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Dorner’s manifesto

Posted at 9:14 PM, Feb 13, 2013
and last updated 2013-02-13 22:00:30-05

By Mallory Simon (CNN) — Cop killer suspect Christopher Jordan Dorner published an 11-page manifesto, apparently seeking to explain or justify murder. Dorner, a former police officer and trained marksman, is now being hunted by police in Los Angeles and across Southern California. They say he’s already taken three lives, including that of the daughter of a police chief he felt had wronged him. Targeting the children and spouses of officers is one of many specific threats Dorner makes.

Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck addressed the manifesto at a news conference on Thursday when a reporter commented that Dorner was blaming the LAPD for his actions. “You’re talking about a homicide suspect who has committed atrocious crimes. If you want to give any attribution to his ramblings on the Internet, go right ahead, but I do not.”

Following are excerpts from the manifesto, with detail and analysis to put it in as much perspective as we can. We’ve replaced slurs and curse words with asterisks; Dorner spelled them out. We have not corrected his spelling and grammatical errors.

A more unedited version can be read here, on KTLA.

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“I know most of you who personally know me are in disbelief to hear from media reports that I am suspected of committing such horrendous murders and have taken drastic and shocking actions in the last couple of days. You are saying to yourself that this is completely out of character of the man you knew who always wore a smile wherever he was seen. I know I will be villified by the LAPD and the media. Unfortunately, this is a necessary evil that I do not enjoy but must partake and complete for substantial change to occur within the LAPD and reclaim my name. The department has not changed since the Rampart and Rodney King days. It has gotten worse. The consent decree should never have been lifted. The only thing that has evolved from the consent decree is those officers involved in the Rampart scandal and Rodney King incidents have since promoted to supervisor, commanders, and command staff, and executive positions.”

It isn’t known when Dorner wrote this, whether it was before or after the murderous rampage he’s accused of began. It starts as a way to explain himself, to try to justify his actions by saying he felt it was his “last resort.” He used that term in the subject line of this manifesto that was addressed to “America.” It, in many ways, acts as the preface to his story. It is a story that is at times a rambling, angry airing of personal grievances that he thinks led to his firing. At other times, it reads as the grandiose doctrine of a man who believes he is a revolutionary and the last hope to save what he deems to be a police department so corrupt that murder was the sole way to stop the rot.

Dorner’s claims of corruption and bias against the LAPD wouldn’t be the first, but his level of detail, the fits of rage, and the blunt and violent nature of how he intends to rectify it — through a murderous rampage — are stark and shocking.

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“Unfortunately after reporting it to supervisors and investigated by PSB (internal affairs investigator) [redacted] nothing was done. I had broken their supposed “Blue Line” …

It is clear as day that the department retaliated toward me for reporting Evans for kicking [the victim]”

This seems to be the impetus behind Dorner’s rage. Throughout his manifesto, he returns to the actions of one specific officer whom he reported as abusing a suspect, but nothing, he says, was done. He claims the officer and others lied to protect the truth. It seems to be Dorner’s belief that he was fired because of this, and it seems to be the spark for his larger anger toward the department.

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“During this BOR hearing a video was played for the BOR panel where [the victim] stated that he was indeed kicked by Officer Evans (video sent to multiple news agencies). In addition to [the victim] stating he was kicked, his father [redacted], also stated that his son had stated he was kicked by an officer when he was arrested after being released from custody. This was all presented for the department at the BOR hearing. They still found me guilty and terminated me.”

Throughout the manifesto, Dorner tries to enlist support for his cause and gives instructions, this time asking the media to cover his case.

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“At that point I jumped over my front passenger seat and two other officers where I placed my hands around [redacted] neck and squeezed. I stated to [redacted] “Don’t fucking say that”. At that point there was pushing and shoving and we were separated by several other officers. What I should have done, was put a Winchester Ranger SXT 9mm 147 grain bullet in his skull and Officer [redacted] skull. The Situation would have been resolved effective, immediately.”

Dorner says this unrelated incident came after he heard another officer call someone else a “n****r.” Dorner confronted him, but the officer said he’d say it as often as he wanted. Dorner, who is African-American, is very clear in his writing that he should have solved the problem permanently with murder. It’s also a sign that he’s been violent against colleagues.

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“I was the only black kid in each of my elementary school classes from first grade to seventh grade in junior high and any instances where I was disciplined for fighting was in response to fellow students provoking common childhood schoolyard fights, or calling me a n****r or other derogatory racial names. I grew up in neighborhoods where blacks make up less than 1%. My first recollection of racism was in the first grade at Norwalk Christian elementary school in Norwalk, CA. A fellow student, [Jim] if I can recall, called me a n****r on the playground. My response was swift and non-lethal. I struck him fast and hard with a punch an kick. He cried and reported it to a teacher. The teacher reported it to the principal. The principal swatted Jim for using a derogatory word toward me. He then for some unknown reason swatted me for striking Jim in response to him calling me a n****r. He stated as good Christians we are to turn the other cheek as Jesus did. Problem is, I’m not a f***ing Christian and that old book, made of fiction and limited non-fiction, called the bible, never once stated Jesus was called a n****r. How dare you swat me for standing up for my rights for demanding that I be treated as a equal human being. That day I made a life decision that I will not tolerate racial derogatory terms spoken to me. Unfortunately I was swatted multiple times for the same exact reason up until junior high.

