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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Thursday, September 06, 2018

Two Black NorCo COs Suspended After Altercation With Neighbor Flying Rebel Flag

Directly across street from jail entrance 
Imagine you're black and work as a Northampton County Corrections Officer. Imagine the first thing you see when you leave the jail at the end of your shift is the Confederate flag. If  you are a black corrections officer at Easton's jail, there's nothing to imagine. That's the first thing you see. As bad as that is, the rebel homeowner or his significant other struck a black guard's car over the weekend. An verbal altercation ensued in which this Southern sympathizer is alleged to have threatened to shoot both the black officer whose car was damaged as well as another who was trying to play peacemaker. Police filed no charges against Stonewall Jackson, but both guards have been suspended by Northampton County.

The suspension is with pay until things are sorted out. The officer who played peacemaker obviously should be working. The other officer never touched the homeowner, but was in the process of taking his shirt off when police arrived. As far as I am concerned, this officer should be able to defend himself against a racist who threatens to shoot him..

At this point, I am declining to identify the officers involved or the rebel, who rotates the Confederate flag with another entitled  "Liberty." I will try talking to him.

He should know that he is needlessly provoking black officers by routinely flying a rebel flag for no reason other than to taunt them with his hate. Stonewall Jackson has a first amendment right to be a bigot, but black guards also have a first amendment right to denounce the bigotry. .

52 comments:

Anonymous said...

Correct action by the county. Despite your biased report a prison guard should understand at least a little law. The man can fly whatever flag he wants on his property. The guards were out of line. I guess he was taking his shirt off for a tan??

Interesting to see corroborating evidence of your so called threats and striking a car. These men were cited as they should be. Tough shot if you are offended, suck it up and move on.

You will now be doing your usual pity me pieces apparently.

88 said...

Snowflakes come in all different colors,the war of northern aggression was a dark chapter and the south shall rise again, #MAGA

Anonymous said...

Dude, the South was defeated in the Civil War like 153 years ago. And you Trumpsters claim we Snowflakes can't get over Clinton's loss just two years ago? Wow.

Anonymous said...

2 out of 3 comments by a couple racists.

Anonymous said...

Property rights are not racist. You can't attack an individual because you don't like something he has on his property. Stop making PC excuses. The first point made is correct even if not all of it is appropriate.

Talking smack is one thing and disrobing to fight is something else.

Anonymous said...

Would an Isis flag flown on the same home be an issue? Or, maybe a British flag that reminds us of our war for independence. Probably not.

Peter J.Cochran said...

Bernie, FYI, Maybe he fly's flag because Stonewall Jackson was married here. This is inflammatory to the cos .

Anonymous said...

Dems only care about 1st amendment when it fits their agenda.
(PS Not a racist although I'll be labeled one. Married a woman of color so couldn't care less about the label)
Double standards.
“Judge a man not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character.”

Anonymous said...

First amendment needs to be protected , even more today than in the past.

Anonymous said...

There are so many assumptions in the original post that it renders it meaningless.

But before we go there, let's agree that the person has a right to fly whatever flag they want at their home. Others might not like it, but it's still a free country.

Second, flying the confederate flag doesn't make one a racist or a bigot. The person could be a Civil War buff, a flag aficionado, or just views the confederate flag as a symbol of being a "rebel" in the sense of being renegade. Or something else.

Just because some groups label something as racist doesn't make it so. I saw the other day the left was in meltdown mode at the Kavenaugh hearings because someone flashed an "ok" sign, which they believe is some sort of secret white racist code sign.

Getting back to the facts at hand, we also don't know if the guards were in uniform; the circumstances that led to their car being hit (were they trying to block the other person in, etc.); or if there were previous interactions between the guards and the homeowner. And that's just a few of the questions that need to be answered.

So before anyone on either side jumps to conclusions, why don't we all wait for all the facts to come in before jumping to conclusions and putting labels on anyone?

Bernie O'Hare said...

1) I agree completely that the first amendment allows you to be a complete asshole. It exists to protect speech we hate.

2) Anyone flying a confederate flag here, in the LV, is almost certainly a racist. He could be a Duke of Hazzard fan, and I intend to find out by talking to him. But without question, the action is inflammatory to anyone who is of color This guy has been cited and convicted for harassment in the past so I suspect he's no saint.

