Views from Chester Streets on the Daniel Simms Cop Killing

On the corner of 23rd and Crosby plenty of cars stopped to donate to help defray the funeral expenses 

I was stopped on Avenue of the States by a Chester businessman who wanted to know what I was going to put in the Chester Spotlight about the cop shooting. I reminded him that I had stopped the paper early last year and he mentioned that he was not aware of this blog.

He was concerned that the ‘street’ side of the story is not getting out. “Someone needs to talk to us and put that in the paper.”

I told him I’d be back the same time Wednesday to hear what he had to say.

After spending about a half hour with him, I walked down the block to bring the topic up with other businessmen that I’ve known most of my life. They pointed out that the victim’s brother was right inside their shop. 

The brother invited me up to the scene of the shooting where family and friends were having a cookout and taking donations on the street corner for funeral expenses. 

In all, I talked to about 8 people who shared their views, opinions, and observations of the Daniel Simms killing.

Here’s some of what was shared.

The consistent opinion on the street is that it doesn’t seem fair that the policeman is not charged with a crime, or at least suspended, for a shooting that the medical examiner has ruled as a homicide. 

Almost everyone admits that they don’t claim to know the official process that should take place in a situation like this and they’re frustrated that authorities have not come forward to explain the process to the family. 

Basically, everyone knows that if anyone other than a cop shoots and kills someone, they are arrested and held in jail while things are sorted out. They are frustrated that only because a police is involved are they allowed to continue to work. 

No one seems to completely understand the investigation process, who is conducting it, how long it will take, or what to expect. Some wish that investigators would come in from the outside who have no ties to the community and would only work with facts and what is right or wrong. There is not a lot of confidence that the investigation will uncover the truth.

Although the papers are not printing the policeman’s name, everyone on the street seems to know who he is and his history. They have heard the officer has been placed on some type of stress related injury or psychiatric illness which will become part of his defense. 

As one man states, if everybody deserves another chance than they should prove it in occupations other than the police force. Why do almost all the ex-cons in Chester who have paid their debt to society never seem to get a second chance?  “Why can a troubled cop come to our town and get a job but I can’t go to that town and get a job.”

The topic of jobs came up quite a bit from the guys on the street. A lot of the desperation  in the streets come from people who just can find ways to make ends meet. “Blame Chester on Chester,” is how one guy put it. “There’s all this talk about violence and not nearly enough energy on getting us jobs.”

The Simms’ family is especially concerned about the image the newspaper accounts have put on them. They feel as though people are reading that the family is prone to break out in violence and may be out of control.

It started the night of the shooting at the hospital when police were called in from across the county. Daniel’s sister said that there was a large group of family and friends at the hospital and they sat us in a small room where we had to wait. When we learned he was dead, we all erupted in grief. Their grief was interpreted as hostile by outsiders as some family members were in various stages of consolation.

Nobody was throwing furniture or breaking windows. But the papers made it look like something far worse than it was.

During the first public gathering (protest) at a church a few blocks from the shooting, the people didn’t want to hear Mayor Butler talk about black-on-black crime and shouted him down. In fact, no one other than St. Rep Kirkland showed appropriate remorse according to one family member. But again, the papers made it seem like they were unruly.

One thing is clear. As one guy stated, “Chester is not a riot city.” The family members are upset with reports in the papers that imply that their protests have the potential to lead to violence. That is not their intent. 

The purpose of the protest is to seek punishment on the cop who committed the shooting. The family admits that the Mayor’s suspension of the cop was definitely not a bargaining chip to get them to stop protesting. They have every intention to continue protesting until justice is served. However, they also expect to receive updates and answers from the investigation as to what is going on and its progress.

I had the opportunity to speak to an eyewitness. As he took me through what he saw, from the time Simms was first approached by the officer, the chase, the path they took, the final resting spot, and the reaction of the cop after the shooting, I can see where there is great interest in what the final investigation will reveal.

Getting opinions from folks on the street is easy, but chatting with Simms’ family members was challenging for a couple reasons. First, they had every reason not to trust their stories to me. And second, I’m no journalist and I admit that it’s difficult not to be objective when I’m that close to the situation. 

In conclusion, I am happy to report that I believe the risk of an all-out riot like they’re having in London under very similar circumstances is extremely remote.

As remorseful as the family is, their spirits were extremely high. They described their loved one as fun, loving, caring, and a joy to be around. He was well liked on his block. 

I know for a fact, that if he was a menace to the neighborhood, there would not be the outpouring of love that I witnessed tonight among family, friends, and neighbors. Black folks are like everyone else. If he was a trouble maker, they would feel that he got what he deserved. 

Despite what folks are being led to believe, I left 23rd and Crosby believing that Daniel was one of the good guys. The only charge anyone was familiar that he had was a curfew violation. 

All the other stuff that may come out in the wash will either confirm that fact or not, but the long painful wait to seek justice is frustrating a lot of people.

Daniel Simms died in the corner of the picket fence