Comments on: Tension with students mitigated, police officer returns to Albany High School http://albanytoday.org/2008/11/04/tension-with-students-mitigated-police-officer-returns-to-albany-high-school/ News and stories on people in Albany, CA Fri, 17 Sep 2010 22:03:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Naomi http://albanytoday.org/2008/11/04/tension-with-students-mitigated-police-officer-returns-to-albany-high-school/comment-page-1/#comment-2727 Naomi Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:47:40 +0000 http://albanytoday.org/?p=673#comment-2727 This may be late, and i don't know where officer Belman is now. My family and Ihave known him for a long time. I just needed to set the record straight. He has been a decent human being, he is probrably just trying to do his job and trying his best to protect others. As for racial profiling that makes me laugh, he is not a racist. I know this for a fact, I grew up with him in high school in san francisco. How diverse can you get. Many students may say that he was racial profiling but i disagree. I am glad the school district was on davids side. This is ridiculous. Hope all is well david and your family. naomi This may be late, and i don’t know where officer Belman is now. My family and Ihave known him for a long time. I just needed to set the record straight. He has been a decent human being, he is probrably just trying to do his job and trying his best to protect others. As for racial profiling that makes me laugh, he is not a racist. I know this for a fact, I grew up with him in high school in san francisco. How diverse can you get. Many students may say that he was racial profiling but i disagree. I am glad the school district was on davids side. This is ridiculous. Hope all is well david and your family. naomi

]]> By: Micah Yee http://albanytoday.org/2008/11/04/tension-with-students-mitigated-police-officer-returns-to-albany-high-school/comment-page-1/#comment-1621 Micah Yee Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:31:03 +0000 http://albanytoday.org/?p=673#comment-1621 As a student of Albany High and as a student who signed the petition to remove Mr. Belman from being our SRO (Student Resource Officer) I am somewhat outraged at the outcome of these events. According to the article 530 students signed the petition to remove Officer Belman from campus and instead a request from nearly half the school's student alumni including a few teachers has been ignored. "Mitigated" is hardly a word that should be used considering students are still riled and infuriated about Omari's arrest. While this incident has sparked movement amongst the students of Albany High I am angered to see Mr. Belman still around campus when the option of removing him and replacing him with another officer has been ignored. He's slowly easing himself back into the Albany High community. While he may have individual meetings amongst small groups of students to discuss what had happened and how he can improve as our SRO I feel that this is a case of racial profiling and it really just goes to show what the Albany Police Department does in its spare time. I might want to add but there is a supposed rumor that the Albany police obtained a warrant to search Omari's home for "a stolen ipod". This claim comes around the same time as Omari's arrest. feel free to e-mail me at "micahaha@gmail.com " As a student of Albany High and as a student who signed the petition to remove Mr. Belman from being our SRO (Student Resource Officer) I am somewhat outraged at the outcome of these events. According to the article 530 students signed the petition to remove Officer Belman from campus and instead a request from nearly half the school’s student alumni including a few teachers has been ignored. “Mitigated” is hardly a word that should be used considering students are still riled and infuriated about Omari’s arrest.

While this incident has sparked movement amongst the students of Albany High I am angered to see Mr. Belman still around campus when the option of removing him and replacing him with another officer has been ignored.

He’s slowly easing himself back into the Albany High community. While he may have individual meetings amongst small groups of students to discuss what had happened and how he can improve as our SRO I feel that this is a case of racial profiling and it really just goes to show what the Albany Police Department does in its spare time.

I might want to add but there is a supposed rumor that the Albany police obtained a warrant to search Omari’s home for “a stolen ipod”. This claim comes around the same time as Omari’s arrest.

feel free to e-mail me at “micahaha@gmail.com “

]]> By: Albany Student http://albanytoday.org/2008/11/04/tension-with-students-mitigated-police-officer-returns-to-albany-high-school/comment-page-1/#comment-1610 Albany Student Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:52:20 +0000 http://albanytoday.org/?p=673#comment-1610 Ms. Shibano-I'm so glad a teacher witnessed this and is willing to speak out. Bellman has been harassing the students of Albany High ever since he was hired, but this time he crossed the line and he got caught. I'm curious to see what will happen in the future, if the school and police department will stay true to their words. Imani, Belman...what goon are they going to hire next to keep the school "safe?" Ms. Shibano-I’m so glad a teacher witnessed this and is willing to speak out. Bellman has been harassing the students of Albany High ever since he was hired, but this time he crossed the line and he got caught. I’m curious to see what will happen in the future, if the school and police department will stay true to their words. Imani, Belman…what goon are they going to hire next to keep the school “safe?”

]]> By: Ms. Shibano http://albanytoday.org/2008/11/04/tension-with-students-mitigated-police-officer-returns-to-albany-high-school/comment-page-1/#comment-1563 Ms. Shibano Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:31:34 +0000 http://albanytoday.org/?p=673#comment-1563 Hi.. I witnessed the incident with Officer Belman and Omari. Officer Belman's statement insinuating that Omari resisted arrest is false. Officer Bellman's statement indicates that there was physical resistance and that he needed an additional officer to "handle the situation". NONSENSE... Maybe Bellman did not know how to put on the handcuffs ... but there was no physical resistance on Omari's part. Officer Belman took Omari and placed him against the car when Omari was still in the process of getting out of the car. There was absolutely no indication of physical resistance on Omari's part. What I did note of one of the many officers that were on the scene, is that one came to the police car "after" Omari was already handcuffed and sitting in the back seat, and reached in and yanked Omari's hat off of his head and threw it on the ground. I was shocked at this behavior, which in my opinion, was absolutely unnecessary and could only be perceived as a form of intimidation and/or harassment. I have already written a letter stating my observation. which was hopefully passed on to the Superintendent of AUSD. It is my opinion that if Offficer Bellaman's intention is to calm the waters of his strained relationship with students, and some staff... he should start by telling the truth. Ms. Shibano Hi.. I witnessed the incident with Officer Belman and Omari. Officer Belman’s statement insinuating that Omari resisted arrest is false.
Officer Bellman’s statement indicates that there was physical resistance and that he needed an additional officer to “handle the situation”. NONSENSE… Maybe Bellman did not know how to put on the handcuffs … but there was no physical resistance on Omari’s part.
Officer Belman took Omari and placed him against the car when Omari was still in the process of getting out of the car. There was absolutely no indication of physical resistance on Omari’s part.
What I did note of one of the many officers that were on the scene, is that one came to the police car “after” Omari was already handcuffed and sitting in the back seat, and reached in and yanked Omari’s hat off of his head and threw it on the ground.
I was shocked at this behavior, which in my opinion, was absolutely unnecessary and could only be perceived as a form of intimidation and/or harassment.
I have already written a letter stating my observation. which was hopefully passed on to the Superintendent of AUSD.
It is my opinion that if Offficer Bellaman’s intention is to calm the waters of his strained relationship with students, and some staff… he should start by telling the truth.
Ms. Shibano

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