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

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

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[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Lots of people get shot, black and white, each year. It doesn't mean every article needs to contain the races. That's how you make it a problem is when you highlight the instances where it looks bad because of race. I wish someone would do a study of of how many people needed to be shot rather than just the fact that it happens. Yes, there is always going to be the bad stories where it was totally wrong, but not everything is a race issue just because that's the hot issue right now.

The only way to get rid of it is to stare it down in it's face, make people aware of it and then accept and change it. Trying to ignore it is what has got us into this situation in the first place. When the DOJ reports that places like Ferguson are sending racist emails internally to each other as well as targeting minorities to pad their budgets that is a problem. If you think they are the only ones doing stuff like that I have some bad news for you my friend

 

[HauntedKnight]

The only way to get rid of it is to stare it down in it's face, make people aware of it and then accept and change it. Trying to ignore it is what has got us into this situation in the first place. When the DOJ reports that places like Ferguson are sending racist emails internally to each other as well as targeting minorities to pad their budgets that is a problem. If you think they are the only ones doing stuff like that I have some bad news for you my friend

Definitely, I understand this is one of the problem sites. It needs to be dealt with, but I think ultimately what I'm trying to say is that it needs to be dealt with as a whole. Bad cops need to go. There are lots of good. Time to rule out the bad and not just for racial reasons. That's why I hate seeing it. If people get focused on that, they'll miss the bigger problems.

When I see 'white cop shoots unarmed black man' I get upset because a lot of people will see the racial tone in that instead of 'cop shoots unarmed man'. That's a huge problem there. Lets get it all. I think one of the things in the media was 'Black lives matter' and someone said it should be 'All lives matter' and they were attacked. What the heck is that? Bad cops are bad cops either way. Get rid of them where we need too...

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

I agree with you in theory but racism among the police has a long and storied history. It's not some new thing that just came about. You have places like the NYPD that go out of their way to target minorities. I agree that all corrupt cops who abuse their power need to go but their is a systemic problem between people of color and the majority of police forces out there. Hell racism in general needs to go away yet we have videos of frats chanting how n-words will never join them and the only reason they are sorry is because they got caught. Those idiots are even trying to sue because they are claiming they aren't racist for chanting that filth. It's insane

 

[warhorse78]

I agree with you in theory but racism among the police has a long and storied history. It's not some new thing that just came about. You have places like the NYPD that go out of their way to target minorities. I agree that all corrupt cops who abuse their power need to go but their is a systemic problem between people of color and the majority of police forces out there. Hell racism in general needs to go away yet we have videos of frats chanting how n-words will never join them and the only reason they are sorry is because they got caught. Those idiots are even trying to sue because they are claiming they aren't racist for chanting that filth. It's insane

I hate to say this, but the ones I hear say the N word all the time, are other Blacks. Also, to note, all of the Black people I know that made a success of themselves, they will tell you, the first thing they do when they start to make money, is get the hell out of the Black neighborhoods because they can't trust their own people. They rather move to where it's White, Hispanic or Asian dominated.

And then, we have this little issue, where I bet you that statistics will show you that most Black deaths that are violently related, are from other Blacks. There is a problem with the system, I have no doubt about it, but I also don't see the other races crying and whining about unfair treatment and causing so much problems for others. Like I said, even successful Black people have had issues. Why? What's the chance of me getting mugged/shot by a Black person? Heck, there was that video showing a Black reporter getting mugged by a couple of Black people. There are serious problems going on within the Black communities, and they can blame the others for only so long for those problems.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

I hate to say this, but the ones I hear say the N word all the time, are other Blacks. Also, to note, all of the Black people I know that made a success of themselves, they will tell you, the first thing they do when they start to make money, is get the hell out of the Black neighborhoods because they can't trust their own people. They rather move to where it's White, Hispanic or Asian dominated.

And then, we have this little issue, where I bet you that statistics will show you that most Black deaths that are violently related, are from other Blacks. There is a problem with the system, I have no doubt about it, but I also don't see the other races crying and whining about unfair treatment and causing so much problems for others. Like I said, even successful Black people have had issues. Why? What's the chance of me getting mugged/shot by a Black person? Heck, there was that video showing a Black reporter getting mugged by a couple of Black people. There are serious problems going on within the Black communities, and they can blame the others for only so long for those problems.

