Cops smash window to use Taser on passenger during seat belt traffic stop

[savalez]

An Indiana family filed a lawsuit after police drew their guns, broke out a car window, and used a Taser on an adult passenger during a traffic stop.

Lisa Mahone said she was pulled over Sept. 25 by Hammond police for a seat belt violation as she drove with her boyfriend and their two children to a Chicago hospital, where doctors had said her mother was near death.

~snip~

Officers drew their guns on the couple and their 14-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter, and the teen began recording the encounter on a cell phone.

~snip~

Jones told WFLD that he was afraid to leave his frightened children in the car, and he was also afraid to get out because officers were acting so aggressively toward him.

Suddenly, one of the officers uses a baton to break open the passenger-side window, sending shattered glass spraying throughout the inside of the vehicle as the children screamed.

The officer reaches into the vehicle and uses a Taser on Jones, who screams as the electric current jolts through his body for at least 3 seconds.

~snip~

Police place Jones in handcuffs and arrested him for resisting law enforcement and refusal to aid an officer.

Source: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/10/watch-cops-smash-window-to-use-taser-on-passenger-during-seat-belt-traffic-stop/

This has got to stop.

[uppityperson]

1. Have you a link to the artcle, or is the write up from youtube? k&r

[antiquie]

4. Here are a few links...

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/26719562/hammond-family-claims-police-overstepped-their-authority-in-traffic-stop

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tasered-passenger-my-civil-rights-were-just-thrown-out-window-n219916

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2783809/Terrifying-moment-police-smashed-car-window-tasered-passenger-routine-traffic-stop-Indiana.html

[uppityperson]

6. Thank you, I appreciate your taking time.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

12. Notice the video is from WFLD-- the local faux channel in Chicago.

So even the right is running with it. But it's still interesting how their web link says "hammond-family-claims-police-overstepped-their-authority-in-traffic-stop." Ya think? Do some people say the cops might have overstepped?

[Shemp Howard]

52. You might find this hard to believe...

Many on the right are just as angry about police abuses as are people on the left.

For example, I know some rather conservative (white male) people who are very upset about the Eric Garner case (that's the case where the NYPD choked a black man to death over his alleged selling of untaxed cigarettes). My conservative friends want those cops fired, then arrested for murder.

Cops aren't getting the automatic support of the average conservative like they did in the past. And that's a very good thing. I sure hope the right and the left come together on this issue. These abuses obviously need to stop, and they need to stop immediately.

[Voice for Peace]

69. The libertarians on the right have always been concerned about civil liberties

Whenever government authorities impose power over others.

[SunSeeker]

92. But they got no problem with government imposing rules on what a woman can do with her womb.

So-called libertarians like Ron Paul have no problem depriving half our population of the most basic of human liberties.

Nor do they care if businesses discriminate.

Libertarians are no champions of civil liberties.

[calimary]

108. THANK YOU!!!! "Libertarians" are NOT the answer!

It's just GOP schtick, but candy-coated. For those not bothering to pay much attention.

[ncjustice80]

84. I wouldn t know...

I do my best not to associate with rethugs. However, I question any conservative is truly upset about Eric Garner- they hate black people and Im highly skeptical of any claim to the contrary.

[Shemp Howard]

87. Remember...

Not all conservatives are Republicans. Many are libertarian, as Voice for Peace noted in post #69.

And notice that I was talking about conservatives in my post #52. Some of them could be blue dog Democrats for all I know. Just my personal experience with people around the water cooler.

[ncjustice80]

88. A libertarien is just a hipster republican. Still a teabagger at heart.

[Shemp Howard]

91. For some, that's very true (nt)

[7962]

110. Oh bullshit.

[7962]

109. Many I've talked to think Garners case shouldve got more attention than Ferguson

I agree. We STILL dont know what the whole story is on what happened in Ferguson. Not excusing anything, but we still dont know. But Garner was off the front pages quickly and only stayed in the news in the Metro area. THIS incident was all on tape, up close.
And you're right, I'm seeing more and more conservative types getting fed up with this stuff. When my 82 yr old "kill em all" father says "thats ridiculous", things are changing.

[malaise]

16. I'm sick of these racist pigs

Really sick

[antiquie]

25. No words.

Physically sick.

[ReRe]

100. When I first seen this yesterday...

... I wept when hearing the woman screaming and crying in fear. Her 2-week old baby was in the effing back seat on the man's side of the car! If the reason for the stop was that she didn't have a seat-belt fastened, they should have given her a ticket and let them go. But no, pigs don't have anything more to do than to terrorize people in traffic stops. I hope they sue the pants off that city. I would NOT settle, either. Be strong and take their butts to court and sue the officers as well. I learned this morning that there was a 12-yr old child in the back seat who taped the incident.

[CaptainTruth]

30. Me too. Disgusted, sick, & fed up. Enough of this shit. How can we fight back?

How can we make it stop?

[JimDandy]

48. Make it a law in all 50 states

that a special prosecutor (a criminal defense lawyer from a different county who is randomly drawn from a state-wide pool) must be the one to decide to indict and then prosecute illegal police brutality/conduct instead of county prosecutors.

