# 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:** 725
**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 2, 2018, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14482 "2018-12-02T03:35:51Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > [Man Killed by Police During Alabama Mall Shooting Was Not the Gunman: Police | KTLA](https://ktla.com/2018/11/24/gunman-in-alabama-mall-shooting-previously-thought-to-be-dead-still-at-large-police/) > > So it’s unclear whether Bradford was doing something which justified the officer killing him. [Mr. Bradford’s funeral was today.](https://apnews.com/a7e8eab61c244f9c84d8e87f36ba05fc) Rev. Jesse Jackson gave the eulogy. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14483 "2018-12-02T04:52:39Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > A police station in Minneapolis decorated their Christmas tree with a Newport cigarette pack, a can of Steel Reserve malt liquor, police tape, empty bags of Funyuns and Takis and a cup from Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. > Two cops have been suspended and the mayor is calling for them to be fired. > [Racist Christmas tree puts two Minneapolis cops on leave](https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/minneapolis-police-officer-put-racist-christmas-tree-decorations-will-fired-183728339.html) Apparently I’m out of touch on this one. Of course I knew of the fried chicken stereotype, and the idea of black people being trashy and poor and criminals, but I was not aware that the rest of these particular items were associated with black stereotypes. Seems Newport cigs were highly marketed to and embraced by African Americans. Steel Reserve is a cheap liquor that was sold primarily “in the hood.” Not finding much on Funyuns or Takis, but the latter are spicy corn chip rolls, and so is probably related to the stereotypical love of hot sauce among black people. And there are also “flaming hot” varieties of Funyuns. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14484 "2018-12-02T05:01:41Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > There were oral arguments before the Supreme Court today in a case that might go some way to curbing the disgraceful practice of civil asset forfeiture in the United States. > > The case is [Timbs v. Indiana](https://www.oyez.org/cases/2018/17-1091), in which a guy was busted for selling four grams of heroin, and had his $42,000 Land Rover seized via civil asset forfeiture. A judge in Indiana sustained Timbs’ appeal against the seizure of his car, arguing that it was “grossly disproportional” to his crime, and an Indiana state appeals court agree, noting that the value of the car was more than four times the maximum fine for his drug offense. But the Indiana Supreme Court ruled against Timbs, refusing to extend the 8th Amendment’s “excessive fines” clause to the states. > > In today’s oral arguments, which you can read [here](https://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/17-1091_1bn2.pdf) (PDF), the justices seemed to give the Indiana Attorney General a much stiffer grilling than they gave the petitioner’s Institute for Justice lawyer. There was also a nice little exchange that really exemplifies how many lawmakers see civil asset forfeiture as essentially an unrestricted ability to take anything they want: > Here is the naked power of the state, in all of its greedy, money-grubbing glory. It is, according to this guy, legally acceptable to take a $2 million car for a minor speeding infraction. The twisted logic necessary to argue that civil forfeiture is not an excessive fine is sadly far too common. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14485 "2018-12-02T05:05:54Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Apparently I’m out of touch on this one. Of course I knew of the fried chicken stereotype, and the idea of black people being trashy and poor and criminals, but I was not aware that the rest of these particular items were associated with black stereotypes. > > Seems Newport cigs were highly marketed to and embraced by African Americans. Steel Reserve is a cheap liquor that was sold primarily “in the hood.” Not finding much on Funyuns or Takis, but the latter are spicy corn chip rolls, and so is probably related to the stereotypical love of hot sauce among black people. And there are also “flaming hot” varieties of Funyuns. Yeah, Newport cigarettes are pretty known for being associated with black people. But it doesn’t explain why white people would decorate a tree with that. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14486 "2018-12-02T10:33:02Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > A police station in Minneapolis decorated their Christmas tree with a Newport cigarette pack, a can of Steel Reserve malt liquor, police tape, empty bags of Funyuns and Takis and a cup from Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. > Two cops have been suspended and the mayor is calling for them to be fired. > [Racist Christmas tree puts two Minneapolis cops on leave](https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/minneapolis-police-officer-put-racist-christmas-tree-decorations-will-fired-183728339.html) [Amateurs.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Te72dXDfd7M) ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14487 "2018-12-02T15:18:41Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Back in 1985 I got a ticket in Montana for doing 120+. The ticket was $36. 😕 In the late 1980’s I paid more than double that in California for making an illegal left turn on a deserted\* street at 1 am. (\* - _almost_ deserted. There was a cop car in the far distance that sped into service as a crime-fighter.) ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14488 "2018-12-02T15:40:31Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > 😕 In the late 1980’s I paid more than double that in California for making an illegal left turn on a deserted\* street at 1 am. > (\* - _almost_ deserted. There was a cop car in the far distance that sped into service as a crime-fighter.) Montana is famous for its libertarian, rational laws regarding driving. For awhile, they had no posted speed limits at all on certain highways. I believe they have succumbed to more typical enforcement and fines. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14489 "2018-12-02T15:47:22Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > Montana is famous for its libertarian, rational laws regarding driving. For awhile, they had no posted speed limits at all on certain highways. I believe they have succumbed to more typical enforcement and fines. My dad was driving the family west across Montana shortly after the national 55 speed limit was set. I don’t know how fast he was going, but he got a $5 ‘energy waster’ ticket for his trouble. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14490 "2018-12-02T15:53:09Z")
It’s also worth noting that going 120 down an entirely empty, entirely flat Montana interstate is entirely different than going 120 almost anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14491 "2018-12-02T16:00:41Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > It’s also worth noting that going 120 down an entirely empty, entirely flat Montana interstate is entirely different than going 120 almost anywhere else. Sure, and that’s the point. A reasonable, safe speed depends on all sorts of factors - number of cars on the road, number of lanes, daylight, weather, topography, curves, etc… Reducing it to a number on a sign that applies all of the time is silly. ---
