There were so many chances to change the outcome. A chance to alter just one seemingly insignificant action after another, which led to a final burst of gunfire.
Inside the Mecklenburg County courtroom, questions linger and then disappear in a fog of legal maneuvering and gamesmanship. Questions unanswered, actions unexplained.
How many small events, how many poor decesions, led to his death in the short span of only 24 hours.
The fight with his girlfriend, supposedly his future wife, started in motion a series of actions and decisions that would end in his death. Yet so many times he could have turned right instead of left, drank wine rather than beer.
Why did he have a fight with his girl friend, yet was driving her car?
Where is work during his last 24 hours, he had two jobs, how does his job figure in all of this? Doesn't he have to be at work in the morning?
In a text crazy world there seems to be very little texting, not until moments before his crash. Why? You have a fight with your girl friend, normally you are texting the shit out of your phone to anyone who will listen.
How much did he have to eat that night? Did his lack of good food or excess of food effect his judgment?
How much did he drink? Is the .06 BOA accurate? Does .06 mean the same to everyone?
How is someone who smoked weed, in such as agitated state?
Its 2:00 a.m. when did he last sleep?
Its 2:00 a.m. when did he last sleep?
Why was he speeding down a residential unfamiliar dead end street? Why didn't he simply slow down?
Why didn't he find his cell phone in the floor board of the car to call for help? Again the logical course of action.
Why didn't he just walk back to his friend's house?
Why did he leave his shoes behind when he climbed out of the car? He has no shoes, I can't walk down my driveway in bare feet for all the sharp acorns and tree litter without screaming in pain.
Why would anyone start pounding on a stranger's door at 2 in the morning? No sane person would do that.
Why when the door opened and the alarm start sounding did he not back away? Apologize? Ask for help? Instead he's screaming at the woman who is obviously in panic mode. Why didn't he just have a seat and wait for the cops? The alarm sounding would mean eventually help would come.
When confronted by the police why didn't he respond in a clam, professional manner? Why is he running towards the police officers and cars like a mad man?
Where was the #HandsUpDon'tShoot?
CP's Take: Personally I wish I could turn back the clock, take Jonathan aside and say "hey man you're going about all this wrong. Calm down a little and think this through."
Easy to say Officer Kerrick should not have fired his weapon at a unarmed man knowing all of the poor decisions Jonathan made in the last 24 hours. Yet Kerrick only knew someone had attempted a home invasion and that someone was charging directly at him out of the darkness after the explosive bang of taser shots rang out.
In the 6 seconds that elapsed from the time Kerrick opened his patrol car door until Jonathan Ferrell broke into a full on charge, the situation went from, non threat routine potential suspect query, to immediate threat of death and bodily harm. 6 seconds that ended Ferrell's life.
Where was the #HandsUpDon'tShoot?
CP's Take: Personally I wish I could turn back the clock, take Jonathan aside and say "hey man you're going about all this wrong. Calm down a little and think this through."
Easy to say Officer Kerrick should not have fired his weapon at a unarmed man knowing all of the poor decisions Jonathan made in the last 24 hours. Yet Kerrick only knew someone had attempted a home invasion and that someone was charging directly at him out of the darkness after the explosive bang of taser shots rang out.
In the 6 seconds that elapsed from the time Kerrick opened his patrol car door until Jonathan Ferrell broke into a full on charge, the situation went from, non threat routine potential suspect query, to immediate threat of death and bodily harm. 6 seconds that ended Ferrell's life.
39 comments:
Oooh, I know!! Because Black Lives Matter, that's why! Which means blacks can do pretty much what they want without consequences right??
That pretty much sums it up m
This is the most one sided hate filled blog I've ever read. Cedar Posts would you just please crawl back under your moss covered rock and take your damn confederate flag with you.
Hey CP...where is the superhero's cape for Kerrrick, you forgot to place that on him, after all, "He made the right decision by doing what he did with TWO other officers alongside him!" NOT said by MOST people, except for you and your minions here! SMH, the man did not have a gun, no gun was mentioned in the call AND he had two other officers alongside him. Either he didn't trust his partners to back him up, or he was scared of the melanin, or maybe he was just a scary cop & jumped at things that go bump in the night. IF, he was alone, then I would not have had a problem with what he did, BUT he had two other officers alongside him, therefore, the threat level shouldn't have been as high, but apparently it was. In this case, NO ONE will win, because it is SAD on both sides.
Why is it one sided @10:41?? Look at the facts when it comes to black crime, unemployment, incarceration, etc..
