Should Raphael B. Johnson be appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners?

Yesterday, on the way to the Tigers game, me and my father were listening to 97.1 The Ticket. They were discussing the appointment of Raphael B. Johnson to the Board of Police Commissioners. He ran for Detroit city council and lost in the primary.

It is well known that he has appeared on the Maury show many times and has a past criminal history that he has already served his time for.

Which brings me to this question stated above. I ask this question because of the already negative image Detroit has nationally. Wouldn't appointing a known felon tarnish Detroit even further?

I would love to hear your responses.

Is it possible for Detroit to sink to even lower depths than where it's at now?

Either we believe that those who complete their sentences are rehabilitated and able to join society in meaningful ways or we don't. Which is it?

Would his past convictions prevent him from becoming a Police Officer? If so, another question would be. Does the City need a Police Commissioner that doesn't qualify to be a police officer, due to ethical requirements, setting policy for the police department?

I'm all for rehabilitation and second chances. But a line of common sense has to exist.

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Originally Posted by kraig

Would his past convictions prevent him from becoming a Police Officer? If so, another question would be. Does the City need a Police Commissioner that doesn't qualify to be a police officer, due to ethical requirements, setting policy for the police department?

I'm all for rehabilitation and second chances. But a line of common sense has to exist.

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True, unless, of course, his role is to be a monitor of police treatment of those in custody and a voice for not a small number of city residents. as the article says..

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By charter, the five-member Police Commission is supposed to represent the community’s diverse interests. Detroit has tens of thousands of ex-offenders and parolees. Up to now, they’ve had no real voice on the board. Johnson will represent and inspire the dispossessed and dangerously disconnected. His appointment will improve police/community relations — even with those still in prison.

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He's walked a mile in those shoes.. to turn a phrase. If one believes that is a worthy goal of the board, seems like this is a worthy candidate.

I was oppose to Mr. Johnson running for City Council and that is why I didn't vote for him. He is a convicted felon and I don't support having felons running for public office. In fact, the charter commission should change that little mistake in the charter.

That said, I would have no problem for Mr. Johnson serving on the Board of Police Commissioners. This is an appointed position not an elected one. Mr. Johnson may be a felon but he too deserves a chance to serve in other capacities.

Call me crazy, but I generally feel like we can find other qualified candidates, other than a convicted murderer, to fill positions that have responsibility towards the public good.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Johnson on more than one occasion. He was supposed to be mentoring my students. I overheard Mr. Johnson using poor language choices in the presence of my students. In fact, it seemed that he was showing them the "cool" side of what was supposed to be an honest living. He flirted with several of my co-workers in the presence of our students. We really don't need anymore of this type of behavior going on. I think that we need to try to keep these folks out of the spot light. This man is not a good role model for our youth. Just because a man has a couple of vehicles with his face spead across the back window does not mean he needs to be running anything besides his own business. On to the next one...

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Originally Posted by bailey

Either we believe that those who complete their sentences are rehabilitated and able to join society in meaningful ways or we don't. Which is it?

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I thought ex-cons lost their rights to participate on matters like this.

Prisons don't rehab anyone. They are safe havens for the mentally ill, but mostly it's a holding tank for the irresponsible.

I would say no, but then I don't live in Detroit. Detroit doesn't need a person like this even of they were running for garbage man.

Yes, Raphael Johnson should be appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners. He has served his sentence and paid his debt to society. He has proven over the long term that he can live a crime-free and productive life. And he is uniquely qualified to give insight from the perspective of both the criminal and the normal citizen. In a city like Detroit, where crime is a major problem, he will be an asset. He should have the opportunity to fully participate in society.

The comments on here to contrary are representative of how we generally treat felons and why there is such a high recidivism rate in this country. If you don't give people the opportunity to work, be productive and become a part of the community, they go back to what they know -- committing crime. Of course, there are some folks who will never change. But there is a segment that can become productive with support. Mr. Johnson is a prime example.

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Originally Posted by dtwspartan

Yes, Raphael Johnson should be appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners. He has served his sentence and paid his debt to society. He has proven over the long term that he can live a crime-free and productive life. And he is uniquely qualified to give insight from the perspective of both the criminal and the normal citizen. In a city like Detroit, where crime is a major problem, he will be an asset. He should have the opportunity to fully participate in society.

The comments on here to contrary are representative of how we generally treat felons and why there is such a high recidivism rate in this country. If you don't give people the opportunity to work, be productive and become a part of the community, they go back to what they know -- committing crime. Of course, there are some folks who will never change. But there is a segment that can become productive with support. Mr. Johnson is a prime example.

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Congratulations for him in turning his life. However, one of those consequences for killing someone may just be that the public is going to be excited/willing to put you into office. No one is saying that he shouldn't work/be productive, but putting a convicted murdered in office is going to be unsavory to many, many people. It's another drawback and long-term consequence in making such a horrible decision as murder.

After a convicted pedophile has served his time and paid his debt to society. Would you let him care for your children? Like I said, there's still a line of plain old common sense that needs to come into play.

No. Johnson has always seemed to be a little fake to me, especially when he does his Malcom X & Minister Farrakahn impersonation. When he was running for city council I was averaging 4-5 texts per day stating "Raphael B. Johnson for city council". On election day I recieved approximately 10 text urging me to vote for Johnson. I have no ideal how his campaign got my phone number.

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Originally Posted by kraig

After a convicted pedophile has served his time and paid his debt to society. Would you let him care for your children? Like I said, there's still a line of plain old common sense that needs to come into play.

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Not a good comparision, we're talking about a hotheaded, immature teenager who made a terrible choice and is unlikely to do anything like that moving forward versus someone who has a personality/mental disorder who for the rest of his life will try to keep his urges in check.

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Originally Posted by firstandten

Not a good comparision, we're talking about a hotheaded, immature teenager who made a terrible choice and is unlikely to do anything like that moving forward versus someone who has a personality/mental disorder who for the rest of his life will try to keep his urges in check.

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I think it's a fair comparison. But why bother even arguing the point? If the powers that be decide that he is an appropriate choice for the board of Police Commisioners, so be it. Dateline cometh.

You know, some states execute murderers, here we make them....police commissioner?

Goddamm, I thought I used to get beat up a lot. A guy named Raphael? I say let's give him a chance.