# Controversial encounters between law-enforcement and civilians - the omnibus thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 10, 2014, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942 "2014-10-10T07:35:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/241 "2014-12-01T16:41:20Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > What a fucking tone-deaf reaction that illustrates how very, very far they are from being able to connect with their community. On the other hand, that is exactly how things typically are in St. Louis. I completely agree with you. Assuming, that is, you’re talking about the football players who were being protected by police at that very game from the nearby “protesters”. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/242 "2014-12-01T17:10:50Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > [Black man stopped for walking in the cold with his hands in his pockets](https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10204118011684106) - One waits in vain for the people who say there’s no problem with the way black people are generally treated by the police to explain this one. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/243 "2014-12-01T17:22:31Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > I completely agree with you. Assuming, that is, you’re talking about the football players who were being protected by police at that very game from the nearby “protesters”. Why do the _St. Louis_ Police deserve an apology? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/244 "2014-12-01T17:37:50Z")
They don’t. They’re being whiny little bitches. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/245 "2014-12-01T18:20:09Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > I completely agree with you. Assuming, that is, you’re talking about the football players who were being protected by police at that very game from the nearby “protesters”. Thanks for your interjection. Your ESL status continues to plague you; native speakers will not struggle to follow the exchange. But let me help you out again. The subject of the article to which I was responding was the complaints made by the St. Louis police. I know you and I differ, and you struggle to express yourself well in English, but I do have to take a moment to say that for all that, you do a good job. Better than I would do writing in whatever your native language is! The players, by the way, were in no danger from protestors. As black men, especially large black men, they are just doing exactly what every conservative here says they should do. It’s incumbent upon them to not scare police. They should be lauded for keeping their hands away from their waistbands. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/246 "2014-12-01T18:21:15Z")
Something to consider…the man in this story had access to or had a gun on him, and was tasered…twice…and given the opportunity to actually fire shots himself before he was shot and killed. Now I can’t find a picture of the guy, but knowing that area if I had to guess I’d say he’s white. I wonder if a black guy would have enjoyed the same use of force continuum? > **[Neighbors react to Versailles shooting](https://www.komu.com/neighbors-react-to-versailles-shooting/article_5941719f-6669-5e1d-b0c1-403bef4f0dbe.html)** > > Neighbors react to Versailles shooting ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/247 "2014-12-01T18:41:48Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Thanks for your interjection. Your ESL status continues to plague you; native speakers will not struggle to follow the exchange. But let me help you out again. The subject of the article to which I was responding was the complaints made by the St. Louis police. > > I know you and I differ, and you struggle to express yourself well in English, but I do have to take a moment to say that for all that, you do a good job. Better than I would do writing in whatever your native language is! > > The players, by the way, were in no danger from protestors. As black men, especially large black men, they are just doing exactly what every conservative here says they should do. It’s incumbent upon them to not scare police. They should be lauded for keeping their hands away from their waistbands. It’s not that I don’t understand English, you poltroon, it’s that I find it hard to believe that anyone with a functioning brain would choose to write the drivel you do, that somehow manages to combine sanctimony, ignorance and arrogance in an almost unprecedented fashion. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/248 "2014-12-01T18:46:38Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Something to consider…the man in this story had access to or had a gun on him, and was tasered…twice…and given the opportunity to actually fire shots himself before he was shot and killed. Now I can’t find a picture of the guy, but knowing that area if I had to guess I’d say he’s white. > > I wonder if a black guy would have enjoyed the same use of force continuum? > > [Neighbors react to Versailles shooting](http://www.komu.com/news/neighbors-react-to-versailles-shooting/) [He’s white.](http://www.komu.com/news/morgan-county-deputy-shot-suspect-dead-after-confrontation/) So, a deputy was shot and injured because he chose to use less lethal weaponry against an armed man. That’s why people, including the police, are entitled to shoot first, if shooting is at all justified. I’m becoming more convinced that black people aren’t being treated unfairly badly by the police so much as white people being treated with unnecessary kid gloves. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/249 "2014-12-01T19:37:53Z")
[Quote=Steophan] I’m becoming more convinced that black people aren’t being treated unfairly badly by the police so much as white people being treated with unnecessary kid gloves. [/QUOTE] At least you’re acknowledging that black people are treated with a different standard by police than white people. That places you ahead of your peers here who remain racist as well as fascist. You want an iron fist of justice for all! ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/250 "2014-12-01T22:00:22Z")
From Time on why Asian Americans should care about Ferguson: > **[Why Ferguson Should Matter to Asian-Americans](https://time.com/3606900/ferguson-asian-americans/)** > > Ferguson isn’t simply black versus white > [@](#): > > There is the story of Kuanchang Kao, an intoxicated Chinese-American fatally shot in 1997 by police threatened by his “martial arts” moves. There is Cau Bich Tran, a Vietnamese-American killed in 2003 after holding a vegetable peeler, which police thought was a cleaver. There is Fong Lee, a Hmong-American shot to death in 2006 by police who believed he was carrying a gun. None of the three cases resulted in criminal charges against the police or in public campaigns that turned the victim’s memory into a commitment to seek justice. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/251 "2014-12-01T22:00:49Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > At least you’re acknowledging that black people are treated with a different standard by police than white people. That places you ahead of your peers here who remain racist as well as fascist. You want an iron fist of justice for all! It is indeed a point in his favor that he’s an equal-opportunity fascist. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/252 "2014-12-01T22:04:55Z")
