# 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:** 422
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8422 "2016-07-21T14:44:29Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > So, you want to lock people up without sufficient evidence to prove them guilty of a crime, and you say _I’m_ the one with a problem? Had the crime not been investigated, or had the investigation provided evidence but it not gone to trial, you’d have a point. But you don’t, so you’re a fucking idiot. But it seems you’re fine with blacks and other minorities getting fucked with by the police without sufficient evidence. > [@JRDelirious](#): > > Damn, I know that the smaller South Florida cities’ police forces are kinda weak at personnel screening and training, but “I don’t know”?? At least the cop could have watched South Park: [It’s coming right for us!!!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt6kKhlX8vU) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8423 "2016-07-21T15:31:40Z")
> [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](#): > > What are you talking about? That guy was clearly black and I heard from a respected former congressman and radio personality that this is war (thanks Obama)! If only he’d complied with the cops’ orders! Oh, wait… ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8424 "2016-07-21T15:35:45Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Damn, I know that the smaller South Florida cities’ police forces are kinda weak at personnel screening and training, but “I don’t know”?? IIRC, this isn’t the first time a cop has said that when asked “why did you shoot me”? ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8425 "2016-07-21T16:13:58Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > And just in case you didn’t know, **Snowboarder Bo** is kind of dick. Not just “kind of.” ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8426 "2016-07-21T17:13:57Z")
They need clown guns that fire flowers out the end. Complete fucking laughing stock. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8427 "2016-07-21T17:15:35Z")
Meh. It’s Florida. The guy was black. He’s not dead. I’d be surprised if they ever even released the officer’s name, much less held him accountable. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8428 "2016-07-21T18:20:13Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Damn, I know that the smaller South Florida cities’ police forces are kinda weak at personnel screening and training, but “I don’t know”?? To be fair, most of the guys they shoot don’t ask anything. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8429 "2016-07-21T18:37:36Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > They need clown guns that fire flowers out the end. [Or…](http://www.fakecrap.com/bang-flag-gun-p/1004.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Amara\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7993a0/32.png) [@Amara\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amara_1)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8430 "2016-07-21T20:37:29Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Ddamn I wonder why they don’t show where he got shot? How long until we know if there’s dash or body cam footage? Because this sounds like good cause to think that there’s one North Miami cop who prolly shouldn’t have a gun. It would not surprise me if the police bodycam or dashcam never surfaces. It seems like they “malfunction” or “unexpectedly” get turned off in so many of these incidents. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8431 "2016-07-21T22:51:12Z")
It seems like the consensus on the interwebs is that this is a quintessential “bad shoot”. So yay. But you know what bothers me? What if that guy hadn’t whipped out his phone? What if we didn’t have any video? How many people would be coming out of the woodworks to defend the cops’ actions? A shitload, that’s how many. People will only side with their fellow citizens when they have concrete, unassailable proof. Only “blue lives” are given the automatic benefit of the doubt, it seems. Everyone else is a violent criminal until proven otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8432 "2016-07-21T23:10:27Z")
Did no one notice the aggressive manner in which that guy was lying on the ground, hands to the sky, and letting the cops know that the kid had no gun?? While the cop was standing. His ground? ---
**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:** [July 21, 2016, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8433 "2016-07-21T23:28:03Z")
[ > [@](#): > > A patrol car video shows a white Texas police officer violently throwing a black woman to the ground followed by another officer suggesting to her that black people have “violent tendencies.” > > The traffic stop for speeding happened in Austin last summer, but the video wasn’t publicly released until Thursday. ]([http://bigstory.ap.org/article/3e4c2fdb62a849b08bd4bf2f8cdd63cb/video-texas-officer-says-blacks-have-violent-tendencies](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/3e4c2fdb62a849b08bd4bf2f8cdd63cb/video-texas-officer-says-blacks-have-violent-tendencies)) I found [the “violent tendencies” comment video here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBVt6blqhac) but I haven’t seen one yet where they throw her to the ground. In that linked video she is in being transported in the back of a patrol car and she and the officer driving are having a calm conversation (where the cop displays his racism). Everyone has the same AP story on their website but no one has any video. [Found it, courtesy of the website that posted the video on YouTube, mystatesman.com](http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/local/violent-arrest-of-teacher-caught-on-video-officers/nr3W6/) ---
