# Controversial encounters between law-enforcement and civilians - the omnibus thread #2 **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 23, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531 "2020-06-23T20:29:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/402 "2020-09-17T23:30:42Z")
For a nice change of pace, how about a story with a relatively happy outcome. [https://www.dailybreeze.com/2020/09/16/how-a-discarded-candy-led-to-dismissal-of-san-bernardino-county-sheriffs-deputy/](https://www.dailybreeze.com/2020/09/16/how-a-discarded-candy-led-to-dismissal-of-san-bernardino-county-sheriffs-deputy/) TLDR version: Sheriff’s deputy and rookie trainee show up at a sporting good store being looted. Deputy smacks suspect with a baseball bat, reminds the suspect that he got his injuries “falling”, steals the bat and some candy from the store. Trainee says he’s not comfortable with the shadiness; deputy threatens to fail him from the trainee program. Trainee reports him anyway. Deputy gets busted and fired. Let’s hope the new generation of cops are more like this trainee and do the right thing instead of holding to the blue code. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/403 "2020-09-18T00:10:35Z")
> [A] new study digs into the reasons people are wrongly convicted, and it has found that 54 percent of those defendants are victimized by official misconduct, with police involved in 34 percent of cases, prosecutors in 30 percent, and some cases involving both police and prosecutors. > [The study](https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Documents/Government_Misconduct_and_Convicting_the_Innocent.pdf) [PDF] by the National Registry of Exonerations reviewed 2,400 exonerations it has logged between 1989 and 2019, nearly 80 percent of which were for violent felonies. Of the 2,400, 93 innocent defendants were sentenced to death and later cleared before they were executed. > **[More than half of all wrongful criminal convictions are caused by government...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2020/09/16/more-than-half-all-wrongful-criminal-convictions-caused-by-government-misconduct-study-finds/)** > > Many factors contribute to wrongful convictions of people, including withholding evidence or false identifications, but science and innocence advocates are making progress, the study says. Wapo summary is (soft) paywalled. The linked study is not. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/404 "2020-09-18T18:48:48Z")
The Sheriff of Williamson County, Texas awarded deputies who used force on suspects with gift cards to a steakhouse. > **[Texas deputies, including those who killed Javier Ambler, reportedly got...](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/09/17/texas-deputies-reportedly-got-steakhouse-gift-cards-using-force/3484360001/)** > > Sheriff’s office leaders rewarded deputies who used force with steakhouse gift cards, according to two former employees. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/405 "2020-09-19T01:09:17Z")
On a lighter note, from a fortnight ago, > **[Comedian Sued For Creating Fake 'Antifa' Events on Facebook](https://gizmodo.com/louisiana-city-sues-comedian-who-created-fake-antifa-ev-1844951994)** > > The mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana has filed a lawsuit against a 28-year-old comedian who created three fake events on Facebook that claimed “antifa” was coming to the town. Police responded to one of the fake events in late August with at least 30... > [@](#): > > A second joke event created by Merrifield was called “[Antifa Takes Acadiana Mall](https://www.facebook.com/events/d41d8cd9/antifa-takes-acadiana-mall/2735760846745157)” and scheduled for August 29, but has since been deleted by Facebook. That event prompted dozens of police cars to show up at the mall in an aggressive response, according to several news reports. The police were made to look like idiots, since there was no sign of a disturbance. > … > > The “Antifa Takes Acadiana Mall” Facebook page reportedly included a verified GoFundMe link to support the family of [Pellerin](https://www.gofundme.com/f/mc6ws6-justice-for-trayford-pellerin), whose shooting prompted real protests in the city, which have remained peaceful. Pellerin was shot ten times by police near a convenience store and protesters marched near Acadiana Mall to protest the slaying, long before the fake Facebook page was created. Are these people insane? The article says that John Merrifield made an effort to embed satire signals in his event postings, but I guess they are hard to spot when you are seeing red. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/406 "2020-09-19T02:54:50Z")
Merrifield didn’t learn anything from this joke event? > **[Cops Want Right-Wingers to Stop Hassling Them About an Imaginary Antifa...](https://www.thedailybeast.com/cops-want-right-wingers-to-stop-hassling-them-about-an-imaginary-antifa-attack-on-gettysburg)** > > A mysterious post on social media has convinced right-wing groups that antifa activists are planning to slaughter whites and burn down the suburbs. > **[Right-Wing Militias Found No Antifa Event at Gettysburg—So Harassed a Man in...](https://www.thedailybeast.com/right-wing-militias-found-no-antifa-event-at-gettysburgso-harassed-a-man-in-a-cemetery-instead)** > > Police escorted the man out of the Gettysburg National Cemetery where he had been visiting the grave of an ancestor. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2020, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/407 "2020-09-20T04:01:18Z")
