On March 8, 2013, El Paso Police Officer Jose Flores shot the handcuffed prisoner Danny Saenz in the sallyport of the El Paso County Jail. Mr. Saenz died at the scene.
The El Paso County District Attorney Jaime Esparza, notoriously coddling to law enforcement and elected officials, failed to secure even a charge of Reckless Endangerment against Officer Flores. DA Exparza couldn’t even get the Grand Jury to return a charge of Illegal Discharge of a Firearm in the City Limits.
DA Esparza allowed the unusual step of allowing Officer Flores’ attorney the opportunity to present evidence to the Grand Jury which decided to no-bill Officer Flores.
Since Officer Flores wasn’t convicted of any crime, he was allowed to return to the El Paso Police Department.
(Remember that the next time you see those flashing lights in your rearview mirror.)
Despite the fact that the video of Officer Flores shooting Mr. Saenz garnered national attention and was widely condemned, the citizens of El Paso were not outraged. The Chief Executive Officer for the political subdivision responsible for the El Paso County Jail, County Judge Veronica Escobar, gave no public statement. The County Commissioners Court was also silent.
Ms. Escobar is currently the U.S. Representative for Texas’s 16th congressional district, representing El Paso in the United States Congress.
The elected officials who ostensibly are responsible for the El Paso Police Department, the El Paso City Council, expressed no opinion regarding the cold blooded execution of a handcuffed prisoner at the hands of and while in the custody of an El Paso Police Officer. In fact, seven of the eight El Paso City Representatives voted against awarding the family of Mr. Saenz any monetary compensation.
Those, El Paso, are your elected officials.
None of the local media editorialized on the execution of a handcuffed prisoner in the custody of the El Paso Police Department at the El Paso County Jail. Well, we did. But none of the real more major media.
When the Spaniards first arrived in this region, they called the local indigenous peoples “mansos.” Tame.
Do you even vote?
As far as we know, Officer Flores is still on the force. And Mr. Saenz is still dead.
And, sadly, after all this time, we know that nothing will change.
lt’s moments like this that make me somewhat grateful that El Paso is a million miles away from the civilized world.
Thanks. I had a good beer buzz on and was fixin’ to listen to my old Moby Grape albums in the garage at full volume. Now this. There’s still some bourbon in the pantry.
What does this say about a community when this turns out to be one of the more “intelligent” comments in the 915 blogasphere? Congratulations Mr. Busch, you are now the official ‘Ambassador to the 915 Netherworld.’ You will be required to participate in that lame ass Thanksgiving Day Parade Float Fest. You will be placed between the Animal Control Assistant Director and the Chico’s Tacos floats.
I was reluctant to respond to your post but I really like the El Paso Thanksgiving parade. It gives me hope.
alcoholicsanonymous.org or 1 (800) get sober
I joined Alcoholics Anonymous. I didn’t stop drinking but I did change my name.
Mejor ser un borracho conocido que un alcoholico anonimo.
ln other words, there are 2 alcoholics trapped inside of one person. l might be mistaken, but l don’t believe that counts as one of the 12 steps. Face it, Tom. l AM the King of Stupidity, and l don’t plan on relinquishing my crown anytime soon. l have the same level of intellect as a bus load full of idiots, which is why l can take a sobering topic such as police brutality and morph it into this. l don’t need any other superpowers, l’m superpower-ish enough.