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A statement regarding Rep. Morris’ claim that he was racially profiled

March 27, 2015
–
Mark Chapman
Send signed letters to news@nancyonnorwalk.com
Send signed letters to news@nancyonnorwalk.com

Sgt. David R. Orr is the president  of the Norwalk Police Union, AFSCME Local 1727

To the Editor:

A statement regarding CT State Rep. Bruce Morris’ claim that he was racially profiled:

On March 20, 2015, Connecticut State Representative Bruce Morris made comments about a recent interaction he had with a police officer. On that date, during a hearing of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Morris made a claim that he was recently the victim of racial profiling when he was stopped by a Norwalk Police Officer. Mr. Morris claimed that he was returning home from late night meetings in Hartford, and that he had just gotten off of the highway and “was in an area of town that isn’t HIS area of town” when he was stopped by the officer. Mr. Morris claimed that he is certain he hadn’t done anything wrong to justify being stopped.

Mr. Morris’ stated that it was late at night, that he was in an area of town that isn’t his area of town, and that he didn’t think he had done anything wrong to justify being stopped. If considered without any further information this might lead someone to believe that Mr. Morris was the victim of racial profiling. In this instance, Mr. Morris uses his role as a CT State Representative to speak from a position of authority about this incident into a microphone to an audience at a hearing of the Judiciary Committee while on recorded video. Mr. Morris seized the opportunity to publicly make an accusation of racial profiling against a police officer knowing very well that because he hadn’t filed a formal complaint there would be no opportunity for the officer to refute the allegation and no real finding of facts to support Mr. Morris’ accusation. The supposed details of the incident would come from him only, and no other perspective or opinion would be offered or heard.

I find it reprehensible that Mr. Morris would use his advantageous position as a state rep to publicly accuse an officer of racial profiling without having made any effort at all to consider the officer’s perspective and the possibility that the stop may have been legitimate and justified. I’d like to take this opportunity to illustrate how wrong Mr. Morris actually was in making the claim of racial profiling against the officer.

First, Mr. Morris claimed it was late at night when he was racially profiled and stopped by the officer. I would challenge any person driving a car late at night to try to guess the race of the person driving the car in front of them. I can tell you from 15 years of policing and several decades of licensed motor vehicle operation it is nearly impossible to determine the race of other drivers in front of you while driving at night.

Second, Mr. Morris claims that he was in an area of town “that isn’t his area of town.” This car stop was conducted at approximately 8:40 p.m. on Grist Mill Road, which connects the Route 7 connector to Main Avenue (Route 7) just up the road from the DMV building. This is a heavily traveled part of town with a high volume of traffic at most times during the day and evening hours. The area is filled with commercial businesses, fast food restaurants, gas stations, and large retail stores. To promote the idea that this isn’t HIS (Mr. Morris’) part of town, and that being out of HIS area of town contributed to why he was stopped by the officer, is misleading, inflammatory, and just plain ridiculous.

Third, Mr. Morris claimed that he hadn’t done anything wrong to justify being stopped. Would you believe that people who are stopped for committing a traffic violation occasionally have no idea that they have done so? This is true, ask any officer. The officer who stopped Mr. Morris is a seasoned veteran with almost 20 years of experience and no disciplinary history. This officer is recognized state-wide as a prolific expert in the enforcement of motor vehicle laws.

Mr. Morris stated during the hearing of the Judiciary Committee that he hadn’t done anything wrong to be stopped. There is a formal process established to debate whether a motor vehicle violation or crime was committed. This process was created so as to ensure the rights of those accused and a thorough finding of facts regarding the incident. This is true for accusations of police misconduct as well. Those accusations should be made through the chain of command or through the appropriate legal process. It is inappropriate and irresponsible for an elected public official to make such allegations, as if they have already been determined to be true, at an official proceeding at the State Capitol without any due process having been followed.