Wow, that's not racist at all. You seem to be blanket tossing out prejudices here without any real facts to back it up, just anecdotal evidence. Don't be afraid to tell us how you really feel

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Agree or disagree, it is something interesting to read:
"Companies gain profit from prisons being run as cheaply as possible."

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Yup, the for profit prison industry here in America is pretty well know. They treat inmates like animals and have horrible conditions for them

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I hate to say this, but the ones I hear say the N word all the time, are other Blacks. Also, to note, all of the Black people I know that made a success of themselves, they will tell you, the first thing they do when they start to make money, is get the hell out of the Black neighborhoods because they can't trust their own people. They rather move to where it's White, Hispanic or Asian dominated.

Blacks use the n-word in different context. But some whites refuse to acknowledge this difference for some reason. As if blacks are unworthy of controlling semantics as they see fit.

And successful blacks move away from poor blacks, not because of the poor blacks are black but because they want to live in better neighborhoods.

And then, we have this little issue, where I bet you that statistics will show you that most Black deaths that are violently related, are from other Blacks. There is a problem with the system, I have no doubt about it, but I also don't see the other races crying and whining about unfair treatment and causing so much problems for others. Like I said, even successful Black people have had issues. Why? What's the chance of me getting mugged/shot by a Black person? Heck, there was that video showing a Black reporter getting mugged by a couple of Black people. There are serious problems going on within the Black communities, and they can blame the others for only so long for those problems.

Did you know most white victims were victimized by white people?

Whites also commit more crimes than Asians.

When are white people going to take responsibility?

Most blacks are employed and non-criminals and shouldn't be judged based on what the worst of the race does. Just as all whites aren't judged based on meth addicted trailer trash.

 

[Anubis]

Exactly.

 

[warhorse78]

Blacks use the n-word in different context. But some whites refuse to acknowledge this difference for some reason. As if blacks are unworthy of controlling semantics as they see fit.

And successful blacks move away from poor blacks, not because of the poor blacks are black but because they want to live in better neighborhoods.

Why is that? Why are all the other neighborhoods considered better? My close friend who is Jamaican, prefers to live out in the boondocks by me where it's mostly Hispanic dominated, than to live in Belle Glade.

Did you know most white victims were victimized by white people?

You know most statistics lump Hispanics and Whites in the same category, and the FBI statistics will lump Hispanics, Whites and Asians in the same group. I don't know why, but it is what it is. But, I will agree with you, in that white people outnumber any other race in this country when it comes to serial killings, torture and outright heinous crimes like child rape, mutilations and whatnot.

Whites also commit more crimes than Asians.

Yeah, and how many more Whites are in this country than Asians?

When are white people going to take responsibility?

In what way?

Most blacks are employed and non-criminals and shouldn't be judged based on what the worst of the race does. Just as all whites aren't judged based on meth addicted trailer trash.

I will say, I have seen communities get themselves together. In Palm Beach County, Lake Parkand Riviera Beach have greatly improved, but out by Tamarind Avenue, I'm still not sure if I'd be happy having a car get a flat out there. I had a good friend who was ambushed in his car while waiting for a train to pass late one night, and he was nearly beaten to death, had to have his jaw wired back shut and now walks with a limp.

I'm not judging anything, but just asking honest questions and stating answers I have already gotten from my best friends. And I know what it's like to be judged, I'm a female in a very male dominated field. Want to know what it can be like, watch the movie North Country. It's not pretty.

 

[warhorse78]

Yup, the for profit prison industry here in America is pretty well know. They treat inmates like animals and have horrible conditions for them

And that's just the beginning. Look up the scandal going on with the Florida driver's license program, they outsourced the testing to an independent software company based in Texas I believe, and there is now like a 70 percent failure rate, even when the answers are correctly answered. What's the catch is that the first time you take the test, it's free, but then everytime afterwards, there is a fee, and the software company is collecting that fee. Now you know why people are failing left and right.

http://www.ocala.com/article/201502...10206005331479169&fb_action_types=og.comments

Next, I know they want to get their grubby hands on the school system, turn them into privatized entities.