“Terminating me for telling the truth of a caucasian officer kicking a mentally ill man is disgusting. Don’t ever call me a f***ing bully. I want all journalist to utilize every source you have that specializes in collections for your reports. With the discovery and evidence available you will see the truth. Unfortunately, I will not be alive to see my name cleared. That’s what this is about, my name. A man is nothing without his name.”

Dorner’s story of discrimination when he was a child and his initial inclination to use force parallels how he talks about handling the problems with those in the LAPD who he believes have done the same to other citizens.

He also begins to talk about his “name” and what it means to him to clear it, a central theme in his manifesto. He wants people to know he is far from the bully he was declared to be at the LAPD for reporting something he thought was wrong. And he begins to detail his plan to clear that name, to justify what he has done and what he plans to continue doing: killing until the truth is made clear.

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“I have exhausted all available means at obtaining my name back. I have attempted all legal court efforts within appeals at the Superior Courts and California Appellate courts. This is my last resort. The LAPD has suppressed the truth and it has now lead to deadly consequences. The LAPD’s actions have cost me my law enforcement …They cost me my Naval career … I lost my position as a Commanding Officer of a Naval Security Forces reserve unit at NAS Fallon because of the LAPD. I’ve lost a relationship with my mother and sister because of the LAPD. I’ve lost a relationship with close friends because of the LAPD. In essence, I’ve lost everything because the LAPD took my name and new I was INNOCENT!!!”

Dorner seems to be saying he has exhausted all options to prove that he is not the man he’s been made out to be through his termination. He has lost everything he believes is important. While we may not know what set off this powder keg, his writing gives the impression that he feels he has nothing personally to lose, so he might as well try to fix things by any means necessary.

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“I’m not an aspiring rapper, I’m not a gang member, I’m not a dope dealer, I don’t have multiple babies momma’s. I am an American by choice, I am a son, I am a brother, I am a military service member, I am a man who has lost complete faith in the system, when the system betrayed, slandered, and libeled me. I lived a good life and though not a religious man I always stuck to my own personal code of ethics, ethos and always stuck to my shoreline and true North. I didn’t need the US Navy to instill Honor, Courage, and Commitment in me but I thank them for re-enforcing it. It’s in my DNA.

Self Preservation is no longer important to me. I do not fear death as I died long ago on 1/2/09. I was told by my mother that sometimes bad things happen to good people. I refuse to accept that.

From 2/05 to 1/09 I saw some of the most vile things humans can inflict on others as a police officer in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the streets of LA. It was in the confounds of LAPD police stations and shops (cruisers). The enemy combatants in LA are not the citizens and suspects, it’s the police officers.

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones. How ironic that you utilize a fixed glass structure as your command HQ. You use as a luminous building to symbolize that you are transparent, have nothing to hide, or suppress when in essence, concealing, omitting, and obscuring is your forte.”

Dorner writes at length that he’s one of the “good guys,” driven to do something extraordinary because of what has been done to him, not because of any innate evilness. It seems he wants to be thought of as a principled, ethical man, not a murderer. If there are “bad guys,” they’re inside the LAPD. Despite all his honorable service and the horrors he’s seen, from the military to the streets of Los Angeles, he calls out the LAPD as the worst of them all, likening them to terrorists.

And that is why, he says, the LAPD can try to hide, but he won’t stop. And he’s not afraid to die for it: In Dorner’s mind, he died on the day he was fired and what he saw as injustice began.

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“I’ll be waiting for a PUBLIC response at a press conference. When the truth comes out, the killing stops.”

“The attacks will stop when the department states the truth about my innocence, PUBLICLY!!! I will not accept any type of currency/goods in exchange for the attacks to stop, nor do i want it. I want my name back, period.”

Dorner has made his brazen threats clear. He will not stop, and the bloodshed will continue unless his name is publicly cleared. He wants the attention of the highest ranks of the department he so despises, it seems, and is intent on getting it.

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“This department has not changed from the Daryl Gates and Mark Fuhrman days. Those officers are still employed and have all promoted to Command staff and supervisory positions. I will correct this error …

“The blue line will forever be severed and a cultural change will be implanted. You have awoken a sleeping giant.

“I am here to change and make policy. The culture of LAPD versus the community and honest/good officers needs to and will change. I am here to correct and calibrate your morale compasses to true north.”

Dorner’s larger crusade against the LAPD seems clearly centered on his personal termination, but he views it as an example of a corrupt culture. He references Gates, the former chief of the department during the Rodney King beating case, and Fuhrman, a detective who called O.J. Simpson a n****r but denied doing so. He seemingly wants to remind people of past problems involving the police and convince them nothing has changed, that the LAPD is still rotten at the core.