There is no doubt that these are challenging times for those of us in policing. Scrutiny of police conduct seems to be at an all-time high, while crime rates both nationally and locally (in Connecticut) are at an all-time low. What seems to be an epidemic of disrespect towards police and a disregard for facts and due process has been displayed in the aftermath of recent incidents such as what occurred in Ferguson, Mo. In that case it was widely publicized that Michael Brown did not attack and try to take Officer Darren Wilson’s gun, but that he surrendered to police and put his hands up before being brutally executed by the officer. We now know that this is not true, and that the popular chant “Hands up – Don’t shoot” is based on a lie.

In making the allegation that he was racially profiled by a Norwalk Police Officer, Connecticut State Representative Bruce Morris paints the picture of a black male in the wrong part of town pulled over late at night for no reason at all. The fact is that Mr. Morris committed a traffic violation in a highly active business district and that he was pulled over by an officer just doing his job. That’s all, nothing more.

The challenges faced by those of us in policing need not be compounded by an elected official making an inflammatory accusation towards an officer based on his limited perception of an incident. The public deserves better than that and we, as police, should be treated with fairness and respect.

Sgt. David R. Orr

President – Norwalk Police Union, AFSCME Local 1727

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Comments

40 responses to “A statement regarding Rep. Morris’ claim that he was racially profiled”

  1. Lifelong Teacher

    Wow. Thank you for the clarification. Kinda like an accusation of racism on the BOE with no proof, wasn’t it?

    I am so sick of this. As an employee of the BOE (don’t start me on that) and an elected official, we should expect more of Mr. Morris.

  2. Stuart Wells

    Members of the General Assembly have special license plates that identify their car by legislative district. They have assigned parking spaces at the state capitol and, often, special parking places at events where they are speaking. If the car Mr. Morris was driving had legislative plates, the police officer may well have known the exact identity of the driver.
    While I am confident that police officers can identify legislative plates, I do not know for certain whether they know which legislator goes with which district number, but I strongly suspect that they do — at least for the Norwalk districts, as there are only five, plus one state senator.
    This fact would not, of course, prove that the stop was made for racial reasons.

  3. Yankee Clipper

    Sergeant Orr: Thank you for writing this. I concur with Lifelong Teacher. We need more police officers like you.

  4. Greg

    Very well said thank you for taking the time. I agree with your comments. More and more everything I am see in Norwalk is about race. Black this, white that, racial profiling. Are there problems with this town and others? Yes.. Is a always about race? No.. Give it a rest it is getting old. Accusations like this just add fuel to the fire for everyone. If this is a real issue take to through proper channels at the police dept. Don’t grandstand because you want to see you name in the news.

  5. Oldtimer

    Rep Morris stated for the record, at a public hearing in Hartford, his opinion that he was profiled and humiliated as if it was an established fact. It wasn’t. He also stated he was pretty sure there would be no record of the stop. There was. Officer reported he made the stop and gave the operator a verbal warning about obeying traffic lights.

    He was wrong about the record, he admits he was talking on bluetooth (distracting but Legal and he believes he went through the intersection with a green light. The officer had a different opinion about the traffic light and did tell him why he was stopped, but not as soon as he asked. He did not get a ticket, although one would be expected if the stop was racially motivated.

    The whole story sounds like Rep Morris had his own Brian Williams moment and used a story about a routine traffic stop to make a point in testimony in favor of a bill he was supporting. Calling the stop racially motivated is ridiculous and he certainly knows where to file a complaint, if he really believed he was racially profiled. He had not filed any complaint when he testified three days after he was stopped. In what universe does he expect us to believe an officer picked out a car with State Rep plates to racially profile ?

  6. concerned student

    You folks are something else, far as I’m concerned you guys can’t even discuss this incident because it will never happen to you, and you have no idea what it feels like, nor is anyone going to admit this is what happened.
    What officer is going to admit ha participates in racial profiling!
    The Union has to protect its members that’s what they are paid to do!

