To the editor:
Regarding the intentional killing of the mother of two small children by the Saugus police, I have a few questions: Who is in charge of the police? Who tells them that it is OK to enter a private home and kill anyone who tells them to get out? Who tells them that it is OK to bark orders and kill anyone who does not immediately obey?
Honest, decent human beings have been killed by the police in every city and town across the land. What are all the lawmakers, judges, mayors, prosecutors, councillors, selectmen, and other elite doing about this deadly epidemic? Nothing.
They all consent to these murders, either directly or by their silence. Murders? Yes. Killing a human being for a trivial reason or no reason is murder. Why do they all consent? Because they fear the political power of the police unions and the police are very careful to not kill, maim, torture or otherwise abuse any members of the ruling class.
Because the authorities will most likely drag their feet and do nothing that will rock the boat, the good people of Saugus need to take control. For example, demand that the chief of police and all department brass be suspended without pay until further notice because they are the most responsible. They are the ones who hired and trained the killer. They are the ones who failed to notice a ticking time bomb in their midst.
Inform all your police employees that they are not allowed to shoot or kill anyone who is not an active shooter or pointing a gun at someone’s head. Anyone who breaks that rule will be fired, prosecuted, and their pension will be forfeited. That simple, common-sense rule will ensure that this deadly disaster will not be repeated.
It takes a special type of person who will execute a human being who is just trying to protect her home and children from armed and ill-mannered home invaders. What type of person? A psychopath.
If the elected officials do not take decisive action, petition to recall them and call for new elections. Remember that the police and officials are your servants.
It is a mistake to put all the blame on the killers because they are what they are. Psychopaths have no respect for the sanctity of human life. They have no empathy and can kill without any remorse. They have no desire to deescalate encounters with the public. They want to escalate. They like it when a member of the public does not immediately obey their commands because they like to hurt people; teach them who’s the boss.
In a confrontation over a minor incident, they may throw their victim to the ground, push their face into the pavement, and point a gun at their head. They love the policy of Comply or Die. For them, it is a dream come true.
Assuming that there are only a few bad apples in the barrel, what about all the good cops? If a good cop lacks the courage to confront a psycho cop and report him, then he is not good enough. If he does not have the backbone to loudly and publicly condemn the totalitarian policy of Obey or Die, he is not good enough.
If none of the good cops have the moral courage to break the blue wall of silence that protects the bad apples, then the whole barrel is rotten.
There are many Americans, perhaps millions, who support the Comply or Die policy and defend unjustified killings such as the murder of George Floyd. I read many online comments that defend those killers and blame the victim for his own death. They say he deserved to die because he did not comply.
My guess is that the vast majority of those who defend police violence and brutality only talk tough when there is no one present to challenge them. If I can borrow an expression from the state of Texas, I accuse them of being all hat and no cattle.
As a public service, I challenge anyone who defends the execution of Stephanie Gerardi in Saugus or the outrageous policy of Obey or Die to step forward and meet with me in public debate.
In the words of the poet-philosopher John Milton, “Let Truth and Falsehood grapple; who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?”
Richard G. Eramian (Rick)
Lynn email: [email protected]
