Abuse of Power Thread (Cops, Governments, Etc.)

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Sorry, I quoted the wrong one.



To be fair, we didn't see the whole exchange. And we do know that they tasered, or at least attempted to taser the man, and that it didn't work. Even if he's having a psychotic episode, the officers were running out of options when he reached for a weapon.

I'm deeply sorry that a man has lost his life. And if he was in a psychotic moment, then that compounds the tragedy. Perhaps there could be more training, but I really think the officers responded to the best of their ability.

Well I'm kind of torn here, on the one hand it seems almost ludicrous that 5 or 6 officers can't control one unarmed man but when someone has a psychotic break sometimes they can do things no normal man could.

But now you're getting into mind reading territory. Whatever the guy was thinking is irrelevant, it's what he was actually doing that matters. He was wrestled, tazed, and then was still strongly resisting and went for a gun. That's a clear danger.

He's overpowering 5 officers and is now wrestling one of them for his gun? Yeah, that's scary enough to warrant shooting him. They tried all options to restrain him. It totally sucks and is sad and unfortunate, but that seems to be what happened in the very short few seconds of the encounter.

I keep hearing that at least one of the officers had a body cam that was on, so maybe we'll eventually find out more about what happened, but as it looks right now, the guy didn't give the officers much choice.

And I do agree with you on that front, they really did exhaust all the options they had and maybe if footage is released from a body cam showing he was def trying to get the gun than that would def make it justifiable. From the angle of the fb video it just doesn't seem like he really knew what he was doing. Like I said in my previous post, I have schizophrenia and it just scares me that something could happen to me one day (although I take my meds everyday) where I lose control and the only thing that an officer thinks will solve the situation is killing me. There has to be a batter way of dealing with someone who is not right in the mind. For all we know those cops could have been demons trying to take his soul and that's why he fought so hard. When I had a mental breakdown I heard voices from God, angels, and demons. It's freaking scary and luckily for me mine are auditory hallucinations and no matter how crazy they were I never acted on them. It just seems like there has to be a better way than what went down, although for the life of me I can't think of one

 

[Howlett]

Well I'm kind of torn here, on the one hand it seems almost ludicrous that 5 or 6 officers can't control one unarmed man but when someone has a psychotic break sometimes they can do things no normal man could.



And I do agree with you on that front, they really did exhaust all the options they had and maybe if footage is released from a body cam showing he was def trying to get the gun than that would def make it justifiable. From the angle of the fb video it just doesn't seem like he really knew what he was doing. Like I said in my previous post, I have schizophrenia and it just scares me that something could happen to me one day (although I take my meds everyday) where I lose control and the only thing that an officer thinks will solve the situation is killing me. There has to be a batter way of dealing with someone who is not right in the mind. For all we know those cops could have been demons trying to take his soul and that's why he fought so hard. When I had a mental breakdown I heard voices from God, angels, and demons. It's freaking scary and luckily for me mine are auditory hallucinations and no matter how crazy they were I never acted on them. It just seems like there has to be a better way than what went down, although for the life of me I can't think of one

I feel for you, and I understand your empathy for this guy. I feel terrible for him too, the mental health system failed him.

I've seen skid row in downtown LA, it's just horribly sad. This guy had no access to meds and who knows what his state of mind was or how long he'd been battling it. But unfortunately once you publicly become a danger to yourself and others someone has to intervene. I just wish it wouldn't have gone this way, but again, they exhausted all of their options and he really didn't seem to give them any other choice.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

I guess the sad state of the USA's mental health facilities are the actual bad guy in this scenario. I'm lucky, here in Pinellas county there are a couple different options for people with mental health issues that have low income. You can basically get your meds for free out here. Unfortunately I know that isn't the case even in a lot of big cities. Mental health is one of those issues most people don't like to think about but for those of us who suffer from mental illness we just want to have a normal life like everyone else. It's sad that the richest and greatest nation in the world just wants to sweep us under the rug and not deal with the problem

 

[Tempest]

Well I'm kind of torn here, on the one hand it seems almost ludicrous that 5 or 6 officers can't control one unarmed man but when someone has a psychotic break sometimes they can do things no normal man could.