  7. Piberman

    Kudos to Sgt.. Orr. Curious that it takes the Police Union President to present the facts rather than the City’s Police Chief. In halcyon days our City’s Police Chief would have responded as instructed by our Mayor. But this is the “New Norwalk” where the NAACP President can claim publicly he’s afraid of a Ferguson incident in Norwalk without protest by the Mayor or Police Chief and can even publicly “accept” the resignation of former BOE member Chiaramonte. Such is his presumed “authority” as a leading unelected City “official”. And where BOE members can claim discrimination by the BOE itself without any objection by the Mayor or any other official. When will Mayor Rilling – the Mayor of all of Norwalk – speak out ? Is it too much to expect that in matters of policing our Mayor ought to be the first to speak ? And speak forcibly.

  8. Marie Avila

    Bruce Morris is looking for racism every time he opens his eyes and if it isn’t there, he’ll invent it. Meanwhile, he doesn’t have the necessary educational qualifications for his job with BOE (and also adjusts his hours to fit in with his Hartford schedule, and this often involves working when schools are closed) and yet has hung on to it for years, thru how many superintendents? Smells like reverse racism to me – but THAT he has no problem with.

  9. dawn

    what exactly does he do at the board of ed?

  10. Oldtimer

    DAWN: You mean beyond collecting a salary ?

    1. Mark Chapman

      @Dawn, Oldtimer

      NoN addressed Rep. Morris’ role with then-NORWALK Superintendent of Schools Manny Rivera.

      “In his role as Human Relations Director and an employee of Norwalk Public Schools, it’s my expectation that Mr. Morris is required to invest the time necessary to respond to any personnel, student or parent matters that may arise, and for which he is accountable as part of his job description,” Rivera wrote in an email. “… The Human Relations role is expected to dedicate 4/5ths time or a minimum of 32 hours per week, solely on those duties, and at times that may include nights and weekends.

      “Given the fluctuating needs and demands for his role and services and that there are no conflicts with his obligations to NPS, Bruce and I have agreed that a weekly log of activities, including time spent on NPS work on location at our schools, or outside of regular office hours will help address any questions that may arise,” Rivera wrote.

  11. Nabil E. Valencia

    Dear Sgt. David R. Orr,

    I want to thank you for your letter. It is important to let the public know there are always two sides to a story. While I myself, do not know the entire details of the case, I find it repugnant that this story has gotten as far as it has. As a Court employee I know the importance of due process and properly filing complaints. The officer accused of racial profiling has not had a chance to defend himself, and in the United States you are innocent until proven guilty.

    With much respect to the entire Police force in Norwalk,

    -Nabil E. Valencia

    (also a minority for anyone wondering.)

  12. M. Murray’s

    We often confuse perception with reality.

    That is, we mistake how we understand things for the way that they really are. Our thoughts and feelings seem real to us, so we conclude that they must be true.

    But what if they weren’t – including even our most deeply held ideas and beliefs about ourselves, about others and the world?

    What is perception?

    Perception is the lens through which we view reality: ourselves, others and the world around us. However, the lens often gets confused with what is being viewed through it.

    It may come as a severe shock if you haven’t given much thought to this subject before, but our precious, cast-in-stone, objective beliefs are often totally in contrast to any reality. Or, more accurately, they are our perception of reality, rather than reality itself.

    In thinking about your life, consider that the way you’re looking at a problem, challenge or issue might be part of the problem itself…

    What is reality?

    Reality is the true state of things. In essence, it’s how things really are, whether we perceive them to be as such or not. Things in themselves are inherently neutral.

    It is we who supply the perceptions and build our beliefs with them. Reality transcends both expectations and beliefs. How our reality appears to us says a lot about our perceptions.

    We often don’t realize how our perceptions cloud reality. They seem like one and the same.

