UPDATED, SEPT. 29 12:31 P.M: It looks like at least some of the money used to bail Officer Manuel Ramos out of jail came from fellow police officers.
On the “Big City Cops” Facebook page, a man who identifies himself as Fullerton policeman Benjamin Lira asks fellow law-enforcement officers to chip in bail money for Ramos. The Latin on the logo (right) reads “oderint dum metuant,” or “Let them hate so long as they fear.”
Check out the Friends for Fullerton's Future blog, which posted news of the Facebook plea earlier today.
In his message, Lira says Ramos' “family has explored all options and currently has no means to post bail.” Lira then asks people to go to their local Bank of America and fill out a deposit slip in Ramos' name or to make an online transfer to Ramos' account.
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In his message, Lira mentions Ramos' children and says he has “deep roots in this community,” presumably trying to show a low flight risk. Lira also writes: “My friend is NOT a murderer.”
A commenter, using the name “Big City Cops,” wrote on the post: “Donating! Tomorrow it could be you or someone you work with!”
Barry Coffman, president of the Fullerton Police Officers' Association, stressed in a written statement that the union neither donated money nor coordinated the efforts to raise funds to bail Ramos out of jail.
ORIGINAL POST, SEPT. 29, 8:42 A.M.: Thanks to money raised by family and friends, Officer Manuel Ramos walked out of the Orange County Jail early this morning.
On Monday, Judge Erick Larsh denied a request to set a lower bail for Ramos, who faces charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the beating death of Kelly Thomas. The bail remained at $1 million.
Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, said Ramos posted bond and was released at 12:20 a.m. People usually have to get about 10 percent of the bail amount to be released, Amormino said, adding that Ramos' family and friends put up about $100,000.
This morning, Ron Thomas, Kelly's father, said he wasn't happy about the news, but understands it is part of the process. “Obviously I don't want him out. It was such a brutal manner that Kelly was killed. Here we have killers out on the street again. I don't want it but it's part of our due process we have to live with.”
Now that Ramos has been released, Thomas said the police in Cypress, where he lives, have offered to increase security if he asks for it. “I'm not really that concerned at the moment, even though I've been extremely vocal about him going to prison for the rest of his life.”
Thomas said he thinks it's telling that it was various donors, but not the union, which paid to bail Ramos out of jail.
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