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In today’s episode of White Supremacy Was Always The Point, Washington DC’s police department has just reinstated two police officers who were convicted of the second-degree murder of a Black man who, in 2020, they chased down and caused the death of before tampering with evidence that pointed towards their guilt. In case you were wondering how it’s possible that cops who should be serving out their murder and obstruction sentences are even walking around free to be reinstated to any police department, well, they were pardoned by President Donald Trump, who signed the order at the behest of the police department, because cops routinely reinstating bad cops and then complaining about how cops are being thrown under the bus when it’s really only “a few bad apples” is pretty much the only way the racist system of policing has always worked.
According to CNN, the Metropolitan Police Department has reinstated Officer Terence Sutton and Lt. Andrew Zabavsky, who were both charged with multiple crimes related to the death of 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown.
MORE: Could Trump Pardon Cops Convicted Of Killing Black People? Yes And No
“Officer Sutton and Lt. Zabavsky have been reinstated. MPD does not comment on personnel matters,” a spokesperson for MPD told CNN.
It’s convenient that the MPD is unwilling to “comment on personnel matters” as if the public doesn’t have a right to know what kind of people they’re purportedly being protected and served by. But, sure, keep whining about how cops are being unfairly condemned by the people they (allegedly) risk their lives for.
From CNN:
Sutton was found guilty of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice and sentenced to 66 months in prison. The same jury found Zabavsky guilty of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice, and he faced 48 months behind bars. Zabavsky and Sutton received a “full and unconditional pardon” just days after Trump was inaugurated.
Prosecutors argued that in October 2020, Sutton and Zabavsky spotted Hylton-Brown driving a moped helmetless and pursued him at “unreasonable speeds” until he was eventually struck and killed by an uninvolved motorist.
As Hylton-Brown lay dying in the street, the officers covered up the incident, according to investigators, turning off their body cameras, tampering with the scene and misleading their commanding officers about the nature of the incident.
Defense lawyers disputed details about the encounter and argued the court threw out key evidence that gave the officers reasonable suspicion that Hylton-Brown was going to commit a crime. Kellen Dwyer, an attorney for Sutton, told CNN they expected to overturn the conviction on appeal.
So, just to recap: Two cops spotted a Black man riding a moped without a helmet, and, because that’s a citable safety risk, they decided to run down the moped motorist at “unreasonable speeds,” causing the man’s death, which one would think was the very thing they were trying to avoid. Then, as Hylton-Brown lay dying in the street, instead of doing everything they could to save his life, the cops decided their time would be much better spent covering up their crimes. And, of course, the cops’ lawyers argued their clients didn’t get a fair trial because they didn’t get to put the victim on trial for his own murder, which is virtually always a cop’s or vigilante’s lawyer’s go-to defense strategy.
Unsurprisingly, the MPD thanked Trump for the pardon and insisted that, despite the corrupt and explicitly illegal covering up of their crime, Sutton and Zabavsky were just doing their jobs.
“These members could never have imagined that engaging in a core function of their job would be prosecuted as a crime,” MPD said in a statement. “The Department recognizes the risks involved in vehicle pursuits, which are reflected in our pursuit policy. But violations of that policy should be addressed through training and discipline – not through criminal prosecution.”
The statement conveniently left out any mention of the cops tampering with evidence.
As we previously reported, the D.C. Police Union was critical of Trump’s blanket pardons for Jan. 6 Capitol rioters, but the union still knew it had a friend in the president, who, during his campaign, vowed to give police immunity from prosecution.
Trump’s pardoning of Karon Hylton-Brown’s killers could (and probably should) exacerbate concerns that he might pardon George Floyd’s murderer, Derek Chauvin, of his federal crimes, which white conservative goons like Elon Musk and Ben Shapiro have recently urged him to do.
This ain’t progress, people — it’s white supremacy being made great again.
SEE ALSO:
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Trump Claims Students Engaging In ‘Illegal Protests’ Will Be Arrested, Expelled Or Deported
MPD Reinstates Officers Trump Pardoned After Conviction For Murdering Black Man And Covering It Up
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