    Despite the big overlap between our perceptions and reality, there is indeed a gap between them. We just have to look carefully to see it instead of jumping to conclusions based on some (but not all) available evidencce.

    This is how it was explained to me. If you feel you are a victim, you will always be the victim, and no amount of evidence will convince you otherwise. As such, you have to examine every incident carefully for evidence, especially if there is forensic evidence such as in Ferguson, to separate truth from reality. While I believe their are injustices in the world, not everyone who claims to be a victim has truly been victimized. You have to do your due diligence and seek facts to separate reality from perception. And know the facts before taking a position. If people had waited for the facts in the Ferguson case and the Tawana Brawley incident before leading the charge, people’s lives would not have been ruined on false pretences.

  13. FYI

    @M. Murray’s
    Sounds like Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. 🙂

  14. Bill

    Now I wish we had Warren Pena instead of Morris.

  15. Michael McGuire

    FYI – more like Morpheus in the Matrix when Neo first get plugged in.

  16. Oldtimer

    How true; perception is the difference between us. You may witness something and see things that are important to you while I could see the same thing from my point of view and see things that you never noticed, and miss facts that you observed.

    Minorities, of whatever stripe, are naturally on the lookout for being treated differently because they are minorities. This is true if you are one of a small number of females in a mostly male office, or one of a few darker skinned people among a group of mostly white people on a city board or commission. It is, to some extent, still true if your religion is different from the religion of most of the people around you.

    This is part of the human condition and leads to claims of racism or prejudice. It seems to be more serious in smaller communities, especially where limited education is prevalent. Most big cities, racial or religious prejudice has pretty much died out, but still remains in prejudice against the poor, which remains and will be harder to eliminate. Too many successful people want to believe they have achieved some success strictly because of their own hard work, and, therefore, anybody significantly less successful is lazy and doesn’t deserve public assistance. Too many are comfortable in this belief without looking at the facts and finding out what really makes people very poor and homeless.

    If prejudice is what you are accustomed to watch for, it is not hard to find. Wether you are watching for racial prejudice or watching for prejudice against police officers. Your point of view will find it where others, with a different point of view will not.

    Small children are not born with prejudice and will happily play with others, despite differences quite obvious to adults. There is a lot we can learn watching small children, if we take the time, and try to NOT pass on our prejudices.

  17. WOW just WOW

    When reading Mr Orr’s letter one must take into account that his position as president of the police union is to defend his brothers in blue .

    Mr Orr goes onto state

    ” This process was created so as to ensure the rights of those accused and a thorough finding of facts regarding the incident. This is true for accusations of police misconduct as well. Those accusations should be made through the chain of command or through the appropriate legal process.”

    The thing Mr Orr fails to state is that its a rigged system. When you make a complaint about a Norwalk police officer, it is a Norwalk police officer that investigates a Norwalk Police officer. Talk about bias, the thin blue line and all.

    What Norwalk needs and has needed for years is a civilian review board as most professional police departments have. The last time this came up the union put up a huge campaign to defeat this .. Its clear the police do not want a system that they cannot control, as the would then be truly accountable for their actions.

    Mr Orr goes onto mention the Ferguson, however he failed to mention in regards to the DOJ report.

    http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opa/press-releases/attachments/2015/03/04/ferguson_police_department_report.pdf

    1. At least one municipal employee thought electing a black president was laughable.

    An unearthed 2008 email message stated that President Barack Obama would not be president for very long because “what black man holds a steady job for four years?”

    2. Another employee seemed to think the idea of a black woman getting an abortion was funny – and would stop crime.

    A May 2011 email stated: “An African-American woman in New Orleans was admitted into the hospital for a pregnancy termination. Two weeks later she received a check for $5,000. She phoned the hospital to ask who it was from. The hospital said, ‘Crimestoppers.’”

    3. Black people were 100% more likely than white people to be bitten by police dogs.

    In each of the 14 cases involving someone being bitten by a police dog, the victim was black.

