Emantic “E.J.” Fitzgerald Bradford, Jr (1997?-2018), a Black good guy with a gun, was gunned down by police on November 22nd 2018, Thanksgiving night, at the Riverchase Galleria mall in Hoover, Alabama. He was trying to save people from a shooter – but all police seemed to see was a Black man with a gun – and gunned him down instead.
Like he was some wild dog:
- They did not give him orders to drop his gun.
- They did not give him medical attention.
- They refused help from a nurse who was at the scene.
- They did not cover his body.
- They did not tell his parents.
Very much like Ferguson. And very unlike, say, Dylann Roof, a White bad guy with a gun. Roof was not just taken alive, he was taken to eat at Burger King.
Bradford’s mother:
“I did not want to see pictures of my son laying in a pool of blood and when I accidentally came across it [on the Internet] I broke down. And I can’t get it out of my head. I cannot get the scene out of my head of my child laying there, nobody around him trying to help him, just laying like a piece of trash where everyone can walk around and parade and post pictures of him on social media.”
His father, a retired police officer, called the police that night to find out if it was his son who was killed. They said they would call him back later. Hours passed with no call. He called again. They said they could not tell him anything. But then about 15 minutes later they blasted his son’s picture and name across the news and the Internet, labelling him the mall shooter.
The police did not even wait to go through all the video they had – from body cameras, mall security cameras, and mobile phones. But 17 hours later, presumably after going through the video, they said it was “unlikely” Bradford was the gunman. The real gunman was still at large.
And even then the police still did not call or visit his family.
Bradford had no police record. The oldest son, he worked full-time to help support his mother and was caretaker to his father, who is battling cancer. He was in the Army and was honourably discharged. He had a concealed weapons permit. And Alabama is an open-carry state.
His family wants all the video to be made public. The NAACP wants that and for the FBI to take over the investigation. Currently it is in the hands of the state of Alabama.
Hoover is a White-flight suburb of Birmingham, named after William Hoover, a neo-Nazi. It is a place where the Klan passes out fliers, where teachers use the N-word, where the police are known for stopping Black motorists. Birmingham is 72% Black, Hoover is 72% White.
In 2014, the Hoover police received special training from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security on how do deal with an active shooter – at the Riverchase Galleria mall.
– Abagond, 2018.
See also:
- killer cops
- Jemel Roberson – another Black good guy with a gun killed by police, just 11 days before in Chicago
- Michael Brown – in Ferguson
- Dylann Roof
- White flight
- also Birmingham:
573
Don’t forget to list “Fantom Negro Weapon” as part of your “see also” list Abagond.
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^*”Phantom Negro Weapons”
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His wasn’t a phantom weapon though. He was a legitimately licensed gun owner with his own weapon.
Picking up from where we left off on the Jemel Roberson thread… Trevor Noah also did a piece on how the gun rights don’t apply to Black people.
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His body was a “Phantom Negro Weapon”
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R.I.P.
It’s depressing. Its seems like its never going to stop.
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@Open Observer: Thank you for sharing that post Trevor Noah summed this tragedy up perfectly.
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What kind of ignorant fool would refer to somebody’s body as a “phantom negro weapon”. He was trying to be a good samaritan and save lives. Instead the police seen this man as a threat because black. The police don’t even try to hide their racism anymore is just out in the open. I can’t emphasize it anymore the racism is real. It hurts to see these young black man dying at the hands of the police and the excuses the authorities use to justify these murders. I have a son and I also have a grandson he’s a baby . I don’t want to be the next mother sharing my story my son nor my grandson was murdered by a police officer. The police want to get upset about the movement black lives matter. Well, their lives have matter to someone because they don’t matter to the police. Where I live the police say the only lives that matter is theirs. (SMH) R.I.P
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What kind of ignorant fool would refer to somebody’s body as a “phantom negro weapon”
@Trina Walker
I’m sure Cherry Boy‘s comment was pure sarcasm. When reading on the internet, you have to be cognizant of nuance, otherwise you’re liable to interpret statements 180 degrees from their intended meaning.
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You say what you mean and, you mean what you say. That wasn’t sarcasm ” “Phantom negro weapon” that statement was a mockery to this man who lost his life. I don’t see the humor in that. Who are you?
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I hate the rain on your parade I have not miss interpreted any statement from an 180 degrees from the intended meaning. This cop that made this statement is a pure racist and clearly does not have any regard for human life. The cop that made the statement he is the “phantom white weapon”. Now that’s sarcasm!
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@ Trina Walker
Cherry Boy and Richard_III are both referring to one of Abagond’s posts from 2012, “Phantom Negro Weapons”.
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Richard_III and Afrofem, thank you, it was not meant in any way to be offensive.
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So tired of this!
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