@ 10:41AM, don't mind these egregious people, they act like white people do not commit crimes, or that the main reason Blacks are unemployed at higher rates is largely due to racism, incarceration rates higher because of DWB and arbitrary profiling, now I must admit, the crime, I have no plausible explanation for, but the rest of that idiot from 10:48 AM, proves that most of these "regulars" on here are embedded in our police department and are apart of the "machine" that "hunts" and "judges" those that do NOT look like them.
10:41 I think you are misguided. CP is pretty straight forward and often comes up with things over looked by main stream media. Just because he doesn't play to your liberal Obama following thought process doesn't make him racist.
I hate to break the news to you but most white people think most black men are thugs, rapists and murderers because most black men ARE thugs, rapists and murderers. At least most they see in the news. If 90 percent of the time the mug shot on the evening news was of a white guy maybe people would think otherwise. But it is not!
Scroll through the daily mug shot posts on the Observer website, white guys stand out, white women really stand out why? Because most in fact nearly all who are arrested and taken for a ride are black.
It's not six to five its NINE TO ONE!
It is not a myth it is a fact.
anon @ 11:17... DWB? Do you mean driving while black? Blacks are incarcerated at higher rates because they're driving while black? I didn't realize that was a crime that you can arrest for?
I wonder why Blacks make up the majority of arrests and incarcerations?!?! WHO is taking them to jail? Who mainly presides over their trials? Most juries are made up of non Blacks...Who mainly owns and runs the prisons? Different era, just varied plantation mindsets...& 12:50 it is people like you..why Police Officers nationwide are given a bad reputation....if you are even a cop...probably some jelly filling on the finger tips dispatcher that has a thin blue line on his/her car...and if you are a cop, you are probably the quietest in roll call and would not DARE speak to a man of color that shares the same badge as you, for you know....you would not be able to get away with such vile and distorted rhetoric. Probably the same type that thinks that the department started going down when Blacks started leading this department...hey Ronnie Stone (RIP), Stephens and the jerk that preceded Norwicki (sp.) were definitely not pillars of the department or the community, definitely polarized Blacks, pretty much like some of the non black cops are feeling and yet several of non blacks were still screwing each other in break rooms, atop parking decks, multiple marriages within the department, busting down their lovers' doors and embroiled in drunken confrontations in parking lots after a night of drinking at the F.O.P. ALOT of that stuff didn't come out because of the code, affectionately identified to me as Ye Good Ole Boy Club!
I am an African American member of Law Enforcement and it is bittersweet to see the variety of posts on here and elsewhere throughout this site. Bitter, because most likely the very brothers in blue that I work side by side with, that does NOT look like me, probably are regular contributors to the venomous vile that is being spewed here, with a deep seeded hatred and/or resentment toward ALL Blacks and that is sad, for this world is already in sad shape as it is, more particularly our beloved country. We have domestic terrorism (whereas, the majority of the perps, do NOT look like me), we have homelessness, children dying of cancer, a national debt that is crazy, politicians that don't care who you are, unless you have their favorite color-GREEN, our country's moral fabric being shredded by people who want to be "politically correct" and suppressing their desires to speak out against things that they deem not right, because they fear backlash and vilification. So the LAST thing we need is racism to rear its ugly head and fuel an already volatile society. Every day that I work alongside my White, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native American brothers and sisters, I SEE Blue, I fight for Blue and I got the "6" of Blue, doesn't matter what color they wear underneath the Blue, for we are a team, like it or not. I refuse to let some of you misanthropes be satan's minion and take me alongside your miserable selves down the path of gloom, doom and destruction. I am not perfect, neither one of you that reads this with the naked eye, nor is our fragile country, but I tell you what, there is NO other place that I rather be. When the heat is on, I don't have time to review the lineage of the ones involved in a fire fight with me, nor am I concerned who donated blood to me, so that I may live. It is sad, but it took 9/11 to bring a lot of us together, like real family, however, we seemed to have forgotten and also seemed to have forgotten that the Eagle that represents America, that grasps both an olive leaf in one talon and arrows in the other, is about protecting our country and thwarting maligned efforts of those that hate us and groups us in one category....Americans. Time is out for this nonsense, being racist is dealing with way too much negative energy and it cheats us out of learning about others. Much to my chagrin, some are trying to resurrect the Jim Crow era...News Flash...It AIN'T HAPPENING!!!! The Sweet part of this vile rhetoric being displayed by ALL races in here, it reminds me to make others, earn my Trust, for the very ones that might smile at me in roll call, would other wise probably arbitrarily profile me in the streets. The Sweet part is also about maybe one or two