 

[Kelly]

And that's just the beginning. Look up the scandal going on with the Florida driver's license program, they outsourced the testing to an independent software company based in Texas I believe, and there is now like a 70 percent failure rate, even when the answers are correctly answered. What's the catch is that the first time you take the test, it's free, but then everytime afterwards, there is a fee, and the software company is collecting that fee. Now you know why people are failing left and right.

http://www.ocala.com/article/201502...10206005331479169&fb_action_types=og.comments

Next, I know they want to get their grubby hands on the school system, turn them into privatized entities.

Well hell, the testing companies like Pearson, etc have been doing that for years with teacher's certification tests, etc....that is nothing new at all. States in the Northeast that have had a stronghold on state and national teacher and student tests making have been doing that for decades.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Ireland recently put tax on water. You don't have to pay the tax *wink wink* says the government, but of course the 5 people that protested were locked up in the slammer.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

EDITORIAL: How Police Body Cameras Were Designed to Get Cops Off the Hook

http://gizmodo.com/how-police-body-cameras-were-designed-to-get-cops-off-t-1691693677/+maxread

Tried to post this but it's too long and I don't want to edit the article since it's a very good read. Check it out and let me know what your thoughts are

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Most Americans Aren't Protecting Themselves Against Surveillance

As we inch up on the two-year anniversary of the Snowden leaks, it's important to think about how the Earth-shattering revelations about America's intelligence-gathering have affected Americans. We're all using Tor and DuckDuckGo and PGP and protecting ourselves against surveillance now, right? LOL, no.

Not even close actually. A new Pew study reveals that the vast majority of Americans haven't taken any steps to protect their privacy since the Snowden leaks. Most people know about the surveillance! Like 87 percent of Americans know at least something about the NSA programs revealed by the whistleblower. However, just 34 percent of those Americans "have taken at least one step to hide or shield their information from the government," says the Pew Research Center. The other two-thirds of the country haven't done anything.

Let's unpack these stats for a minute, though. It's worth highlighting that the Pew study is based upon a sample size of just 475 adults. But if ask yourself the same questions: What have you actually done to protect your privacy since you learned how much the United States government scans your data? Are you browsing the web with Tor? Are you encrypting everything? Are you doing anything differently? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you're probably in the minority.

The Pew numbers reflect a sad reality in which a pitiful 15 percent of Americans have changed their cell phone habits since learning that the NSA is scooping up all their metadata. Only 18 percent of people have changed their email habits. And of all those who are aware of the surveillance programs, only 25 percent of Americans "are using more complex passwords." By the way, picking more complex passwords isn't that hard when the most popular passwords are still "123456" and "password".

Armed with these new stats, we should ask why most Americans aren't changing their behavior in light of the Snowden revelations. The simplest answer might be the best one: Most American's don't care about surveillance. In fact, the majority of Americans are quite fine with increased surveillance in post-9/11 America. The Pew study found that a whopping 82-percent of Americans approved of surveilling terror suspects, while 40-percent of Americans were okay with monitoring other Americans.

Why? There must be a thousand different reasons. However, nearly two years after Edward Snowden leaked all those documents and expose this privacy-crushing NSA programs, it's obvious that the U.S. government isn't going to change its behavior. President Obama's so-called reforms of American intelligence programs were pretty weak. And recent reports who that the NSA's capabilities not only to monitor but also to control Americans' communications is getting better every year. Why would you inconvenience yourself with encryption when the NSA can easily break it?

