# 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:** 23
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/441 "2014-12-20T17:55:26Z")
== sorry === ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/442 "2014-12-20T18:37:33Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Even more, having a bunch of witnesses around (with or without cameras) didn’t seem to mean anything to him. All the people standing around and watching might as well not even existed to him, which means the thought probably never crossed his mind that his conduct could be questioned and condemned. This was business as usual that 1) just happened to be caught on tape and 2) of enough topical interest to be widely circulated. This is what I don’t understand about the whole thing. There were already three officers handling the kid. If the kid had ever been a danger to anyone, he sure wasn’t at that point. So why did the cop come running up to punch him in the kidneys like that? Upon watching it the first time, I assumed he was an angry civilian trying to get in some street justice before the cops could take the “bad guy” away. That would have been bad too, but understandable. This isn’t understandable at all. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/443 "2014-12-20T19:40:17Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > That would have been bad too, but understandable. This isn’t understandable at all. Something tells me displays of violence are the easiest way for power-hungry cops to assert their dominance. Like a pack of wild dogs, those scrambling to be at the top will be the quickest to attack the lower-status dogs. These cops lack the intelligence to excel by being clever, and they lack the self-restraint to excel by being extra level-headed. So to get the esteem and the respect they crave, they use aggression. I also wonder if plainsclothes officers feel more freedom to show out like that than uniformed ones do. Perhaps the bastard in the video felt extra empowered to beat the kid because of his rank and status? I don’t know. I think he might’ve been motivated by the desire to show off his position relative to the other cops. ---
**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 20, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/444 "2014-12-20T21:04:19Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > [The cop has been suspended.](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ny-police-officer-suspended-videotaped-punch-27728076) I hope firing is the next step so that he doesn’t become the bad apple that spoils the rest. Just watched the video. The kid (who was 16, not 12, I see you’ve not bothered to correct that) was clearly resisting arrest. Subduing him was perfectly fine. And quite frankly, the more kids that learn that they can’t get away with bullying others then challenging authority the better. If everyone that bullies their classmates was treated like that, schools, and by extension society as a whole, would be a much better place. ---
**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 20, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/445 "2014-12-20T21:06:35Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Something tells me displays of violence are the easiest way for power-hungry cops to assert their dominance. Like a pack of wild dogs, those scrambling to be at the top will be the quickest to attack the lower-status dogs. These cops lack the intelligence to excel by being clever, and they lack the self-restraint to excel by being extra level-headed. So to get the esteem and the respect they crave, they use aggression. > > I also wonder if plainsclothes officers feel more freedom to show out like that than uniformed ones do. Perhaps the bastard in the video felt extra empowered to beat the kid because of his rank and status? I don’t know. I think he might’ve been motivated by the desire to show off his position relative to the other cops. Is this a joke post? I find it hard to accept that even you could believe that. No cops have been attacking anyone in these videos, they’ve been restraining people - which is their job. Don’t resist arrest, don’t question their right to arrest you, and do as you’re fucking told. Then you won’t get hurt. ---
**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 20, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/446 "2014-12-20T21:35:14Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Is this a joke post? I find it hard to accept that even you could believe that. No cops have been attacking anyone in these videos, they’ve been restraining people - which is their job. Don’t resist arrest, don’t question their right to arrest you, and do as you’re fucking told. Then you won’t get hurt. _Seig Heil!_ ---
**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 20, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/447 "2014-12-20T21:45:30Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Is this a joke post? I find it hard to accept that even you could believe that. No cops have been attacking anyone in these videos, they’ve been restraining people - which is their job. Don’t resist arrest, don’t question their right to arrest you, and do as you’re fucking told. Then you won’t get hurt. Can your diseased excuse for a brain try to process these two facts, Badgesucker? 1. They took the poor kid away even after the victim said they had the wrong guy, and 2. Officer Punchy got suspended, so he must have done _something_ wrong, dipshit. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/448 "2014-12-20T23:33:56Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Even more, having a bunch of witnesses around (with or without cameras) didn’t seem to mean anything to him. All the people standing around and watching might as well not even existed to him, which means the thought probably never crossed his mind that his conduct could be questioned and condemned. This was business as usual that 1) just happened to be caught on tape and 2) of enough topical interest to be widely circulated. > > The more the public can do to disabuse cops of any notion of absolute sovereignty, the better. It’s patently obvious to me that a large part of the problem comes from cops not being held accountable for their actions. If the court system doesn’t work, perhaps the court of public opinion can apply some political pressure to the situation. Yeah, a lot of cops seem genuinely confused by the culture shift which is now condemning their random beatings of black citizens, “but this is how we’ve always done it.” ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/449 "2014-12-20T23:49:53Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Is this a joke post? I find it hard to accept that even you could believe that. No cops have been attacking anyone in these videos, they’ve been restraining people - which is their job. Don’t resist arrest, don’t question their right to arrest you, and do as you’re fucking told. Then you won’t get hurt. I don’t know how you can watch any of the videos I’ve posted here and say that none of them show cops attacking anyone. Are you batshit crazy, or are you just fill of shit? The cop that punched the kid is a straight-up thug. Notice how the bystanders watching the scene weren’t screaming when the kid was being restrained. They only got angry when the cop started punching. As _everyone_ should be. If a civilian “restrained” you like that, you’d have grounds to press charges of assault. But because we’re talking about a police office, he’s probably going to get a promotion after this all over and done with. ---
**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:** [December 20, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/450 "2014-12-20T23:53:45Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > [Cop tackles and arrests a guy for speaking in a sarcastic tone.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y_UJOtvyrU) More on this at [http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2014/12/san-francisco-cop-attacks-man/](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2014/12/san-francisco-cop-attacks-man/) > [@](#): > > It turns out, Derek Youmans never touched the San Francisco cop who pounced on him at the airport in the video I posted this morning. > > All he did was offer a handshake before attempting to walk away, already having obtained the cop’s name, Keith Parker, over not having been allowed on a plane earlier after he was falsely accused of drinking (more on that later). > > When Youmans turned to walk away, the cop slapped him from behind, knocking him to the floor, drilling his knees into the back of Youman’s head while using his hands to further press his face into the floor, yelling “stop resisting!” > > Several other cops came running up and piled on him, grabbing his limbs as Parker twisted his arms behind his back and handcuffed him. > > Yousman was driven to a jail 40 miles away and released 12 hours later with no charges, no citation and no justification for having been arrested. At least one person who saw this happen corroborates Mr. Youmans’ story and is quoted in the article. It also appears that Mr. Youmans was with co-workers at the time, so it’s likely that one or more of them also saw this happen. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/451 "2014-12-21T00:20:18Z")
Should police officers be able to use deadly force to protect themselves after being attacked with a machete? [http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officer-kills-teen-attacked-machete-27737312](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officer-kills-teen-attacked-machete-27737312) ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/452 "2014-12-21T00:24:52Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Should police officers be able to use deadly force to protect themselves after being attacked with a machete? > > [http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officer-kills-teen-attacked-machete-27737312](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officer-kills-teen-attacked-machete-27737312) Do you rationally think people are going to disagree with such an action? ---
**Author:** ![slumtrimpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@slumtrimpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slumtrimpet)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/453 "2014-12-21T00:44:22Z")
[Two NYPD officers shot and killed](http://pix11.com/2014/12/20/breaking-2-nypd-officers-shot-in-brooklyn/) Great.\>/sarcasm\< :mad: ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/454 "2014-12-21T00:58:42Z")
Your point? ---
**Author:** ![slumtrimpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@slumtrimpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slumtrimpet)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/455 "2014-12-21T01:14:28Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Your point? Some fucking idiot shoots two police officers (then offs himself. Oh, and shoots his girlfriend first) and claims political justification on twitter or instagram or something. This is in the midst of “a time of heightened tensions between police and the community following a Staten Island grand jury’s decision in the Eric Garner case.” The whole country, and particularily NYC is embroiled in a ‘us vs. them’ thing with the police, especially the black community. This is not going to improve things. What a stupid, ignorant dumbfucking asshole. (the guy, not you) ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/456 "2014-12-21T01:19:18Z")
Yeah, but that doesn’t change the fact that there has been a pattern of police abuse and militarization; that’s not to say that society doesn’t need police, but we need professional police who see their job as one that protects all of society, not just some of society. ---
**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 21, 2014, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/457 "2014-12-21T01:20:25Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Should police officers be able to use deadly force to protect themselves after being attacked with a machete? > > [http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officer-kills-teen-attacked-machete-27737312](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officer-kills-teen-attacked-machete-27737312) Are you an idiot for thinking you are making a point here? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/458 "2014-12-21T01:24:08Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 1. Officer Punchy got suspended, so he must have done _something_ wrong, dipshit. So everyone who has been arrested must have done _something_ wrong, correct? ---
**Author:** ![slumtrimpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@slumtrimpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slumtrimpet)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/459 "2014-12-21T01:25:07Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Yeah, but that doesn’t change the fact that there has been a pattern of police abuse and militarization; that’s not to say that society doesn’t need police, but we need professional police who see their job as one that protects all of society, not just some of society. Absolutely. This is not the way to achieve that goal though. And it sure as shit is going to be controversial. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/460 "2014-12-21T01:28:52Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are you an idiot for thinking you are making a point here? Not necessarily in this thread, but posters in recent threads have said that if the police encounter violent offenders, they should retreat to a safe distance, and call a supervisor. Never mind that if the police do retreat, the perp is more able to grab a bystander, and use the machete on her. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=24)