In an interview with the New York Daily News, the retired Tennis star James Blake, said that the officer who tackled him while he was standing outside a hotel waiting for a ride to the U.S Open, does not deserve to “have the same title as officers who are doing good work.”
“I want him to know what he did was wrong, and that in my opinion he doesn’t deserve to ever have a badge and a gun again, because he doesn’t know how to handle that responsibility effectively. He doesn’t deserve to have the same title as officers who are doing good work and are really helping keep the rest of the city safe.”
Blake was an apparent victim of “mistaken identity” by the New York police officer. He was tackled to the ground and arrested, then released after his identity was known. Blake is promising to use his celebrity status to bring to light a common police tactic of assuming that everyone is guilty and must prove their innocence.
The Mayor of New York and the Police Commissioner have issued formal apologies to James Blake.
“I’m lucky to be in the position I’m in, but I also talked to a lot of people the last few days that have had similar situations happen to them. Those are the people that deserve to be apologized to.”
James Blake is considering a lawsuit if changes aren’t implemented by the NYPD. Meanwhile, the officer, James Frascatore, who is white by the way, has been placed on desk duty.