He makes clear in his haunting statements that he will do what in order to “correct and calibrate” the compass of the LAPD, however high of a body count is necessary.

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“Those Caucasian officers who join South Bureau divisions (77th,SW,SE, an Harbor) with the sole intent to victimize minorities who are uneducated, and unaware of criminal law, civil law, and civil rights. You prefer the South bureau because a use of force/deadly force is likely and the individual you use UOF on will likely not report it. You are a high value target.

“Those Black officers in supervisory ranks and pay grades who stay in south bureau (even though you live in the valley or OC) for the sole intent of getting retribution toward subordinate caucasian officers for the pain and hostile work environment their elders inflicted on you as probationers (P-1′s) and novice P-2’s. You are a high value target.

You perpetuated the cycle of racism in the department as well. You breed a new generation of bigoted caucasian officer when you belittle them and treat them unfairly.

“Those Hispanic officers who victimize their own ethnicity because they are new immigrants to this country and are unaware of their civil rights. You call them [derogatory word for Mexicans] to their face and demean them in front of fellow officers of different ethnicities so that you will receive some sort of acceptance from your colleagues. I’m not impressed. Most likely, your parents or grandparents were immigrants at one time, but you have forgotten that. You are a high value target.

“Those lesbian officers in supervising positions who go to work, day in day out, with the sole intent of attempting to prove your misandrist authority (not feminism) to degrade male officers. You are a high value target.

“Those Asian officers who stand by and observe everything I previously mentioned other officers participate in on a daily basis but you say nothing, stand for nothing and protect nothing. Why? Because of your usual saying, ” I……don’t like conflict”. You are a high value target as well.

“Those of you who “go along to get along” have no backbone and destroy the foundation of courage. You are the enablers of those who are guilty of misconduct. You are just as guilty as those who break the code of ethics and oath you swore.”

Dorner calls out different races in the LAPD and puts them all on notice they could be killed to pay for the department’s wrongs. He singles out lesbians on the force as being misandrist, or hating men, though he didn’t give specifics. It seems as if he is justifying each possible murder that could occur. He lays out how he will be judge, jury and executioner for each of them. Nobody is exempt.

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“Citizens/non-combatants, do not render medical aid to downed officers/enemy combatants. They would not do the same for you. They will let you bleed out just so they can brag to other officers that they had a 187 caper the other day and can’t wait to accrue the overtime in future court subpoenas. As they always say, “that’s the paramedics job…not mine”. Let the balance of loss of life take place. Sometimes a reset needs to occur.”

Perhaps one of the most startling things is that Dorner specifically addresses us, the everyday citizen. He tells us to let his victims die. Do not help them. He believes that their deaths, their murders at his hand, are part of a great and necessary “reset.”

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“No one grows up and wants to be a cop killer. It was against everything I’ve ever was. As a young police explorer I found my calling in life. But, As a young police officer I found that the violent suspects on the street are not the only people you have to watch …

“To those children of the officers who are eradicated, your parent was not the individual you thought they were. As you get older, you will see the evidence that your parent was a tyrant who lost their ethos and instead followed the path of moral corruptness. They conspired to hide and suppress the truth of misconduct on others behalf’s. Your parent will have a name and plaque on the fallen officers memorial in D.C. But, In all honesty, your parents name will be a reminder to other officers to maintain the oath they swore and to stay along the shoreline that has guided them from childhood to that of a local, state, or federal law enforcement officer.”

Dorner wants to make clear that this isn’t who he ever thought he would be. But even more than that, he has haunting words for the loved ones of his victims: They aren’t who you thought, either. Dorner believes he is righting the wrongs that nobody else has tackled, and despite what people will say about the victims, Dorner believes they deserve what they are getting. He goes on to quote Thomas Jefferson in saying that it sometimes take the “blood of patriots and tyrants” to refresh the “tree of liberty.” Dorner apparently believes that he is the man riding in with a white hat to fix the wrongs of one of the nation’s best-known police forces.

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“I never had the opportunity to have a family of my own, I’m terminating yours.”

This is perhaps the most direct threat, one that police say Dorner has carried out already.

He is telling LAPD officers that he will target their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and children. He names some of them, including retired officer Randy Quan, whose daughter may have been the first victim. It’s unclear what Dorner means about having a family of his own, but his threats to wreak havoc and commit mass murder are clear.

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“The Violence of action will be HIGH. I am the reason TAC alert was established. I will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty…

“This will be a war of attrition and a Pyrrhic and Camdean Victory for myself. You may have the resources and manpower but you are reactive and predictable in your op plans… I have the strength and benefits of being unpredictable, unconventional, and unforgiving. Do not waste your time with briefs and tabletops.”

Dorner doens’t just threaten to kill, he threatens warfare. He is almost inviting LAPD officers, daring them, to try to stop him. It is as if he knows how it will end, and he doesn’t care. He believes he will win the war he is waging, although it will cause his suffering and death just as much as that of the victims he plans to kill.

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