Look, this can’t be much of a police state if old black people and the press aren’t beaten every few weeks. It is quaint of y’all to pretend to be shocked. But in Iraq, they shoot journalists who take pictures that they don’t like and they do more than just beat the non-white people: they torture and humiliate them before, sigh, finding that they have committed suicide in their cells.
Maybe if you wish real hard, Tinkerbell will grant you your freedoms back!
First They Came for the Jews
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I’m a closet anti-Semite and liked it.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I’ve been taught to hate Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I wanna be in management.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me, so I made the best of it and pretended to be into B & D.
Who gives a fuck what the cops don’t like? It’s called “freedom of the press.” They don’t have a right to try to impede or intimidate or threaten a news crew. Period.
You’re also grossly simplifying what the media does. Regardless of what Rush Limbaugh ells you, the news media is not just a cabal of liberal activists out to bring down the cops.
I don’t listen to Rush because he tends to be an idiot, but I don’t recall hearing about him addressing the situation here in Baltimore that I was referring to, do you? What did he say?
I also do not believe that I am oversimplifying what the media does, at least not the majority of the TV media. “If it bleeds it leads” is as true today as it was years ago, and sensationalism=ratings which = money. TV stations are a for profit industry.
If you were not implying that attempts to impede the press are justified, then what was the point of bringing up all that stuff about why “cops are wary about the media?” If you agree that their dislike of the media (which has just as much to do with legitimate exposes of police brutality/corruption as sensationalism the other way) does not justify trying to stop a news crew from filming them, then why mention it at all?
I was just using him as an example of someone in the right wing media who typically beats the “liberal media” canard every time the cops get caught on video beating someone’s ass.
That’s true, but they do not have a bias against cops, and it’s not true that most people in TV news would deliberately distort a video or a story to make the cops look bad.
Was there anything that the press held back from the public in the Baltimore story? Did the TV stations do anything to present the story in a dishonest way?
Just saw him interviewed and he also mentioned that the police do not have the authority to test for intoxication unless related to a traffic infraction.
Reports I had seen earlier mentioned that no test was done and lead me to believe it was because the cops were afraid of the results.
Fair enough. Like I said in my op: I may have been whatching the wrong video clips. I never saw the cops pumling the guy after he was handcuffed.
I’m just hesitant to burn these guys at the stake just yet. As some one else has pointed out in this thread: The media has a proclivity for sensationalizing these things.
Plus, I have family that are cops. It’s a pretty sad state of affairs when every other time (seemingly) I see my uncle or cousin in his uniform they have that black stripe over their badge.
(For those who don’t know what the black stipe means; - It means that an officer died in the line of duty.)
So yeah, If some one wants to threaten MY family’s safety; by all means, use whatever force is necessary.
As far as that producer guy is concerned: I’m not gonna say he got what he deserved, but I do have to admit it’s hard for me to feel sorry for the guy. He was taunting those guys after repeatedly being told to “Get back!”
The clip shows what it shows. Your feelings about the media are (or should be) irrelevant to the cops’ actions.
So do i. My stepfather’s a retired cop with about 27 years on the force. And like most good cops who take their role as peacekeepers seriously, he would be as angry at the behaviour of those New Orleans cops as i am.
I agree with what elucidator said in this post—we need to appreciate the work that cops do, pay them better, and make sure that we weed out the bullies and only take the best people.Some folks believe that police ought to be shown respect. Well, at one level i believe that’s true, because they do a dangerous job that is essential to society’s functioning. But they need to realize that the respect they get is not merely a function of wearing the uniform—their actions also have to be worthy of that respect.
Taunting? Are you on crack or something? Watch the fucking video.
He walked up to the cop, showed his press credentials, and asked a question. The cop grapped him by his shirt, pushed him backward until they ran into a parked car, and proceeded to yell at the guy while pushing him even further backwards against the car.
God forbid the press be allowed to go about their business on a public street.
Listen I pretty much agree with every thing you’re saying. I haven’t watched the video you linked, nor do I intend to because my internet connection is on a LAN line.
If you note in my OP I said: " I must of seen the wrong video clip" Again, the one I saw just looked like the guy was being combative and the cops had to do a little “manhandling” to get him under control.
Now, if that was the case, (which, BTW I don’t think it was, I’ll take your word for it.) I don’t think they should be chastized for it.
Now, as far as the producer guy goes; Yeah, he showed him his credentials and the cop still told him to get back. Right or wrong the producer should have complied.
If he (the producer) really felt like he was wronged, he should’ve filed a formal complaint with the NO police dept’. And expose them (like they did) for the A-holes they are on the TV.
The cop didn’t tell him to “get back,” he told him to stop filming, something he had no right to say. Then the press guy showed his credentials and then the cop grabbed him by the shirt and backed him up against a car. Another thing he had no right to do. Oh…and he had no right to tell the guy to get back either.
Maybe you’re posting from a different country but this occurred in AMERICA. We don’t live in a police state. We have freedom of the press. The cops don’t get to decide what the press can and cannot film and does not get to lay their hands on the press for filming them while they’re beating the hell out of an old man for nothing.
SHAKES If the cameraman, had done as he was told and stopped filming, there would be no evidence of the abuse. Yes? Therefor I can assume from all the bending over you’re doing to give these insults to the uniform, “the benefit of the doubt”; you would be demanding ‘proof’ of the beating, which wouldn’t exist if the cameraman had ‘complied’.
Without the tape, all we would have is the word of the victim and maybe the reporters…be honest now, who would YOU believe?
You really need to look at the links provided because you’re really missing what happened.
Seriously, SHAKES, watch the fucking video because you’re talking out of your ass here. You’re trying to make some argument about what maybe happened as if we don’t have video proof of what actually occurred. The victim in this case, as far as I can tell, is hardly resisting arrest, and isn’t kicking, punching, or otherwise being violent to the officers.
They are clearly using the horse to block the video camera with no public safety reason to do so, and they do this over and over again when the bystander gets arrested (I guess for asking a cop a question). The AP reporter that gets assaulted wasn’t told to back up first, he showed his credentials and some asshole cop pushed him straight into a car while screaming obscenities and something about, “I’ve been here six __________ and you assholes come in here and fuck it up…” These cops deserve to go to prison for their actions, and its unfortunate that situations like this probably occurr all of the time there just aren’t any AP cameramen around to record it.
One of my concerns was why in the world did three or four cops pile in on a 64 year old man? I’m glad he got out of it with only some stitches and cuts/scrapes and not any broken bones.