This is very true. Even if he wasn't in a psychotic moment, a man desperate enough can sometimes have unusual strength.

And I do agree with you on that front, they really did exhaust all the options they had and maybe if footage is released from a body cam showing he was def trying to get the gun than that would def make it justifiable. From the angle of the fb video it just doesn't seem like he really knew what he was doing. Like I said in my previous post, I have schizophrenia and it just scares me that something could happen to me one day (although I take my meds everyday) where I lose control and the only thing that an officer thinks will solve the situation is killing me. There has to be a batter way of dealing with someone who is not right in the mind. For all we know those cops could have been demons trying to take his soul and that's why he fought so hard. When I had a mental breakdown I heard voices from God, angels, and demons. It's freaking scary and luckily for me mine are auditory hallucinations and no matter how crazy they were I never acted on them. It just seems like there has to be a better way than what went down, although for the life of me I can't think of one

I know. But the truth is, the police can't know what his intent or thoughts were...and they can't take the risk to assume. That's what makes these cases so sad and so difficult.

What concerns me is that the man may have had his hand near the officer's weapon, but he may not have actually been attempting to grab it. In the heat of the moment, particularly during a struggle, what happened, and what the officers perceived in that moment, could be two different things.

Again though, we're asking officers to be mind readers, and that isn't fair to them either.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

Well first off, it's usually not very easy to pull an officers weapon out. Most cops have a latch on the holster to keep the weapon secure. Even if that isn't the case here he already had multiple cops on top of him so for them to not be able to maintain control is laughable. They should have been able to subdue the man without firing 6 shots into him. If this were just one or two officers in the same instance I could almost see how it would have been justifiable

I cant think of three instances of the top of my head of people that I know personally who have fought off multiple people at once, and won. So don't be so sure.

As per the latch, I suspect that's exactly why the man couldn't get it out, but it seems the latch was open as it's like a second after that when the shots are fired. In addition, six shots are fired but we don't know how many made contact. Furthermore, a lot of it is muscle memory - when in the firing range you let off more than one shot at a time.

Also, when you pull out your gun, it's because nothing else is working (ie the taser) and/or because you fear for your life (the guy was on his gun).

Clearly the cop was terrified. Again, I think he should get counselling but definitely not a murder charge.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

UPDATE: LAPD Chief: Evidence Shows Man Grabbed Gun Before Police Shooting

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck defended the officers who shot a homeless man to death on the city's skid row yesterday, offering visual evidence he says supports their version of what he called "an extreme tragedy."

"It appears to me officers acted compassionately," said Beck, "up until the time when force was required."

According to Beck, a review of preliminary evidence in the ongoing investigation shows the man, reportedly known by the street name "Africa," "forcibly grabbed" an officer's holstered pistol.

Beck displayed several pictures in support of this claim, including a still from the widely-circulated bystander video and a photo of an officer's jammed pistol.

"As you can see, the slide is partially engaged and a round has been partially ejected and fouled the firing chamber. This is indicative of a struggle over the weapon," said Beck. "There's also a screen grab from a privately-taken video. If you examine that, it appears that the suspect's hand is reaching for the officer's waistband in the area where his pistol would be located."

According to ABC News, a police source says the investigation could take up to five months to complete.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lapd-shooting-20150302-story.html#page=1

If he was able to jam the gun than the appropriate action was taken. It's very tragic since nobody can know what the man was going through at the time he acted the way he did. All the more reason IMO to have smart weapons that won't fire unless it's with the authorized individual that way tragedies like this can be avoided

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Almost All Arrests in Ferguson Between 2012-2014 Were Black People

As expected, an initial release of the Justice Department's report from their civil rights investigation into the Ferguson, Mo. police department is damning, and concludes, the New York Times reports, that officers "have routinely violated the constitutional rights of the city's black residents."