3) A black guard's car was hit, either ny this guy or someone close tp him. it damaged the car.

4) Stonewall jackson and one black guard who was understandably upset that his car got hot got into an argument.

5) Stonewall Jackson allegedly threatened to start shooting people, and that is when the black guard began removing his shirt. That is also completely understandable. A black person has a right to defend himself against a bigot flying a confederate flag who threatens to shoot him.

6) The second suspended black guard was merely playing peacemaker.

7) The comments here reveal just how bigoted this country still is.

Anonymous said...

Removing your shirt is a good plan.

Anonymous said...

If someone threatens to shoot you, a good plan is to remove your shirt, I guess he wanted to spare his next of kin cleaning up his shirt.

Anonymous said...

Was is the flag the issue or was it him or his wife damaging their vehicle.

Anonymous said...

Bernie O'Hare (8:46) said:

"Stonewall Jackson allegedly threatened to start shooting people, and that is when the black guard began removing his shirt. That is also completely understandable."


That may be the dumbest statement ever made on this site (and that's saying something), and others have also pointed out the stupidity of that course of action if truly being threatened by a gun.

Unless if by saying "shirt", you're trying not to say "uniform". As mentioned above, that is one of the many unanswered questions here.


Also, it's noted that "A black guard's car was hit, either ny this guy or someone close tp him. it damaged the car". That seems to indicate that neither of the two guards actually witnessed the incident, which would seem to indicate that the car was parked.

If that's the case, I'm curious why these two black guards would have parked in front of a house that flies a flag that they are supposedly so offended by. Did they do so looking for trouble or to cause an altercation? Have they parked there in the past? Are they trying to use the flag as an excuse for getting into an altercation that they shouldn't have?

Correction officers should know better than to get into such an altercation, and should have simply called the police to investigate if they found their car damaged.

Failure to do so is likely why both correction officers are now (rightfully) suspended, and (rightfully) with pay. There are too many unanswered questions. Let the investigation gather the facts.

YOU don't need to discuss anything with the homeowners. Whether they are Bo and Daisy Duke, or dressed in a white sheet and hood is irrelevant.

Anonymous said...

This is about damage to a car and the response to it.


Everything else is cheese cloth bait.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Removing your shirt is a good plan."

It is. Why should he stain his shirt with the body fluids of some racist POS?

Anonymous said...

" ... this officer should be able to defend himself against a racist who threatens to shoot him.."

By what means does one protect against threats? Here are some options:

1) take off your shirt and prepare to (fill in blank) the threaten-er
2) remove the threaten-er's voice box and tongue, the tools used to communicate said threat
3) call police and report the threat

Anonymous said...

"threatened to shoot the black guard"

If so, why was he not charge?

Are you saying the police defend it because racists police have become emboldened by Authoritarian Donald trump?

Anonymous said...

10:37AM

3)call police and report the threat.

Anonymous said...

Ohare opines: "As far as I am concerned, this officer should be able to defend himself against a racist who threatens to shoot him.".

Um, no. Call the police and report it.

#f*chstandyourgroundlaws

Bernie O'Hare said...

"If so, why was he not charge?"

Good question. EPD is overwhelmed with other problems and likely did not take the threat seriously, and no doubt are ignorant that their refusal in this matter is something that offended black officers. It's called unconscious bias.

"Are you saying the police defend it because racists police have become emboldened by Authoritarian Donald trump?"

Racists like you have been emboldened. Police are just acting out of unconscious bias, something that afflicts me at times, too. If they thought about it, they might have acted. But I understand the make split second decisions.

Anonymous said...

So, Easton police are incompetent and/or racist and too goonish to realize it. Got it.

Bernie O'Hare said...

That’s not what I said, but you can try to twist my words.

Anonymous said...

You all know the facts don't you? You all KNOW the car hit was parked in front of the Confederate flag house... WRONG. It was parked on the opposite side of Lehigh drive. You all KNOW there were no witnesses... WRONG. There were at least 4 eye witnesses. You all know two "black" officers were suspended... WRONG.

No one of you knows jack shit. The one officer on suspension should have used better judgement and called the police rather than cause a scene and act the way they did.

Anonymous said...

This guy may or may not be a racist.