**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:** [July 21, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8434 "2016-07-21T23:34:37Z")
[Direct link to video piece which includes dashcam footage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv1x1J4DGCA). So it was one officer who assaulted her and another officer who transported her and told her that black people have violent tendencies. Nice; way to go Austin PD. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8435 "2016-07-21T23:48:47Z")
The comments in that article are literally making me sick. > [@shitty internet commenter](#): > > Who hired this woman as a teach to begin with? She was SPEEDING. Do we really want these sort of irresponsible animals teaching our children? This was posted without any sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8436 "2016-07-22T00:08:24Z")
This happened a few years ago, but it’s still quite horrible. [Cops beat an obviously frightened woman down to her underwear and pepper-spray her in front of her crying children, then pin trumped-up murder charges on her.](http://thefreethoughtproject.com/horrifying-dashcam-shows-psycho-cops-laugh-pepper-spray-baby-beat-innocent-mom/#fBQvVEpv7ovPHEqp.16) These cops are still patrolling the streets, folks. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2016, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8437 "2016-07-22T00:54:40Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Are you contending that the idiot cop didn’t paralyze the victim? That it was an unnamed third party? Er, no. What’s that got to do with what I said though? The cop hasn’t be proven guilty of a crime, and yet you want him punished, and indeed find the fact that he hasn’t been abhorrent. What is abhorrent is wanting to remove the protection of the law from _any_ group of people, and that includes 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:** [July 22, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8438 "2016-07-22T00:58:30Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > But it seems you’re fine with blacks and other minorities getting fucked with by the police without sufficient evidence. Nope. You do realise that the standard at which you can act in self defence is _much_ lower than that at which you can be convicted of a crime, right? The two situations are not comparable. If, for example, people are calling for extrajudicial punishment of the people who have recently been killing cops, they are equally disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8439 "2016-07-22T01:06:59Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > It seems like the consensus on the interwebs is that this is a quintessential “bad shoot”. So yay. > > But you know what bothers me? What if that guy hadn’t whipped out his phone? What if we didn’t have any video? How many people would be coming out of the woodworks to defend the cops’ actions? A shitload, that’s how many. People will only side with their fellow citizens when they have concrete, unassailable proof. Only “blue lives” are given the automatic benefit of the doubt, it seems. Everyone else is a violent criminal until proven otherwise. This is what really terrifies me. It seems like every week we get a new video of cops doing something blatantly illegal. Recording cops on video appears to be the only way a person can protect themselves, and often not even then. So how many violent incidents happened before the invention of cell phones and were never discovered? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8440 "2016-07-22T01:30:03Z")
**Steophan** : I don’t think that any of us want to remove the protection of the law from any group of people. Nobody has called for that, at least that I have seen. What many of us believe is that police are above the law. That they can intimidate, assault, even kill without facing any consequences beyond a couple of weeks of paid leave. Take the case of Thomas Webster IV, a police officer in Dover, DE that kicked a black man in the face and broke his jaw as he was following the officer’s orders. The officer was charged (two years after the event when video was released to the public) but was acquitted. From the video ([here’s one](https://youtu.be/Z7AcKgFdPuA?t=45)) it seems clear that the suspect is unarmed, is not resisting, and is obeying the officers commands, but the officer kicks him in the face, claiming he was afraid (even though two officers had guns drawn and the man had his hands up) and that he was trying to kick him in the body (like this really makes a difference). If I, or another citizen kicked somebody in the face without provocation and broke their jaw, I would face criminal penalties. What happened to the officer? The community exerted a lot of pressure on the department to fire him after he was acquitted and so he resigned and go a quarter of a million dollars in a separation agreement. This is just one. There are police killing unarmed citizens, many of them black, and their are no consequences to their actions. It is obvious that black lives don’t matter to the criminal justice department as (unless their is video footage), police can brutalize our fellow citizens with impunity. This is abhorrent; but obviously you don’t think there is a problem. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8441 "2016-07-22T01:44:07Z")
My lord, those comments. I can’t even. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=421) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=423)