Re: [Marxism] Marxism Digest, Vol 62, Issue 56 A tale of murder of two teenagers

["Gary MacLennan" <gary.maclennan1@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Terry

Thank you for your thoughtful email. I am the father of a son who struggles
with schizophrenia and have many deep fears for him after I die.  The sight
of the mentally ill being gunned down is abhorrent to me.  The killing on
the Sydney beach some years ago of a Frenchman who was in the horrors of a
psychosis by officers who are rumoured to have been on cocaine is a
particularly bad case.  But there have been many more in Victoria.

I have lived here in Qld for 33 years and during that time the Number One
cop was the Number two criminal. So to say the least I am not impressed.
Though I will record that during the many times I was arrested, beaten up,
verballed and lied about in court for defending basic civil liberties, there
were three policemen who treated me with kindness.

I am totally commited to non-violence and the thought of responding to a
psychosis with a gun is abhorrent to me.  I likewise condemn unreservedly
the inflicting of harm on any police officer going about their work. I am
absolutely sincere about that.
So what should be done?  Well it seems to me that the police should work
with parents of those who have mental illnesses.  It astonishes me that so
few seem to know that the person who is going thru schizophrenia is
suffering terribly.  I have had my son cling to my arm in public and weep in
hysteria and beg me to keep "them" from cutting up his body.  I am simply
not bale to talk more about the horror s I have seen.  They will die with
me.  B ut all parents of the mentally ill have similar stories.  why cannot
the police reach out to us and share that experience and work out how to
help rather than gun down the afflicted.

best regards

Gary
On Sat, Dec 20, 2008 at 1:32 PM, <goes0001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> re: a tale of murder of two teenagers
>
> Hi Gary
> I am responding to your post about the tragic loss of life of two teenagers
> at
> the hands of police. But first I will disclose that before having my kids
> I was a police officer in Melbourne for 5 1/2 years: mid eighties when the
> Vics
> were quite trigger happy but in return were being shot and blown up
> themselves
> by an unhappy public.  I went to five or six police funerals in that time,
> one
> being Angela Taylor who was in the academy with me and killed by a car bomb
> at
> Russell Street HQ. I am also a Christian, Lutheran in fact, like
> Bonhoeffer. If
> you read Bonhoeffer I think you would discover that "fundamentalist" would
> not
> usually
> be an apt description of someone inspired by him. However, like with
> Marxism,
> there are many variations and interpretations of how individual's enact
> their
> beliefs.
>
> I think it is important to distinguish between the behaviour of the police
> in
> the Athens incident and in the Melbourne case of Tyler Cassidy. Both losses
> are
> tragic;
> heart-breaking and unnecessary. But on the basis of information given, in
> Athens
> there is evidence of police misconduct. The groundswell of public reaction
> is
> understandable. In Melbourne, I would argue, the police response was not
> one of
> misconduct. Early in my career I made the decision, and not lightly with my
> beliefs and the high value I place on human life, that if it was in
> proportion
> to the situation, I would be willing to kill to protect innocent life
> (preservation of the peace or protection of property would not be enough
> justification for me). The trouble here is that the threat to innocent life
> was
> being made by an innocent himself. I agree entirely there should be a
> better
> way. I am a strong advocate for better care and protection for those with
> mental illness. However, I know the many times I have had my Smith and
> Wesson
> revolver out and my finger on the trigger (at a massacre moments before
> Julian
> Knight
> surrendered and was arrested by my squad mate in Hoddle Street in '87 was
> one).
> I dare to say, I think I too would have shot Tyler Cassidy had I been on
> duty
> and
> confronted by the urgency and limitations of the situation, that day last
> week.
> I would also be joining in the outpouring of grief over his loss and the
> unfairness of it.
>
> Contrary to your comments that Australians are taking the death in their
> stride
> and that is "godforsaken" state of affairs, in fact, Australians are
> responding
> with intelligence and
> compassion to something revolting. A "revolt" against police performing a
> protective role in the context of our existing society would hardly address
> the
> issues in a constructive way that would lead to a safer community and
> better
> outcomes.
> Terry Goessling
>
>
>
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