**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 2, 2018, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14492 "2018-12-02T16:21:11Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > [Amateurs.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Te72dXDfd7M) Thank you! ---
**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:** [December 2, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14493 "2018-12-02T19:59:22Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > It’s also worth noting that going 120 down an entirely empty, entirely flat Montana interstate is entirely different than going 120 almost anywhere else. It should be noted, though, that in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, basically parts of all of the large, western states, there are stretches of freeway where you will not see a ramp for twenty miles. Blazing along at absurd speeds may be forgivable. But if you look at I-70 in Lafayette County MO, the ramps are a mile or two apart, which implies heavier traffic than in the wide open states. Yet, a system that seeks to arbitrarily aggregate punishment does not benefit anyone. I could see taking away the right to drive, and forcing a person to sell their car, for that kind of bad behavior, but the justice system should be designed to work with people to improve their and everyone’s lives, not to foment resentment and needlessly turn people into criminals. ---
**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 4, 2018, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14494 "2018-12-04T09:22:50Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > [Man Killed by Police During Alabama Mall Shooting Was Not the Gunman: Police | KTLA](https://ktla.com/2018/11/24/gunman-in-alabama-mall-shooting-previously-thought-to-be-dead-still-at-large-police/) > > So it’s unclear whether Bradford was doing something which justified the officer killing him. > [@](#): > > A forensic examination shows a black man was shot three times in the back side of his body when an Alabama police officer mistook him for the shooter after gunfire erupted at a crowded shopping mall, the man’s family said Monday. > > The results of a report commissioned by the family are “devastating” to relatives of Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr., their lawyer, Ben Crump, said at an emotional news conference. > > Emantic Bradford Sr. angrily jabbed his finger at the TV cameras as he addressed the unnamed officer, saying: “You’re a coward!” > **[Exam: Black man killed by officer shot 3 times in back](https://apnews.com/general-news-4a969272c40a4357b8d7f060ec741974)** > > A forensic examination shows a black man was shot three times in the back side of his body when an Alabama police officer mistook him for the shooter after gunfire erupted at a crowded shopping mall. ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14495 "2018-12-04T13:52:49Z")
> **[Detroit police officer charged in beating of naked woman at hospital](https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2018/12/04/police-officer-charged-beating-naked-woman-hospital/2200326002/)** > > The Wayne County prosecutor's office says Monday that Dewayne Jones 47, was arraigned on felony misconduct and misdemeanor assault and battery. Another example of a cop keeping us safe by beating a restrained, and unarmed person. Great job. ---
**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 4, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14496 "2018-12-04T17:17:54Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I just can’t understand why white police officers would decorate a tree like that. For what reason? Antagonize their fellow black officers? I don’t get it. Because they’re racists. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14497 "2018-12-04T18:57:25Z")
> [@UCBearcats](#): > > [Detroit police officer charged in beating of naked woman at hospital](https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2018/12/04/police-officer-charged-beating-naked-woman-hospital/2200326002/) > > Another example of a cop keeping us safe by beating a restrained, and unarmed person. Great job. _… the beating of a naked, unarmed and possibly mentally ill woman inside an emergency room triage unit …_ What? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14498 "2018-12-04T19:56:08Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Because they’re racists. But how does being racist lead to that? Would they decorate a tree in their own house like that because they are racist? ---
**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:** [December 4, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14499 "2018-12-04T20:04:14Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > But how does being racist lead to that? Would they decorate a tree in their own house like that because they are racist? Of course not. A few people see the tree in your own house. Would you burn a cross in your own back yard, where no one would see it? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14500 "2018-12-04T20:22:11Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Of course not. A few people see the tree in your own house. Would you burn a cross in your own back yard, where no one would see it? I wouldn’t burn a cross, period 🙂 But the only people to see the tree would be other officers. Like I asked before, white cops decorated the tree there in order to antagonize black officers? If they wanted to do that, wouldn’t Confederacy ornaments and such be better? I just don’t get it. Of course, I’m not racist so maybe that’s why I don’t. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2018, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/14501 "2018-12-04T21:05:18Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’m not racist Not being wholly unencumbered by reflexive bias, that is not a statement I am comfortable making – especially when I hear used in a _thou doth protest too much_ kind of way by people who are obviously racists (of which I am **not** accusing you). Being fair skinned and blond, though, I have come to reject “white” as a description of myself, because that word gets used almost exclusively by people who I want no part of. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=724) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=726)