Abuse of Power Thread (Cops, Governments, Etc.) - Part 1

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Ya the Colbert super PAC schtick was hilarious and opened a lot of people's eyes. Too bad nothing got changed because of it

 

[Teelie]

Bill to allow Tesla to sell cars in Texas dies in committee

This is a story that spans multiple threads. Abuse from legislature for being bribed by auto dealers to deny Tesla Motors the opportunity to sell direct to consumers (cutting them out of the process entirely). For the comment from state representative Senfronia Thompson, "I can appreciate Tesla wanting to sell cars, but I think it would have been wiser if Mr. Tesla had sat down with the car dealers first," (spoiler alert: Mr Tesla has been dead for 72 years), and because it's related to technology although not enough to justify a copy there.

In a turn of events that isn’t terribly surprising, a bill to allow Tesla Motors to sell cars directly to consumers in Texas has failed to make it to the floor, with various state representatives offering excuses about not wanting to "piss off all the auto dealers."

The Lone Star State’s notoriously anti-Tesla stance—one of the strongest in the nation—is in many ways the direct legacy of powerful lawmaker-turned-lobbyist Gene Fondren, who spent much of his life ensuring that the Texas Automobile Dealers Association’s wishes were railroaded through the Texas legislature.

That legacy is alive and well, with Texas lawmakers refusing to pass bills in 2013 and again in 2015 to allow Tesla to sell to consumers. Per the state’s franchise laws, auto manufacturers like Tesla are only allowed to sell cars to independent third-party dealers. These laws were originally intended to protect consumers against the possibility of automakers colluding on pricing; today, though, they function as protectionist shields for the entrenched political interests of car dealers and their powerful state- and nationwide lobbyist organizations.

The anti-Tesla sentiment didn’t stop Texas from attempting to snag the contracts for Tesla Motors’ upcoming "Gigafactory," the multibillion dollar battery factory that Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk eventually chose to build in Reno, Nevada.

Speaking of Elon Musk—in a stunning display of total ignorance, Texas state representative Senfronia Thompson (a Democrat representing House District 141) had this to say about the bill’s failure: "I can appreciate Tesla wanting to sell cars, but I think it would have been wiser if Mr. Tesla had sat down with the car dealers first."

Apparently being even minimally familiar with the matters one legislates isn’t a requirement to serve in the Texas legislature. However, Thompson did receive many thousands in campaign contributions from the Texas Automobile Dealers Association, so perhaps she’s just doing what she’s told.

The irony here is that, stupid lawmakers or not, it's still not particularly difficult for Texas residents to buy a Tesla automobile—the process is roughly the same as buying any other car out-of-state, and Tesla Motors will even deliver the vehicle to the customer's house. The only caveats are that the sale can't be done in a Tesla dealership in Texas (they're called "galleries" to emphasize that they're not stores), and the full amount of sales tax must be paid up front instead of rolled into the car's financing.

Ars Technica

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Texas is a joke

 

[Asgard]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/va-resigns-taser-pepper-spray-stroke-victim-article-1.2232948

A Virginia police officer resigned amid claims of excessive force when he used a Taser and pepper-sprayed a man who was suffering from a medical emergency, according to police accounts and newly released body cam video.


Fredericksburg Police Officer Shaun Jergens stepped down May 14, 10 days after he confronted wrong-way driver David Washington, 34, in a suspected hit-and-run crash.
But Washington had actually suffered a stroke, an unnamed source told WTOP.
While Jergens has denied any wrongdoing, Capt. Rick Pennock admitted Friday the officer used excessive force.


"The use of force demonstrated in the incident involving Mr. Washington was not in compliance with department policy or training," Pennock said in a statement. "We take matters such as these very seriously and require that officers at all times exercise appropriate restraint and good judgment in their dealings with citizens."


Police body-cameras promote transparency
The showdown took place earlier this month when Washington plowed through a city road sign, drove over a median and eventually struck another car before his Hyundai came to a stop in the middle of an intersection near the campus of the University of Mary Washington.


