Police Reform in America

[LawBeefaroni]

Defund Prosecutors.

[Holman]

Ice Cube is not the best champion for these times.

[LawBeefaroni]

Ice Cube is not the best champion for these times.

This is going to be a mess.


I will say that Farrakahn is total trash and Cube following him is a huge disappointment.

https://mobile.twitter.com/icecube/stat ... 8051293184

[malchior]

Trump sends Federal troops into Portland. They quickly almost kill someone.

Warning: Direct video below but is pretty rough on the ears. It gets loud.

https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/stat ... 4900122624

https://twitter.com/zerosum24/status/12 ... nitions%2F

[Unagi]

How on earth will they justify that 'shot'.

[LawBeefaroni]

What was it? Beanbag? Pepperball? Seems like an extreme distance for a less lethal, no way it should have been used regardless of the justification. That is exactly why you don't over use less lethal, people tend to think they're harmless so they'll pop them off when not indicated because, what's the harm?



Edit: few other observations. Much of th damage may have been from head hitting pavement and/or speaker landing on his head. Not to minimize culpability, just noting that it wouldn't take a very damaging projectile to cause the fractures.

Also, the guy filming or whoever it was shouting, "Throw it back" talks a big game telling the guy on the line what to do but got the fuck out of there very quickly when the guy went down. If they had 5 or 10 guys standing with him, maybe they don't take the pot shot. Again, not to minimize culpability of the federal agents, just an observation.

[malchior]

What was it? Beanbag? Pepperball? Seems like an extreme distance for a less lethal, no way it should have been used regardless of the justification. That is exactly why you don't over use less lethal, people tend to think they're harmless so they'll pop them off when not indicated because, what's the harm?

The belief is 'impact munition' aka rubber bullet which is why the guy has a fractured skull and brain bleed going.

[LawBeefaroni]

What was it? Beanbag? Pepperball? Seems like an extreme distance for a less lethal, no way it should have been used regardless of the justification. That is exactly why you don't over use less lethal, people tend to think they're harmless so they'll pop them off when not indicated because, what's the harm?

The belief is 'impact munition' aka rubber bullet which is why the guy has a fractured skull and brain bleed going.

Impact munutions are a wide class that includes rubber bullets but also beam bags, dowels, etc. It did look and sound like a rubber bullet though.

[malchior]

What was it? Beanbag? Pepperball? Seems like an extreme distance for a less lethal, no way it should have been used regardless of the justification. That is exactly why you don't over use less lethal, people tend to think they're harmless so they'll pop them off when not indicated because, what's the harm?

The belief is 'impact munition' aka rubber bullet which is why the guy has a fractured skull and brain bleed going.

Impact munutions are a wide class that includes rubber bullets but also beam bags, dowels, etc. It did look and sound like a rubber bullet though.

Yeah and it seems doubtful that it so happened to hit him directly after he moved the munition and you can also assume that officer knows you aren't supposed to aim at the face. That should be a crime if it isn't.

[malchior]

https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status/12 ... 0132057090

[Enough]

Was just coming to post that. We are so boned right now.

[LawBeefaroni]

For whatever it's worth, that's the sergeants union, different than the rank and file union. Not that it's necessarily less of a problem there. But they are different unions.

[malchior]

For whatever it's worth, that's the sergeants union, different than the rank and file union. Not that it's necessarily less of a problem there. But they are different unions.

Sure but they are all mostly pretty wretched. Here is the PBA President's twitter. And the NY PBA President was that douche whining about police disrespect. The video is horrible for the cop but that he pins the blame for the unrest and the crowd cheering on the *politicians* shows he is lost in the cop bubble.

https://twitter.com/NYCPBA/status/1282294771537641479

[Remus West]

For whatever it's worth, that's the sergeants union, different than the rank and file union. Not that it's necessarily less of a problem there. But they are different unions.

Sure but they are all mostly pretty wretched. Here is the PBA President's twitter. And the NY PBA President was that douche whining about police disrespect. The video is horrible for the cop but that he pins the blame for the unrest and the crowd cheering on the *politicians* shows he is lost in the cop bubble.

https://twitter.com/NYCPBA/status/1282294771537641479

I'd want to see what led up to their arresting the one guy before commenting but it seemed like it was mostly very bad behavior for the crowd. The guy that put the headlock on the cop was clearly in their way while they wrestled with the first guy, then he kicked something of the officer's away - no idea what it was but he clearly kicked something away from the officer. The guy filming was a complete ass as well deserves something for egging on the behavior.

I fully support BLM but that wasn't BLM, that was Blue Lives Do Not Matter. We do not correct centuries of abuse and systemic racism by flipping things to anarchy and abuse of the police. They do plenty wrong on their own.

[malchior]

The crowd's reaction speaks for the disconnect between the police and the population. And even then, I agree the crowd is acting badly. The police have however to an extent brought this on themselves. So even if I wish people didn't act out that won't happen while the police are still out of control in NY. People have completely had it with them there. Daily marchs are happening. We've seen some protesters flat out start attacking the police. And we can't forget the police are habitually attacking protesters. It is a cycle of violence at this point.

