Date: 2020 June 8
APOK News:
Another week blows by and I find myself awed and shocked at what has transpired. COVID seems to be in the review mirror as protests continue to grip cities across North America. When writing APOK I never imagined that my novels would be coming to life… scary times.
The book tour is still cancelled, and the Writers’ Conference in Las Vegas has been postponed until next summer. With stores slated to reopen this coming weekend, I will keep you informed if tour dates begin to solidify.
I’ve been playing around with some photo shoots and working with different ideas. I have more planned and will begin rolling out the new promotional material soon. APOK III is shaping up to be great ride and these photo shoots are helping with the story ideas.
On a side note this past week I have spoken with many different organizations and getting a better grip on how to implement and roll out the charity. As things become known, details will be posted.
I hope everyone has a great week.
CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
Please record me! PLEASE! Several years ago I offered to be a test pilot police officer for constant audio and video recording during a shift. Unfortunately the powers that be did not want to start down this path. Reality sometimes is stranger than fiction and I wanted to capture it and show it to the world. I see this as an opportunity to disrupt the corruption within the criminal justice industry and provide a HIGH DEFINITION view of the crimes and the criminals involved. For too long, police officers have been under scrutiny by lawyers, media and community groups twisting and manipulating the facts and I wanted to show the realities of the street (however as I wrote in APOK I believe that by doing so, it will prevent corruption or capture it so it can be quickly and efficiently exposed and cut off).
Martin Luther King did not believe in BURN BABY BURN, he believed in BUILD BABY BUILD. So let’s build a better society, accountable at all levels. While strapping cameras on all police officers let’s do the same to all of our elected politicians and everyone anywhere paid tax money. Increase storage facilities that have cloud backups of computers and hold everyone accountable… whether that be a lazy person constantly surfing the net or someone conducting crime from government computers. They are paid tax money so lets ensure that they represent what we want in society and not fund those who don’t.
Build a bare-bones oversight investigation bureau for all government employees that has the ability to ebb and flow, grow and shrink pending circumstances. The leader of that organization should be elected / accountable only to the people and the rule of law, this helps to separate them from other politicians and prevents the cross corruption. The bureau should receive a fixed budget every year regardless of politics (again to fight against the control and corruption of politics) and have to account for each purchase and investigation.
As part of that oversight bureau let’s commence a tip line for persons to anonymously call in issues to bureau, as done in the community so to it be done within tax funded organizations. By combining the use of this tip line with the cameras and computer downloads, each investigation should be fairly quick and painless. While I advocate for people to hold their co-workers accountable, this tip line would serve those who feel they can’t. I believe it fair to say, whether you work at the local grocery store or within a government organization, revealing information about a co-worker can result in repercussions, being ostracized and general mistreatment. Lets create a place free of injustice. There is opportunity to do good if people focus their energy on established goals that are productive and positive.
Amidst the riots and protests I have heard of tens of police officers resigning (that is only what is being reported). With all of this negative media coverage, and call for disbanding and defunding police, I wonder how many of those armchair quarters backs complaining are willing and capable candidates to step forward to fill vacant uniforms and respond to “shots fired” and put themselves in harms way for perfect strangers? Within Chicago alone during a 24 hour period there were 18 murders, who among those calling for disbanding and defunding would respond and expose themselves to that danger and the internal conflicts that result after being in that situation?
Police are hired to help and maintain order. Police don’t make laws, they enforce them. In order to create change within society, society must change and hold each and everyone of us accountable to our actions. We must stop endorsing this victim mentality and begin demanding that true FAIRNESS be applied to all. Only when we are all held to the same standard can we move passed our past and embrace our future and all the prospects it holds.
Thank you.
Mike