Councilwoman Gloria Taylor launched a big speech that caromed from praise for the professionalism of the Police Division's presentation to her bona fides in public service to the police director's residency to one of the most thoughtless sentences I have heard in
Stating she remembered "a culture of disconnect," she said, "That's why we killed Officer Gleason."
I don't know whether the new recruits were still in the room, but I felt shocked that they or any sworn officers should have to hear those words from an elected official.
"How many officers of color do we have," she asked, then rambled on to something about "not a top-down boss mentality" before reminding the mayor that community members in the current controversy "didn't come to the mayor," but to the council.
In what seemed like a total non-sequitur after her prior remarks, she said, "Let's build community together."
As a former reporter, I am supposed to be somewhat hard-boiled and non-reactive, but this performance had my head spinning. I remembered the 2010 ceremony dedicating the memorial at police headquarters and hoped no one in the Gleason family would see the video of Monday's meeting.
Please take a look at my post on the memorial ceremony. It was a day of respect for police lives lost and hope for the future, despite the horrors of the past. If you happened to have been present Monday and need an antidote to the cruelty of Taylor's remark, maybe the blog post will suffice.
--Bernice
"That's why we killed Officer Gleason." ...... and exactly who would "WE" be Gloria ?? Amazing...simply amazing.
ReplyDeleteDisgusting and racist.
ReplyDeleteBernice, about the remark you found so chilling, I feel the same way. Gloria's bag of wind was wearing me down when she said, "That's why we killed Officer Gleason." The people I was around looked at each other, shocked and several were seniors like me who remembered the riot and the death. So SHE killed Officer Gleason? Or "we" killed Officer Gleason? Who is the we? As far as I know Gloria was living in Rahway in 1967 so what is she talking about? Her rhetoric was shameful and even her friends, of which I used to be one, are embarrassed for her, but not so embarrassed that we won't call out her increasing nastiness and vilification of every step forward this city has made. She ignored the fact that the police force is 55% African American and 9% Hispanic, which means that about 2/3 of our force is people of color. I was watching new Lt. Burgess and some of the other African American officers as Gloria spoke. I wondered what they were thinking. They go to work everyday and then have to hear her talking about how she was involved in killing a police officer almost 50 years ago. Her comments about the immigrant community especially Hispanics and West Indians, make her sound like Donald Trump. Gloria has been invisible for decades and just showed up on the public scene when Green resurrected her to be a councilwoman a couple of years ago. I am a third ward resident who hopes to God that Gloria does not embarrass herself further by running again. The presentation was very emotional for many of us, and we appreciate the work of the Plainfield police. As a woman of God, Gloria should know that her friends are looking at her and shaking our heads. How far she has fallen.
ReplyDeleteThat is not how Taylor meant it. As a writer and journalist you should know better. She was implying that the disconnect caused the community to become outraged and they committed a terrible act. She should never have went there but did not mean it the way you are implying.To all of Taylor's haters keep your Freakin comments to yourself and get a life. I could careless what you right or think.This is entertainment for me only.Your attacks on Gloria is like Trump's attacks on minorities.She is a strong Black Woman who speaks her mind and you good old boys cannot take it, good.
ReplyDeleteAgree with everything you said.
DeleteAgree with everything you said.
DeleteGloria is black?
DeleteNot only can the "good ole boys" not take Gloria, most blacks can't either.
DeleteThen why bring up the killing of officer Gleason? And we killed? Wth
DeleteOfficer Gleason was an awful person who shot an unarmed man right before he was killed. Taylor's words regarding that man do not offend me in the slightest.
ReplyDeletePlease review the facts and refrain from further assassination of an officer who was actually just trying to keep peace. He'd succeeded in dispersing the white motorcycle gang that was about to fight with Plainfield residents, and those residents refused to also disperse. Instead they threatened and eventually took his life in a cruel rage of violence. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Plainfield_riots
DeleteGet your facts straight .
DeleteOne of his daughters
Ignorance yet again
DeleteGloria Taylor is an embarrassment to the African-American community and all-around embarrassment to Plainfield.
ReplyDeleteShe is an ill-informed, patronizing, condescending and an all-out hateful individual who seems to think she can keep the tide from turning by uttering hateful rhetoric.
Gloria Taylor does not equate to what my image is of a Strong Black Woman: Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Maya Angelou.
Shame on Gloria Taylor -- 'Out, damn'd spot!'
Officer Gleason faced an surly mob in a failed attempt to maintain public order. Had the mob just dispersed and moved on as Officer Gleason directed he would have lived and those eventually prosecuted would not have gone to jail. Taylor's remarks undermine the good will and great efforts of caring, thinking people everywhere who want to make us one people.
ReplyDeleteGloria spouts hate and fear and will not run. There is no support for her in the City Democratic Committee. We have chosen those who will run an the Democratic ticket and Gloria is not one of them. Let's hope her Trump-like remarks stop. She is really embarrassing. Let's hope she is done.
ReplyDeleteWould Gloria have said the same words, and had the same attitude if Gleason was black? Don't ALL lives matter?
ReplyDeleteRob,and Bob, The way you hate Gloria is how we hate you two, the way you revile her , is how we revile you two. Lets see who can out hate, and out revile and see where that will get us.