of you to finally realize just how stupid that the negative ideology displayed via some of these posts and the hope that one or two of you might change your mindset and learn to live with ALL, Black, White, Brown or Red, Straight or Gay. Step away from the judge's bench and let GOD be the only one to judge. JESUS died for us ALL, not just Whites, not just Blacks, not just Hispanic/Latinos...but for us all. Time to grow up people and break these generational curses, for it is our children that have to work together, so they can defend this country and keep it strong, or face the very fate that Hitler wanted for all Jews and that is genocide of the one race..and that is race is called Americans..we are hated by so many countries, but we can't concentrate on what they are trying to do, because we are too busy fighting each other! Let Freedom Ring...for ALL!#ALL LIVES MATTER
Kudos to 2:25PM, I am White, a member of law enforcement as well and I get tired of some of my peers, "keeping score" of what Blacks get to do, or what Whites get to do; or What Whites get away with or What Blacks get away with! Damn, I get tired fighting more than one war, it should be US, the brothers in blue against "Joe", so we can all go home and hug our families at night. I don't think what Officer Kerrick did was the wisest thing, but he is not a racist, I just think, he was poorly trained and a little of bit scared, hence the awful decision that was made on that fateful night. I see some siding with Kerrick, solely because of his race, as some siding with Ferrell solely because of his race. Right is right and Wrong is wrong! It's the OJ Simpson trial all over again, where race was the main component instead of a view of a crazed and jealous NFL player that expected preferential treatment, which bought him a ticket to freedom because of his celebrity, walking away with murder. This community needs to band together more than any other time. I don't have many African American friends, but I have no beef with them and the ones that I have, happen to work with me AND we respect each other. Charlotte, America, GROW THE HELL UP! I am a 17 year member of the FOP and I still think Wes was erred and should face the "music", but he is NOT a racist.
Alright the video is out. How the hell the decision to charge was made in under 24 hrs is mind boggling. Then to settle for over 2 million dollars BEFORE the jury trial. Who the hell is making these decisions. Someone needs to be fired in the city administration as well as the police dept. I see why Monroe left prior to the trial. Unbelievable.
Wow......not guilty.
2:25 p.m. ... Amen to that!
As for the trial - let the justice system work - have faith that jury selection is based on diversity of thought process and backgrounds - diversity is beyond skin color and it saddens me that society can't (or won't?) get beyond that, still. Two whites, same grade school, same neighborhood growing up, can still have a completely different life experience and both bring two very different perspectives. Similarly, two blacks, same neighborhood, same school, can have different views and experiences in the world.
I'll keep preaching my same message ... when we can get beyond skin-deep and embrace that all of us are HUMAN and have opportunities to positively contribute to society ... then we will have "made it". When we continue to get off topic and start bickering over the small stuff, we all lose.
And when you start looking at your coworkers who happen to look different than you - and you start wondering if they are racist or silently hate you -- we all lose. Because if they are, we lose. If they're not (but you are), we lose. There are no winners in this.
Anon @11:17. You're the idiot my friend. I'm not even a cop but I know that the arrests made must be legit or they wouldn't stick.. Remember, Liberalism IS a mental disorder..
Say what you like but Black Folk are different. They live in a world of stupid. Maybe cops need more culture training? Black people when confronted with the PoPo get all stupid. They get all angry and do stuff that normally gets them killed. Cops need to understand this.
Watch the video, hell Ferrell is full of rage, his body language is all "I am bad ass mother fucker" and as soon as he figures out the cop in the middle is white he's going kill him.
Maybe his intent was not to kill but Ferrell goes all pro line backer and his intention in to "lay this white cop out on the pavement".
I'm blown away by the fact that no one is saying just that. Ferrell saw this white cop and was only going to tackle his ass.
No evidence of brain injury has been introduced to show that the former football player had sustained prior brain injuries and that the accident and the airbag being blasted at his head might have caused so temporary lose of reason.
But doesn't that make sense, he's dazed confused thinking Bright Lights Friday Nights I need to kill that mother fucker?
It is a fool's game to predict what a jury is going to do, but I'm going to be foolish and say I don't see that video supporting a conviction. Maybe it happens anyway, but I would be very surprised. What is downright shocking, however, is the speed with which CMPD moved and charges were brought, in light of having seen the vid. You could absolutely make a case for charging, particularly on some notion of "owing" it to the community to put the matter before a jury. But this was no slam dunk thing. I would love to know the backstory -- did they really expect and intend to get a plea? It is also very telling that the Uptown paper of record is sort of preparing the field for an acquittal with its reportage on how experts viewed the vid. Next couple days will be interesting.