And that definitely isn't the politicians fault to a large extent. DeBlasio has enabled the bad behavior by trying to ignore and minimize it but to be fair when he started to push back on them he quickly found out that the NYPD only works for itself. They are blatantly ignoring political orders. For example, many refuse to wear masks. The police union leadership is constantly stirring up trouble and they are doing petty things to agitate. That is what I'm referring to. They are a bigger problem than that crowd that got out of hand.

[malchior]

I am watching a police reform hearing on in the House Natural Resources committee waiting for the Judiciary Hearing that Bill Barr is to speak at. That hearing has been delayed because Nadler was in a car accident.

In any case, Acting Chief of the Park Police Gregory Monahan is being questioned by several Congressmen on the Natural Resources committee. I have little faith he isn't flat out lying to Congress. He claims that the clearing of Lafayette Park was completely unconnected to the Presidential photo op at St. John's. He claimed that they had contractors waiting to install a fence and they were wracking up overtime. He claimed the protest was violent though no officer was injured until the clearing operation. A few of the Congressmen really dug into the time line and he became evasive to even simple framing questions. The clearing operation radio communications just so happened to not be recorded because of a 'configuration error' in the radio system that went back two years. My greatest moment of frustration was wondering why the Congresswoman asking about this didn't dig into further into it. Though I suspect she didn't understand the technical nature of the issue. Meanwhile the Republicans are being the jackasses you know and love.

[malchior]

There are reports that NYPD rolled up on a peaceful march and snatched an organizer off the street in an unmarked van.

https://twitter.com/JenniferBrett15/sta ... 1371409408

Edit: Another take

https://twitter.com/mollylambert/status ... 7893860353

Edit 2: Here is the NYPD take on the incident. A water bottle did roll towards them. It did seem pretty threatening. The rocks though...total bullshit. They appear to be just lying.

https://twitter.com/NYPDnews/status/1288270680614739968

[Max Peck]

George Floyd: US protesters charged as 'gang' face life sentence

Protesters in Utah who splashed paint on a prosecutor's office could be given life sentences after they were accused of acting as a "gang".

Salt Lake City District Attorney Sim Gill, whose office was targeted by Black Lives Matter marchers issued the charges.

Critics, including the city's mayor, have called the felony charges excessive.

The paint splashing occurred during a 9 July protest against racism.

According to Utah's criminal code, the "gang enhancements" felonies Mr Gill filed are applied to "offences committed in concert with two or more person or in relation to a criminal street gang".

In effect, prosecutors are "calling participants in a protest gang members," a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union told AP.

Mr Gill, a Democrat who says he declined to charge other Black Lives Matters protesters for curfew violations, downplayed the potential serious life sentence such charges carry. He did not think "anyone is going to be going to prison on this," he said. Plea deals are said to be often used in cases such as these to avoid a full sentence.

https://twitter.com/JohnFPfaff/status/1 ... 8174658560

[malchior]

NYPD is still wildly out of control. A BLM organizer was going to be charged with 2nd degree assault for allegedly blasting an officer in the ear with a megaphone. The kicker? It happened two months ago. They decided to storm his apartment building with over a dozen officers, helicopter support, the officers were in tactical gear including carrying riot shields, they brought at least one dog, and closed the entire block off. Protesters appeared and made such a scene that the police left. They arrested him later and once arraigned, the DA asked for the charge to be reduced to a misdemeanor, assailed the police for overreacting and escalating the situation, and asked for the judge to release him immediately which the judge agreed to.

https://twitter.com/JordanUhl/status/12 ... 1463432193

[malchior]

They didn't just arrest them. They had multiple officers leveling weapons at them.

https://twitter.com/mmpadellan/status/1 ... 5510126603

[Little Raven]

Austin decides to put its money where its mouth is.

The Austin City Council unanimously voted to cut its police department budget by $150 million on Thursday, after officers and the city’s top cop faced months of criticism over the killing of an unarmed Black and Hispanic man, the use of force against anti-police brutality protesters and the investigation of a demonstrator’s fatal shooting by another citizen.

Those criticisms coincided with protests across Texas and the country calling for reforms on police tactics and the “defunding” of law enforcement in favor of redistributing funds to social services and alternative public safety programs. The council's move makes Austin the first of Texas' four biggest cities to drastically cut police department funding. The share of the police department budget that was cut is among the largest percentage decreases in the nation this year.

It'll be interesting to see how this shakes out.

[Blackhawk]

In order to work, cutting police funding has to be coordinated with funding the programs that will make police need less money.

[ImLawBoy]

In order to work, cutting police funding has to be coordinated with funding the programs that will make police need less money.

Yes, and I'm thinking that the police funding needs to remain relatively stable for the time being until you get these other programs in place. There are some items that might be able to shift more easily (response to non-emergency situations, for example), but I thought one of the key aims of "Defund the Police" was to invest in social programs and education that will lessen the need for a strong police force. If you just massively cut police funding without giving that time to work, it could lead to bigger problems.

[Blackhawk]

Yeah, you have to put in the new supports before you knock down the old ones. Not the other way around.

[coopasonic]

In order to work, cutting police funding has to be coordinated with funding the programs that will make police need less money.