Police responded to reports of a hit-and-run and found Washington still in his car. He refused to comply with officers' demands to show his hands, police said.
That's when Jergens, the last of three cops to arrive at the scene, promptly took control.
"It was dispatched via the radio that citizens reported that the suspect was moving around a lot inside of his vehicle," Jergens said in a statement to the Free Lance-Star. "I believed that the suspect may be looking for a weapon or looking to conceal a weapon based on this information and the fact that he was believed to be fleeing a felony (hit and run of an occupied vehicle)."

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Ky. Cops Pulled Mentally Ill Man From Jail, Put Him on Greyhound to Fla.

At a court hearing on April 22, a Kentucky judge ordered that Adam Horine be transported from the Carroll County Detention Center to a Lexington hospital for a mental health examination and treatment. Horine, who’d been arrested for disorderly conduct and making verbal threats, was hearing voices and had thoughts of suicide. Hours after the court order, police picked up Horine from the jail, but instead of taking him to the hospital, they put him on a Greyhound bus with a one-way ticket to Florida—a 28-hour ride away. What happened?

The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting has the whole bizarre story. According to KyCIR’s sources, Carrollton Police Chief Michael Willhoite proposed a deal to Horine and Judge Elizabeth Chandler before the April court hearing: If Horine—a repeat offender who’d been arrested for theft, drunk driving, and drugs in the past—would leave Kentucky for Florida permanently, the most recent charges against him would be resolved.

In a video of the hearing obtained by KyCIR, Horine can be heard saying that he is mentally and physically ill, claiming repeatedly that his kidneys are failing and that he has been “peeing blood.” After initially expressing interest in the Florida deal, he backed off, asking to be hospitalized instead, and Judge Chandler agreed.

[YT]w57K1OOqJnA[/YT]

The same day, Carrollton police officer Ron Dickow arrived at the detention center, took him to the bus station, and handed him a ticket and $18 cash. (KyCIR has video of Horine’s departure from jail as well.) Dickow was reportedly acting under orders from Chief Willhoite, who also provided the money for the ticket. Horine arrived in Florida safely.

The Kentucky attorney general’s office is now investigating Horine’s case, and a special prosecutor has been appointed to examine “allegations of misconduct and other criminal violations of Chief Mike Willhoite and Officer Ron Dickow.” Horine was arrested near St. Petersburg and taken back to Kentucky this month after the Kentucky AG issued a warrant alleging, somewhat bafflingly, that he had escaped from jail. According to KyCIR’s R.G. Dunlop, the office may have issued the charge as a ploy to get Horine home after learning of potential misconduct: “The justice system that sent Horine to Florida had to charge him with a new crime in order to extradite him to Kentucky.”

Horine is currently hospitalized at Lexington’s Eastern State Hospital—the facility to which he was originally supposed to be transferred—and awaiting his next court date.

http://kycir.org/2015/05/29/police-...ally-ill-man-to-florida-defying-judges-order/

Seriously messed up

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

School Throws Away 10-Year-Old's Hot Lunch Because Her Account Was Empty

On May 20, a Kentucky grade schooler was eating lunch with her friends in the cafeteria when a school employee took away her hot lunch and dumped it in the trash in front of her. The teacher gave her a cheese sandwich to eat instead. Although the student didn’t know it, her lunch account had had a negative balance.

The girl’s aunt, who’s also the PTO treasurer, had stopped by Bedford Elementary School that day and heard what happened from an employee.

“It was awful to think about her being there, sitting there and she was crying. She’s a shy girl anyway, she’s 10 years old and she knows what’s going on,” Leslie Chilton told local NBC station WAVE 3.

Another Bedford mom, Kim Wright, started a petition to change the school’s policy on overdue accounts to avoid situations where school staff waste food and bully students in front of their friends. She says other parents told her their kids came home upset that the girl’s lunch was trashed.

“How is it ethical? How is it moral to do this to children who have no control over the situation, whatever the situation may be?” Wright told WAVE3. “Whether it’s the fault of the school or the parents, the child does not need to be in the equation.”