Wow, how and why was he charged!
All CMPD Captain watched the video and came back and told us that it was clear that he should be charged. Now we see the video and it's clear that we were all lied to.
Keep in mine that the guy that killed John and Andy was not armed either. Did our command staff miss the possibility of suicide by cop or that fact a cop is killed in the United States every 53 hours. After all drinking, smoking and fighting with his girlfriend before wrecking her father's car. I would say that he was feeling pretty hopeless at that point.
This was nothing more that a scared command staff that double up and rolled over to Rodney Monroe misguidance and I hope he is put on the stand and asked. BTW its really interesting that Kerrick was charged so quickly and it just so happens that Ferrell was drinking at Monroe's and Foster's famous hotspot the Hickory Tavern on Mallard Creek Road. How do I know, because I have seen it for myself. It would be interesting to know if they were all there together or connections within that inter circle. (Someone should ask Monroe this question)
CMPD Command Staff should be ashamed for lying to your troops to fulfill Monroe's tyrant leadership style. You are pathetic if you say he Kerrick should have been charged. What was he supposed to do, get killed so the other officers would have been forced to shoot him in order to make it right. Charlotte has several case studies on SBC and you and the homicide detective never considered this as a reality. When he is found not guilty and the riots start by the misinformed caused by you, don’t expect your troops to stand too close to you that lied. You have put our necks on the line for lying to us, lying to the community and allowing Monroe to get his way. Read your oath of office, I am sure it does not say anything about putting an officers neck on the chopping block in order to get Monroes approval and a promotion. You are all sad.
To 1:34 ......agreed. I remember talking with several CMPD captains and the party line was that it was the general consensus that he should be arrested. Spineless worms, each and every one of them. How quickly we forget Andy Nobles and John Burnette. The CMPD command staff and ex chief Monroe have done a huge disservice to this police dept and every working cop out there.
A few thinks to consider from a CMPD Officer point of view
Officers are not trained to shoot guns out of anyone's hands, they aren't trained to shoot in the legs. The targets used at the academy are of head and torso. Until a few years ago those targets were black….indicating a shadow. After the NAACP complained that officers were being trained to shoot black people CMPD changed the targets to green. (Guess they don't care about offending the Martians.)
FATS: Fire Arms Training Simulator.
The tape is text book for a shoot or no shoot judgmental training. Officers receive training over and over for active aggressors. They stand in a room watching a big screen and react to what they see. the 21 feet rule is in play indicating anyone with a knife can cover 21 feet before an officer can drawl and shoot on target. The correct response is to shoot! We are trained to do so!! It was exactly like our training videos except at the last possible second the “bad guy” drawls a knife. Incidentally the “bad guys” in the training video are ALL white!
WE are also trained to stop the threat. That had been drilled in to us during the first days of firearms training. The range master has said numerous times. “Ammo is cheap, life is precious” He also says “better to be tried by 12 then carried by 6.” Basically this means use up all your ammo until your sure the threat is neutralized.
This case has had other long lasting effects not just on the black community but officers on duty today. Roll call consists of a strong debate. Is it better to just take a bullet and hope the body armor does its job? If our leaders are going to hang us out to dry if we use our firearms, why get out of the patrol car?
I can tell you first hand that NO one is willing to go through what Wes is right now. Officer’s moral is in the toilet and we are scared to do our jobs. So Monroe has left the citizens of Charlotte to safeguard their own lives and property.
The reporting on this case in this city has been appalling. Carlee's decision to hire the Spindoctor has been working up until now. My only issue with your commentary relates to your assessment that Kerrick could have been charged with "involuntary manslaughter". As a criminal attorney practicing for the last 18 years, I adamantly disagree. The elements of involuntary manslaughter are as follows: A person guilty of this offense: 1. kills 2. another living human being 3. either (a) by an unlawful act that does not amount to a felony and is not ordinarily dangerous to life OR (b) by a culpably negligent act or omission. I contend neither of the last two options are present in the facts of this case. Kerrick's actions were not only lawful, they were also in compliance with CMPD policy and procedures related to use of force. And, even if some policy was violated, that is not evidence of culpable negligence or unlawful conduct. There's just NO CRIME here. And, going a step further, there is no violation of CMPD policy. If the public were allowed to view the type of training CMPD officers are given in "judgment shooting" simulators, they would wholeheartedly agree that he was simply performing his duties as he was trained to do.