But your Stonewall Jackson stuff is sheer nonsense. Virginia resisted secession, did not join the cotton states until Lincoln raised troops and sent Gustavus Fox to resupply Ft Sumter and ignite the war:

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/lincoln4/1:573?rgn=div1;view=fulltext

The War of Northern Aggression was no Civil War. There was no attempt to overthrow the existing US government. The South just wanted to leave. As secession was not a power "...delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States..." it was a power "...reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.."

Yes, the Union prevailed. And that, dear feeders, is how we ended up with the behemoth, bloated, corrupt Federal government you idolize and depend on today, no matter the letter behind the name of the office holder. Trump and Lincoln are very much alike with respect to their reverence of Federal power. Two sides of the same coin.

For the vast majority of those who fly a "Confederate Flag" (the battle flag -Cross of St Andrews - was NEVER the CONFEDERATE FLAG), it is not about hatred of blacks. In Port Republic, VA, I met several black men who proudly fly and adorn their trucks with the battle flag. Those men are self employed, independent and proud. For them, the descendants of the hundreds of thousands of Southerners who fought for States' rights, and those who are simply kindred spirits, it is about displaying their passion against omnipotent central government and the nanny state.


-Clem

Pamela said...

I grew up in Jacksonville, FL - the daughter of two people from Wilmington, NC.

How I managed to live 35 years in Florida and not feel compelled to fly a Confederate flag I'm sure I'll never understand. I moved up here to Carpetbaggerland in 1995 and the place is lousy with Southern Crosses.

Beats me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anonymous said...

And then you have this publicity stunt over a flag
http://www.mcall.com/business/healthcare/mc-nws-nazi-flag-20180902-story.html

Anonymous said...

Bernie, Did Captain Collins call you with all this inaccurate information or did he email it to you?

Anonymous said...

You need to check your fact check or vet your source on this one.

Anonymous said...

I think I will side with Easton Police here. If there were terroristic threats the homeowner would be charged. Was the homeowner charged? Were the correctional officer's charged? As an officer of any government you need to deal with the public harassing you without attempting to go after someone who just threatened to shoot you?!? If someone threatens to shoot me I'm getting out of there and calling the PD, we have insurance for property for that reason.This sounds like a lot of your personal opinions and feelings and a little fake news to be honest.

Anonymous said...

Agree,Bernie is losing his marbles.

Bernie O'Hare said...

1:52, have not spoken to CPT Collins. Have spoken to several COs and administration officials.

Bernie O'Hare said...

2:21, like Authoritarian Donald Trump, you regard information you don’t like to see as fake news.

Fact: this Easton resident, who comes from P-burg, routinely flies a confederate flag at his home.

Fact: this is directly across the street from the jail entrance, and is insulting to black COs.

Fact: either this homeowner or his significant other hit and damaged the car of a black CO parked outside that house, and the noise was loud enough to draw the attention of the cos, who called police.

Fact: the homeowner came out of his house and tried to deny responsibility and threatened the black co.

Fact: the black co whose car was damaged got angry and was more than willing to take on Stonewall, who had threatened to shoot him.

Conclusion: the behavior of the black co was justified and an appropriate response to a racist who had just threatened to shoot him.

Anonymous said...

You know a lot about this....What did the police reports say? Why didn't the police charge the homeowner with terroristic threats? Was anyone charged? What is the reason why they are suspended? Why did the CO remove his shirt, did he have a Superman logo under it and thought that would scare this terrible racist man away?

Anonymous said...

1.06
you forgot
https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Virginia_Constitutional_Convention_of_1861

"he revealed military action already under way—militia units from the Shenandoah Valley, which had secretly pledged their loyalty to Wise personally and not to the state government, were even then en route to capture the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Governor John Letcher was convinced at the last minute to give after-the-fact sanction to this movement, but it had begun as an extralegal act of war against the federal government by Wise and his coconspirators. As Wise rose to speak, he brandished a revolver and shouted that "blood will be flowing at Harper's Ferry before night." "We are here indulging in foolish debates," he said, in an attempt to cow the Unionist delegates, "the only result of which must be delay, and, perhaps, ruin."

Baldwin rose to oppose Wise's threats, questioning the former governor's desire to behave as if Virginia were already seceded and at war. But when Baldwin declared that voters should have the chance to first decide the question of secession, Wise argued that by then it will be too late. The "enemy," as he referred to the United States government, will have pounced."