The girl’s family had money to pay the lunch bill, WAVE3 reported, they just didn’t know their daughter’s account had run out.

Wright’s petition, which now has more than 1,000 signatures, seems to have gotten through to the school board, which has scheduled a public meeting for next month to discuss the lunch policy.

http://www.wave3.com/story/29185449...ild-trashed-lunch-because-of-past-due-account

Not the first time something like this has been reported. Why any sane adult that worked in a public school system ever thought this was a good policy in the first place is the real question

 

[Marvolo]

If I had been working at that school and saw a teacher do that to a kid I'd buy the kid another lunch and have a little heart to heart with that prick teacher.

 

[warhorse78]

School Throws Away 10-Year-Old's Hot Lunch Because Her Account Was Empty

http://www.wave3.com/story/29185449...ild-trashed-lunch-because-of-past-due-account

Not the first time something like this has been reported. Why any sane adult that worked in a public school system ever thought this was a good policy in the first place is the real question

Are there sane adults that work in the school system? Seems to be often the case, they all turn a blind eye to the bullying and abuse, especially when it's the star athlete inflicting the harm, and all will be well as long as they get them trophies!

 

[KevanG]

Most of the teachers I knew in school would pay the two or three ****ing dollars for the kid then ask the parent to pay them back when they got told about it if they wanted.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

FBI Admits It Uses Fake Companies to Fly Surveillance Over U.S. Cities

An AP investigation has forced the FBI to admit that it uses at least 13 dummy corporations with planes like the one shown above to fly low-and-slow aerial spy missions over U.S. cities, capturing video and sometimes cellular signals from 30 cities in 11 states in a recent month.

The agency’s domestic flying operations have garnered headlines before, as when its planes were caught over Baltimore during the recent unrest, or when FBI aircraft tried (and reportedly failed) to assist in catching Faisal Shahzad, the wannabe Times Square bomber. But the Associated Press story suggests the federales are more brazen, and less accountable, than you could even imagine:

The planes’ surveillance equipment is generally used without a judge’s approval, and the FBI said the flights are used for specific, ongoing investigations. The FBI said it uses front companies to protect the safety of the pilots and aircraft. It also shields the identity of the aircraft so that suspects on the ground don’t know they’re being watched by the FBI.

In a recent 30-day period, the agency flew above more than 30 cities in 11 states across the country, an AP review found... Details confirmed by the FBI track closely with published reports since at least 2003 that a government surveillance program might be behind suspicious-looking planes slowly circling neighborhoods.​

How’s it done? With a freaking fleet of Cessnas and a simple flight procedure:

The AP traced at least 50 aircraft back to the FBI, and identified more than 100 flights since late April orbiting both major cities and rural areas.

One of the planes, photographed in flight last week by the AP in northern Virginia, bristled with unusual antennas under its fuselage and a camera on its left side. A federal budget document from 2010 mentioned at least 115 planes, including 90 Cessna aircraft, in the FBI’s surveillance fleet...

Most flight patterns occurred in counter-clockwise orbits up to several miles wide and roughly one mile above the ground at slow speeds. A 2003 newsletter from the company FLIR Systems Inc., which makes camera technology such as seen on the planes, described flying slowly in left-handed patterns.​

Most of the aircraft registrations, the AP said, are signed by a Robert Lindley, who “is listed as chief executive and has at least three distinct signatures among the companies.” Those would be the “13 front companies that AP identified being actively used by the FBI [and] are registered to post office boxes in Bristow, Virginia,” right by a municipal airport.

