Accountability in our Law Enforcement Lets Unite as Americans

Hello, my name is Steve Sanson I am the President of Veterans In Politics International before anyone says who is this guy. I am from European and African decedents and am an American and will always be a United States Marine. I have had both good and bad experiences with law enforcement.

 

I have many friends that are lawmakers and lawbreakers, but I don’t judge where they came from I judge them how they treat me.

 

That brings me to this: I received a call last night to go Downtown in Las Vegas Nevada and protest the death of George Floyd. I knew that many of the protestors were angry and this anger would lead to rioting. Instead, I decided to help the cause by doing this public service announcement.

 

It is disgusting and uncalled for how the Minneapolis Police Department killed George Floyd. Yes, the Police Department. Why I say the Department is because there is a culture throughout almost every police department in America that police officers are untouchable. That they can do what they want and get away with it.

 

If another officer complains that officer is a rat, not to be trusted, isolated, threatened, and discredit.  No room for promotion and the officer’s family is also threatened, no one wants to work with them.

 

This is shameful… This silence good officers that turn a blind-eye for bad officers. This is why the culture of police officers in America is corrupt.

 

They are protected by a powerful police union that decides who the next sheriff will be, who the next police chief will be. Most police departments are hostages to the powerful police unions.

 

I understand your anger, I was detained recently for an hour because I complied with the law and told the rookie cop that I have a Counseled Carry Permit and I had weapons in my vehicle registered in my name. I was pulled out the car handcuffed, more officers showed up, the officer violated my constitutional rights went into my vehicle and took my weapons, and the cop tried everything to take me into custody. All over a traffic stop. I contacted Internal Affairs, the Sheriff’s Office, the Citizens Review Board, and nothing happened.

 

Why? Because they protect their own.

 

We have had our own fair share of police misconduct in killing our citizens right here in Las Vegas Nevada.

 

 

December 12, 2011, a Las Vegas Police officer Jesus Arevalo used his personal AK47 and shot and killed Stanley Gibson African American a Gulf War Veteran suffering from PTSD, shot him 5 times while he sat in his car. Gibson was barricaded by patrol cars in an apartment complex, the only thing Gibson can do was spin his tires.

 

Our Sheriff Doug Gillespie tried to cover it up, he said Gibson used his vehicle as a battering ram and Officers needed to protect themselves. The Sheriff did not know that a tenant in the apartment took a video and sent the video to a news station. It showed that Gibson was blocked in, with nowhere to go.

 

The Sheriff then backpedaled and was blaming the radio communication and when that failed blamed the Lt. in charge. The exposure of this case caused a whirlwind of events. My organization Veterans In Politics International was deeply involved. We interview the officer’s wife and found out that this officer was a problem within the department and made very disparaging statements about African Americans and his view on paid administrative leave. According to the LVMPD’s policy if you used your weapon on duty you will automatically receive paid administrative leave in other words a vacation on tax payer’s dime.

 

This officer was brought before the secret Grand Jury, the only officer in the LVMPD’s history since its creation in 1973 to be put before the secret Grand Jury for a shooting incident.

 

We didn’t protest, we exposed the shooting constantly. We struck at the police department hard, we went after legislation that would increase property tax for more police officers. We went to the Nevada legislation and killed the bill for more cops, the bill was forwarded to the Clark County Commissioner and we killed it there as well.

 

The More Cops bill was the Sheriff’s baby and we wanted to send a message. We became involved and we convinced the Sheriff that a voluntary Crises Intervention Training should be mandatory and taught in the police academy. Crises Intervention is verbal communication, instead of deadly force you use your words. We convinced a state senator that “Veterans” should be on Nevada Driver’s License just in case another Veteran suffers from PTSD in a traffic stop, which officers can identify that the person is a veteran and help might be needed.

 

We organized, we came together peacefully. We were so determined to make an example out of this shooting. We pressured the Sheriff and he decided he wasn’t going to run for a third term of office after he publicly said he would.

 

You’re Welcome Joe Lombardo who is now the current Sheriff…

 

We didn’t stop there we went after the officer that pressed the trigger, he was arrested for 10 days for an unrelated incident. The officer was also terminated from the LVMPD first time in the LVMPD’s history an officer to be terminated for a shooting incident.

 

That officer should have been arrested and tried, but instead, he received permanent disability for killing an unarmed Gulf War Veteran. The widow was paid $1.5 million and the mother of Gibson was paid $500,000 from taxpayers. If they waited and went to court a jury would have awarded more than what was received.

 

It’s shameful that many veterans serve and protect our country in foreign lands just to return home and be killed by law enforcement that swore to protect and serve.

 

 

Stanley Gibson wasn’t the only fatality…  LVMPD Detective Bryant Yant lied to a Las Vegas Justice of the Peace and obtained an illegal search warrant and had the reality show COP’s come with him on a drug bust.

