Today we received the news that Jason Van Duke, ex Chicago police officer and convicted killer of Laquan McDonald, has been beaten by fellow inmates. Shortly after being transferred from Illinois and arriving at his new residence, The federal prison in Connecticut, fellow inmates allegedly beat Van Dyke leaving him bruised and battered. Apparently he had been placed into general population with all the other deserving, as well as undeserving convicts who have been convicted into the system that has become known as the prison industrial complex. Jason’s wife is completely outraged about the incident that she has held a press conference in Chicago to let the world know that her husband doesn’t deserve to be treated that way and demands that something be done.
Hmmmmm……… Really? Let’s look closer ……..
Let me start by saying that having seen the press released photo It appears photoshopped and staged. I think this is a ploy to get himself transferred back to Illinois. Moving on.
Van Dyke fired his weapon 16 times killing a mentally disturbed individual while at least 10 + other officers who didn’t feel threatened enough themselves to kill, stood by and watched. Some of These other officers also were brought up on charges for allegedly altering reports to match the lies told by Van Dyke to justify the murder he committed. Unfortunately they were all found not guilty by a single Judge, In Chicago. No surprise there. For the first time in decades a so called peace officer has been rightfully brought to justice. Sadly his sentence is un-befitting of the crime but it’s a start. The cost you ask? 6 years, for a life. As a Chicago native who has seen plenty of mistreatment and been the victim of the same, I have little or no sympathy for what appears to be some level of justice finally served, for wrong doing on the part of someone sworn to uphold the law. I have seen and know of many people who were beaten, robbed, and wrongfully arrested on trumped up charges by Chicago police?
Let’s not forget about the Notorious Jon Burge, one of the most corrupt and violent Chicago police officers to ever be exposed. There are plenty more like him that have been protected by the “Thin Blue Line”. Just last week I found out about a Chicago cop who violated the law by stealing from property and lying and using intimidation while acting like a member of the mob in concert with his cohorts. Far too many officers have the idea that their badge is like having an “S” on their chest as though they are Superman and untouchable. They believe they are above the law. Looking at the numbers of unconvicted, corrupt, criminal, co-conspirators labeled as cops, it appears that they are.
Tiffany Van Dyke is outraged? Welcome to the other side of the tracks. Black people have been outraged for centuries, due to helplessness and stolen opportunities in the face of what they thought was right. Sound familiar? This is a world where everyday people are subjected to being randomly pulled over and made to feel unsafe while being humiliated and subjected to thug behavior or illegal searches, for as much as being a certain color as little as driving a car a Chicago cop can’t afford. In this world we have to explain to our children and especially our young sons that they must behave, or carry themselves a certain way which is only reserved for people of color, or risk subjecting themselves to jail cells or the killers in the street and that includes the police. Yes I’ve seen it close up and been subjected to it.
Filed complaints will promptly be lost, ignored or unaccounted for. Van Dyke had at least 20 citizen complaints filed against him. 10 of those complaints were for excessive force and 2 of those were with the use of a firearm. He was never once disciplined. How many outraged mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, fathers and sons …….have sat by and watched their loved ones become railroaded and herded into the jail system only to be further victimized by criminals within that system when their only crime was to not have the resources to defend themselves properly against overzealous cops with menacing or deadly attitudes. Prosecutors with quotas and agendas using plea deals as weapons that threaten to take away lives by offering lesser convictions to innocents that will still remain on records long after releases or for life, further removing future opportunity.
Don’t misunderstand me; I have no problem with individuals who actually commit crimes being convicted and doing their time. The only reason I’m against the death penalty is because I know that it, like most other laws are not applied equally to all, no matter their race. Just remember that the same way she feels about her husband is the same way millions of families have felt throughout the history of Chicago corruption and the national narrative as well, even when the crime deserved the time. I said all that to say, Jason Van Dyke is right where he belongs, but not nearly for as long as he should. That means he is no different than any other convicted criminal who has been tried in the court of law and convicted. Does he deserve to be protected from harm during his incarceration? Yes he does. However, it’s a known fact that things happen in prisons all over the United States and no one does a damn thing about it. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Tiffany van Dykes promise of privilege is dying a slow death. She is getting her wake up call and finding out that she is not special and neither is her husband who placed many undeserving people in the very position he is currently enjoying. Was he snatched from his family? Nope, he snatched himself from his family. The same rules apply. If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime. Inmates are beaten everyday in the jails and penitentiaries all over the country and there are no press conferences. No one even knows about them because no one cares. Their families care, but there are no cameras and there are no reporters. I hope that while he lays there nursing his wounds, he reflects on how he got there. I hope his thoughts help him during his rehabilitation, so that when he returns to society seeking employment with a felony murder conviction on his record, he can better understand the consequences of his actions not limited to but including all the lives he violated and snatched from others during his sketchy career as a so called “officer of the law”. Sadly this will not be any more a cautionary tale for other officers than incarceration is for criminals.
Most will still walk the “Blue line”. They will sit back and watch as their fellow officers wrongfully attack assault and beat American citizens while screaming at the top of their lungs for the rolling body cameras and bystanders “stop resisting”. All the so called “Good cops” will alter, fabricate and lie about the facts to help manufacture the crime and scene in favor of the arresting or murdering officer as a way to protect themselves from their own inability to deescalate a situation rather than aggravate it while claiming they feared for their lives. No Justice…..Just Us. It’s a sad day when you realize as a child that you have to protect yourself from criminals and the police. This is America
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