Rochester, NY Police Chief James Sheppard; A Coward who Lacked Leadership Skills, Even at the End

By Davy V.

A disgraced Chief, James Sheppard chokes back tears,
during Wednesday press conference.

On Wednesday afternoon, Rochester, NY Police Chief James Sheppard, announced his retirement.

Officially this time.

You see, in October, Sheppard turned in his retirement papers.

Then, after changing his mind, withdrew them.

"I didn't want people to think that my turning in my retirement papers had anything to do with the election", Sheppard told Rochester news media Wednesday afternoon, at a press conference held at the Public Safety building.

"So, I withdrew my retirement papers."

"I wanted to do it on my time."

What a crock of shit.

The election Sheppard was referring to was that of Rochester Mayor.

In September, Rochester City Council President Lovely Warren won the Democratic primary, beating Rochester Mayor Thomas Richards.

It was no secret that Richards was perhaps Sheppard's biggest, if not only cheerleader.

It's no secret that Warren was not.

And so, after Warren won the primary, Sheppard knew that he did not have a future under a Warren administration.

Which is why Sheppard turned in his retirement papers in October.

The tensions between Warren and Sheppard were there all along.

The final straw seems to be a request by Warren and Rochester City Councilman Adam McFadden, the chair of Public Safety, to Sheppard, asking that he deploy an RPD Mobile Command unit to the Chili Avenue, Salina Street area, after a string of shootings, including a recent one where an 11-year old was shot along with two adults in front of a Chili Avenue laundromat.

Rochester, NY Police Chief James Sheppard,
with Mayor Thomas Richards.
"The White man's puppet."
How many minorities in Rochester viewed James Sheppard.

Sheppard ignored that request.

And on Wednesday morning, just as he had done countless times since being appointed Chief in 2010, Sheppard did two things.

He failed to be a man, and a leader, by refusing to take accountability and tell the truth.

And he lied to Rochester's Corporate-America run mainstream news media, by standing at the podium and saying that his "retirement" had nothing to do with the election.

Of course it did.

It had EVERYTHING to do with the election.

Sheppard may have fooled Rochester's lamestream news media, but those who who know Sheppard's m.o.., like myself, saw right through his load of crap.

In fact, I wasn't surprised at all.

That little man I saw b.s.'ing reporters, is the same coward, and failure of a man who was never fit to lead a police force.

You see, a true leader has LEADERSHIP skills.

Something Sheppard NEVER had.

A true leader has INTEGRITY.

Something Shepoard NEVER had.

A true leader has RESPECT.

Something Sheppard NEVER had.

A true leader is not a PUPPET.

Like Sheppard was.

As a black man, Rochester Police Chief James Sheppard will be remembered as a Chief who condoned and actually encouraged his disproportionately white police force, to racially profile, and abuse African-Americans and Latinos.

Like he did when Rochester Police officers Anthony Liberatore, Joseph Ferrigno, and Mitchell Stewart II pepper sprayed and beat Benny Warr, a wheelchair confined, one-legged amputee who was waiting for the bus at the intersection of Jefferson Ave. and Bartlett St.

The officers claimed that Warr disobeyed their order for him to move, even though he was in his motorized wheelchair, on a public sidewalk, waiting for the bus.

RPD Chief James Sheppard supported his officers' actions.

No surprise really, since the officers were actually enacting Sheppard's "Operation Zero Tolerance", where innocent citizens, including handicapped ones, are constantly subjected to illegal, unconstitutional stops, searches, seizures, and assaults.

As a black man, Rochester Police Chief James Sheppard will be remembered as a Chief who justified the beating of Brenda Hardaway, a pregnant African-American woman who was driven stomach first into a wooden porch railing post, punched in the head, and thrown to the ground by a white Rochester Police officer, Lucas Krull.

As Chief, James Sheppard will be remembered as a Chief who approved, and justified of RPD officer Mario Masic violating Emily Good's first Amendnent right, when he arrested her after she videotaped Masic conducting a factually profiled traffic stop of a black motorist.

But again, for those who know Sheppard, it's no surprise, coming from a coward.

A coward who called the modern-day firing squad execution of Israel "Izzy" Andino, a mentally-ill young man, shot by 7 Rochester Police officers, justified, before the investigation had even begun.

And Shame on Rochester, NY's lame stream news media for lauding Sheppard as some sort of hero, when he was nothing more than a failure!

Good riddance Chief Sheppard!

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