Let me state, first of all, that being a cop is probably one of the most thankless, dangerous, and emotionally stressful jobs I can think of. Anybody who puts their life on the line for their community on a daily basis deserves more than just decent pay; they deserve respect. That said, I also believe that if a person isn't capable of doing the job right, they need to find a new career. Just because a cop can carry a gun and is in a position of authority does not mean he or she is above the law.
I find it extremely appalling that someone who is sworn to "protect and serve" would use their position of power with a gun to boost their careers, egos, and pockets by picking on minorities, planting "evidence," or stealing their money. Unfortunately, these types of behaviors by police are very often more common than not. Being a policeman will always be a thankless job if blatant hypocrisies like this are ignored or go uncontrolled because the prevailing attitude of most cops is they need no policing themselves.
Quentis Roper did Dallas and Danny Maples a tremendous disfavor by teaching hate and oppression as a way to uphold the law. Shame on them, and to any other cop out there doing the same. I hardly think any of this is "fairy-tale sh--." Fairy tales always have a happy ending. Somehow, a story about two cops in jail just doesn't fall in that category. All they managed to accomplish was to further erode people's trust in the men in blue, and screw up their own lives in the process. Thanks, guys. How am I supposed to teach my son to respect the law when the people who are supposed to uphold it can't seem to follow it themselves?
I'm sure Mr. Roper was indeed a hard-working cop. After all, it's a full-time job feeding an ego that huge and keeping a wallet that fat on the pitiful salary Dallas cops make. Table dances can get expensive after a while. Still, that's no excuse for him and his wimpy sidekick to spit on our Constitution like that. I do take some sick pleasure in knowing that somehow the karma of the cosmos saw fit to show Mr. Maples what it's like to be screwed by the system. Oh well, as any cop knows, no one likes a snitch! Funny how the police feel they should have a different set of internal investigative procedures than they use for the rest of us. For example, it's OK to entice some stupid dorky kid into selling drugs to an undercover narcotics agent by partying with them and being their "buddy," only to throw them in jail and screw up their whole lives, but it's not OK for police to go undercover to police their own. If cops are doing their jobs the way they're supposed to, then what do any of them have to be afraid of?
I do hope that some day attitudes will change at the DPD and other troubled police forces around the country from that of "us against them" to "we the community," and that their standards of integrity rise to the honorable standards they should. They must be held accountable for their actions, just as you and I are. Cops should be setting an example for the community, not pillaging and plundering its citizens for profit. The Dallas City Council should also do the right thing and set its own example by paying the good cops what they deserve and are owed.
Name withheld
Dallas
The white man is always right: I am very impressed with the article by Ms. Christine Biederman. Does she always refer to black people who are educated as trying to talk like a white person? For the record, I am Quentis Roper's girlfriend, who happens to have worked for Dallas County for seven years and who has dated Mr. Roper for six years. I was offended by that comment. Not to mention that she misquoted people in the article. As far as I am concerned, she is a white racist that don't know jack about what's going on. Like I told her when we spoke on the telephone, until she wears this skin, she'll never understand the reason that blacks go through what they do. She said for herself that Danny Maples has an extraordinary imagination. So why does she try--when she questions people concerning Quentis Roper--to seem concerned and talk bad about Maples and then turn around and make Quentis look like the bad one?
I understand that you have no black writers at your company and that maybe none of you will understand. Of course, being a criminal justice major, I know the real deal. I know that any time a white person comes and says that a black man has done something, he is guilty until he proves himself innocent. No matter what the evidence shows, the white man is always right.
Ms. Biederman has offended many of the people that read the Dallas Observer--not only blacks, but whites also. And also ask her, "How does a white person talk?" I'm confused, because white people speak no better than blacks.
As an attorney, I can't understand her being so naïve about what really happens in society. But I guess that's a "white" person's way of thinking--they (white people) have no sense.
It would be very embarrassing for this to make world news for your company on the racism you have there. I would think, for this to be a well-known paper, you would have people that not only have a degree but also some sense. As far as I am concerned, she shouldn't be writing for your company--she's an idiot!
Patriece Alexander
Dallas
Pity on Ms. Biederman: Christine Biederman asked about Quentis Roper whether he "always talks like a white man." Being a white person, and having had the good fortune to work with and be friends with a diverse group of people, this made me stop and think. Was Ms. Biederman referring to a white person raised in an affluent white neighborhood who later goes on to receive an MBA from Harvard, or was she referring to a white person who was raised in a poverty-stricken trailer court, and their education is equal to that of the 6th-grade level? I must take pity on Ms. Biederman, however; she must have been raised by very shallow, close-minded people. This type of thinking and believing is what is keeping racism alive in the 21st century. Take the white sheet off your head, Ms. Biederman, and join the rest of the world!
Name withheld
Lancaster