Portland police used tear gas on protesters eight days after the mayor banned its use. > **[Portland Protesters Tear-Gassed 8 Days After Mayor Orders No Tear Gas Use](https://www.newsweek.com/portland-tear-gas-police-ban-mayor-1533107)** > > Local officials said federal law enforcement, not police, fired the gas at protesters gathered outside a building of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/408 "2020-09-21T15:10:57Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > You must take great comfort in knowing that dead cops can’t kill anyone. 🙄 You must take great comfort in whiny ad hominem arguments. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/409 "2020-09-21T15:17:44Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > You must take great comfort in whiny ad hominem arguments. In life, as in comedy, timing is everything. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2020, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/410 "2020-09-21T15:45:56Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Portland police used tear gas on protesters eight days after the mayor banned its use. > [Portland Protesters Tear-Gassed 8 Days After Mayor Orders No Use of Tear Gas](https://www.newsweek.com/portland-tear-gas-police-ban-mayor-1533107) Except that, according to your link, they didn’t. They stood by while Feds used tear gas, and then made arrests, or something like that. It must be handy to have tame Feds around to do your dirty work for you. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/411 "2020-09-22T03:57:17Z")
Salt Lake City: > **[Police release footage after officers shoot 13-year-old boy](https://apnews.com/e1ff6be7eb871059077a2c6afb9d2b59)** > > SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A 13-year-old Utah boy with autism was shot by police after his mother asked for help getting him hospital mental-health treatment and officers agreed to talk with him, police footage released Monday showed... ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/412 "2020-09-22T04:26:51Z")
from that story “Whatever happened, it was a 13-year-old boy who was unarmed. The police were called for a mental-health call, not a criminal act,” Weyher [the boy’s attorney] said. “A child is laying in a hospital bed … there has to be a better response.” **QFT** ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/413 "2020-09-22T05:48:13Z")
From one of the bodycam videos, as the police are screaming “SHOW US YOUR HANDS!”: “Tell my mom I love her.” Unarmed 13 year old with autism, walking away, shot in the back. Fuck dem cops. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/414 "2020-09-22T20:52:44Z")
What the ever loving fuck? I watched the video and they unloaded on this kid! What fucking monsters!!! They should rot the rest of their lives in prison. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/415 "2020-09-22T23:03:30Z")
NYPD caught a suspected spy in their midsts. > **[NYPD officer charged with spying for China](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54244018)** > > Baimadajie Angwang reported on activities of Chinese citizens in New York, according to court documents. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/416 "2020-09-23T18:09:54Z")
This is fucked up: > **[2 Louisville officers shot amid Breonna Taylor protests](https://apnews.com/28a283922de8784f6fca5c42fe8e5bca)** > > LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Hours after a Kentucky grand jury brought no charges against Louisville police for Breonna Taylor's death and protesters took to the streets, authorities said two officers were shot and wounded Wednesday night during the... ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/417 "2020-09-23T18:12:54Z")
That’s why they went ahead and boarded the police station and other govt offices the last couple days. They knew that they were going to let these murderers skate. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/418 "2020-09-23T18:14:40Z")
The only charge was wanton endangerment of the neighbors. Not for the murder of Breonna Taylor. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/419 "2020-09-23T18:58:51Z")
One of the cops involved in the murder of Breonna Taylor sends out an email calling protesters “thugs” who have created a “good versus evil” mentality. > **[Breonna Taylor Cop Attacks ‘Thug’ Protesters in Email Rant Ahead of Grand...](https://www.thedailybeast.com/jonathan-mattingly-cop-in-breonna-taylor-raid-fires-off-nasty-email-rant-ahead-of-grand-jury-decision)** > > “It’s sad how the good guys are demonized, and criminals are canonized,” Jonathan Mattingly wrote to his colleagues on Tuesday morning. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/420 "2020-09-23T19:15:35Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > This is fucked up: It is probably what the DA wanted. Remember the old saying, “You can get a grand jury to ‘indict a ham sandwich.’” > Statistics on federal grand jury indictments show the saying isn’t that far from reality: A prosecutor could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. > > Out of 162,000 federal cases prosecuted in 2010 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), grand juries declined to indict in only 11 cases, the [FiveThirtyEight](https://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/ferguson-michael-brown-indictment-darren-wilson/) blog reports. > > SOURCE: [Grand juries almost always indict, federal stats show; is there a shooting exception for cops?](https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/grand_juries_almost_always_indict_federal_stats_show_is_there_a_cop_shootin) ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/421 "2020-09-23T19:47:05Z")
What did they charge him for? Failure to properly tamper with evidence? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531.md?page=22)