I second CMPD DIV 12 and that is why I left CMPD taking a pay cut to go to another agency to serve and protect my community (no mater their race). I'm also betting you'll see a lot more officers leaving CMPD, now that all the speculation and distrust of the brass has been validated by this video. Putney has his work cut out for him. The sad thing is this same scenario is playing out in departments all across this country, because to many people cry wolf and police brass are becoming more of a political assignment than a public servant.
Unbelievable: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/eric-frazier/article30247107.html
@5:43, don't kid yourself. Putney IS the status quo! He has had his hands in all this mess from the beginning. He is the shadow of his mentor and drank the kool-aid long ago.
I think it clear now that Officer Kerrick was thrown under the bus, but by whom and why? There is no way I would ever convict him but why is the City not supporting him. They need to take that 2.5 Million dollars back and give it to him.
Would a REASONABLE person disobey commands by an Law Enforcement Officer when seeking help? Why would a REASONABLE person attack an Officer? This leads to Intent. Ever ask yourself when you charge a person with a crime it starts off with "would a reasonable person".
Anon 5:43 Putney was in the supervisors meeting agreeing that Kerrick should have been charged. They all were.
I know there isn't, but I wish there were a transcript of that meeting. Was there any dissent? Again, I could see someone making a case for charges, I wouldn't agree, but I would listen. But I just can't get my head around EVERYONE opting for charges, or doing so so damn fast.
Time for "BLUE FLU".
What message would that send if ever cop called in sick the day of the verdict regardless of what it is! Maybe then the brass will get there head out of their ass!
Does this Adam Neal cat still work for CMPD? Did he not admit on the stand that he lied, falsified different reports, wrote and testified to different things?? Has anyone heard of Giglio? Brady? Jencks? You can't have one report for IA, one for the case file, one for the prosecution etc. and have them all say the same thing?? George or Mike may perjure him later?? Maybe they don't want to ruin his career?? How can the Meck DAs office take any cases from him? If I was a defense attorney with any cases involving him I would go for the Giglio. Rob you may wanna reach out to his Captain if he's still there and let them know shit's gonna get ugly with him!
Blue flu doesn't hurt anyone, but the community and that's a BS thing for a cop to do. If you don't like the management just park your car and just respond to your calls. If you don't like that then quit and move one. There's plenty of people waiting to take that job and you don't wanna be there anyway crybaby
August 6, 2015 at 4:48 PM
How true that CMPD has gone to crap due to Monroe and the other minions that follow him, IA in general. They are a bunch of spineless male and female genitalia. Being a retired law enforcement officer, I to have been told that it is better to be judged by twelve that carried by six. All this BS about black lives matters wants to make be PUKE. I to was also trained that you shoot until the aggressive act stops. If it took all sixteen rounds in my weapon, then that is what I would have done. I'm not going to backseat quarterback the shooting because I was not there. Not saying that what he did was right or wrong, but just my perspective is that the other two officer's that were present froze. If they do find the officer not guilty. Then I would sue CMPD and also go after racist ass Monroe.
Div 12, 3:00/7 Aug makes a good point, Blue Flue does most hurt the community. Plus, given directives, it allows for the officer to potentially be fired. Can't fire everyone? Not all at once, but MCSO is the supreme authority in the county under the law. They can ramp up as CMPD goes through and cleans house for everyone that holds their thermometer up to the light bulb. You would see the grey gods running calls too. Not pretty, not ideal, but it would happen.
Gather intel, get dirt, and most importantly get evidence. Report/deliver it to outside channels whether that be Cedar, or a journalist of your choosing. CYA for sure when you do it, but if things get bad enough maybe CYA isn't an option. It just depends on what kind of person you are vs the circumstances as to what you do.
You're already willing to risk blowing your pension on Blue Flu, so why not risk blowing it using facts and evidence to clean house the way it needs to be cleaned? The media is ready to pounce on police these days. Use this to your advantage; hang the no good officers/supervisors/brass/etc. out to dry by using the media as a tool instead of griping about the (admittedly crappy) political climate surrounding our greater society, law enforcement and your particular situation.
All things can be weaponized if manipulated and handled properly: Hearts, minds, technology, otherwise "helpful mechanisms," public opinion, and the restricted flows of information and records from the top down (just to name a few). You expose culpability when you allow the media to interface with records, their restrictions, and the individuals that are clearly aware and responsible for wrongdoings given command structure and the inability to deny knowledge, sanctioning, and intent.
