Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Ray Lewis (police)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was   delete. Stifle (talk) 16:50, 29 January 2012 (UTC)

Ray Lewis (police)

 * – ( View AfD View log )

A non-notable person. Got interviewed for something. The subject of the interview may be significant, the he interviewee is a generic nobody WP:1E. Wikipedia is not a newspaper, and a guy getting arrested is not encyclopedic. (Full disclosure: I am the anon IP prod:er of the article, having not to bothered log in.) Captain Hindsight (talk) 20:10, 21 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Delete per nom. Occupy participant who got a bit of press because he was a retired police captain. His 15 minutes are up. Clarityfiend (talk) 22:17, 21 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Keep The subject has gained notice in the national and international media while participating in the Occupy protests. In addition to coverage by CBS, MSNBC, The Atlantic, Philadelphia Inquirer, the UK's Daily Mail, etc., his notability comes from being a former police captain in a major US police department (Philadelphia PD is the size of NYPD) who is sympathising with and participating in the protests. The novelty involves his decision to protest in full uniform, which has caused waves in the police community. It is POV when editors judge this to be a case of a person as having their 15 minutes of fame and not worthy of inclusion in Wikipedia, when in fact national media outlets are following his actions and reporting on him in two separate Occupy events occuring two months apart. The biographical article is therefore not a case of journalism involving breaking news. All of the information is reliably sourced. Finally, the decision to write an article on this subject was made only after the second separate event involving this subject was reported in the media. Plankto (talk) 22:33, 21 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Delete — textbook example of the BLP1E policy. This person would never be covered in a professional general encyclopedia, even if they had limitless pages, money, and time for writing.  Nyttend (talk) 01:55, 22 January 2012 (UTC)
 * The BLP1E policy is focused on the question if a separate article is necessary or not. As such, it seems to give a guideline on whether to take the time to write a separate article, not so much to delete an existing one. Now that we have one, what is the hurry to delete it, especially as the Occupy protests are not yet over? Moreover, it is a question if this particular policy guideline is being interpreted correctly in this particular instance. Specifically, the policy says "However, as both the event and the individual's role grow larger, separate articles become justified." This was my impression when his mention occurred in the second event. It is OK to question his merit as a former Police Captain in a national PD as his merit for WP lies outside of his contribution in that capacity. He has become something of a poster boy for an establishment Occupy protester. It is a secondary feature that he also seems to have riled the police establishment by using his uniform in the protests. His main claim to notability is tied to his significance as something of an establishment figure in the Occupy protests -- a national event of considerable significance.Plankto (talk) 08:30, 22 January 2012 (UTC)
 * PS I add some NEW INFORMATION (recent news) concerning Lewis as a figure of importance in the Occupy movement.
 * PressTV on January 10, 2012: "Retired Philadelphia police captain Ray Lewis is there -- and he's feeling the repercussions of his involvement in the protest movement. Lewis says that he's received two letters from police and union officials -- both threatening the pension he's worked decades for -- and all -- just for his choice to get involved in the protest."
 * Voice of America news on January 17, 2012: "Lewis is well known in Occupy circles for his support of the movement." and
 * The Nation on January 17, 2012: "Retired Philadelphia Police Captain Ray Lewis, a mainstay at Occupy events, arrived in what appeared to be his Philadelphia police uniform. Capitol Police stopped him, and seemed to have a problem with Lewis entering the protest as a uniformed officer. Occupiers immediately noticed the detention, and a few mic-checks later hundreds of people fled the Assembly and surrounded the Capitol Police and Lewis."
 * Campus-Progress on January 20, 2012: "Retired Philadelphia police captain and Occupy activist Ray Lewis was detained on suspicion of impersonating a police officer, which caused protesters to swarm outside their designated area and push for his freedom."
 * Right Now I/O Breaking News on January 23, 2012: Photo journal with six photos of Ray Lewis.
 * Clearly, he has acquired a significant role there.Plankto (talk) 20:25, 23 January 2012 (UTC)


 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of People-related deletion discussions.  • Gene93k (talk) 00:44, 23 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Sorry, this is still an example of someone being known for just one event. Let's wait until he gets sustained coverage for other things or from sources years from now.  Nyttend (talk) 22:55, 25 January 2012 (UTC)
 * I can see where the importance of the subject to the events is questioned. However, his involvement in the Occupy protests stretches from mid November 2011 to the present time as documented in numerous RS. The event itself has national significance and the protests have even focused on his presence. Is it for editors to judge the importance of the subject? Is it not enough that he is covered with numerous RS. The suggested notability criteria for a WP biography therefore appears a wee steep.Plankto (talk) 23:07, 25 January 2012 (UTC)


 * Comment: If kept it needs to be Ray Lewis (ex-policeman), Ray Lewis (protester) or similar, since he wasn't a policemen during the events leading to notability. Stuartyeates (talk) 08:57, 26 January 2012 (UTC)
 * In all the articles he is described as Retired Philadelphia Police Captain or Retired Police Captain.Plankto (talk) 08:05, 27 January 2012 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.