Turning To The Other Front: October 23, 2006

Looking back, I still can’t believe that after having so many people pissed off at me, things never did reach the point where I didn’t end up getting into a gun fight with someone. Maybe the guys here could read my face and realized I just didn’t give a damn. Maybe they actually were scared of me, or more likely they were just smart enough to realize that even if they won, the cost would be much higher than what it was worth. They had money to be made, and it was beginning to look like they had just factored me in as a cost of doing business.

If things had not calmed so quickly with the drug dealers, it is very likely that I would have taken no further action regarding Officer Marshall’s inappropriate behavior. Only a fool fights a two front war, and contending with either the dealers or the police alone would be enough to keep any person busy. But I had secured the Warsaw front (or so it seemed) by making a treaty with the dealers. Now it was time to turn my attention towards the gang on Creighton Street. My basic strategy here was to begin with the assumption that the attitude of Officer Marshall was not reflective of official FWPD policy

After making it through the weekend and becoming convinced that the signals being given to me by the dealers were sincere, I called FWPD and asked to speak with Chief York. His secretary said he was out of town that day and connected me to his voicemail. I left a brief message explaining my conversation with Officer Marshall and expressed that I felt his comments and attitude were inappropriate. I asked that Chief York listen to a recording of the conversation himself, then requested that I be allowed to meet with him in person to discuss the situation.

I had no idea if the conversation had even been recorded, but I began to worry that if it was, it might not be secure. I am certain Officer Marshall would not want anyone else to hear how he spoke to me. It was because of my concern over this, and the fact that I actually hadn’t been able to speak directly with Chief York, that I decided to call the FWPD front desk and inquire about how such a situation should be handled. I did not mention Officer Marshall by name, but did convey that he was a member of the Command Staff. The operator referred me to the internal affairs division of FWPD.

I called FWPD Internal Affairs Department next and spoke with Officer Calhoun, who asked if I wanted to file a formal complaint against Officer Marshall. I said no, adding that I simply wanted them to check and see if this conversation had been recorded. If it was I wanted them to turn it over to Chief York. Officer Calhoun responded “We can not even check to see if such a tape exists unless you file a formal complaint.” So, per direct orders of FWPD-IAD, I filed a complaint later that afternoon against one of their officers.

I did not have a printer on my home computer at the time, and I did not want to waste time in getting the form turned in, so I hand-wrote it. In hindsight, I realize that this was a mistake. First of all, I think FWPD is used to quickly brushing off complaints that come from people in the inner-city. They know that most of the time these people don’t have the financial resources to file a lawsuit, and that is really a person’s only recourse when the police department and their watchdogs refuse to act responsibly. I expect that my note being handwritten and a bit sloppy is in no small part what led them to summarily dismiss my complaint.

In spite of my failure to type, I think that I explained the situation adequately. I gave all the relevant information and stayed focused on the main point I was trying to get to, which was the problem with Officer Marshall. On the other hand, FWPD tried to confuse the issue by stating that I was just upset with the way their department handles things in this neighborhood. While that is certainly true, that is not what I stated in my complaint. As to the actual issue I did raise, they simply said that no recording of the conversation existed.

What they did not say was: How Officer Marshall characterized our conversation; whether calls to that number are usually recorded; if they even bothered to question Officer Marshall at all. Like I said before, it was simply a “fuck-off” letter.

And as for that part about FWPD striving to provide the best possible services, that makes about as much sense as when Councilman Pape publicly proclaimed that Harrison Square was one of the most open projects ever. I guess he just forgot about that time he told Councilman Schmidt to shut up and quit asking questions. And I guess FWPD just forgot about the fact that they appear to be running an open-air drug market from my front yard and that their associates just tried to burn down my house.

UPCOMING POSTS
Friday: Searching For Signs Of Intelligent Life
Monday: Taking Notes