You see, but my dad is wrong. A run in with the police never be a death sentence or seen as acceptable to be pummeled unless you are genuinely attacking that officer and their lives are genuinely in danger. You're right, it's a tough job. Part of what makes it tough is that they are held to a higher standard because they have a license to use lethal force. Where the discussion gets away from us, let's just take Michael Brown for example, is the extremism of all view points. The evidence quite clearly shows that Michael Brown tried to punk that officer they way that he punked that shop owner. Please do not lose sight of the fact that I very much agree with you that the minority leadership is race baiting and inciting hatred. That does not mean though, that there are not cases in which law enforcement made an error.. or sometimes worse. I don't believe 'hands up.' In fact, I very much believe that to be 100% ******** that was started by a convicted perjurer. At the same time, once the suspect was shot and fled the vehicle, I'm not sure he needed to pursue him (please do pay attention to the following) IF HE WAS SO AFRAID OF THE SUSPECT THAT HE GENUINELY FEARED FOR HIS LIFE. He had the call for backup in and as a matter of fact, it arrived in less than a minute after the death of Michael Brown. He had shot that asshole, deservedly, and he had eliminated the immediate danger to his well being. You mention the split second decision making and the impact of those decisions, but as you said, it's a tough job that isn't for everybody. I think we can say the officer did right in the initial shooting and then follow that up in saying he may have used excessive force in the 2nd round of shooting. It isn't white black. You can start something and go too far. Just ask Michael Brown. Back to the larger issue, as I said in my original post, the players in these dramas changes but those actually stirring the pot are the same assholes (some of whom have been doing this my entire life) They are more the problem because they continue to exploit their own culture. That isn't to say society does not have a good bit of blame, because they do. You treat people like animals and you will get animals. That's not the cops fault though. They're just the poor SOB trying to make sure everyone else gets home safe so they can get home safe to their families, and remember, their priority is in that order(or should be). That's what makes it a tough job. We seem to have lost sight of that as well. We can't (but we do) have a society that allows rampant police and law enforcement abuse of our Constitutional rights and then turn around blasting JIF because he says that we shouldn't have guns anymore. And every day, that scope of reasonable and acceptability grows. We live in a society in which no one is accountable. I think the conduct of the Ferguson PD was downright shameful in the wake of the shooting. The conduct of their DA is even worse. That whole situation is just one big amateur hour cluster **** and the only real pros are the ones who are inciting the public to violence (the media and minority rights leaders). I can't look at that and say 'I support the police' because it's just too broad of a brush stroke. I have seen, worse, I know racist cops who are egomaniacs. They are bad human beings. I know they are. I've known it all my life. The fact they became cops when we grew up is not a shock to me. They exist. I know they do. I am as sure of that as I am my children being mine. More so, even. We also have some real piece of **** racist cops here in this city. Don't take my word, take the words of the other officers who think so but would never say it on the record for fear of breaking that blue line. That's a hell of a thing. You listen to this guy call you a nigger all day. You watch him illegally punishing and picking on minority members of the general public, the people he is supposed to be protecting. You watch him pull over countless black teens while turning the other cheek to drunken soccer mom whores. You watch that guy **** on the general trust and good will of the community. You know it to be true, but then you pretend that it does not because you protect your blue brotherhood. It runs deeper than skin. Yes sir, that's a hell of a thing and we both know that's true.
In the last hour of Michael Brown's life he committed at lease two felonies. The second one cost the dumb ass his life. The guy here in New York, Garner, was being arrested for the 31 st time. He would not comply after repeatedly being asked to . Being 150 lbs overweight and basically useless did not help him in his skirmish. tasers are illegal in New York and New Jersey. If they had tased him that migt have killed him as well. In both cases, both of these guys would be alive and well if only they had A. not put themselves in position to have to answer to the police and B. not resisted arrest. My son was called to the house of Bobby Cysz, ex-light heavyweight champ of the world back in the 80s-90s, a few years back. Cysz was drunk and beating up his girlfriend. When Scott arrived alone, the front door was open and she was sitting on the couch crying. Cysz came staggering down the hallway threatening my son. Scott pulled out his Glock. 40 and told him " I don't think pepper spray is going to stop you nor is hitting you with this night stick. I can't box with you so please don't make me shoot you" Luckily for both, Cysz just started sobbing like a baby. Scott would have shot him if he had to but is forever grateful he didn't. Every cop's first job is to come home safely at night..
Corey, you need to choose a side and stick with it. Stop making excuses. You know right from wrong. I've made into my 61st year without having any of the experiences you have had. And like Jack Woltz said in "The Godfather" ... " I ain't no bandleader".
There's bad people in the world. That's why we have police. That guy already was convicted of killing someone and has been free on 'supervised parole' since 2009. WTF kind of supervision allows the guy to deal heroin or associate with known heroin distributors. Heroin is an achievement badge not easily unlocked. It's a pity he was probably given a lighter sentence and had that reduced to supervised parole because the jail is full with people who probably did a lot less than that asshole. It still doesn't take away from what I said earlier. I know you're not a fan of Jon Stewart, but did you catch his bit after he incorrectly listed a San Bernardino County case in his call for investigation on police overreach? it was pretty good, you can see it here http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/xn508x/a-single-factual-error I don't see many apologies from any of the media companies and that's how ridiculous we've become. We're holding the Daily Show more accountable than we do Fox News, CNN, MSNBC or even the major networks. It's all hyperbole and straw men and that's what is so frustrating. Meanwhile, more dollars spent and lives lost.
I don't need to pick a side. One of the reasons I've not chimed in one your guy's constant mocking of white privilege is that, to an extent, I agree with you. It's more socioeconomic than it is racial.. What confuses the matter is that there's a large portion of the minority population that does not have the financial resources to buy justice.. and in this system, justice can be bought. In the piece I linked, the DA of San Bernardino County rightfully called out Jon Stewart but has since gone on this crusader media campaign. I find that a bit funny because I had lost my drivers license for almost a decade because a former roommate was out collecting tickets and saying he was other people. One of those people was me. He did the same thing to a few other guys. We all shared an apartment back when we were 19. I used to take entire vacations to go back to California and sit in a courtroom hoping they'd call my name. Since I didn't have a court appointed date, they'd put me on the bottom of the stack each day and if they got to me, they got to me. They never did. I had finally saved up enough money to get a lawyer who gave me the advice to plead guilty to all charges, even though I COULD PROVE I WAS LIVING AND WORKING IN MINNESOTA AT THE TIME. The lawyer said, they'll roll in the Sheriff who wrote the ticket. He'll positively identify you. They'll question the process in which your university documents your recruiting trips and not only will you be guilty, but you'll face the maximum penalty on everything which included jail time since I 'didn't show' for my original court dates. It's money and social status that changes that. I don't have those problems anymore because I put myself in a different tax bracket. You listed the cases in New York, which of their offenses (even the felonies) are death penalty cases? Where does it state in the judicial code that the police are ever to be judge, jury and executioner? You ask me to pick a side and I've never wavered. I'm on the side of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We only seem to want to believe in those things when it serves our own self-interest. The situation here I mentioned in Decatur was just weird. I haven't had run ins with the law since I was a kid. Those were just rogue cops (I'm still trying to find out who they are) playing flipping True Detective on their own. You want me to choose a side when I've clearly chosen the side that protects all. We have a process.. both sides should try sticking to it sometime. Instead, we're just getting worse.
You are applying intent now in the Garner case. You are suggesting he was murdered, that they intended to kill him. That's quite a stretch.