So Virginia was blameless?
sounds like the governor agreed with an illegal act of war against the federal government.
Also fort Sumter was federal property
" Resolved, That this state do cede to the United States, all the right, title and claim of South Carolina to the site of Fort Sumter and the requisite quantity of adjacent territory,"
December 21st, 1836
So the south tried to take federal property in violation of the law.
Lincoln was correct to consider the South in rebellion as they acted illegally.

Bernie O'Hare said...

5:16, Asked and answered. You are just going in circles now.

Anonymous said...

Really

Bernie O'Hare said...

I am deleting the personal attacks from a troll who has in the past taken issue with me because (1) she is a confirmed racist, as noted in an EPD police report, and (2) she is also prompted by hatred of me as opposed to facts.

Anonymous said...

FALSE: again it was NOT parked outside that house.

FALSE: the owner of the car hit was nowhere near the scene when threats of shooting people was made.

Whoever gave you this misinformation is just making shit up as they go along.

Bernie O'Hare said...

2:01, am very comfortable with the facts.

Bernie O'Hare said...

6:03, there is video

Anonymous said...

And did you see it? No. I'm telling you that whoever told you about that is wrong. You need to stop believing what these people are telling you.

PeterJ.Cochran said...

No , he takes off his shirt so that his job and his uniform are not part of equation . I was once in a similar situation ,that’s how I know. What he’s thinking. He’s trying to keep the county out of any liability with his actions. He should be commended for this.so stop talking about a god dambed shirt. I’m a white guy , republican and can see this dirtbag white “cracker “ is trying to to on-site the issue against a black man that not only passes muster,but has been vetted at a higher leaval than most of the readers here. ,and pays taxes . This CO is a model citizen. In fact ,I will help his Attorney with no fees ,and do any process service for him on his behalf. We need to stop. A CO at the prison had to be a person that had NO issues with his reputation.the fact that he’s Black , is not an issue .

Anonymous said...

Bernie, you're pretty much on point except the officer whose car was hit was not one of the two suspended. The woman who hit his car is liable for damages through her insurance carrier. The officers who saw the incident, and confirmed by our security cameras, were simply outside on their break. The jackass who confronted them has been harassing them for months, screaming and threatening them incessantly, and the officers always showed great restraint by not feeding into it. He would demand they move their cars parked LEGALLY on a public street. He then hung the flag in a vain attempt to intimidate them. Over the years I have witnessed him screaming and cursing to black and Hispanic officers, to whoever he was talking to on his phone, or even to himself. I lost count of the F-bombs I heard coming from his mouth. He is a miserable and nasty person, completely unhinged. Also, during the melee some kid came out of his house and reached into his waistband as if he was packing. The officers implored the Easton PO to arrest them for the threats, but to no avail. It's bad enough we are subjected to danger within the walls and now we have to deal with this? I'm sick of the stupid, insensitive, and racist responses on this blog. Fake news? It's all on the camera. I'm a white officer and this idiot never confronted me when I stepped outside. It's perfectly reasonable to step outside for ten minutes to breath some fresh air, decompress, have a cigarette, or whatever in order to maintain our sanity. But the black or Hispanic officers have to be subjected to this bullshit? I'm proud to work with the officers who unwittingly got caught up in this incident, they are my brothers and I will support them always.

Anonymous said...

God bless you Peter. You and I are at opposite ends of the political spectrum but I have always respected your 1st amendment rights. You put your name behind your thoughts and when I retire so will I. I cannot wait. Thank you for your service.

Anonymous said...

@ 8:02 Thanks for the clarification and truth. This guy should be in a jail cell in your facility. Stay safe guys!

Bernie O'Hare said...

Peter and 8:02,My thanks toboth of you. 8:02 for your clarification,and Peter for your defense of COs.

Danny said...

The Civil War has been over for 150+ years. I still don’t get the whole confederate flag thing...pretty whisky tango to me. At any rate, I am very proud to live in this great country, especially since black unemployment is the lowest it’s ever been. I think that’s great.

Anonymous said...

What nonsense. A homeowner is threated buy out of control prison guards. He is on his own property flying his flag and he is insulted and physically threatened, If the guard takes off his shirt he is obviously looking to fight. Stop painting this as anything but a couple guards that lost their cool and went after a private citizen. End of story.

Anonymous said...

So I guess gang bangers have rights as well what's the differance dummy

Anonymous said...

U know so much racism is alive right here in black and white