Fighting Back 101
Power To The People
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Charlie Chaplin's
The Great Dictator
Final Speech - 1940 |
FIGHTING BACK 101:
Learn Everything You Can About How the Criminal Justice System Works
Dec. 8, 2015
by CathyHarrisSpeaks.com, Syndicated Columnist
This article started out as a small post but the way that I have healed myself in the past over issues in my life was to write about it. Writing is very therapeutic and that's why I have written 22 books.
It is very disheartening to see what is happening to families in this country. Police abuse and killings in this country have reached an epidemic proportion.
Let's get real -- instead of "Fighting Back 101," the name of this article should have been "Saving Your Life 101" because when you encounter a Police Officer, your number one goal should be to come out of the situation ALIVE.
Police Officers don't have the right to search your vehicle without a "warrant" or "probable cause" -- but are you going to tell them that they cannot search your vehicle when you are out there on a dark road alone? NO... If they violated your rights, the only thing you can do is to fight back later on.
If they found any type of illegal contraband through an illegal search, you can have it thrown out later on but you need to KNOW YOUR RIGHTS when stopped by the police -- in your car, on the streets, and in your home.
The reason I am very familiar with police officers is that during my 27 years with the federal government, U.S. Customs Service (now called Customs and Border Protection), including 3 and half years working with the Military Police, as an Administrative Specialist, I witnessed first hand the aggression used by former police officers and Military police.
Over 30% of my co-workers, while working for the U.S. Customs Service, were former police officers and another large percentage were veterans, especially former Military Police.
I use to sit back and watch or observe them, while listening to their stories of past acts of aggression, when they were police officers.
Their daily conversations were all about bragging about their past experiences as police officers and how they illegally pulled their weapons on a daily basic to threaten or intimidate the public.
The reason a lot of police officers gravitated toward federal service law enforcement work with agencies like mine, U.S. Customs Service, is that these federal agencies paid very good salaries and of course the jobs weren't as dangerous as police work.
Many police officers only make $30,000 to $40,000 a year (if that) and on my job, within two years, you could make that just in overtime pay.
And now because of their raises received over the past year or two, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers, within 2 years, could bring home over $100,000 annually.
It's the starting pay for Customs (or ICE) Criminal Investigators and Special Agents. For supervisors and managers, it's $140,000 - $200,000 (or more). Some make more than Congressmen.
When I lived in Atlanta before becoming a business owner, I sat on the Criminal Justice Committee with a local progressive advocacy group.
While sitting on that committee, we had members of the community come in and tell us their stories of mistreatment by local police.
The stories were not only horrific but these acts of aggression by the police cannot go unchecked.
Social media has leveled the playing field for everyone in this country to have a fighting chance of surviving their ordeals and receiving justice.
It has changed the game on police abuse and police killings in this country. We know that these killings have been happening forever but social media has been able to educate everyone on just how bad it is.
In November and December 2015, I was kicked out of the facebook.com groups TWICE-- probably for posting police killings.
You know that the CIA, FBI and other governmental agencies monitor facebook.com and other social media websites and have even falsely arrested many, many people.
So as a former U.S. Customs Service Whistleblower, "The Cathy Harris Story," I am sure they have me down somewhere as an "agitator" - a person who stirs up others in order to upset the status quo and further a political, social, or other cause.
We all should be agitators!!! Until Racial Profiling laws are put on the books in this country and police officers start going to jail for their crimes, African Americans and other families will continue to be abused and die at the hands of police officers.
I see all the police killings because I am on all the below independent news media outlets, which everyone should join ASAP.
I don't watch TV and I certainly don't watch news on TV. As an Empowerment Speaker, I spend most of my time in a research mode, researching info to pass on to my clients and customers in my empowerment company, AngelsPress.com.
Did you know that most people think CNN is the main media outlet in this country and if a story does not appear on CNN -- then it is really not happening?
I can't tell you how many people have told me that they keep their TV on CNN all day. They really must lead a sheltered life.
My advice to everyone is to keep recording these stories and send them to the independent media groups listed below.
Also join some of these groups on facebook that is posting these police killings -- so that you can receive the real news about what is happening in this country.
I have 3 facebook.com timelines and on my main timeline, the members are in denial about what is happening in this country because they no longer open up these stories of police abuse or killings.
So why am I taking time out of my busy schedule as a business owner, when people don't really want to know the truth? So I need to rethink my actions in regards to posting police abuse and killings, especially on facebook.com.
I know the stories are heartbreaking and gut-wrenching but if you don't really know what is happening in this country, how are you going to protect your family and others that you truly care about?
What if it happens to your family members? Will you know how to fight back and receive justice? Do you know how many black mothers have stood over caskets of their teens and young adult sons because they were shot in the back by police officers?
Do you know that many parents don't even bother to tell their kids to be respectful to the police? Next to teaching your kids how to read, write and drive, you need to teach them to be respectful to the police.
How many more Youtube.com videos do we need to witness the victims being disrespectful to the police because parents have not told their kids that when they encounter the police, they have the right to remain silent and should do so?
I realized a long time ago that you can take the horse to the water, but you can't make him drink it. Fighting back on any issue is probably one of the hardest things you will ever do in your life.
But still it's best to have the right knowledge to take the right type of action -- when you or the ones you love come FACE TO FACE with the police.
I also realize some people no matter how much information you put in front of them, will never take action in their lives because they are simply just drifting through life!
The goal is not to allow your voice to be silent and form your own news network because all of us -- whether we are columnists, freelancers or bloggers -- WE ARE THE NEWS!!!
For those of you who have not chosen to bury your head in the sand -- KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!! Life Happens!!!
My book
"Police Interactions: How To Interact With the Police in Your Car, On The Streets, In Your Home"
(available as an e-book, paperback and
audiobook) (which can be read by 12 year olds and above) has laid out a COMPLETE ACTION PLAN for everyone seeking to learn what SAFE STEPS you should take when you encounter a police officer -- in your car, on the streets and in your home and how to gain justice in the criminal justice system.
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST TODAY!!!
Cathy Harris, Speaker, Author, Coach