All that said, there is a bright side. At the very least, most Americans are more aware of government surveillance, and some of them are making an effort to protect their privacy better. Not everybody! However, awareness about the intelligence community's misbehavior is a good first step for watching the watchmen. At least they're a little less invisible and invincible than they used to be.

http://gizmodo.com/most-americans-arent-protecting-themselves-against-surv-1691714074

Lot's of good links at the source of the article if your interested in trying to protect yourself at all. I know I haven't done anything to protect myself from the NSA

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Body Cam Films Cops Gunning Down Mentally Ill Man Holding Screwdriver

(Can't link to vid due to it's graphic nature but search YT for: Edited: Mental patient Jason Harrison shot by Dallas police )

The horrifying body camera footage of a Dallas police officer shooting and killing Jason Harrison—a mentally ill man who was holding a screwdriver when he was gunned down—has finally been made public.

According to the Dallas Observer, Harrison's mother had called police, as she had done many times in the past, seeking assistance getting her agitated, mentally ill 38-year-old son to the hospital. From the Dallas Morning News:

That day, Harrison's mother called 911 to ask the police for help bringing her son, who was bipolar and schizophrenic, to Parkland Hospital. He was in a crisis because he was off his medication, his family said.

In the 911 call, Harrison's mother described her son's mental disorders, and those details were relayed to the officers by dispatchers, Henley said. The video shows Harrison's mother walking calmly out of the house in the 200 block of Glencairn Drive seconds prior to the shooting.​

The shooting recorded on officer Andrew Hutchin's body camera from last June was released yesterday by the attorney representing Harrison's family, Geoff Henley. Dallas police claim Harrison "became aggressive" when officers arrived at the home.

"He's just off the chain," Harrison's mother can be seen saying the video. "Bipolar-schizo," she goes on. Harrison then appears in the doorway holding a screwdriver in his hands.

Seconds later, officers Hutchins and John Rogers draw their weapons and shout, "Drop it!" And in a flash, they open fire, and Harrison is on the ground. The officers continue to shout at him to drop the screwdriver as he bleeds out.

Harrison is on the ground and dying in fewer than 30 seconds from the time police knock on his front door.

Following the shooting, both officers were placed on administrative leave for five days before returning to duty. Dallas Police Chief David Brown, the Observer reports, has maintained that the video supports "the officers' accounts that the shooting was justified."

An internal police investigation, the Morning News reports, is ongoing.

(To see the full un-edited 18 minute clip search YT for: PICT0023 2014 06 14 16 27 52 )

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/loca...an-who-was-armed-with-screwdriver-2/24875447/

Unfortunately the cop turns when the man supposedly "lunges" at the officers but he just had a damn screwdriver. They are seen with tasers in the vid so why did they not attempt to use them?

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Mall Cops Catfished Black Lives Matter Activists on Facebook

Security at the Mall of America created fake Facebook profiles to snoop on political activists. Documents obtained by The Intercept show how glorified mall cops catfished Black Lives Matter protest participants by making up a fictional activist persona called "Nikki Larson" and befriending them on Facebook.

Mall security used these Facebook friendships to build dossiers on activists involved with a December 20 police brutality protest at the sprawling Minnesota mall, including organizers who were later charged by local law enforcement for involvement with the protest.

Cops using Facebook to catfish people is nothing new, but the MoA is a privately-owned mall (which is why actual police were able to arrest protestors for being on MoA property). And the Mall of America's mall cop squad conducts intensive surveillance activities on political dissidents using catfishing tactics. (I've contacted Facebook to ask whether fraudulent accounts like "Nikki Larson" violate its terms of service.)

It appears the Larson account has been active for years, letting mall cops gather intelligence on Minnesota activists:

The Larson account appears to have been created in 2009, and had 817 friends, many of whose pages showed they were involved in Minnesota political activism. The account also "liked" Facebook groups associated with Ferguson activists, the American Indian Movement Interpretive Center, Occupy Minneapolis, SumOfUs, the SEIU Minnesota State Council, and Communities United Against Police Brutality, among others.​

Mall of America has been letting its Paul Blarts dip their toes into intelligence gathering for years. Back in 2011, an NPR investigation revealed that the nation's busiest mall had its very own counterterrorism task force.

It's not clear whether the Catfishing Unit is part of the task force or something else entirely, but either way: This incident is a good reminder to be wary of accepting friend requests from people you don't know in real life on Facebook, and a good reminder that the Mall of America is apparently a surveillance hotbed with no problem with deceiving political activists.