According to the Times, the full report is expected to be released Wednesday, and will contain the following data points, culled from records from 2012–2014 (emphasis ours):

In compiling the report, federal investigators conducted hundreds of interviews, reviewed 35,000 pages of police records and analyzed race data compiled for every police stop. They concluded that, over the past two years, African-Americans — who make up about two-thirds of the city's population — accounted for 85 percent of traffic stops, 90 percent of citations, 93 percent of arrests and 88 percent of cases in which the police used force.

City officials were also found making racist jokes about black people on their government email accounts; black residents of Ferguson are twice as likely to be pulled over by the overwhelmingly white police force.

The Department of Justice's probe was announced last year by Attorney General Eric Holder in the weeks following of Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson officer, shooting and killing unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. Wilson is expected to be cleared of any civil rights violations.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/04/u...reakingNews&contentID=30607495&pgtype=article

That is pretty damning evidence there

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Lawsuit Claims New Jersey Cop Gave Woman a Choice: Sex or Jail

A New Jersey police officer currently under investigation for fatally shooting a man who had his hands raised also blackmailed a woman into having rough, unprotected sex with him, the woman claims in a new civil suit.

Shakera Brown says she was standing outside a Rite Aid last January when Officer Braheme Days approached her claiming she fit the description of an alleged shoplifter. Then, via the Daily Journal:

The suit claims that Days told her she would be arrested unless they could "work something out."

Brown states she pleaded that she had children and could not spend time in jail. Days allegedly said, "Then, I guess we're going to handle this in an adult manner."

The suit states that Days had Brown put her cellphone number into his phone and told her he would call her. She went home where about 8 p.m. Days reportedly called her to arrange a meeting.

According to the Journal, Days pulled up near her home in his police cruiser and asked her to give him a blow job. They later had sex at his home and at a nearby hotel, and the suit alleges Days continued to threaten her.

Things got worse that summer, when Brown allegedly filed a complaint with the Bridgeton Police Department.

"However, following Ms. Brown's complaint to Lieutenant Slabado, Officer Days' behavior got progressively worse," the suit states.

Brown claims one encounter was at a house in Bridgton Village. She allegedly told Days she would no longer have sex with him but gave in when he told her that she had a "no bail" warrant issued for her arrest.

At that time, she claims, he also insisted on having unprotected sexual intercourse against her will. Afterward, she made an emergency appointment with her doctor for a screening for sexually transmitted diseases and continues to be checked for them. Her doctor declared her healthy, though.

Days is also currently under investigation for the December shooting of Jerame C. Reid, who appeared to have his hands in the air.

Days and his partner, Roger Worley, had just discovered a gun in the car's glove compartment when Reid exited the vehicle with his hands raised at shoulder level. Days shot him multiple times, killing him at the scene.

Both officers are currently on suspension pending the investigation.

http://www.thedailyjournal.com/stor...tal-shooting-coerced-sex-repeatedly/24088777/

If true that is disgusting and he should be jailed as a sex offender

 

[warhorse78]

It's not so much as an abuse of power, but apparently here in Florida, we still have this law on the books that makes it illegal for unmarried couples to live together, and that there could be a fine up to 500 bucks and the persons being sent to jail for 60 days. Some law maker is trying to get it repealed, but keeps running into obstacles.

Either way, this law seems to me to be very unconstituitional, and it baffles me how it was ever passed to begin with, even though the law is over a hundred years old.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

It's not so much as an abuse of power, but apparently here in Florida, we still have this law on the books that makes it illegal for unmarried couples to live together, and that there could be a fine up to 500 bucks and the persons being sent to jail for 60 days. Some law maker is trying to get it repealed, but keeps running into obstacles.

Either way, this law seems to me to be very unconstituitional, and it baffles me how it was ever passed to begin with, even though the law is over a hundred years old.

Because of bible thumpers haha

 

[Greens]

It's not so much as an abuse of power, but apparently here in Florida, we still have this law on the books that makes it illegal for unmarried couples to live together, and that there could be a fine up to 500 bucks and the persons being sent to jail for 60 days. Some law maker is trying to get it repealed, but keeps running into obstacles.