The most hilariously shameless part of the FBI’s subterfuge, however, may have come when it begged the AP to protect its dummy corporations:

The FBI asked the AP not to disclose the names of the fake companies it uncovered, saying that would saddle taxpayers with the expense of creating new cover companies to shield the government’s involvement, and could endanger the planes and integrity of the surveillance missions.​

The AP laughed that one off. It’s posted a bunch of documents online where you can read the names of all the FBI’s fake companies, including NG Research, the one that did the Baltimore surveillance last month.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FBI_SURVEILLANCE_FLIGHTS?SITE=KYB66

Well that is disturbing

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Check out this article that will blow your mind

http://phasezero.gawker.com/this-shadow-government-agency-is-scarier-than-the-nsa-1707179377

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Cool the Government Got Hacked and Millions of People are Compromised

The beauty of building up a wealth of confidential data you really don’t want anyone accessing is that it’s all in one place when, say, Chinese hackers decide they want to look at it. Such is the case with today’s “massive” federal data breach, the AP reports.

The hackers hit the mainframe in the beginning of May, the Department of Homeland security announced today, potentially compromising millions of federal government workers.

A U.S. official who declined to be identified said the data breach could potentially affect every federal agency. One key question is whether intelligence agency employee information was compromised.

The Office of Personnel Management is the human resources department for the federal government, and it conducts background checks for security clearances. The OPM conducts more than 90 percent of federal background investigations, according to its website.​

It’s like the great Holden Caufield once said, and I’m approximating here, but, “That’s the whole trouble. You can’t ever find a place that’s nice and secure, because there isn’t any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when you’re not looking, somebody’ll sneak up and release all your personal information right under your nose.”

http://www.startribune.com/us-officials-massive-breach-of-federal-personnel-data/306191881/

Gotta love the government

 

[Lasirius]

Texas Cop Suspended After Footage Emerges of Brutal Pool Party Arrests

On Saturday, video was uploaded to Youtube of police officers screaming at and arresting children at a community pool in Texas. One officer, confronted by two boys while grabbing a young girl by the neck and shoving her head towards the ground, pulls his gun and points it at them.

According to a police statement posted to Facebook, McKinney, Texas police responded on Friday evening to a “disturbance” call regarding a group of teenagers who “do not live in the area or have permission to be there.”

A fight had reportedly broken out at the Craig Ranch North Community Pool when the police were called. “When the cops showed up everyone ran, including the people who didn’t do anything,” the description of the Youtube video reads. “So the cops just started putting everyone on the ground and in handcuffs for no reason. This kind of force is uncalled for especially on children and innocent bystanders.”

First responding officers encountered a large crowd that refused to comply with police commands. Nine additional units responded to the scene. Officers were eventually able to gain control of the situation.

McKinney Police later learned of a video that was taken at the scene by an unknown party. This video has raised concerns that are being investigated by the McKinney Police Department. At this time, one of the responding officers has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation.
The statement does not specify which of the responding officers has been suspended or which part of the video “raised concerns.” Was it, indeed, the part where an officer pulls his weapon on two unarmed boys? Or was it the part where he drives his knee into a teenage girl’s back—a girl who, in fact, was apparently following his orders to leave the area when he changed his mind and decided to arrest her—and screams in her face?

Then again, perhaps it was the part when he interrupts another officer who is trying to talk to a group of teenagers—two of whom return to him a flashlight dropped by an officer who was sprinting around tackling people—like human beings, wrestling one to the ground and yelling, “Get on the ground. I told you to stay.”

Later, this officer explains, “I personally told you to get on the ground and stay. What did you do when I walked away? You did what everybody else did, and what everybody else did was illegal. You did it, and you got caught. Now, you’re sitting here, paying for it.”

As it happens, it would appear that this is the same officer who pulled his gun for no reason. One can only imagine why two young black males would want to run away from such a person.


Video in Link

http://gawker.com/texas-cop-suspended-after-footage-emerges-of-brutal-poo-1709655045?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gawker%2Ffull+(Gawker)

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

With all we have heard about TX as of late this does not surprise me

 

[KevanG]

So guys dressed as cops show up in a public place and start waving guns around then get pissed when people run like ****? ****ing Texas.