 

August 20, 2010 detective Yant shot and killed Trevon Cole African American after breaking into his apartment with his pregnant girlfriend. Cole a low-level drug dealer, unarmed was dressed in boxer shorts and a t-shirt kneeling over a toilet bowl while dumping marijuana into it (that is now legal in this state).

 

Detective Yant was pulled off the streets by Sheriff Gillespie and received permanent desk duty. The President of the powerful police union Las Vegas Police Protective Association (LVPPA) Chris Collins recruited Detective Yant and placed him on the Executive Board of the police union. The family received $1.7 million in tax dollars.

 

Yant should be behind bars, instead, he received a promotion!

 

September 23, 2010, Erik Scott a Caucasian American and Army Veteran was shot and killed by trigger happy police officers. Scott had a verbal argument inside of a Costco the employee saw that Scott had a weapon and told the dispatch that “a man with a gun”. Scott had a Concealed Carry Weapons Permit never once took his weapon from its holster. LVMPD police meet Scott outside of Costco guns drawn and gave Scott conflicting orders, one officer yelled hands in the air, another officer yelled get on the ground. Scott tried to comply with both commands and the officers shot Scott several times while he was on his knees. One of the 3 officer-involved Thomas Rosco Mendiola was relieved of duty.

 

No officer in the LVMPD’s history has been ever been arrested in the death of an officer-involved shooting. Especially of unarmed citizens.

 

I told former Sheriff Gillespie that the time will come when police officers will kill the wrong person.

 

In 2015 Police Officers across our country killed over 100 unarmed black Americans. Why because they can they are the police.  What can’t you understand about that?

 

According to the Washington Post 992 in 2018 and 1,004 in 2019 unarmed Americans perished by the hands of Law Enforcement.

 

Yes, I understand your pain… Enough is indeed enough.

 

I believe that justice should be fair to all of our citizens no matter what color you are Black, White, Yellow, Brown, Green, or BLUE. Justice should serve all of us equally…  You kill a Police Officer you should be prosecuted to the fullest no different than an officer killing an unarmed citizen.

 

If you are an officer and you witness one of your brothers or sisters in blue violating codes and laws and you do nothing you should be convicted as an accomplice.

 

No one is above the law. No officer is Judge, Jury, and Executioner. That’s not how our constitution is designed.

 

But I blame the voters that put criminal and corrupt politicians in office; judges, city council, mayors, county commissioners, sheriffs, governors, attorney generals. You vote for them!

 

You should educate yourself then vote. All of you that don’t vote, this is what you get. The same ole song and dance. They do-nothing lip service politicians.

 

What should be done not looting, not rioting, not burning down our neighborhoods and destroying our economy?

 

The police are getting overtime at taxpayer’s expense for putting on that riot gear. The police cars you burn that is paid by taxpayers as well. We are destroying our own shit!

 

But I do understand why you do it… you are making a statement because nothing else is working.

 

 

We need to change laws: Every police shooting should atomically go to the US Attorney’s Office and FBI for investigation and prosecution, cops cannot and should NOT police themselves.

 

Tie the hands of these powerful police unions by changing the laws in each state. Charge every police officer that is involved. Take away state and federal funding and relieve the sheriff of his or her duty as well.

 

Because leadership starts from the top.

 

In Closing:

 

George Floyd won’t be the last victim by our corrupt system, but make sure he didn’t die in vain.

 

It’s your Constitutional Right to protest but be smart about it…

 

Know who you are voting for!

 

My condolence to the family and friends of George Floyd.

 

Thank you for listening

 

 

Related articles:

 

 

Stanley Gibson

 

Las Vegas cops involved in Stanley Gibson shooting face unprecedented punishment

https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/courts/las-vegas-cops-involved-in-stanley-gibson-shooting-face-unprecedented-punishment/

 

Fired for killing Gulf War vet, former Metro cop Jesus Arevalo still gets disability pay

https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/fired-for-killing-gulf-war-vet-former-metro-cop-jesus-arevalo-still-gets-disability-pay/

 

Former Metro Cop Get’s House Arrest

https://veteransinpolitics.org/2014/08/former-metro-cop-gets-house-arrest/

 

Jesus Arevalo, the LVMPD Cop Who Murdered Stanley Gibson, Ends Up in Jail (For 10 Days)

https://nvcopblock.org/142997/jesus-arevalo-lvmpd-cop-murdered-stanley-gibson-in-jail/

 

Trevon Cole

 

Las Vegas cop behind controversial killing now influential union leader

https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/las-vegas-cop-behind-controversial-killing-now-influential-union-leader/

 

Trevon Cole family to receive $1.7 million settlement from Las Vegas police

https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/courts/trevon-cole-family-to-receive-1-7-million-settlement-from-las-vegas-police/

 

Erik Scott

 

Costco shooting victim’s family drops lawsuit against Las Vegas police

https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/courts/costco-shooting-victims-family-drops-lawsuit-against-las-vegas-police/

 

Erik Scott Complete Coverage

https://www.fox5vegas.com/news/erik-scott-complete-coverage/article_604a1672-6050-5772-8796-ea61c05c07d5.html   

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