Yes, and I'm thinking that the police funding needs to remain relatively stable for the time being until you get these other programs in place. There are some items that might be able to shift more easily (response to non-emergency situations, for example), but I thought one of the key aims of "Defund the Police" was to invest in social programs and education that will lessen the need for a strong police force. If you just massively cut police funding without giving that time to work, it could lead to bigger problems.

From the article:

These immediate cuts would include eliminating funding from three planned police cadet classes and reallocating funds to areas like violence prevention, food access and abortion access programs.

...Another $80 million in cuts would come from a yearlong process that will redistribute money used for civilian functions like forensic sciences, support services and victims’ services to other departments. About $50 million would come from reallocating dollars to a “Reimagine Safety Fund” that would divert money toward “alternative forms of public safety and community support through the yearlong reimagining process.”

[ImLawBoy]

You can't expect me to read the articles, damnit!

[coopasonic]

You can't expect me to read the articles, damnit!

It's OK sir, that is why I read the article and provided the relevant information for your needs sir. Thank you sir.

[ImLawBoy]

You can't expect me to read the articles, damnit!

It's OK sir, that is why I read the article and provided the relevant information for your needs sir. Thank you sir.

/Tosses a quarter at coop

[Brian]

Toss a coin to your Coopa, oh valley of plenty!

[Smoove_B]

Huh. Didn't see this coming. I guess this is why he was commenting about NY being in play.

https://twitter.com/QuickTake/status/12 ... 2375530499

The New York Police Benevolent Association (@NYCPBA) endorses Trump, a first for the union which represents over 50,000 active and retired New York City police officers

[Dave Allen]

...I thought one of the key aims of "Defund the Police" was to invest in social programs and education that will lessen the need for a strong police force.

Take that $150 million and offer a free smart gun and firearms training to every non-violent Austin taxpayer.

[Isgrimnur]

Of the 143 guns possessed by mass shooters since 1982, 75% were obtained legally.

[malchior]

Huh. Didn't see this coming. I guess this is why he was commenting about NY being in play.

Not sure if sarcasm or not.

[malchior]

I spoilered this because it is horrible. A police officer loses control of their K9 and sticks a gun through a fence to shoot a dog in its own yard.

Spoiler:

https://twitter.com/davenewworld_2/stat ... 4082402304

[Alefroth]

That's absolutely horrendous. That has to be a lawsuit, right?

[malchior]

That's absolutely horrendous. That has to be a lawsuit, right?

What's the payout on a dog shot by police? It probably isn't worth it.

[YellowKing]

We just had another cop on dog shooting in the next county over. In this case two deputies went to do a wellness check on a veteran. His dog got out of the house and started barking at the deputies, who ran. One got in his truck, the other shot the dog. In this case it was definitely more justified as the dog acted hostile towards the deputies, but the owner says the dog wasn't attacking and was just barking.

[hepcat]

That's absolutely horrendous. That has to be a lawsuit, right?

I’m not so sure this is a case of casual cruelty on the part of the cop. Apparently the home owner was told to leash the dog when the police showed up to search a neighbor’s house because it was acting hostile, and because the owner’s fence is right up against the sidewalk, allowing the dog to get dangerously close to any passerby. When they were leaving the dog was barking at the K-9 until it went to the fence, at which point the pit bull latched onto the K-9 unit dog’s nose and wouldn’t let go.

The K-9 dog may be retired due to the injuries it sustained in the attack.

[malchior]

That's absolutely horrendous. That has to be a lawsuit, right?

I’m not so sure this is a case of casual cruelty on the part of the cop. Apparently the home owner was told to leash the dog when the police showed up to search a neighbor’s house because it was acting hostile, and because the owner’s fence is right up against the sidewalk, allowing the dog to get dangerously close to any passerby. When they were leaving the dog was barking at the K-9 until it went to the fence, at which point the pit bull latched onto the K-9 unit dog’s nose and wouldn’t let go.

The K-9 dog may be retired due to the injuries it sustained in the attack.

I guess I'll just believe my lying eyes and say this is a bunch of malarkey. 'Acting hostile' aka barking at another dog. This is the usual line police across the United States use to justify killing 25 dogs a day. The officer knew there was a dog there that they were concerned about but parades the dog right by that fence, loses control of their K-9, and it sticks its face into the yard for it to be latched onto. The cop then almost immediately shoots the dog because the gun is their first tool in this situation.

I wouldn't call it 'casual cruelty' or even cruelty. It was bad judgement. They are trained to make this decisions -- which is part of my general issue with policing in the United States since deadly violence is often step 1 -- but they shouldn't have been in that position to begin with. I'm sorry the K-9 got injured but that is because the dog's handler showed poor judgement in the first place.

[hepcat]

The owner of the pit bull was restraining the dog, but it got loose. I would hardly characterize the actions of the cop as “parades the dog right by the fence” in light of that. The assumption was that the pit bull’s owner had control of their dog.

Of course I wish they had found another way to separate the dogs without resorting to killing it, but I just don’t see this one as cut and dry as you do. Perhaps my lying eyes just keep seeing a child instead of another dog walking close to that fence one day.