A Marine's message to America's police

2015-06-15T16:57:53-04:00

Originally published by "1 Marine Vs. 30 Cops" on YouTube:
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Sgt. Shamar Thomas USMC Veteran: "I took an Oath that I live by. I am NOT anti-NYPD. I am anti- Police Brutality. I am no longer under contract with the USMC so I do NOT have to follow military uniform regulations. I DON'T affiliate myself with ANY POLITICAL ORG. I affiliate myself with the AMERICAN PEOPLE that's it. I REFUSE to affiliate with anything that SEPARATES. There is an obvious problem in the country and PEACEFUL PEOPLE should be allowed to PROTEST without Brutality. I was involved in a RIOT in Rutbah, Iraq 2004 and we did NOT treat the Iraqi citizens like they are treating the unarmed civilians in our OWN Country. No one was brutalized because our mission was to "WIN the hearts and minds", why should I expect anything less in my OWN Country. I DO NOT SUPPORT WAR. If you don't like this video or my beard. Then SUPPORT A WOUNDED WARRIOR!...And a desert marpat blouse is not a uniform"
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United States Marine Corps. Sgt. Shamar Thomas from Roosevelt, NY went toe to toe with the New York Police Department. A gun violence and police brutality activist, Thomas voiced his opinions of the NYPD police brutality that had and has been plaguing the #OWS movement.

Thomas comes from a long line of people who sacrifice for their country: Mother, Army Veteran (Iraq), Step father, Army, active duty (Afghanistan), Grand father, Air Force veteran (Vietnam), Great Grand Father Navy veteran (World War II).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmEHcOc0Sys
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What do you think about his statements?

1 Marine vs. 30 Cops: Sgt. Shamar Thomas (By. J. handy)

Facebook. Sgt. Shamar Thomas https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sgt-Shamar-Thomas/266507206721621?ref=hl Instagram. SgtShamar https://instagram.com/sgtshamar/ Tw...

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jun 15 at 2015 5:08 PM

2015-06-15T17:08:58-04:00

I think he is allowing his race to set his viewpoint rather than the facts on the ground.

The police were just standing there and asking people to keep moving along - he was the one losing control and trying to incite the crowd, IMHO.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 5:17 PM

2015-06-15T17:17:32-04:00

Police brutality during the occupy protests was severely under-reported.

As to his statements, I see nothing wrong with any of them. I even agree with him.

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Jun 15 at 2015 5:17 PM

2015-06-15T17:17:54-04:00

He is very passionate about what he is saying! He has the freedom of speech, but at some point there comes a time when disturbing the peace is still disturbing the peace.

Response by Sgt David G Duchesneau made Jun 15 at 2015 5:19 PM

2015-06-15T17:19:19-04:00

His statements were good but he could of toned it down. He did have the press on his side. He did not have to keep yelling like he was out of control. He would of got his point across and would of looked a lot more professional without the yelling. In the end, he did as the Police suggested and walked away without incident.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Jun 15 at 2015 5:30 PM

2015-06-15T17:30:16-04:00

I get the emotion. I get the vitriol. There is a certain point where calm discussion doesn't work anymore.

Every man has his breaking point, and I think he had just reached his. Unfortunately, we lack so much context with just this singular video.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 6:25 PM

2015-06-15T18:25:46-04:00

I THINK that I not being there and NOT watching his video of what was taking place and what he was describing his personal feeling that he is definitely a canidate for Post Traumatic Stress Therapy. But at the same time he should have acted as a Marine NCO who knew what is right from wrong. His heart may have been in the right place , but not his frame of mind. For once the NYPD just let him blow off some steam. I think other Marines or Marine Veterans who could have been in this area should had come to his aid and stop his nonsence. But then again I was not there. I HAVE A Question? To all Marines active or not, what the heck is going on???. Come on, Iv'e been retired now 21 years, 6 months, 15 days from the Marine Corps. But this kind of Hype is not Professional At All. Especially for Marines. Just MY Opinion. S/F, JK

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 6:32 PM

2015-06-15T18:32:26-04:00

Personally, I needed context. I understand how someone could be passionate about their fellow citizens, but from the video alone, I saw cops listening and calmly asking the protesters to move down the road.

Response by PO2 Mick Keyes made Jun 15 at 2015 6:46 PM

2015-06-15T18:46:38-04:00

At the very least, it's disturbing the peace. My hat is off to the officers for maintaining the peace. I hope he seeks assistance for his anger management or possible PTSD.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 6:58 PM

2015-06-15T18:58:59-04:00

There is no comparison and police are duty bound to control rioters, not win their hearts and minds. This guy has no idea what h is talking about and that is proven by his belief that thugs in ferguson looting stores are the same thing as the military in any given city in Iraq during a war.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 8:00 PM

2015-06-15T20:00:50-04:00

I know this may come as a shock to several people, but Law Enforcement is also Anti-Police Brutality. I'm not surprised this hasn't been mentioned. The last statement was intended for sarcastic purposes only.

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Jun 15 at 2015 8:02 PM

2015-06-15T20:02:03-04:00

I'm actually amazed that overall the NYPD showed amazing restraint here. If it weren't for the huge amount of outcry right now over white cops shooting black unarmed citizens, he would have been eating asphalt.

I also thought it was pretty humorous seeing the "pencil-neck" white shirt talking in a megaphone. Cop novels everywhere have lots to say about white-shirts like that guy. BTW, how did he become a white-shirt in NYPD with no service medals? Pretty amazing to me, that he got promoted the way he did...