ReplyDeleteBob and Rob are not spewing hate. They are legitimately calling out Councilor Taylor on her willful ignorance, political posturing, hypocrisy and race baiting. You are bringing hate into the mix here. Whether or not I agree with them on specifics, I believe that they are interested in the greater good of the city of Plainfield. Gloria Taylor, who is supposedly a public servant - representing and serving the people - comes across as self serving, willfully stupid, frequently deceptive and flat out wrong. And her shocking quote "that's why we killed Gleason" is pure hatred, violence and evil, not to be tolerated in a civil society. She should be forced to resign immediately. A strong black woman does not go there. That's the domain of the weak and fearful.
DeleteThanks for the above.
DeleteOfficer John Gleason placed himself between a rowdy group of the Pagan motorcycle gang members and a gang of neighborhood people to quell a pending violent confrontation. The pagans departed when Gleason told them to go. The Plainfield gang refused, surrounded Gleason, and in fear of his life he shot and wounded one of his attackers. Gleason was then stomped to death, by fists, kicks and being pounded with an empty shopping cart.
ReplyDeleteHis widow and three children might take some minor exception to the comment that he was an awful person. He gave his life to prevent people from injuring, perhaps killing, each other. PS The same gang had committed mayhem the previous day smashing windows and looting in downtown Plainfield. Let's tell it as it was.
Thank God I never told mom about this. She recently passed away. We have been through enough all these years
DeleteTo Anon 7:20PM, Rob and Bob, are old enough to speak for themselves. They do spew out hatred, and this is not the first time. Whenever they don't agree hatred comes out. Who are you to call Gloria Stupid she is probably smarter than most of you who hate her, she does not care about your name calling or hatred of her.The same people make the same comments all 20 of you do not faze her.
ReplyDeleteI will speak for myself. I do not care enough about Gloria Taylor a a person nor you in fact to even elicit a ounce of the word, HATE you are so comfortable using. She is a PAID PUBLIC SERVANT who has a job WORKING FOR THE PUBLIC... NOT her own self interests, or that of Jerry Green, or Sharon Robinson Briggs. She does open her big uninformed trap all too often simply to be heard, to be divisive or prove she thinks she's the HBIC. I waste not an ounce of emotion on that woman much to your chagrin. She spews racist vile statements and she justly should be called out on it. As another comment stated, she's lucky she's black or she wouldn't get away with half the crap that pours out of her mouth. I know PLENTY of strong black women, and they would be insulted you grouped them with the likes of her. I would not expect my comments to phase, shame or improve her.. Ignorance is rarely cured with facts or words, it must be cured from within. She's been around far too long living her life of "holier than though" to change what and who she is.
DeleteDitto.
DeleteIs Taylor related to Officer Reid ? Why does she only defend Officer Reid for his admitted wrongdoing and not all the officers involved? He will make more money being retired,so what is the real reason he does not want to leave ? Does Officer Reid want to set a example for other Police Officers that if you do wrong and are black you are entitled not to be punished and all you have to do is call City Council woman Taylor and she will cause an uproar so you will not have to be punished. But this will work only if you are a black Police Officer.
ReplyDeleteFor far too long we as a society have allowed the race card to be pulled whenever a decision is made and someone does not like it. This card is now the "joker" card rarely utilized,recognized or credible.
ReplyDeleteReid should take his punishment like the others. They are the "aces" and he is the "joker"
I am very familiar with that police department and remember when it was well organized and it's main focus was in fact good police work. It is a shame what happened to that PD. If it would go back to having police work as it's main focus, that would be a big welcome. It should not be about black or white but about what the people wearing the badge are supposed to be doing.
ReplyDeleteThe comment by that so called lady is shocking to say the least and is a big part of the reason why some officers are never held accountable. If the facts (not black or white) show Ken Reid did in fact do something wrong, he should be ashamed of himself, take his due justice and retire.
I feel saddened to see what that PD has become because the main focus of certain officers is not police work.
God bless Officer Gleason and his family. And to his family: Thank you for your father's services during a time when that City was at it's most volatile. I will never forget any of the officers that die in the line of duty for doing POLICE WORK and not focusing on anything else.
Here, Here!
DeleteThanks from his 2nd çhild
DeleteImagine if this comment came from a white politician against a black person. Al Sharpton and Taylor would be here until they resigned their job. There needs to be a call for her job.
ReplyDeleteAgreed
DeleteIn case you were wondering, ALL of the above comments are precisely why Plainfield can't move on and be the community we all envision. We're still stuck in a racial mind frame from 1967 while other communities, even other riot cities, have moved on.
ReplyDeletePeople need to step outside of this city and region more often and experience the progressive and freshness that other communities around the US offer. When you go to these areas you don't feel the constant racial aggression and differences pointed out (on both sides). You don't have petty arguing about something that happened 50 years ago. Instead, people actively engage in schools and community life to bring about a better place to live, not point out difference between your neighbors and folks on one side of the town versus another, or use your connections with elected officials or your buddy at City Hall to get out of your responsibilities to your community.
Clearly Blacks and Whites have a different opinion on the Gleason matter. Leave it alone. Let's instead talk about the development of our city, how to improve our schools, or how to develop stronger community partnerships, such as addressing crime and drugs at the community level. Let's start with the main roots of our problems.