 

[Lasirius]

Looks like it was just the one running around creating chaos. The other ones did nothing to make the situation better.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

from what I hear, cops want to try to get less cameras around the place so that they won't be caught doing dirty things. how is that supposed to help me, the civilian, the resident, trust them more

 

[Docker2.0]

Texas Cop Suspended After Footage Emerges of Brutal Pool Party Arrests

On Saturday, video was uploaded to Youtube of police officers screaming at and arresting children at a community pool in Texas. One officer, confronted by two boys while grabbing a young girl by the neck and shoving her head towards the ground, pulls his gun and points it at them.

According to a police statement posted to Facebook, McKinney, Texas police responded on Friday evening to a “disturbance” call regarding a group of teenagers who “do not live in the area or have permission to be there.”

A fight had reportedly broken out at the Craig Ranch North Community Pool when the police were called. “When the cops showed up everyone ran, including the people who didn’t do anything,” the description of the Youtube video reads. “So the cops just started putting everyone on the ground and in handcuffs for no reason. This kind of force is uncalled for especially on children and innocent bystanders.”

First responding officers encountered a large crowd that refused to comply with police commands. Nine additional units responded to the scene. Officers were eventually able to gain control of the situation.

McKinney Police later learned of a video that was taken at the scene by an unknown party. This video has raised concerns that are being investigated by the McKinney Police Department. At this time, one of the responding officers has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation.
The statement does not specify which of the responding officers has been suspended or which part of the video “raised concerns.” Was it, indeed, the part where an officer pulls his weapon on two unarmed boys? Or was it the part where he drives his knee into a teenage girl’s back—a girl who, in fact, was apparently following his orders to leave the area when he changed his mind and decided to arrest her—and screams in her face?

Then again, perhaps it was the part when he interrupts another officer who is trying to talk to a group of teenagers—two of whom return to him a flashlight dropped by an officer who was sprinting around tackling people—like human beings, wrestling one to the ground and yelling, “Get on the ground. I told you to stay.”

Later, this officer explains, “I personally told you to get on the ground and stay. What did you do when I walked away? You did what everybody else did, and what everybody else did was illegal. You did it, and you got caught. Now, you’re sitting here, paying for it.”

As it happens, it would appear that this is the same officer who pulled his gun for no reason. One can only imagine why two young black males would want to run away from such a person.


Video in Link

http://gawker.com/texas-cop-suspended-after-footage-emerges-of-brutal-poo-1709655045?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gawker%2Ffull+(Gawker)

What the cop did was wrong and he should be suspended but not fired. Why? The girl didn't help her case. He asked them to leave and she didn't. She even started to get loud. Soon as he smacked her arse around, she started to yell for her mom. I don't think any of the kids should have went to jail nor should this cop have gotten fired.
I'm going to say this because I've often bashed the cops in this thread but people can't have it both ways. People in Baltimore were rioting and destroying crap that had nothing to do with Freddie Gray(a known criminal with a long rap sheet)and started to hate the police just for the "fun" of it. Now from my understanding, arrest in Baltimore are down almost 60% and those same people that were looting are the same ones that want the cops to start patrolling the areas again. I see first hand how the inner cities are because I live right beside one, play basketball with guys from there and I work with law enforcement..........I see both sides. But all these people who are not obeying what the cops say and then make matters worse when the ball gets to roll are making the case a lot worse than what it seems. Looking at the video, I have no idea why the cops were called........but they were called. They didn't just show up. You had guys trying to leave while he was talking to them. I'm guessing the cop may live in that area or something that made him go off like that. Again, the girl made matters worse and those teens who really have free reign until they turn 18 was looking for a situation to jump off. Maybe I'm seeing it from shaded glasses but it could have all been handled better from both sides but that girl wanted to show the crowd that no one can bully her around and she got what she came for.

 

[Lasirius]

I saw the girl walk away and bad mouth the cop as she was complying with his instructions. He reacted like a 5 year old when someone takes away their favorite toy and to makes matters worse, he pulled a gun at unarmed minors who weren't responding aggressively.

Seems legit.

 

[Docker2.0]

Eh, you are right. My mistake. Watched it again. I just find it moronic how these teens act tough these days and then as soon as they are about to get their arse whooped, they want their mommy. Fight your own battles!

