At first, I was debating on writing this article due to the fact that different news articles and channels were saying different things, but just 20 minutes ago, the body cam footage was released so believe me when I say, everything I’m writing is true.
Derell Mickles, a 37 year old black man was shot in the Brownsville train station for jumping over the turnstile. Because of $2.90 and two pigs (NYPD officers), Mickles lies in a hospital bed with severe brain damage. So what exactly happened? That was hard to tell as we had to just go with what the NYPD said and as we all know, they are not trustworthy. I’ve watched the body cam footage from about three different news channels and this is exactly what I saw.
What Happened –
Mickles jumps over the turnstile, as many people do, and ends up leaving when the NYPD officers follow him. While he leaves, he has a knife in his hand. However, he doesn’t use the knife, instead he just comes back a few minutes later through the exit door. The second time he enters the station however, there is no footage and immediately cuts to the two NYPD officers chasing him up three flights of stairs. According to NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey a couple days go, “’At one point on the platform, the suspect said, ‘I’m going to kill you if you don’t stop following me,’”. ABC News now states that Mickles says “don’t touch me” and “don’t make me kill you.” However, these sentences are not audible. When inside the L train, Mickles pulls out the knife again. Mickles tells them to “get away” but instead they pull out taser which ends up to be ineffective. Mickles comes towards on officer when both officers simultaneously shoot at him as well as two bystanders and one of the cops.
Brownsville –
Now that we now the situation, lets break it down. The station in which Mickles was shot was a station in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Brownsville is a place where 37% of its 86,000 population is in poverty, 56% are rent burdened, 40% receives low income support, and 18% don’t have health insurance according to the New York City Gov Health Profile of Brownsville in 2015. A study done by NYU Furman Center found that the poverty rate rose to 39.1% in 2022 and only seems to be increasing. This is a place where according to a Gothamist article title “NYPD shooting that injured 4 followed fare evasion crackdown in NYC’s poorest area” Derrel Mickles being shot not only brings up the conversation about police brutality and racism, but it also brings up the conversation about class dynamics and the underfunded side of New York City.
New York City comes off as this luxurious place to people who aren’t from the city. When you think about NYC, most think about Times Square, Upper East Side, the movie shoots, etc. The NYC where Mickles was shot, the NYC that protests happen for, that’s the NYC that NYPD thrive at. Thats the NYC that people don’t like to think about. Thats the NYC that all of these headlines are forgetting to mention: The NYC that is systematically oppressed.
The Media –
Here are some recent titles regarding the shooting.
Family of man accidentally shot in NYPD L train shooting wants investigation
– CBS News
Kin of bystander shot in NYPD ‘friendly fire’ mishap slams cops as ‘reckless’
- New York Post
‘Going to kill you’: Cops shoot man accused of jumping subway gate in Brooklyn
- Pix11
Notice anything? Accidental shooting? Friendly-fire? The way they portray Mickles?
Headings like these are severely misleading and are deliberately designed for people to keep their trust in the police while black people take the fall for it. Many articles written about the whole situation have just completely left out the condition that Mickles is in right now. Most refer to him as “suspect” rather than his name. The blatant dehumanizing of someone who is currently in critical condition is beyond me. Not to mention our Mayor himself the horrid Eric Adams.
“Earlier today, one of our officers was shot while protecting our subway system. I am relieved to report he is in good condition now, and we have arrested the suspect who put so many lives in danger. I cannot thank these officers enough for their bravery.”
Not a single word is true. Not a single word. Cops lie, and cheat, and steal, and assault, and murder, and Eric Adams is a cop.
Free Public Transportation –
Now, before you get all offended, there’s something else you might find interesting. You know how people say “defund the police” during Black Lives Matter? Despite people saying fuck the MTA since the shooting, I haven’t heard anyone says defund the MTA. You want to know why that is? Because the same people that are saying fuck the MTA are the same people saying to fund the MTA more. Weird right? Let me put it into perspective for those who still don’t understand: if we were to fund the MTA rather than things that are a danger to us like the NYPD and genocide, we could make public transport free so things like this wouldn’t happen. So that people no matter how much they have in their pocket can get to where they want to without fearing their life.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Among the 14 major components of household spending, the largest percent increase in expenditures was in cash contributions (+14.1 percent). The next largest increase was in food (+12.7 percent), followed closely by a 12.3-percent rise in personal care products and services spending, and a 12.2-percent increase in transportation spending.”
12.2 percent increase in transportation spending for the average person. I could go on and on about the other expenses mention but this article is just about transportation so that’s all I’ll be covering.
A CNBC article from 2020 title Americans spend over 15% of their budgets on transportation costs—these US cities are trying to make it free, writes, “The New York Times estimates that 100 cities around the world offer free public transit, with many of them in Europe. But recently, cities across the United States have begun to consider it as well.” For anyone who doesn’t think its sustainable to have a free transportation system, here are some examples of cities with free services : Kansas City for buses since 2019, Alexandria in Virginia with their DASH system every weekday, Boston has some free bus lines, and many more. Of course there is plenty in Europe but I’m sure you already know that.
Public transport should be available to everyone. It makes people lives easier. For people that have to get to work, to school, to daycare. Transportation is something everyone needs but not something everyone has access to. Not only would it be helpful to people, but it would be much better for our planet. Rather than people continuing to buy cars and releasing more fossil fuels into the atmosphere, more people could use public transport which would significantly reduce the amount of fossil fuels released every single day.
Protests –
The moment the people heard about what happened to Derrel Mickles, the people did what they do best and organized. Hundreds of people in their kufiyyehs jumped over the turnstiles in protest while the police tried their best to stop it. As usual, the media portrayed them as a mob of animals going crazy. The truth is that the people want an end to police and military violence whether it’s right here in our train stations or in Palestine.