Either way, this law seems to me to be very unconstituitional, and it baffles me how it was ever passed to begin with, even though the law is over a hundred years old.

Bureaucracy at its finest.

 

[Asgard]

http://www.abc6onyourside.com/news/...or-Working-Too-Early-98634.shtml#.VPeluvx4rMu

Its messed up that they sentenced him to 30 days for a first time offense. Total bs.

And why are the sanitation workers the ones to ultimately blame and not their employers? I dont get this part at all. I seriously doubt the truck drivers are just jacking the garbage trucks against their bosses orders in order to collect trash earlier. Its obvious their bosses are telling them to collect trash earlier so why should they be the ones to blame? This guy should sue the city and his employer for this.

 

[KevanG]

Almost All Arrests in Ferguson Between 2012-2014 Were Black People

That is pretty damning evidence there

Well then... It seems that speaks for itself.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Cops Say a High School Dean Shot a Teenager Execution Style

In a scene from next season's Ray Donovan, a Boston high school dean who also worked as a youth minister was just arrested for allegedly shooting a teenager in the back of the head.

Cops say Rev. Shaun O. Harrison shot a 17-year-old at point-blank range Tuesday, injuring but not killing the teen, who was reportedly selling drugs for him. It's not clear how the pair met, though Harrison's other authority figure position as the dean of students at Boston English high school might have provided the introduction.

(The AP also reports Harrison led substance abuse and anger management programs for the teens.)

Via Boston.com:

Around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Harrison lured a 17-year-old student onto Magazine Street with promises of girls and drugs, and then shot the student in the back of the head with a handgun, before fleeing on foot, according to authorities.

Police said surveillance footage from a local business captured the incident.

Amazingly, the student, who police have not identified, survived the shooting and was taken to Boston Medical Center for treatment. The student told police that he sold marijuana for Harrison, who ran a drug ring, until the two got into a dispute.​

Harrison was arrested and charged with a host of felonies. The Herald points out that the good rev might have been an honest-to-goodness gangster: he allegedly "had a mural of Latin King members in his home and shared a matching tattoo with two other men arraigned in connection with the shooting."

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_op..._prominent_boston_reverend_ambushed_shot_teen

He's like a real life Gus Fring

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Department of Justice to Investigate Bob Menendez For Corruption

Democratic New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez will be investigated as part of a Justice Department corruption probe, CNN reports.

An official confirmed the forthcoming investigation to the Washington Post, which is expected to be formally announced in the coming weeks.

According to CNN, Menendez is being investigated for his chummy relationship with Florida ophthalmologist (and frequent campaign donator) Salomon Melgen, particularly three instances in which the senator either lobbied to the doctor's financial benefit or accepted payments without filing proper disclosures.

First, Melgen's company, ICSSI, was accused by the federal government of overcharging them $8.9 million:

Menendez advocated on Melgen's behalf with federal Medicare administrators who accused Melgen of overbilling the government's healthcare program, according to court documents and people briefed on the probe. Melgen was among the top recipients of Medicare reimbursements in recent years, during a time when he was also a major Democratic donor. Melgen's attorneys have denied any wrongdoing.​

Second, Menendez allegedly worked to protect an existing contract Melgen's company had with the Dominican government:

Prosecutors also are focusing on whether Menendez broke the law in advocating for Melgen's business interest in a Dominican Republic government contract for a port screening equipment. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, at the time, considered donating port screening equipment to the Dominican Republic, which would have hurt the contract of Melgen-controlled company.​

Federal investigators are also reportedly looking into flights Menendez took to the Dominican Republic allegedly paid for by Melgen:

Investigators have focused in part on plane trips Menendez took in 2010 to the Dominican Republic as a guest of Melgen. In 2013, after word of the federal investigation became public, Menendez paid back Melgen $58,000 for the 2010 plane trips calling his failure to properly disclose the flights an "oversight."​

The senator's supposed involvement in Melgen's Dominican affairs is uncanny given how the Cuban government might have schemed to make it look like Menendez had slept with underage Dominican prostitutes.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/06/politics/robert-menendez-criminal-corruption-charges-planned/

Another shady ass politician

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

UPDATE: Two Ferguson Cops, Court Clerk Lose Jobs Over Racist Emails

Two Ferguson police officers have reportedly resigned and a court clerk has been fired for sending or receiving racist emails, according to the St. Louis Dispatch. The dismissals come just two days after the Department of Justice released a damning report exposing the Ferguson Police Department as fundamentally racist.

