BSO *vs* Deerfield Beach District 2 Resident and Broward Judge Ilona Holmes

The Black Perspective Up Close And Personal Unbought And Unbossed! Challenging Authority!: Judge Ilona Holmes

Wow, hopefully some good can come from this.  I think they may have bitten off more than they can chew this time.  I hope she throws the book at them, literally!

I just had to comment first about the above article.  

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Broward-judge-ordered-by-deputies-come-out-with-your-hands-up-120755199.html

This article is about a black family cleaning up their house after Easter dinner, when they get a phone call alerting them that a burglar may be in their vicinity, then an ominous tap at a glass window.   When the shade was pulled up a man standing their with a gun pointed directly at them.  Scary!  Then one of the women inside the home fearing that the burglar is outside with a gun pulls her legal firearm and announces that she is "Broward Circuit Judge Ilona Holmes".  The individual at the window continues to point his gun at the women and then yelling for them to exit their home with their hands up.  All the while the woman with the gun, Judge Holmes,(fearing that this situation can easily get her and her family shot even though they are the victims) continues to announce who she is and that she is armed.  The residents exit from the side of their house and onto the lawn where they are greeted by several BSO Sheriff Deputies with guns, pointed directly at them.  Judge Holmes and her sister, Carmita, advise the police that they are the homeowners and that the woman with the gun is a Broward County Judge, but this did not deter the BSO deputies from treating these ladies like common criminals.  In fact, according to some reports, it seemed to anger the Deputies more.  Fortunately, for Judge Holmes, one of the high ranking BSO Sheriff Deputies recognized her and advised the other officers to lower their weapons.   This probably saved their lives because, it is sad to say this, but presently in Broward County and neighbouring counties the Police seem to have a questionable pattern of shooting first and then asking questions later, especially when they are called are in the black neighbourhoods.

The difference between this instance of obvious abuse of power that the police demonstrate and have been demonstrating for years towards Deerfield Beach District 2 residents and African-Americans in general is that this time they have done it to a Broward County Judge.  That Judge, just so happens to be a graduate of Deerfield Beach High School, and her sister a resident of District 2 (who admittedly has never had a run in with the law).  Maybe with this high profile volatile incident between a Judge of the Law (Ilona Holmes) and the on scene Judges of Fact (The BSO Sheriff Deputies), residents of Deerfield Beach District 2 may finally get an open-minded audience to hear their complaints about the BSO in Deerfield Beach.

I don’t think it is coincidental that little less than a month ago, Maximo Gordan, an African American male who had many run ins with the law prior to his arrest last year, gave testimony in front of the Deerfield Beach City Commission and Chief Sudler about the abuses of power that his deputies were involved in.  Apparently, either his words were not heeded or little to nothing was done and the result is this cluster**** (insert expletive here), which in many eyes, is a black eye to the BSO. 

This blogger thinks that all of the officers involved as well as those stationed in the City, should be mandated to take some form of racial sensitivity class, anger management, or something along those lines and the financial responsibility to cover the cost of which should be bore solely by the officers and not the taxpayers, who already foot the bill for the excessive abuses, as clearly demonstrated here to a Broward County Judge no less.

I can’t wait to see how this all plays out.  Hopefully, Judge Holmes will utilize any contact she may have in the Internal Affairs department down at BSO to have this matter and any other instances that may come up fully investigated.   It is also my fervent wish that she and all the other victims of Deerfield Beach BSO Sheriff Deputies attend the May 3, 2011 Deerfield Beach City Commission meeting, which starts at 6:55pm and tell her story.  If not for herself, but for the peace of all of those in District 2 that may have never spoken up without this incident shining light on the subject.

So, if any of you readers see Judge Ilona Holmes and/or her sister around town, please beg them to attend the CC meeting to share their story so our elected officials and City Management will hopefully finally take our warnings before this situation gets worse and people actually end up dead.  I would hate to think that is what it will take before something is done about this hot button issue.

*****I posted the following as comment on the above article link************

Well, hopefully this Deerfield Beach High School Alum (Judge Holmes) will take the plight of her people a little more seriously. Actually, hopefully the City will take the plight of the District 2 residents more seriously. This type of Shenigans and blatant disrespect and disregard happen on a daily basis in this town and complaints fall on deaf ears. Our residents do not want or ask for trouble with our police, but some for reason they always seem to find a reason to search us, stop us, question us, harass us. Well, I hope Broward County Judge Ilona Holmes and anyone else in Deerfield Beach will come to the Deerfield Beach City Commission meeting on Tuesday May 3, 2011 at 6:55pm and tell their stories. Poor Maximo Gordan of Deerfield Beach, he and others complained to our City's Chief at the last Commission meeting and it's obvious that nothing happened Maximo went to jail on some trumped up charges (just because he had a past) and now an actual Judge gets to see first hand what many of our residents deal with daily. This is a tale of the convicted criminal and the hononer Judged, both of whom Deerfield Beach BSO showed disrespect and disregard just because of the color of their skin.

Just to point out at the end their when Carmita is asking the officer who pointed the gun at her through a closed kitchen window...he said he felt threatened, is that a blanket excuse that they are being trained to use just so they can pull their sidearms and shoot first and ask questions later. I just sincerely hope that Deerfield does not end up like Miami. I have relatives out there grinding and I don't have time to be putting on the black suit every weekend just because a cop "felt threatened" and open fire on an unarmed individual, as so often happens.

Something needs to be done. racial sensitivity classes, anger management, something but it should be paid for by the officers, not the city or BSO.