Thus, there is the potential for the LEO to use the media and the inherence of command structure as weapons against an administration. It takes tact, but one can manage this without sacrificing himself in most cases. Luckily, this approach, though riskier to the individual, insulates both other officers and citizens from most of the fallout associated with the Blue Flu.
Any questions? Email me. Take that first step, that leap of faith. I give much more information than I ask for, and can prove I'm no plant. I will not ask for information that can identify you.
Antondostler@yahoo.com
@ 2:25 8/5 Those are the most intelligent and compassionate comments I have read so far re: Ferrell and Kerrick, not only on this site (sometimes there are few intelligent and/or compassionate comments on this site) but on all others. It's like you truly know what Jesus would do. God bless you, the Ferrell family, and the Kerrick family. We are all in this together, so let's stop hating. Hating is like drinking poison and hoping it will kill someone else, when it is only hurting you.
Nah, Blue Flu is the way to go. HIPPA laws protect individuals from
Having to disclose their medical records. Prove it basically..
That'll keep IA busy for months. :). Prove who's really sick and whose not. Meanwhile, the brass can clean up the mess. Enjoy!!! This is what you wanted.
Antondostler@yahoo.com
Anton Dostler is a German convicted of WWII war crimes.
Why would anyone trust someone who is promoting him/herself as a White Supremacist with the name they choose?
He was executed by firing squad after conviction by an American tribunal.
What is your motivation for choosing that name or for soliciting information?
People with information: send to Cedarposts@gmail.com or citynewswatch@gmail.com or Keith Larson, who accurately said GuvCo didn't keep the Kerrick/Ferrell video to themselves so "Kerrick could get a fair trial" but in order to cover themselves for the decisions they made and continued coverups of criminal behavior by employees (Andrew Murray and Rodney Monroe and Ron Carlee and others covering up).
The video is out and does not remotely match either sides description of events. It's tragic for everyone but not necessarily the crime Kerrick was charged with. And there's video now of officers lying under oath, compared to the statements they gave right after it happened. What will be done about that? Probably nothing under Putney, either.
Monroe is a coward and has shown his motivations. Putney was there nodding along with him the whole time. In step. Or goosestep. But lets focus on the problems in CMPD and the IA department, not on someone who is trying to promote white supremacy. Don't trade one racist for another.
either side's. bad auto-correct.
12:10, Not a white supremacist at all. Actually I belong to a demographic group that white supremacists would love to see gone from the Earth, or at least the country.
I respect the fact you picked up on the name; I've been using it a long time and you are the ONLY person who as ever made the connection. So, I owe you an explanation on that. As far as my motivations...email me and we'll talk.
I chose the name Anton for anonymity, but also because I am a history buff and have an appreciation for the controversy of Dostler's tribunal and execution.
Under the laws of war, commandos caught out of uniform (such as with jackets turned inside out, substantially out of recognizable uniform, portraying themselves as soldiers of a different nation, or without insignia or identification--which all those he executed were engaged in) are not protected by the Geneva Conventions.
However, Dostler and his subordinates petitioned their command to treat these Americans as prisoners and not spies. The higher ups, citing the "commando order" of the time denied this request and ordered they be shot. Dostler complied, and was convicted on the grounds that shock troope under the commando order were to be executed without exception. The commando order of the German command versus adhering to relevant articles of the Geneva Conventions would have yielded the same outcomes in this case.
Therefore, Dostler was the fall guy for a victor that needed to rightfully express outrage at the order. His commanders said they had no knowledge of these events so they would dodge the bullets that Dostler would eventually catch. Had an American shot Gemans commandos so out of uniform, he would have been praised for dispatching spies, not shot.
I choose the name Anton Dostler because there are two sides to every story and for irony: sometimes just trying to do your job can get you screwed over, convicted, and even killed.
Furthermore, the use of this name can remind each of us how heinous acts can be normalized and accepted under the guise and name of protecting order, patriotism, and government "knowing what is best."
Think about it.
If the name I choose compels you to contact CP, citynewswatch, or Keith Larson, IA or any other person/entity, then I'm fine with that. Mission accomplished. The information is out and shared. I come here to offer ideas, express frustrations, and to compel people to speak out against what is wrong in a way that creates change.
But maybe I should change my name, as the association with the Wehrmacht officer will undoubtedly bring claims of "racism" in our political climate.
Or, maybe I have no problem using this name so I can get information from the real white supremacists...
Once again, two sides or potentials to every story.
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