The Dispatch reports that Capt. Rick Henke and Sgt. William Mudd resigned on Thursday; Court Clerk Mary Ann Twitty was fired on Wednesday.

From the Dispatch:

It was not clear whether the three were alleged to be senders or recipients of offensive emails. They could not be reached for comment.

The sources said Henke was associated with an e-mail from 2008 suggesting that President Barack Obama would not be president for very long because a black man can't hold a job. They said Mudd was associated with an e-mail from 2011 suggesting that CrimeStoppers paid a black woman who terminated a pregnancy.​

With the resignations of Henke and Mudd, the Ferguson Police Department only has to replace the remainder of its entire force in order to become racism- and brutality-free.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_5cca0f5f-7a1b-5b67-ab11-77541c9ad4f4.html

Gotta start somewhere

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Suit: Cops Forced Mentally Challenged Woman to Wear "I'm Dope" Shirt

A new lawsuit in the Bronx claims that two cops in the 52nd precinct forced a mentally handicapped janitor, who had been working at the station for 23 years, to wear a shirt that said "I'm dope" so they could photograph and ridicule her. In a deposition, the woman says that she didn't know what the shirt said.

Hannah Biggan claims in the suit that the two cops—Nicholas Konner and John Repetti—brought the shirt to her one morning in May of 2013, saying that it was too big for one of them, and that they'd like to give it to her. Biggan says she then put it in her locker. Later, Konner and Repetti came up to Biggan, asked her to put the shirt on, then proceeded to ridicule her. From the New York Post:

Biggan put the shirt in her locker and went back to work — not knowing she was being ridiculed, the suit says. Later that afternoon, Konner and Repetti allegedly told her to get the shirt and put it on.

Repetti then used his cellphone to snap a photo of her standing alongside Konner, as both men laughed, the suit says.​

When the men asked Biggan if she could read the shirt, she told them that she couldn't read. She said she tried to read the words but she couldn't. When she went home later, wearing the shirt, her sister Maryann told her what it meant:

"When I got home, my sister Maryann told me what it said . . . And I got really depressed and *angry at them for doing that to me because I've never done anything bad to them."​

Biggan grew depressed after the incident, and was suicidal, causing her to take leave from her job for so long that she was no longer getting paid. The lawsuit claims there was discrimination against her and implicates the city, the two cops, and her supervisor, who reportedly did nothing after the incident was reported.

http://nypost.com/2015/03/06/cops-force-mentally-challenged-janitor-to-wear-im-dope-t-shirt/

That is despicable, I mean really disgusting. She was just trying to work and be a productive member of society. This really pisses me off

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Wisconsin Cop Fatally Shoots Black Man, Prompting Protests

On Friday night, a police officer in Madison, Wisconsin shot and killed a black 19-year-old named Anthony "Tony" Robinson, Reuters reports. An initial search of the scene indicated that Robinson was unarmed.

Madison Police Chief Mike Koval told reporters that, around 6:30 p.m., the officer responded to complaints of a disturbance. Koval said Madison police had received calls about a man who had "battered someone" and who had gone out into the street, disrupting traffic.

Koval said that the responding officer heard a "disturbance" in an apartment and forced his way in, where, after "mutual combat," the officer shot Robinson in the head, the Los Angeles Times reports. Robinson died of his wounds at a hospital.

"The initial finding at the scene did not reflect a gun or anything of that nature that would have been used by the subject," Koval said.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that demonstrators from the Young, Gifted and Black Coalition gathered at the scene of the shooting, eventually making their way to the Madison City County building.

