Or perhaps you live in a shit-hole, where police are poorly trained, racist, and prone to violence without provocation, so one is reluctant to call them in any but the most extreme circumstances, because once they show up, there’s bound to be a fatal police shooting.
But as I said, I choose not to live in such a place. Where I live, police are considered an integral part of the community, and work hand in hand with citizens to maintain the peace and security that we all want.
I am, honestly, glad to hear that. It most certainly doesn’t apply to a huge majority of America, as you probably know.
This does not appear to be factually correct. In 2010, the individual, Matthew Hook, was fleeing police after a theft, he suffered “permanent brain damage” (not brain death), and the injury came from his fall onto concrete after being tased.
I’m not suggesting this justifies the police behavior - obviously, the justice system felt the police were wrong, as they awarded the victim $2.5 million in damages. And while your cite is old (2010 was 16 years ago!) for all I know things have gotten worse, not better.
But you don’t help your case by exaggeration and inaccuracy. I think we’d agree that pure truth is plenty when it comes to arguing that police brutality is a real problem. As it is, your credibility is damaged.
If you have evidence that the news station was inaccurate and the facts are as you stated them, I will gladly acknowledge that.
Well, at least you’ll (finally) believe wolfpup. Apparently you know better than I do about policing in my community, though.
Where was that? I see one from years ago in Lima Ohio, nowhere near here.
That’s not the situation I was referring to. The fact that two meet kind of the same pattern is relevant, of course.
Ah, okay. As you can read, I left open the possibility that I might not have the facts right. Thank you for the correction.
Apparently taser incidents aren’t rare.
I stand corrected, thats my city all right.
I’m shocked to hear that!
Wait a minute, you are still a bit off. The victim is not brain dead.
I hesitate to make the correction at this juncture, because the larger point stands - yes, police brutality is a real problem in a lot of locations. But you don’t help your case with factual inaccuracies.
At the moment we have two incidents, both in 2010, both causing brain damage (not brain death), in two Ohio communities about 200 miles apart. That’s two too many for sure. It doesn’t make me a bad person for calling the police if I’m worried that a woman in my neighborhood is being stalked, though.
2 minor responses: 100% you are correct that I read it too quickly and said he was brain dead. Brain damaged is a much better description. Thank you for the correction.
At NO point in time have I ever suggested that ANYONE is a bad person for calling the police if they feel they are being stalked. Every single post I have criticized indicated that the poster called the police because a person was simply parked. If there was ANY indication that the parkers in question were stalking, I have missed it.
Well, I took a general case (calling the police on a strange car/person lurking in a neighborhood) and gave a specific example of why someone - a female someone, in particular - might worry.
Your posts indicate to me that you believe calling the police is ALWAYS wrong. I’m giving an example where I think it might not be. Like @hajario and others, my first reaction would probably not be “ack, a stranger, call the cops!” If there was a safe way to find out what was going on (approach the car with 2-3 male friends along, talk to neighbors who might have more knowledge of the situation) without calling the cops, I would.
But to imply that there is never any justification for wanting to call the police for a loitering-type situation is absurd. If that’s not what you mean, perhaps your rhetoric could use to be toned down a bit.
That has never been my position. My position is that calling the police on someone, with 0 reason to believe that they are either dangerous or committing a crime is wrong. If you have an objective reason to think that someone is committing a crime or about to commit a crime, then by all means. I would describe it this way: if there is a logical reason why the person in the car is more likely than a random passerby to commit a crime, then call the police. But the mere act of sitting in a car doesn’t increase that chance, at all.
Let’s say you know the neighbor up the street has a restraining order against her ex husband who drives a blue SUV. You see a blue SUV parked near you with a male inside. Call the police.
But just some random person, with no additional facts or reasoning, is a pretty awful reason to involve the police.
I am passionate about this issue, there is no doubt. I am very, very tired of reading about people of color killed, arrested, abused, etc. by police for doing everyday, human things. Could I be nicer in my delivery, sure.
Umm, where are you living mjmartin? 'Cause I too want to live in place where the police never abuse their power, a land of lemonade springs and cigarette trees.
I am truly baffled by this comment. Just about every single one of my posts have been extremely critical of police, both in my area and the United States in general. Did you perhaps mean another poster?
So I doubt we’re really in complete disagreement. I would prefer it if you didn’t make assumptions about me or where I live, though.
I might be the biggest critic of mjmartin here, and yet I recognize that all their posts have been saying the opposite of this.
I think @crowmanyclouds misspoke, fingers got ahead of the message or something … let’s wait for clarification.
I hope so.
They, in this thread, seem very focused on American policing.
I don’t believe that I have made any assumptions about you, other than direct things you stated (you’re a white woman that lives or lived in Hawaii) and my assumptions about where you live are directed solely at the fact that you have police trained in the American system and all that entails. Nothing more. No offense was intended. I do apologize though. I know I am an asshole on certain topics. This is one.