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Texas Newspaper Threatens To Print Addresses Of All Local Police Officers Following Death Of Unarmed Black Man

By Tara West
Published on: 10:22 PST, Feb 7, 2016

A San Antonio newspaper is threatening to print the names and addresses of all local police officers following the officer-involved shooting of an unarmed black man. Antronie Scott, 36, was fatally shot by a police officer who mistook the unarmed black man’s cell phone for a gun. Despite the officer claiming he thought Scott’s cell phone was a gun, as Scott was wanted on felony firearms charges, the San Antonio Observer editor-in-chief Stephanie Zarriello says that the San Antonio police department is nothing but a modern day “Ku Klux Klan” and that she believes that the police department is dangerous just like child predators. She believes that, like sex offenders, the police officers’ names and addresses should be released to the public. Therefore, Zarriello says she is considering printing the information in the San Antonio Observer in a bid to make officers’ home locations known to the public.

The Daily Mail reports that a San Antonio newspaper editor is outraged following the shooting of an unarmed black man in San Antonio. The editor-in-chief Stephanie Zarriello of the San Antonio Observer says that the shooting is a prime example of the “KKK”-type behavior of the local authorities. Her statements come as the San Antonio Police Department releases information about the officer-involved shooting of 36-year-old Antronie Scott. According to police accounts, Scott was wanted on felony firearms and drug charges and was being followed by an undercover police officer in plain clothing. When the officer was ready to make the arrest, he called for a uniformed officer to make the arrest in his place. Therefore, Officer John Lee responded to the undercover detectives calls and came to the scene. However, when Lee approached Scott, he thought he saw a gun in the man’s hands and claims he feared for his life.

Video of the incident allegedly shows Lee pointing his weapon towards Scott while yelling, “show me your hands.” However, it was noted that the shots were fired by Lee just a split second after he yelled for Scott to raise his hands, leaving many to believe that the man was not given enough time to comply.

As a result of thinking a gun was in Scott’s hands, Officer Lee shot Scott in the upper torso. However, once Scott was down, it was determined that the man was not carrying a gun but rather a cell phone. Lee had mistaken the phone for a gun and shot the man who was unarmed. Now, editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Observer, Stephanie Zarriello says that something must be done about the police department.

Zarriello says that the San Antonio Police Department is a modern day “Ku Klux Klan” and that they go to “great lengths” to ensure their identity and whereabouts are private. She says this secrecy is similar to the masks and hoods worn by KKK members and that she wants to expose the police department as she feels they are a public threa” similar to sex offenders.

‘Like Ku Klux Klansmen with hoods, [officers] do everything they can in order to protect their identities for fear of being brought to justice. Just as the names and addresses of sex offenders are publicized in order to protect the public from their wicked behavior, we feel that our community has the right to the exact same level of protection.”

Therefore, Zarriello says she may print the names and addresses of all local authorities in the paper in order to make the information public.

What do you think about the San Antonio Observer threatening to release the name and addresses of local law enforcement officers? Should that information be made public?

[Image via Shutterstock]

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