Letter: Being a smart mouth with an attitude of entitlement may not be the best idea

Boy, the arrest of Tayvin Galanakis has really got folks talking, hasn’t it? Seems everyone with a Facebook account has chimed in with their opinions, and from what I’ve seen and heard, most are based upon misinformation, pre-existing prejudices, or are just plain mean and false.

I guess I’ll add to the noise with my thoughts.

No one likes to be stopped by the police, especially if they honestly believe they have done nothing wrong.

But when I was 19 years old, I was stopped for traffic violations and had enough sense to be extra polite and accommodating to the officers. I sure would not have thought to be a smart mouth and project the attitude of entitlement that Mr. Galanakis seems to have displayed. Who taught him this type of behavior?

Maybe the officer was too quick to accuse Mr. Galanakis of being under the influence of something. I’m not a cop, and I doubt any of the Facebook warriors are cops either, so I can’t speak to that with any authority.

Maybe this officer would benefit from some training to improve his people skills. Again, I’m not an expert so I can’t provide any answers.

But this intense criticism and vitriol directed towards the Newton PD, and now the Mayor, is really getting out of hand. Folks here are behaving less like informed responsible citizens and more like an angry mob, fueled by internet gossip and shared stories that seem pretty suspect and probably very much embellished to make a point.

All I can hope for is that folks calm down and try to see this from the officer and Newton PD’s point of view. Do we want them to protect us while on our streets or not?

And Mr. Galanakis might do well to learn some manners and respect for “The Blue.” His decision to act like a wise guy along with his smirking demeanor didn’t help his cause one bit and now he seems to relish playing the victim for his 15 minutes of fame.

C’mon, Newton. We talk about “Back the Blue” all the time but then we fall so easily into the same trap the “Defund the Police” crowd seems to have set?

Let’s all take a breath, shall we?

John Moore

Newton