Stamford Police Terrorize Stamford Resident

If you don’t subscribe by RSS to the Stamford Advocate like I do, you might not know that Stamford Police stormed two Metro-North trains on Saturday and pulled off two young black men, in handcuffs. In typical cool Stamford style, the police captain told reporters, “We're right in the middle of something.” Weird! Exciting! I thought. Another post I’m working on (about extremes of rich and poor in Stamford) is taking forever, so I thought, I’ll post about the train station to tide me over, and I’ll call it “Crime? Train Station Drama.”

A Dec. 9 article filed at 7:18am Tuesday describes how police stormed the train— with guns. Passengers panicked when the train pulled up and they saw a crowd of police officers. The train was headed for Grand Central, and I’m sure it was packed with shoppers and families headed in for a fun day in the city.

Before I posted, I checked my RSS feed again and saw a Dec. 11 article titled “No charges filed after Metro-North train search”. When I read that article, my take on the “drama” changed.

What the first article didn’t say is that before they arrested the two men on that train, the cops stormed another train. On that train, again, cops were shouting and waving guns, passengers were screaming, and police ordered a man to face the train doors. The article describes how the man was so terrified by the guns pointing at him that he fainted. That man was Martin Speight, a Stamford resident, and Martin Speight was the wrong guy.

When I read this, first I was sad. Speight’s friend said Speight was so scared that he could hardly follow directions to keep his hands up- and that he was sobbing. Can you imagine taking the train home, or to see friends, and all of a sudden cops are screaming and pointing guns at you? I don’t think I’d ever be the same.

I also felt outraged. A passenger on that train said cops had mentioned a homicide suspect wearing a blue sweatshirt and a black coat, which was what Speight had on. HM. Really? That’s exactly what I wore to chorus rehearsal last night. And, I was probably wearing that on Saturday.

I guess cops were right to grab Speight. He matched the description and cops may have thought he was armed. However, if you ask me, the description “wearing really common outfit and black,” in a city where 15 % of residents are black, isn’t good enough.

What really makes me angry is that police did not even know the name of the man they had wrongly accosted. I’d certainly expect the first incident to be included in the official police report, and I’d sure as hell expect the traumatized person’s name to be in it. It’s a matter of respect. It’s a matter of acknowledging that if you mess up, and terrorize your own residents, you should at least know the relevant facts. Thank God for reporters. It seems like the police didn’t bother. I’m glad reporters did.

Speight is talking about filing a complaint. I think that’s the right thing to do. If that happened to me, and cops didn’t make a big deal about apologizing, I’d want something done. Would you want an apology if that happened to you? I’d want more than an apology, especially after I didn’t get one. I’d want publicity that tells the city what happened to me, and tells the city that police have trouble identifying black suspects. Most African-Americans have black hair, so that variable is out. If you’re black, and the right height, and wearing a black coat, you’re screwed.

Our neighbors shouldn’t have to deal with that.

Here’s some text from the article, which I think is excellent, written by Advocate staff writer Zach Lowe:
Passengers said they were terrified when the armed officers boarded the train. Some yelled "Get down!" as others ducked for cover. Several passengers said officers spoke about a homicide suspect wearing a black jacket and a blue hooded sweatshirt. Passenger Marvin Speight of Stamford said he will file a complaint against the police officers who pointed a gun at him and ordered him to put his hands up because he matched the description. Speight, 28, sobbed as two or three officers ordered him against the train door at gunpoint, said Speight and another witness. The officers did not explain why they singled out Speight and never searched his bag.

Speight fainted and fell onto his back, said his friend, William Foster, who was on the train with him. Once Speight got to his feet, the officers explained why they had acted aggressively and let him go, he and Foster said. Foster said Speight was so intimidated by the guns he had trouble following orders and had to be reminded to keep his hands over his head.

"It was wrong," Speight said. "Even if they were doing their job, it was wrong. It was traumatizing, and it was an experience no one should have to go through." Speight said he has called the NAACP and Al Sharpton's National Action Network.

Police defended the operation and said officers were right to approach Speight if he matched the description of a suspect believed to be armed and dangerous. They could not confirm Speight's account or identify him by name, but said the officers followed regulations. "That would be appropriate under these circumstances," said Lt. Sean Cooney, a department spokesman.

One last comment: I like the word "approach" in the last paragraph. I hope the Stamford police never "approach" me, especially if they're looking for a white woman with brown hair.