 

[warhorse78]

Eh, you are right. My mistake. Watched it again. I just find it moronic how these teens act tough these days and then as soon as they are about to get their arse whooped, they want their mommy. Fight your own battles!

I wish I had a camera, but I was fixing up one of my properties when these brat kids tried several times to come into my yard and try to steal my power tools. This time, I waiting behind the fence, and as they walked in, came up from behind them with a chainsaw, and they went running towards the backyard. To make matters worse, they go running to the corner to jump the back fence, and they run head on right into this huge spiderweb. It was hilarious to see them completely freaking out and screaming because of being tangled up in the spiderweb. They finally got free, jumped the fence, and haven't been back since.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Such a shame you couldn't throw them in front of a bus like you did as a kid and get away with it, huh?

 

[Docker2.0]

Such a shame you couldn't throw them in front of a bus like you did as a kid and get away with it, huh?

Makes no sense bro.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Makes no sense bro.

Actually it makes total sense since this is something warhorse claimed he/she/it did just a couple of weeks back.

 

[Tech]

Texas Cop Suspended After Footage Emerges of Brutal Pool Party Arrests

On Saturday, video was uploaded to Youtube of police officers screaming at and arresting children at a community pool in Texas. One officer, confronted by two boys while grabbing a young girl by the neck and shoving her head towards the ground, pulls his gun and points it at them.

According to a police statement posted to Facebook, McKinney, Texas police responded on Friday evening to a “disturbance” call regarding a group of teenagers who “do not live in the area or have permission to be there.”

A fight had reportedly broken out at the Craig Ranch North Community Pool when the police were called. “When the cops showed up everyone ran, including the people who didn’t do anything,” the description of the Youtube video reads. “So the cops just started putting everyone on the ground and in handcuffs for no reason. This kind of force is uncalled for especially on children and innocent bystanders.”

First responding officers encountered a large crowd that refused to comply with police commands. Nine additional units responded to the scene. Officers were eventually able to gain control of the situation.

McKinney Police later learned of a video that was taken at the scene by an unknown party. This video has raised concerns that are being investigated by the McKinney Police Department. At this time, one of the responding officers has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation.
The statement does not specify which of the responding officers has been suspended or which part of the video “raised concerns.” Was it, indeed, the part where an officer pulls his weapon on two unarmed boys? Or was it the part where he drives his knee into a teenage girl’s back—a girl who, in fact, was apparently following his orders to leave the area when he changed his mind and decided to arrest her—and screams in her face?

Then again, perhaps it was the part when he interrupts another officer who is trying to talk to a group of teenagers—two of whom return to him a flashlight dropped by an officer who was sprinting around tackling people—like human beings, wrestling one to the ground and yelling, “Get on the ground. I told you to stay.”

Later, this officer explains, “I personally told you to get on the ground and stay. What did you do when I walked away? You did what everybody else did, and what everybody else did was illegal. You did it, and you got caught. Now, you’re sitting here, paying for it.”

As it happens, it would appear that this is the same officer who pulled his gun for no reason. One can only imagine why two young black males would want to run away from such a person.


Video in Link

http://gawker.com/texas-cop-suspended-after-footage-emerges-of-brutal-poo-1709655045?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gawker%2Ffull+(Gawker)

The cop was crazy overboard...the other 2 seemed to be composed, but throwing around profanity at kids and threatening to arrest them and shoving his knee on top of a 100 pound girl is ridiculous. You can clearly see he's only harassing the black teenagers (not white ones, like the one holding the camera) while the white fathers are standing around casually in approval.

It's unfortunate some kids tried to jump the fence and break into private swimming pool, but this response is complete overreaction. It seemed to start with some fight and argument between resident and one of the teens. We have to be careful to keep our kids away from rowdy crowds and mobs because even if you didn't do anything wrong, people look at guilt by association.

Nonetheless, the cop needs to be off force or if kept on, put behind a desk.