Thomas said what needed to be said - more people need to say that message, and avoid going to the violence that happened in Baltimore and Ferguson. The riots just hurt the cause, imho...

Response by SFC Jason Hodge made Jun 15 at 2015 8:05 PM

2015-06-15T20:05:08-04:00

Unacceptable behavior when you don't know all the facts and you react on emotional responses, especially in his services uniform. Clearly not how NCO's are taught to act. He obviously didn't learn how to effectively deal with a situation that he doesn't agree with.

Response by SFC Jason Hodge made Jun 15 at 2015 8:09 PM

2015-06-15T20:09:40-04:00

The other issue, he is taking up his cause with rank and file officers that do not make policy. Not that they are just following orders but they are doing what is legally right. It's like yelling at a bunch of lower enlisted for something the commander told you to do. Very pointless and very emotion driven.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 9:20 PM

2015-06-15T21:20:17-04:00

Seems like showing up in your service uniform to yell at guys trying to keep the peace is just trying to get attention by the media. I don't think it's right to abuse the uniform for your selling point to what you believe

Response by SSG Brian Kresge made Jun 15 at 2015 10:11 PM

2015-06-15T22:11:15-04:00

This guy makes a lot of controversy, up to and including his stint on Survivor. This video goes back to Occupy Wall Street. Earlier this year, he was supposedly on suicide watch at a VA hospital.

I don't know the nature of his service, but I always prefer to assume the best about service members. I wish him hope and healing.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 11:46 PM

2015-06-15T23:46:42-04:00

Where is the police brutality that he is so enraged by. I see a large number of officers calmly standing by and being berated by a man who is improperly wearing the uniform of the USMC. I applaud his service and value his opinion, however not every officer in or out of uniform is a good or bad person. There's bad apples in every profession and to sit there and verbally abuse those officers unless you have seen them be brutal without justification is part of the problem. He is right, the U.S. Is not a war zone. But those officers battle evil every day, much the same way as our military members do in war zones all over the world. There is one major difference between the military and police officers though... Police are recorded and scrutinized by the court of public opinion, without regard for the safety of the officers in some cases. I have seen the best of times and some bad times as both an officer of the law and a member of the military. If everyone acts like they are being watched by God all the time and behaved accordingly the world would be a bit better.

Response by Cpl Anthony Pearson made Jun 16 at 2015 1:28 PM

2015-06-16T13:28:14-04:00

There is a right way, and a wrong way. I believe his demeanor was doing more to incite a riot and create a situation than it was to protest.

Sure, there are bad cops in the world. They should be ousted and prosecuted and thrown in jail. There are also VERY GOOD COPS who are put in situations that demand aggression, force, quick responses. When that happens, people get hurt and/or killed.

If people wouldn't commit crime, or threaten others, we wouldn't need heavily armed police. We wouldn't need aggression to thwart the bad guys and calm a situation. There would be less 'accidental' or intention death from those who are serving to protect us.

Anyway, I'm a jarhead and disagree with this guy. My spidey-sense is also wondering if he actually served. Maybe, maybe not.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 16 at 2015 4:04 PM

2015-06-16T16:04:24-04:00

I am of the opinion that regardless of if you are active military or not, if you wear the uniform then wear it with dignity. Don't use it as a prop to get your point across. You may not be subject to UCMJ or as he put it "he's not under contract with the USMC" anymore but wear your uniform with pride. If you are putting that uniform on you are representing the service it belongs to whether you belong to that service anymore or not. I still wear old green camo bdu's but I have taken all military associations off of them so as not to confuse anyone into thinking that I am representing a service while I am out in the woods on a four wheeler or camping. He has earned the right to wear that uniform from what I understand, but apparently he didn't learn to respect it properly or he wouldn't look like he pulled it from the bottom of his laundry basket and put it on while he was drunk in the dark. I agree with some of his statements but they don't apply to all officers of the law. The bad apples should definitely be punished but not every cop is evil just like not every criminal is a thug.

Response by LCDR Bruce Cooley made Jun 17 at 2015 11:24 AM

2015-06-17T11:24:41-04:00

He is right....however, the police have the right to be able to have some assurances that the crowd will not kill them as well. It is a delicate subject without an easy answer. the long and the short of it is, that most of the time violence in these 'protests' is generated by one or two 'bad actors' trying to get something sensational to further emasculate the law enforcement entities. So....the question becomes, how do you get these 'bad actors' isolated from people who are truly protesting?? .....and there is the crux of the problem.

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 18 at 2015 10:34 PM

2015-06-18T22:34:06-04:00

My opinion of this video, well I'll just keep those thoughts to myself. But here's a question, does this dude just randomly walk around with a ribbon rack on an unzipped blouse? Obviously he chose to wear that not knowing he would have this runnin. What is he trying to prove? I get he's not in the service so uniform doesn't apply blah blah blah. He clearly doesn't respect the uniform he once served in. I remember my first beer.

Response by MSG Robert Mills made Jun 18 at 2015 11:18 PM

2015-06-18T23:18:55-04:00

Ok Veterans the lot of them, what does that mean exactly I suppose that means that we can bash our LEO and talk trash like a thug then instead of handling things like a professional. No lets stand there and yell at the police for doing thier duty, not so smart and good show of respect for people. Nobody was listening lol, I certainly was entertained at the least lol...

Response by SPC Gable Jackson Jr. made Jul 15 at 2015 10:02 AM

2015-07-15T10:02:25-04:00

Thanks for the Truth!!!! I am a Veteran, I remember!!!!!!!