We already listed Utah, but here is one of their shootings (white shot by police): > **[DA says Dillon Taylor officer-involved killing was justified](https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=58472404&itype=CMSID)** > > Dillon Taylor was not armed when a Salt Lake City police officer shot him to death outside a co > [@](#): > > DA says Dillon Taylor officer-involved killing was justified ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/253 "2014-12-01T22:10:28Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Still, presumably, _some_ people the police interact with in the UK or Japan are armed. Including some that aren’t 12 and actually dangerous. And somehow the British or Japanese police didn’t kill _anybody_ that year. Neither 12 yo nor hardened criminals. > > Which means in my opinion that they’re not just facing a less armed populace but also that they’re much less trigger happy. > > The whole video shows how insane the behaviour of the police was. First, to, my surprise, the kid actually looked like a kid. I was somehow expecting he wouldn’t. > > The police car drives right on him and stops just besides him. Which is insane if they were expecting a dangerous situation. And it doesn’t look like a threatening situation at all. Maybe I’m mistaken about something, but I don’t believe I would have felt threatened the slightest bit had I randomly passed by. But of course, it’s obvious that the police doesn’t take a second to assess the situation, as anybody sensible would have done. > > And then of course, they shot him immediatly, and I can’t see they could expect him to react appropriately in so short a time, _assuming_ they were extremely clear in their instructions, which I doubt was possible from what I see. > > Finally, even if the kid actually had the gun in hand and pointing it at them, I can’t see that as a legitimate reason to open fire, given that…he was fucking 12! Again, I wasn’t on the scene so I can’t tell for certain, but I have a hard time conceiving doing something else than telling the kid to put his gun down in such a situation. > Those cops aren’t below the standard I would expect for a trained cop, they’re below the standard I would expect for a random, not very bright and easily panicked, civilian Half the police force would be bagging your groceries at Walmart if it wasn’t for the prospect of work in the government. Incompetent and unprofessional is what you’re going to get. We need to make training a LOT better, testing on the field and off, very meticulous, re-training and continued training needs to be part of their career, and we need to pay them a hell of a lot better too. We need to be training and employing police officers that aren’t going to act like the douches in a lot of these threads, and we need tools that can quickly and efficiently eliminate any cops not competent enough to be police officers. You also need some major shake up in the way police do their work and interact with their communities. Transparency and accountability need to be more than just words thrown around. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/254 "2014-12-01T23:59:10Z")
[Charges dropped for cop who shot and killed a sleeping 7-year-old girl](http://countercurrentnews.com/2014/11/aiyana-stanley-jones/#) The quote of the day: > [@](#): > > Steve Fishman, Weekley’s attorney, claimed that even though he did not dispute that his client pulled the trigger and killed the girl, “there is absolutely no evidence, none, that’s in the least bit credible, that Officer Weekley knowingly created a danger or, more importantly, intended to cause injury.” Why people aren’t rioting over this, I don’t know. I feel like tossing a garbage can into someone’s storefront window my damn self. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/255 "2014-12-02T00:05:07Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > [Charges dropped for cop who shot and killed a sleeping 7-year-old girl](http://countercurrentnews.com/2014/11/aiyana-stanley-jones/#) > > The quote of the day: > > Why people aren’t rioting over this, I don’t know. I feel like tossing a garbage can into someone’s storefront window my damn self. It truly is appalling. I’m sure the SDMB Police Defense Force will be along to explain how it’s completely understandable though. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/256 "2014-12-02T00:15:59Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > It truly is appalling. > > I’m sure the SDMB Police Defense Force will be along to explain how it’s completely understandable though. It was her own fault for sleeping in the wrong place. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/257 "2014-12-02T00:57:05Z")
In the case linked by **monstro** , there is apparently still [a possibility](http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2014/10/03/weekley-trial-aiyana-stanley-jones/16636179/) that an appeals court will reinstate the felony charge. You can also count me dismayed that “careless discharge of a firearm causing death” is only a misdemeanor. If you want the full background on the whole fucked-up story of Aiyana Stanley-Jones’ killing, check out [this Mother Jones article](http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2010/11/aiyana-stanley-jones-detroit). ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/258 "2014-12-02T04:43:42Z")
Silence from the resident cop lovers on the killing of a little girl. How unsurprising. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/259 "2014-12-02T04:55:59Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > One waits in vain for the people who say there’s no problem with the way black people are generally treated by the police to explain this one. I’m not defending the cop either, but who the fuck calls the police to say they are unsettled by someone walking by with their hands in their pockets? The general population in that neighborhood has to take some of the blame for that one. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/260 "2014-12-02T05:36:08Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > It was her own fault for sleeping in the wrong place. Exactly! Who the fuck sleeps on a sofa, in a dark room somewhere the police might be looking for a murderer? You do dangerous things, that make cops nervous and this is the probable outcome [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=14)