Dustin Stone, Martin Hoover
An Oregon police officer, who chose to cross the "thin blue line" and alert authorities after his department's police chief disparaged a black woman who had filed a discrimination complaint, is now receiving death threats.

Officer Dustin Stone, of the Clatskanie Police Department, now fears for his life for following his moral code and deciding to be a "good cop." The incident began after him and officer Zack Gibson reported an incident in which Clatskanie Police chief Martin Hoover is accused of making openly racist remarks. Hoover was also seen dancing like a monkey, making howling noises and pounding his chest, according to the officers.

As is too often the case when an officer speaks out against another cop, Stone's life is now being threatened and he fears for his family's safety.

"I've received death threats, a tire flattened with a nail on my driveway. My kids, they're afraid to go outside," Stone told KOIN-6.

Stone stands by his decision even in the face of the threats to his family's safety, and claims he felt he was doing his duty as a Christian.

"I had to do this. I had to," Stone said.

Under fire for his racist behavior, Hoover resigned, but now Stone has become the target of those that are angry he spoke out against the chief's racist display.

The harassment led the City of Clatskanie to release a statement telling residents to "respect the rights of the individuals who brought this matter forward," according to the NY Daily News.

You know it's bad when the city has to release a statement stating:
"The City regrets that this incident occurred and supports that the matter was reported."
According to report by the NY Daily News:
Stone and Gibson alleged Hoover also sang a Confederate battle song called "Dixie" when his squad debriefed him about a black woman's threat to sue the force for discrimination after she was arrested for disorderly conduct.

The incident took place in the police station's break room on June 25.

Stone said he began telling his boss about the woman's remarks, such as "When you look at me, my black skin and my nappy hair, all you see is an animal."

Hoover cut him off and said, "That's what she is," Stone wrote in the incident report.

Then, the chief started to "act like a monkey," placing his hands in his armpits and scratching them while making loud monkey sounds, Stone said.
Some people mistakenly believe the "thin blue line" represents the line between criminals and law-abiding citizens. Those people couldn't be more wrong, as this fictional divide actually represents the division between those granted the state's monopoly on the use of force and everyone else.

It's a creation meant to protect and insulate the institution of policing from any transparent oversight and accountability, while allowing for an elitism that portends superiority of one group over another.

The threats against this courageous officer, who took a stand against his superior officers vile behavior, reveals exactly what happens when good officers choose to hold their own accountable and cross that line.

If cops truly want to change the way the public feels about police, the simple solution is to purge the crooked rights violating cops from every department across America.

While there will always be some that will simply hate police for what they represent, one can be certain that the vast majority of people would begin to see officers in a much different light. As it is we have scores of thieves, rapists and murders policing our streets alongside those that actually serve to better their community.

There should be no imaginary line separating the public from the police, as they should be one and the same.

Please share this story in hopes of motivating other cops stand up to the tyranny of the system; don't stand idly by and allow fellow officers to violate the rights of innocent people. Changing the perception of cops begins by cleaning house.

It's time for police across America to stand up and show the courage shown by officer Dustin Stone.


Jay Syrmopoulos is an investigative journalist, free thinker, researcher, and ardent opponent of authoritarianism. He is currently a graduate student at University of Denver pursuing a masters in Global Affairs. Jay's work has been published on BenSwann's Truth in Media, Truth-Out, AlterNet, InfoWars, MintPressNews and many other sites. You can follow him on Twitter @sirmetropolis, on Facebook at Sir Metropolis and now on tsu.