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/...k-lives-matter-activists-collect-information/

Nobody else thinks this is freaking weird? A damn mall with an intelligence agency?

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

The Horrible, Bigoted Texts Traded Between San Francisco Police Officers

A passel of racist, homophobic text messages sent between at least five San Francisco police officers were released last Friday as part of a motion by the U.S. Attorney's office to deny bail to Ian Furminger, a former SFPD sergeant recently convicted on federal corruption charges and a primary actor in the series of bigoted texts.

The texts, from 2011–2012, initially implicated four current officers and Furminger—but by Monday, 10 more cops were placed under review by the SFPD's internal investigation for their alleged involvement. On Tuesday, San Francisco Dist. Attorney George Gascon announced a review of approximately 100,000 convictions for "potential bias."

The following is a sampling of the texts sent and received between the five officers, as compiled in the government's motion against Furminger (you can read the full document here):

"We got two blacks at my boys [sic] school and they are brother and sister! There cause dad works for the school district and I am watching them like hawks."
In response to a text asking "Do you celebrate quanza [sic] at your school?" Furminger wrote: "Yeah we burn the cross on the field! Then we celebrate Whitemas."
"Its [sic] worth every penny to live here [Walnut Creek] away from the savages."
"Those guys are pretty stupid! Ask some dumb ass questions you would expect from a black rookie! Sorry if they are your buddies!"
"The buffalo soldier was why the Indians Wouldnt [sic] shoot the n****rs that found for the confederate They [sic] thought they were sacred buffalo and not human."
"Gunther Furminger was a famous slave auctioneer."
"My wife has 2 friends over that don't know each other the cool one says to me get me a drink n****r not knowing the other is married to one just happened right now LMFAO."
"White power."
In response to a text saying "N****rs should be spayed," Furminger wrote "I saw one an hour ago with 4 kids."
"I am leaving it like it is, painting KKK on the sides and calling it a day!"
"Cross burning lowers blood pressure! I did the test myself!"
In response to a text saying "All n****rs must f***ing hang," Furminger wrote "Ask my 6 year old what he thinks about Obama."
In response to a text saying "Just boarded train at Mission/16th," Furminger wrote "Ok, just watch out for BM's" [black males].
"I hate to tell you this but my wife friend [sic] is over with their kids and her husband is black! If [sic] is an Attorney but should I be worried?" Furminger's friend, an SFPD officer, responded: "Get ur pocket gun. Keep it available in case the monkey returns to his roots. Its [sic] not against the law to put an animal down." Furminger responded, "Well said!"
In response to a text from another SFPD officer regarding the promotion of a black officer to sergeant, Furminger wrote: "F***in n****r."​

The four officers, identified as Michael Robison, 46; Noel Schwab, 49; Rain Daugherty, 40; and Michael Celis, 47, have all been placed on desk duty for the course of the internal investigation, NPR reports. All four have served the SFPD for at least 10 years.

"We pride ourselves on being a progressive city, yet we have active officers who are engaging in not only racist banter, but they were talking about killing people, referring to an African American as a 'savage,'" Jeff Adachi, a San Francisco public defender reviewing past convictions, told the Los Angeles Times. "A person does not become a racist overnight. These were officers who in some cases had over a decade of service. We need to look at all of them."

Meanwhile Furminger granted an exclusive interview to the San Francisco ABC affiliate where he insists he is not racist, telling the station, "My best friends and closest friends are all black, gay, Chinese or Asian, and Hispanic. That's who I socialize with. That's who I spend my time with." He goes on: "These were supposed to be funny, not to be broadcast on the news."

Both San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr and Mayor Edwin Lee have called for the officers' termination. (SFist has a comprehensive roundup of their, and other San Francisco public officials, statements.)

http://gawker.com/the-horrible-bigoted-texts-traded-between-san-francisc-1692183203

Ya those texts are hilarious Just because you claim to have friends of varying ethnicity doesn't mean you aren't racist if that's how you talk when you think nobody will find out

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Ivy League Admissions Are a Sham: Confessions of a Harvard Gatekeeper

http://gawker.com/ivy-league-admissions-are-a-sham-confessions-of-a-harv-1690402410

Doesn't surprise me at all

 

[childeroland]

Reports: Black UVA Student Beaten by Police for Having Fake ID

As of now, there has been no response from UVA administration whatsoever, nor has there been coverage of this incident in the student newspaper or the city paper.

