US cops on the rampage again

We went through this here in the UK in the early 80s. As a result of their inability to regulate their own behaviour the police here have pretty much lost the ability to use physical force on anyone.

Be warned American officers. Either you clean up your own act or someone else will do it for you.

 

A lot of the stuff on the news is not telling the whole story. For example, with Rodney King, no one bothered to mention that he was high on PCP and putting up one heck of a fight. Extreme force was necessary. But hey who cares, the cops are evil and they just want to keep us down.

 

Actually, tests for PCP were negative (See: Prosecution Rests Case in Rodney King Beating Trial, The Washington Post, March 16, 1993). Try again.

 

Everytime the cops hear a bell an innocent person gets a police beat down.

 

See in England the culture of the nobles has become more and more mainstream. Bringing the poor up in class and making Royalty that much more common. In America we are from, poor people that couldn't pay their taxes, prisoners and various others outcasts. Who then will stop the barbarism when we ourselves have low class, boorish behavior bred into us?

 

It seems that people like to believe what they see on the news. Unfortunately, as you said, it is not the entire story.

 

I stand corrected. However according to the ever trustworthy wikipedia that everyone likes to use as a source:

So he had been drinking and didn't want to pull over because he would go back to jail for violating his parole. I wouldn't say he wasn't breaking any laws. He did in fact assault the police officers and resisted arrest and the police had to subdue him.

 

Did that justify beating the **** out of him for a prolonged period of time? Our opinions differ on this, apparently. However, I imagine you'd object to my phrasing.

 

I can't believe there are people who would still defend the beating of Rodney King. 4 officers with batons around one guy on the ground? That is police brutality whether he was on PCP, drunk, or was just being a pain in the backside. There is no excuse.

I'm not sure I feel comfortable valorizing UK police over the US. Their manners are different, but a truncheon to the head feels the same on both sides of the Atlantic. And I'm not sure if there's any difference if you are black or non-white.

I have met some decent guys who are cops, but even they have admitted that they are more the exception than the rule. The problem is that people who are attracted to the job in the first place aren't in it to contribute to the well-being of society.

 

Everyone is considered guilty of something until proven innocent. Welcome to America's police state( its nothing more then a business). Liberty & Freedom are just meaningless words from a time long ago.

 

For some reason everyone acts as if these situations are zero-sum, where if the cops are wrong, the criminal is right, or vice-versa (in your case).

That's simply not true. It is entirely possible that the perp committed a crime for which they deserve to be arrested, and the cops also commited a crime for which they deserve to be arrested in the course of arresting the perp for the crime they committed.

 

The video is pretty clear.... his crime was he is a black man standing on a corner.

 

but it does make a good point. The media never tells the whole story and leave out a lot of little facts.

I would say this case are few and far between. It just when you factor in how many cops their are it is not hard to find something and lets face it the media just likes to make any one in authority look bad. They do not care about the truth.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

Get off your high horse. It doesn't happen every 5 minutes in the U.S., and we don't condone it. This cop and others who do this kind of stuff more often than not face charges for their actions.

 

The problem is that people who are attracted to the job in the first place aren't in it to contribute to the well-being of society.[/QUOTE]

Really? Everyone who wants to be police officer meets this criteria? I would absolutely love to see your research and the source of your info.

 

Boom, head shot.

 

Oh bull puckey, he probably said something really stupid to the female officer.

It does not justify getting his ass kicked, then again maybe it does. It certainly wasn't because he was black.

 

it seems more that people like to believe what they like to believe, no matter what the evidence before their own eyes.
And usually the entire story includes even more brutality.

police should be held to higher standard, not lower.

and the reason they use totally unnecessary brutality, a lot, is just because they think they can. it's the same old power-trip story with anyone that has a badge or a uniform from doormen to police.
with power comes abuse, it's an unfortunate reality. what i don't get is why so many people is so willing to accept that, and find any possible excuse for these brutes just because they hide behind a badge.

 

I don't think what I said was presented as a statement of fact supported by reputable sources. It is an opinion based on experience and anecdotal evidence. Also, not everyone who "wants" to be a police officer -- there is a large contingent of five year olds who could repudiate that -- but a significant number of those who are.

 

Actually you painted a very broad picture with your earlier statement that "The problem is that people who are attracted to the job in the first place aren't in it to contribute to the well-being of society". You seem to know this as fact. I'm just curious how. Is from watching Cops on tv and being an armchair quarterback. It seems you have everyone summed up from your vast knowledge on the subject of those that are police officers. I might have missed it somewhere but what is your profession? You must be a police officer with all your "experiences" right.

 

Yet are rarely convicted...