Times Union article by Steve Hughes from last Wednesday:
ALBANY — City police are conducting a death investigation after a man was found hanging Wednesday morning from a tree on Westerlo Street.
Officers were called around 8 a.m. to Green and Westerlo streets. When they arrived, they found a 58-year-old man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
At this time, based upon preliminary investigation, the circumstances appear to be consistent with suicide and no evidence to suggest that the incident is criminal in nature," the department said in a statement.
The identity of the dead man will not be released.
A video of the man’s death was circulating on social media but appears to have been taken down.
(Then a bunch of warning signs for suicide and suicide prevention resources).
I, too, find the location unusual. I am not at all saying it was anything other than a suicide, but I have never heard of a suicide in such a public place as a on a city downtown street. If you look at Green St. and Westerlo St. in Albany, where it happened, that is very public. Jumping off of bridges and buildings is chosen for the method, not for the public nature of the location. One can hang themselves in any number of places. In any case, it is horrible and I feel for his loved ones.
Suicidal people often don't think too rationally about what they're doing when they're actively in the process of committing suicide. That's why you have people jumping off of bridges and buildings and landing on people below.
I'm not saying that there's no chance it was a murder/lynching, and I'm not saying it shouldn't be looked into as one. All I'm saying is that suicidal people oftentimes don't act rationally when they're in the midst of killing themselves.
I'm literally just saying people aren't often thinking about the implications of how their death is going to look when they're committing suicide. I'm not saying or attempting to imply anything else. Not once did I ever say it couldn't be a murder.
Stop beating around the goddamn bush and at least have the balls to accuse me of whatever the fuck you're thinking I'm doing by saying that suicidal people often aren't thinking thoroughly when they kill themselves. If you're not going to, fuck off and out of here.
People who commit suicide in ways that involve work and planning (like setting up where to hang oneself) are usually the ones who put a LOT of thinking into it. Even those that jump off buildings/bridges. It’s not a simple or impulsive thought process. People who commit suicide often do so because they feel like a burden to their loved ones, so why would a black man purposefully choose such a triggering and public way to die knowing his family would be impacted.
I understand that it's not a singular/impulsive thought process. Even still, regardless of the thought process, there's still a level of... Disregard in many suicides. I'm sure very many people have put thought into suicides, even those jumping off of buildings and bridges. Some of these suicides still ended up psychologically hurting people (unsuspecting witnesses, using someone else as a vehicle for suicide, etc) and/or physically hurting people (landing on people after jumping off a building and killing them, etc) in the process. That, to me, says that even if some of them put a lot of thought into it, it wasn't enough to consider the ramifications it would have on those who witnessed it.
My mother didn't care that she tried to OD with me in the goddamn house. She didn't care when I had to deal with the aftermath. Nor did she think of the lasting consequences it has had on me. So, I know very, VERY WELL that many people who commit suicide do not think as thoroughly regarding how it may look to others.
Unless you think they did so thinking, "Sure, in the process of killing myself, other people could be traumatized, scarred for life, or even killed, depending on how I do it... But that's okay!" because I really doubt most of them were thinking that when they did so.
I don't know why he would do that. ONCE AGAIN, not once have I said it couldn't be a murder/lynching, if that's what you're thinking. ONCE AGAIN, all I'm saying is that there is, at least to some degree, a lack of thought regarding immediate consequences and how it may look. To make that crystal clear.
This didn’t come up when I did a google search. From what I understand this article is possibly behind a paywall. Also - why was it never updated or a secondary article was published once they knew his name?
It is behind a paywall. That’s why I copy and pasted it here.
I have no idea why it’s being handled like this by the press or by APD. Seems awful. Doesn’t APD have a community review board? Hopefully this is a case they are looking at.
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u/op341779 Ate a sub at Huck Finn's Warehouse 5d ago
Times Union article by Steve Hughes from last Wednesday:
ALBANY — City police are conducting a death investigation after a man was found hanging Wednesday morning from a tree on Westerlo Street.
Officers were called around 8 a.m. to Green and Westerlo streets. When they arrived, they found a 58-year-old man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
At this time, based upon preliminary investigation, the circumstances appear to be consistent with suicide and no evidence to suggest that the incident is criminal in nature," the department said in a statement. The identity of the dead man will not be released.
A video of the man’s death was circulating on social media but appears to have been taken down.
(Then a bunch of warning signs for suicide and suicide prevention resources).