes a difference.
He said because of who they were and because of who called them down there, they didn’t prepare...
He said who those people represented made a difference. Just like who Black Lives Matter represents makes a difference.
He said the sad thing is this has been going on for YEARS. He said instead of doing police reform they need to start with HILL REFORM. He said the good ole boy system starts at Capitol Hill. He said you have to change The Hill.
I have tweeted about my dad & his time as a Capitol Hill police officer often. He has & will always be a good trouble guy. If you DM’d me, I will respond. I told him my tweets blew up. He’s looking fwd to sharing.
Him last year thoughts on police killings:
Him last year thoughts on police killings:
https://twitter.com/eunique/status/1271827056003895299?s=21
He corrected me after I shared this to let me know he served 37* years. Prior to that he was in the military and served in Vietnam.
His time on The Hill wasn’t easy because he pushed back and spoke up often. But they were better because of him and his voice when he was there.
His time on The Hill wasn’t easy because he pushed back and spoke up often. But they were better because of him and his voice when he was there.
He’s nervous, but he’s ready. 
Here’s a snippet if you missed it.
https://twitter.com/thereidout/status/1347334429207891970
Thanks for amplifying this. Dad was just on CNN. Will share the other print interviews as they’re released. Also NPR, PBS and more. Let’s hope this leads to bigger conversations that put us on the path towards change.
My dad says thanks for all the love or in his words “solid.” I’ve let him read all of your posts and comments. He is wrapping up a few interviews and then he’s going to chill. Will share articles/stories as they come out. Thx for listening.
Here’s another interview with a local DC news station, channel 9. Thanks to my big sis @leslifoster for reaching out. The kicker is the question/answer at the end...
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