In Saturday's Sun-Sentinel, there were two 1B stories regarding a "commissioner." Each was about Carlton Moore, who has been in the news a little bit too much lately. In one the articles, Brittany Wallman (I don't have to do a disclaimer anymore, do I?) and Brian Haas detail how the police failed to visit the mother of their shooting victime, Troy Eddines, for an entire week. Good story, but the headline is silly: "Fort Lauderdale commissioner blasts police for delays in talking to family of police shooting victim."
Did the Sentinel really have to put Moore front and center in this one? I mean, what the police did was wrong. The police admit that it was wrong (Chief Bruce Roberts actually apologized for the failure publicly at the infamous community meeting, though that wasn't mentioned in the article). Why pin the thing on Moore? Haven't we had enough of that dude not to have to manufacture more focus on him?
While Moore's criticism of police has been made a huge issue, Mayor Jim Naugle's seemingly automatic support of them hasn't even been mentioned. On that note, I obtained a letter from a Fort Lauderdale citizen named Wayne Adams to Mayor Jim Naugle regarding the recent police shooting:
Mayor, why do you and the police union think that the police are beyond being criticized? When you work in government you work for the people, I don't agree with Commissioner Moore actions but he has a right as a elected official to criticize the actions of the Fort Lauderdale Police Dept. Him and every black elected official who was at the Mizell center should be able to ask questions and get truthful answers about the death of Troy E. Who i might say was a criminal and i don't have to much sympathy for the two criminals, but the police Mr. Naugle cannot play Judge and Jury and executioner. The citizens of that area deserves answers. Why Mr. Naugle did you leave the meeting that night when commissioner Moore who arrived 36 minutes late for the meeting. The community needs the police and the police needs the black community. Why is it when the black community questions the actions of some policeman we all get painted with the same brush as ANTI-POLICE. everytime a police does something Mr.Jack L defends the policeman quick, the disrepect shown to the black community that night was wrong a small hot building, no sound system. The taxpayers deserved better and you stood at the back of the building. Your mind already made up you choose the police side and left.
Naugle's response after the jump
I do not have the facts to know what happened and think all of us should wait until the investigation is done. I did object to the commissioner prejudging the officers. Also, he needs to look at his own behavior and stop engaging in criminal activity (driving without a license). He is an embarrassment to the city.Jim