Mayor Paul Soglin told the Journal that there would be an outside investigation of the shooting, in addition to the one conducted by the state Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation.

17-year-old Jack Spaulding, who said he was one of Robinson's best friends, described the slain man as "one of the happiest people I know." Spaulding told the Journal, "I still can't even fully wrap my head around this."

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015...n-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

If he had no weapon than why was he shot in the head?

 

[Golgo-13]

I love that people are voicing their outrage about these rogue officers. For too long they have literally gotten away with murder. Being a police officer was once considerd an honorable profession. Now, partially thanks to social media, not so much so anymore.

I think it has more to do with good police officers, turning the other cheek and/or not speaking up against the few who make them all look bad. People generally listen to their peers, more than they do outsiders, so if good cops would say "look man, you're making us all look bad; stop doing this, stop doing that" things would change drastically…..

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

I love that people are voicing their outrage about these rogue officers. For too long they have literally gotten away with murder. Being a police officer was once considerd an honorable profession. Now, partially thanks to social media, not so much so anymore.

I think it has more to do with good police officers, turning the other cheek and/or not speaking up against the few who make them all look bad. People generally listen to their peers, more than they do outsiders, so if good cops would say "look man, you're making us all look bad; stop doing this, stop doing that" things would change drastically…..

I agree with a lot of what you said but I still believe the majority of police are good people doing an amazingly difficult job. The bad ones always make headlines but all the officers doing their jobs don't show up in the news. But you are right in the fact that even some good officers feel the need to stay silent even when they know their brothers are doing something wrong because much like soldiers they have a very special bond that is hard to understand unless you have served. Being ex-military myself I know that feeling. But I do think the gears are in motion to change the state that is currently in our country regarding police. Poor communities who have taken the brunt of abuses are no longer standing by and accepting it. With social media and smartphones that have cameras everyone now has the power to shine the lights where they have never been. Slowly but surely I can see the old ways are giving way to new ideals and I feel our country will be stronger for it. The problem is it takes time for real change to happen and it's a slow process

 

[Golgo-13]

I agree with a lot of what you said but I still believe the majority of police are good people doing an amazingly difficult job. The bad ones always make headlines but all the officers doing their jobs don't show up in the news. But you are right in the fact that even some good officers feel the need to stay silent even when they know their brothers are doing something wrong because much like soldiers they have a very special bond that is hard to understand unless you have served. Being ex-military myself I know that feeling. But I do think the gears are in motion to change the state that is currently in our country regarding police. Poor communities who have taken the brunt of abuses are no longer standing by and accepting it. With social media and smartphones that have cameras everyone now has the power to shine the lights where they have never been. Slowly but surely I can see the old ways are giving way to new ideals and I feel our country will be stronger for it. The problem is it takes time for real change to happen and it's a slow process

I too am ex-military (Army) i understand the brotherhood bond that comes along with serving side by side with people who may one day save your life and vice versa, which is why it is such a fine line to walk; speak out against your brothers and risk being alienated, or remain silent.

In essense, remaining silent and/or doing nothing when you see wrong pretty much means you codone that behavior.

 

[warhorse78]

I think it's funny, in Florida, several years ago, the leaders and public campaigned to get camers on the signals and light posts throughout the cities. It was a major project that cost the tax payers alot of money. After maybe a year of implementation, the courts and leaders decided to stop the program all of a sudden, and has many people scratching their heads why. I know why, because some politicians/cops and other officials are probably being caught on camera doing stuff they are not supposed to be doing.

Other abuses of the government going on in Florida. A big one is to do with the bullet/high speed train. Every election for the past 15 years, it has gone on the ballot, and every year, the people have voted no. Well, despite what the voters want, it's going through anyways if we like it or not.

