Ohmyghod! What if he had thrown that cell phone at the police with the intent of having the battery blow up in their faces, so that he could grab their guns and execute them!!
Shodan, you are a fucking putz.
The video has the cops, after shooting the guy twenty times, yelling “Put your hands up!”
Except we’re not talking hypotheticals. We’re talking about Stephon Clark, who’s cell phone was confused for a gun (or crowbar, depending on the account).
I can hypothesize that you’re an authoritarian-loving murderer-apologist…never mind, that’s not hypothetical.
I am not sure what you mean.
Actually, yes it is.
Remember the Parkland shooting? Remember how the school resource officer didn’t put himself in harm’s way? Do you agree that he acted appropriately?
Regards,
Shodan
Yes, I know. Do you think that the fact that he was standing in the back yard made it impossible that he was reaching into his pocket for a gun?
I really hope not, because that would be idiotic.
Regards,
Shodan
Two extremes that don’t really compare. The security guard guy at Parkland should have put himself in harms way and fired back at the shooter because there was absolutely no doubt of the threat. A guy standing in his back yard with his phone, which, if you squint, might look like a gun, is no fucking way a threat. So those cops shouldn’t have just assumed they already were in harms way and killed the guy.
Given that recent history has shown that the police have a habit of preferring to shoot unarmed [del]suspects[/del] victims, one definition of “acted appropriately” is difficult to pin down. And besides, the Parkland shooter was white, so he got a pass.
Well, at least he didn’t shoot anybody.
I guess there weren’t any black guys laying on their back begging “Don’t shoot me” around.
a man standing in his own back yard, even with a gun clearly visible, IS NOT A THREAT! In fact, as you yourself have pointed out on more than one occasion, he has a Constitutionally protected right to do so.
A man standing in his own back yard could potentially become a threat, and it is for this reason that a cop (or anyone) confronting a man in his own backyard should take caution so as not to put themselves in harm’s way. This is basic police training - they are taught than even the most mundane situation could pose a possible threat, and this particular event was not mundane and so should have required extra caution. If you put yourself in such a situation where you have no time to properly assess whether the man’s actions are indeed a threat, then you have failed to follow basic training. Or the training has failed to properly prepare you.
putting yourself in a situation where you have no choice but to interpret someone’s actions as threat IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!
mc
There are very few (or no) consequences for cops for mistaking a cell phone or other mundane non-weapon for a weapon and then shooting someone. Maybe if the consequences were significant, they wouldn’t make that mistake as often as they do.
Killing black people is financially rewarding.
http://www.wlwt.com/article/uc-will-pay-ray-tensing-nearly-350-000-in-back-pay-legal-fees/19565438
Which reminds me of one of the greatest episodes of my role playing days:
For some reason, the team rogue decide to attack one of the warriors. When the warrior drew his sword to retaliate, the rogue said: “It was an accident! I was cleaning my sling, and it went off!”
Protesters in Sacramento went out to the streets and actually walked on the freeway during rush hour.
“He came up, and he kind of approached us, hands out, and then fell down”
You tell me.
Which way did he fall? If it was toward the police, he might have been falling in a threatening manner.
Some decent news, IMO:
That last sentence is what keeps me from characterizing this as good news.
Here’s a videoof the confrontation. Without the video, I expect no one would know or care.
They’d care. They’d take the cops word for it that she deserved the bruises, and use his charging of her with assaulting an officer as proof that cops need to be more violent.
Keep in mind, any shooting not caught on video is ruled as justified, as that is what the officer writes in his report. That allows friends like Shodan to claim that most are justified, so what do we need cameras for?
“He spurted blood at us in an aggressive manner!”