    4. Ferguson is predominately black yet its police force is 97% white.

    African-Americans make up nearly 70% of the city’s population but only about 3% of Ferguson’s police department.

    5. Black people in Ferguson were much more likely to be stopped and searched by police than white people, but were rarely found carrying anything illegal or stolen.

    According to the report, blacks made up 67% of the population between 2012 and 2014 but were 85% of those subject to a vehicle stop. Despite being more than twice as likely to be searched by police, blacks were 26% less likely than others to be found with illegal contraband.

    6. 90% of police citations during the span of the report went to black people.

    In other words, only 10% of those who received a citation from the police were not black.

    7. Police were much more likely to use force on black people.

    In 88% of documented incidents in which police used of force against someone, that person was black.

    8. Black people with infractions of any kind in Ferguson – even something as minor as a parking ticket – were extremely unlikely to get their case dismissed.

    Blacks in Ferguson were 68% less likely than others to have their cases dismissed by the municipal judge and were disproportionately likely to have a warrant issued against them, according to the report.

    9. The police made made money off all of those cases that didn’t get dismissed.

    Fines for failure to appear in court charges, for example, accounted for nearly 25% of total court revenue in 2013. $442,901 to be exact.

    10. A mere 5% of those held in a Ferguson jail for more than two days were not black.

    Also here is what our own Kulhawik had to say about bias traffic stops in Norwalk

    In addition, with the pending release of Connecticut traffic stop statistics on April 2, which includes numbers from Norwalk, Kulhawik said the timing of the class fits in perfectly as the raw numbers from the report point toward a potentially negative result for the city.
    http://www.thehour.com/news/nw-police/norwalk…

  18. WOW just WOW

    Correct link
    http://www.thehour.com/news/nw-police/norwalk-police-being-trained-in-fair-and-impartial-policing/article_a63b070e-ece8-564c-967b-3ae56d5908de.html

  19. Dawn

    It amazes me that Eric Holder took the time and was able to dig up emails from 2008 in ferguson.
    But the state department of the United states is unable to produce the email of Hillary Clinton.
    Just a hmmm.

  20. MarjorieM

    Thank you, Sgt. Orr, for the rest of the story.

  21. FYI

    @Bill

    Let’s not get carried away!

  22. THE TRUTH

    Thank you, WOW JUST WOW , for the rest of the story.

  23. Jon J. Velez

    Police officer did his job and from the testimony given in HARTFORD, I see no problem. We all at some point in our life get stopped by police. I for one, in todays times with terrorists and the ”wanna be” gangsters out there, I want an aggressive police department!

  24. THE TRUTH

    Jon
    Are you saying that you feel it is acceptable to you that the Police violate a citizen rights? I for one find that unacceptable under any circumstances.. Last I checked this was still the United States of America where we have rights.

    Also the last thing we need is an aggressive police department. I think we have had more than enough killings at the hands of the police of unarmed young black men and boys.

  25. Karen Doyle Lyons

    I am Irish-Doyle and I am happy to celebrate St. Patrick’s on March 17th. This year we hung the Flag of Ireland at Heritage Wall and in the evening retrieve it. Wile we were taking it down a police officer pulled over and questioned us, as he should have….

    Now I am white with, okay, many freckles, so does that mean I was profiled because you really didn’t see my face? Now it is my understanding, that ANYONE, including elected officials can be question if they have broken a law. I am not above the law, Mr. Morris is not above the law, NO ONE is supposed to be above the law. How about all the Irish (we are all Irish on St. pats Day) that were stopped on West Avenue that night? Were they profiled around the corner from the Irish Pubs? NO NO they were not…..

    Mr. Morris you and I go way….. Back to many issues. I just can not understand your disregard for proper procedures and to make such a statement in Hartford where YOU make laws.

    I hope to discuss this issue with you also in the near future. I await your filling a report with the police department.

