Controversial encounters between law-enforcement and civilians - the omnibus thread #2

Nope, it’s just me.

Recording the police, as that’s the real problem here.

Right, it’s pretty much the same advice for dealing with cops and rabid dogs.

Exactly.

13-year-old protestor arrested and jailed for using a bullhorn during a rally for abortion rights. The police charged the teenager with violating a noise ordinance. “When [the officers] came around the corner, they decided that they were going to make her the target and arrest her,” said the teenager’s mother.* 13-year-old With Bi Flag Arrested For Being Loud During Protest

*Though the teen’s mother used she/her pronouns, the teen identifies as non-binary so I’m using they/them.

In a statement to News One, the Black Lawyers for Justice organization said the officers brutally beat and kicked the men, used a Taser on both and threatened to kill them.

“My son was handcuffed when he was shot in the mouth by Rankin County officers. My son is still in critical condition and has a long road to recovery,” Mary said

The officers allegedly handcuffed the pair after accusing them of “dating white women” and “selling drugs.”

That last one is some for reals KKK shit. But I’m sure they just need some “Sensitivity Training”.

Granted, it is merely an initial draft introduced to committee

but, this can only turn out well.

There was a time in my life where I interviewed a bunch of state legislators, and one of the more disturbing things I learned was how unfamiliar they often were with the particulars of the bills they had introduced. In this case, it appears the lawmaker who introduced the bill is as mystified as anybody:

“When you have a bill drafted, the legal department puts a section about what the bill is pertaining to. And I really don’t know why they put that section in that because it really wasn’t what the bill was doing,” said Hensley.

This is very similar to what I heard from legislators. They tell somebody in a department somewhere what they want the bill to do, and those people write up the actual changes. I have no problem believing that in this case the lawmaker never intended that to be part of the bill.

There are at least a couple of videos floating around of Missouri state legislators being asked not particularly deep questions about bills they have submitted, and making deer in headlights look mentally agile. The bills in question were of course written by ALEC, in this case setting up school vouchers, and the toadies had obviously never even read the summaries.

This was covered in book length way back in 1978.

It actually makes sense to have lawyers draft the bills. There’s a reason legalese is written the way it is, which is to minimize ambiguity, and legislators are not experts on doing that. But I’m generally appalled that they don’t even verify the bill says what they wanted it to say before submitting it.

Like, you had one job.

To get re-elected!

In 1964, 315 out of 535 members of Congress were lawyers, or 59% (cite).

Now, according to this page, in 2021, 175 members claimed a law degree. That’s fewer, but it’s still 33%.

I do not think our legislators lack legal training. I think they lack a moral compass.

An inquiry determined the burns had been caused when the two deputies “threw scalding hot water from a water dispenser onto the inmates to gain compliance,” Marceno said.

.
But there’s no need to worry, they identified and removed the problem.

Among the remedies put in place, he said, was the removal of hot water dispensers in that wing

That sounds a bit like curing a headache via decapitation.

It’s not dumb if it works.

-Joey
Lifelong migraine sufferer who would have happily chosen decapitation over riding out a headache that will provide several hours of pain that’s on par, if not worse, than a kidney stone.

Yeah, because that was definitely the problem.

The very fact that they got rid of the hot water suggests this is a bigger problem than a few rogue guards. There may very well be a reason for getting rid of it that has nothing to do with the current issue, ie maybe it was in an area where prisoners had access to it. However, I’m guessing that after getting rid of those guards, they were concerned the rest of them would continue doing it.

California’s Attorney General is investigating why so many inmates are dying in the San Bernardino County jails and why the Sheriff’s Department is refusing to comment on it.

“Deputy McWhorter had an injury to his face at the bridge of his nose, his right forefinger, his lower back, his right knee, and he reaggravated a previous injury to the middle of his neck,” the report states.

Deputy Charles McWhorter received a Purple Heart award from the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 17 because of injuries he sustained during a Feb. 22, 2022, incident when he shot Richard Ward three times at short range, killing him. Ward was picking his brother up from school at Liberty Point Middle School in Pueblo West.