The above picture was included in an email sent to the UVA community by a group of concerned black students, which also details the alleged incident:

This morning Martese Johnson emerged with a head injury requiring 10 stitches.

He was brutalized by Virginia ABC law enforcement outside of Trinity Irish Pub. His face was bloodied. His body was bruised.

Outside of the doors of Trinity Irish Pub, a mass of University students bore witness to the officer's animalistic, insensitive, and brute handling of Martese. He was left with his blood splattered on the pavement of University Avenue.

Today, we are reminded of the gruesome reality that we are not immune to injustice; as University students, we are not impervious to the brutality that has reeled on news cycles around the country. We have marched and shouted that we are Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, but the proximity of this morning's brutality to a member of our community has deepened that wound. It is no longer happening only on national television—it is a reality here and now at the University of Virginia that we must face as a collective.

After Martese was denied entry to the bar, he found himself suddenly flung to the ground. The brutish force used resulted in his head and bodily injuries. His treatment was unprovoked as he did not resist questioning or arrest. In confusion, with blood painting his face and creating a pool on the bricks of the corner, he yelled out for mercy. Though he lay bleeding and crying out, officers continued to hold him to the pavement, pinning him down, twisting his arm, with knees to his back until he was handcuffed.

As students pleaded with officers to lift Martese from the ground they were pushed away, and some were even handcuffed and threatened with possible arrest if they did not leave the scene.

We demand there be a swift and thorough investigation on the state, local, and University levels. We have seen what happens at the University when we allow problems we have long known exist to be handled quietly, so we will not be quiet. We demand noise from each other, noise from professors, noise from administrators. Martese, like any other student at this university, like any other person in this country and in this world, deserves more than our uproar: he deserves follow through and intentional action.

Look forward to a follow up email regarding further plans and actions.

Sincerely,

Concerned Black Students

A march is being organized in Charlottesville for 8 p.m. tonight, from the main landmark on campus—the Rotunda—to the police department downtown.

Martese Johnson is a highly involved student at the University of Virginia: an Italian and Media Studies major who plans on going into business, a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity (a historically black frat), a leadership development chair in the Black Student Association; he was also a leader in the major student governing body (the Honor Committee). Sources tell me he was also an IMP: a member of a prestigious semi-secret society, one of three major secret societies on grounds.

No incidents of prejudicial violence on this scale have occurred at the University of Virginia in recent memory, although the racial climate in Charlottesville is what you might expect from a relatively conservative institution founded by Thomas Jefferson. Graduate student Maya Hislop told me, "Black students on grounds are highly familiar with this kind of abuse (denied access to places, checking IDs of black students and not checking IDs of white students), but I do not know that it has ever been this violent."

She added, "We knew that increased police presence for the protection of women would have a negative impact on black students. It sucks that we had to be proven right this way."

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Ya that's pretty messed up but you may want to remove the image, not sure if graphic pics like that are allowed

 

[Tempest]

Body Cam Films Cops Gunning Down Mentally Ill Man Holding Screwdriver

(Can't link to vid due to it's graphic nature but search YT for: Edited: Mental patient Jason Harrison shot by Dallas police )



http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/loca...an-who-was-armed-with-screwdriver-2/24875447/

Unfortunately the cop turns when the man supposedly "lunges" at the officers but he just had a damn screwdriver. They are seen with tasers in the vid so why did they not attempt to use them?

Because they saw something in his hand and thought it was a gun. Tazers don't always work on people, and they thought he was armed.

I would have shot him too.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Because they saw something in his hand and thought it was a gun. Tazers don't always work on people, and they thought he was armed.

I would have shot him too.

There is no way in hell they thought it was a gun, the video clearly showed him holding a screw driver and that was also reported to them by the mother when she called

 

[RockSP]

edit due to language in link