    I

  26. WOW just WOW

    Karen
    You state
    I await your filling a report with the police department.

    Please tell us purpose it would serve to participle in a rigged system where blue investigates blue? Would you not agree the system is bias?? Have you ever heard of any other agency other than police that get to investigate themselves? Would you not agree that a more credible system would be a non bias civilian review board ?

  27. Kevin Di Mauro

    What’s wrong with these Norwalk cops. Can’t they do anything right? How dare they pull over a black person on St Patrick’s Day? Aren’t they aware of the rumor started by my fictional friend Paddy O’Malley that a black person might be responsible for creating Lucky Charms candy and Irish Spring soap? Let’s get it together.

  28. Concerned

    Why would anyone believe anything David Orr, the Norwalk Police Dept’s chief apologist, has to say? The NPD, in collusion with the local media, routinely smear innocent citizens without giving them an opportunity to provide their own opinion of the the police version of “truth”. […]

    This post was edited to comply with our policy against name-calling.

  29. Been there done that

    I commend Sgt. Orr for presenting the FACTS. Shame on you Mr. Morris. If the actions of this officer were so egregious why did you not complain directly to the chief of police & file a formal complaint. You waited three days & conveniently used a St. Patrick’s DUI stop to say you were profiled. In true political fashion you are willing to sacrifice a police officer’s reputation to meet your agenda. Not everything is race, sometimes its just a police officer looking for drunks to keep the public safe, to keep people safe like you Mr. Morris.

  30. Piberman

    To those who wondered about a former Police Chief serving as Mayor we now know. When a public complaint is made against the City’s police, it’s the police union that defends the force. Not the Mayor nor the current Chief. Who would have ever imagined that result ?

    Anyone note the “Norwalk pattern” here. Make an accusation. Then avoid following up with either evidence or efforts at resolution. Worked with the BOE. Why not with Rep. Morris ? Imagine if Norwalk had elected officials who behaved as old fashioned public servants ?

    Who will speak next about our “racism/discrimination” ?

  31. Diane C2

    File under “darned if you do, darned if you don’t”….

    Racial profiling, lax police enforcement, good ole boy network, or selective enforcement? Let me get this straight: Did the police officer claim that Mr. Morris went through a RED LIGHT, pulled him over and then gave him only a VERBAL WARNING?! I once had a verbal warning, but it was for a burned out headlight.

    I bet there are traffic cameras running at that intersection 24/7 and I hope nancyonnorwalk will consider reviewing them to see if this traffic stop is on there.
    – The officer pulled over him over for going through a red light and then issued only a verbal warning, I want to know why, because going through a red light could easily kill someone!
    Did he not issue a ticket because he realized the violator was a State Representative? Is it because there was NO violation and he realized he couldn’t issue a ticket? Was the violation questionable, like going through a “pink” light?

    In the end, if the police officer knows for a fact that Mr. Morris violated the law, and in doing so jeopardized others in what Officer Orr characterized as a “heavily traveled part of town with a high volume of traffic at most times during the day and evening hours”, then we are all entitled to know why the patrol officer issued only a verbal warning. ‘Cause I’m fairly sure if I went through a red light I’d have a ticket and some DMV points against my drivers license.

  32. Marie Avila

    As to what he does/did at the BOE – make trouble and collect a fat salary. AND require a secretary […]
    As far as I could tell was – he had her call periodically to remind the school secretaries to send in their suspension records up to that point (I personally never needed to be reminded to do my job) and then again at the end of the school year. Then – if the suspensions were loaded somewhat with minorities, he’d call to ask why? (in my case, our school was heavily minority so it would stand to reason – also most of our kids were great and the suspensions were the same frequently flyers over and over.

    This post was edited to comply with our policy.

  33. Don’t Panic

    @Diane C2,
    “I bet there are traffic cameras running at that intersection 24/7 and I hope nancyonnorwalk will consider reviewing them to see if this traffic stop is on there.”
    If Public Works’ assurances to Councilmembers were correct, there is no tape to review.