Another controverial subject in Florida. In the outskirts of West Palm Beach, there is a rural community that the people out there set up and built and even installed laws in the area to keep it as rural as possible by not allowing land to be segregated to no less than an acre and a quarter. The residents out there paid a group of commissioners a tax to keep the law implemented and in place. Then several years ago, the orange groves that were badly damaged beyond repair from hurricanes sold their massive land to a development comany called Minto West. It's actually a company owned by Canadians, and they pretty much paid off the politicians to abandoned the people's way of life and wishes by allowing the company to built 4 to 6 thousand homes on the property, along with a business complex, baseball park and mall. There is only one major road near the area, and it's just crazy that the politicians only see the dollar signs, not the big picture the impact on the area this massive project will cause.

 

[Howlett]

Wisconsin Cop Fatally Shoots Black Man, Prompting Protests

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015...n-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

If he had no weapon than why was he shot in the head?

after "mutual combat,"

Fighting with police is always a terrible idea. They don't know you're unarmed or if you're going for their gun.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

I think it's funny, in Florida, several years ago, the leaders and public campaigned to get camers on the signals and light posts throughout the cities. It was a major project that cost the tax payers alot of money. After maybe a year of implementation, the courts and leaders decided to stop the program all of a sudden, and has many people scratching their heads why. I know why, because some politicians/cops and other officials are probably being caught on camera doing stuff they are not supposed to be doing.

Other abuses of the government going on in Florida. A big one is to do with the bullet/high speed train. Every election for the past 15 years, it has gone on the ballot, and every year, the people have voted no. Well, despite what the voters want, it's going through anyways if we like it or not.

Another controverial subject in Florida. In the outskirts of West Palm Beach, there is a rural community that the people out there set up and built and even installed laws in the area to keep it as rural as possible by not allowing land to be segregated to no less than an acre and a quarter. The residents out there paid a group of commissioners a tax to keep the law implemented and in place. Then several years ago, the orange groves that were badly damaged beyond repair from hurricanes sold their massive land to a development comany called Minto West. It's actually a company owned by Canadians, and they pretty much paid off the politicians to abandoned the people's way of life and wishes by allowing the company to built 4 to 6 thousand homes on the property, along with a business complex, baseball park and mall. There is only one major road near the area, and it's just crazy that the politicians only see the dollar signs, not the big picture the impact on the area this massive project will cause.

I'm also a FL resident and have some insight on what you shared. The thing with the cameras for stop lights and all that stopped because there is a law on the books here that states any citation must be personally witnessed by a law enforcement officer. So until they change that anyone can get out of any of those tickets with a simple statement that was drawn up and put onto the internet by the lawyer who figured it out.

As far as the bullet train goes I personally think it's a great idea. Where they keep going wrong is by limiting it to just certain areas. On the ballot last year here in Pinellas county we voted on a bullet train from here to Orlando. That is just stupid for the most part. If they can come up with a comprehensive plan to put bullet trains all over the state and not just a couple of cities it would be ideal. I think it would be awesome to shoot over to Miami or the panhandle to visit friends for a day and be able to go back home the same day.

The part about the politicians screwing over the residents who wanted to keep their area rural doesn't surprise me. The population here in FL is booming, we just surpassed NY actually. Real estate is one of those things that is a finite resource and usually just keeps going up in value. If the dollar signs are big enough than the people always get screwed.

Fighting with police is always a terrible idea. They don't know you're unarmed or if you're going for their gun.

I agree that fighting with police is just stupid. This could be similar to the recent story about the homeless man who was going for the gun. Unfortunately we may never know. The kid also could have just kicked his ass and the cop shot him in spite for doing so. Just another reason why all law enforcement should be equipped with body cameras so when things like this happen there is no question as to how it went down. Sadly with all the abuses being reported regarding people of color as of late it's creating a very toxic relationship between their community and the police. I hope that things are done to try and bring a mutual understanding between them

 

[Golgo-13]

Fighting and arguing with police officers is pointless which is why i never undertand why people do it. I've been in many vehicles where my friends would argue with cops over a traffic citation. What do they think, the cop is going to say, "you know what, you're right and i'm wrong therefore i'm going to tear up this ticket now"….? I know it's an inconvenience but leave the fighting for the courtroom.