  34. Oldtimer

    Unfortunately, none of us will live long enough to ever hear Bruce Morris ever admit he might have run a light, because he was distracted by his telephone conversation. Or to admit he now knows it was wrong for him to tell the committee in Hartford that he was only stopped because of his skin color, and being in the wrong neighborhood for him at that time of the evening.

    I know Bruce and I think of him as an honorable guy, but, I can understand, with his focus on race relations, how he might read a wrong motive into an officer’s actions. Of all people, a successful politician should know better than to assume he knows someone else’s motives. I think I understand his motive in telling that story in Hartford in his enthusiasm to get a bill passed that he believes in, he thought putting a personal experience story into his speech would make it more convincing, He was probably right, and never gave any thought of how that story might affect the officer.

    Ironically, the bill he was speaking for is a bill intended to limit racially motivated stops by the police. I am sure he believes such a bill/state law is necessary.

  35. Questions

    Aren’t all legislators issued distinctive state license plates to display on their personal vehicles? Isn’t it kinda hard to miss them? Are there no other cameras on rte 7 other than the one at the 95 ramps?

    And yes, what was the cause of the stop? Are random DUI checks still a grey area in law?

    Many will agree that NPD is overly aggressive in traffic enforcement and others may say they don’t do enough but the data speaks for itself.

    We all know about driving through surrounding towns like Wesport, Darien, New Cannan. Driving while black or brown, WILL, get you stopped in those towns.

    Is Mr Morris wrong for expressing his feelings and experiences. Without a formal complaint and inquiry, think Mr Orr may have erred in his reaction, before any complaint was filed or any inquiry completed.

    Doesn’t look like any complaint will be forth coming as Mr Morris was sharing his feelings and his experience’s with colleagues, does Mr Orr not do that, at his office with his colleagues?

    Great respect for Mr Orr and his efforts to make Norwalk better. But one must ask oneself how does this public letter make it better?

    Its called COMMUNITY policing isnt it? The letter/oped is the perfect example how NOT to execute community policing policy.

    Had Mr Morris written an oped than Mr Orr’s response would be proper. As it is, its overly defensive and accusatory and not in the spirit of community policing. Hope that “train the trainer” program starts in house soon, before the temperatures rise any higher.

  36. WOW just WOW

    Why do I get the feeling that those posting supporting the Norwalk Police violating a citizens rights are current or former members of the Norwalk Police department?

  37. M. Murray’s

    I think Orr’s public letter was a response to a public accusation by Mr. Morris. Since Morris was not talking privately to his friends but making a public accusation, the union president had an obligation to counter that action also in a public forum. Let’s try to move this out of the realm of feelings and into the realm of facts.

  38. Oldtimer

    WOW just WOW
    In answer to your question, you have just demonstrated that perception varies with point of view. When an observer is focused on finding bias, of any kind, he doesn’t have to look far. You see, and hear, what you expect to. Others see, and hear, differently.

  39. Tony Lopez

    Sgt Orr so beautifully exposes how Rep Morris is so quick to capitalize on his legislative position to resort to the use of the race card that he should be commended by every law abiding citizen. Here’s my own personal experience with law enforcement. I’m of Puerto Rican descent, was pulled over in NY on I-84 by a black officer in broad daylight for failureto yield to an “Emergency Vechicle” on the shoulder (merely an enforcement trap) while significantly slowing down to 35 miles (surely slow enough to be seen and racially profiled) due to my clear inability to shift to the left lane, as required by NY State law. Was I racially profiled just the same? Maybe, maybe not but what did I do? Did I use the reverse racial profiling card to exonerate myself? No, instead, I painstakingly and methodically went through the legal process using my time, effort and money to represent my own self and was able to vindicate and acquit myself of the moving violation.

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