The cozy relationship (which IS necessary for prosecuting crimes) between the police and prosecutors is an automatic conflict of interest when it is a police officer who needs to be prosecuted, because it is also the County Prosecutor's job to defend from lawsuits all city government entities such as a police department. The Ferguson Police Officer killing of Michael Brown/St Louis County Prosecutor relationship being an case in point.

So, then, in a case of illegal police conduct, there would be the County Prosecutor being the defense attorney for the city, a defense attorney (paid for by the police union, not the municipality) for the police officer, and a Special Prosecutor who then would truly represent the interests of the citizens.

[ncjustice80]

86. Cities have their own attorneys that are separate from the prosecutors office.

I think it should go a step further- the Justice dept. should have a new wing dedicated solely to monitoring law enforcement. Complaints about police services go through a federal prosecutor, who then indicts officers in federal court.

Police unions should be abolished where they exist- they do nothing but shelter the corrupt. Its as laughable as a Bank Executives Union :p

[MADem]

56. “Look at my shoulder, dumbass,” an officer tells him. “I’ve got bars.”

Can you believe that shit?

It's just outrageous.

[1StrongBlackMan]

60. Yes ...

I believe it. All I can say is, hopefully, not for long (on the bars).

Here's to hoping the only "bars" that officer sees is on his monthly trips to the corner dive, to drink away his pension, after being fired.

[a2liberal]

97. I would prefer

the bars of a prison cell

[1StrongBlackMan]

98. I could go for that; but, come on ...

that's a bridge too far in this country, these days.

I like to keep my fantasies in the realm of possibility.

[savalez]

9. Oops. Yes, added it to OP. Thanks.

[bravenak]

2. Um, where are all of the cop defenders?

Where oh, where have you all gone? You know who you are..... Bunch of phonies.

[Egnever]

14. what's phony is pretending the majority of cops act like this.

there is certainly a problem in americas police departments but that does not change the fact that the vast majority of police on the beat are not doing crap like this.

[MohRokTah]

19. The majority of cops never call out for their fellows who pull this shit to be held accountable.

That makes them all part of the same rotten apple barrel.

Every last damned one of them

[savalez]

55. +1

I know of only one case where an officer was turned in by a fellow officer. The rest appear to be looking the other way.

[Heywood J]

99. There was that one in NYC who wore a tape recorder every day.

I think they made his life hell afterward.

http://www.villagevoice.com/specialReports/the-nypd-tapes-the-village-voices-series-on-adrian-schoolcraft-by-graham-rayman-4393217/

[geardaddy]

103. +1

[bravenak]

23. The majority of Cops don't do jack shit about this. They are complicit as it is their duty.

What's phony is, pretending cops don't treat people like this, especially BLACK MEN. The Cops on the beat should arrest their partner whenever they catch them engaging in unlawful conduct. They should treat them worse than the average citizen if they catch them violating laws and the rights of the people, as they are fully aware of the law.

[chervilant]

26. And that's relevant how?

When we're bombarded daily with reports of militarized police using excessive force and violating rights, we're supposed to respond in a conciliatory manner about all the 'good police'? Could we seek to address these marauding sociopaths and stop posting disclaimers that "the vast majority of police on the beat are not doing crap like this"?

[pennylane100]

28. I think that the problem of police abuse is quite common in many communities.

Also, the blue wall of silence is even more prevalent and cops routinely perjure themselves with little or no consequences. We have a serious problem with police behavior. Whether it is perjury, brutality, stealing from innocent motorist without cause, and even murder, cops rarely answer for their crimes.

know of several incidents in the area I live, in the suburbs surrounding Sacramento, where cops have harassed innocent minorities and from the many reports coming from all the states in the union, it is not far fetched to say that there are a lot of cops that are allowed to break the law with impunity. Sadly, the many illegal actions of these criminals in uniform make it hard for the ones that take their oath seriously.

[The Wizard]

68. Police are trained

to lie under oath.

[LanternWaste]

39. As your premise is completely unsupported, it is just as valid to to allege...

"the vast majority of police on the beat are not doing crap like this...."

As your premise is completely unsupported, it is just as valid to to allege "the vast majority of police on the beat are not getting caught for doing crap like this..."

[1StrongBlackMan]

70. Maybe not to this extent ...

but certainly most officers will double down on their bad judgment by escalating; rather than, attempt to de-escalate the situation ... especially, when they are confronting Black males.

But, I found this tweet appropriate:

"If a tree falls in the forest and there's no white person around to witness it, did the tree really fall."

I can, honestly say ... I have never encountered being stopped by the police without their attempting to escalate the situation.

[Mariana]

81. Maybe if we saw more of them step in to protect the victims...

But that rarely ever happens. Almost every time we see vid of abuse and there's more than one cop present while said abuse is taking place, ALL of the cops are participating.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

44. They are ALL complicit! nt

[bravenak]

45. That's why they hide!!!!nt

[grasswire]

3. surprised they didn't taze the kid for his video

How is this different from Nazi storm troopers??

[sarisataka]

7. Nazis would not have

used a tazer with perfectly good guns around. The family would be lying in a grave they were forced to dig.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

10. Well thank goodness they showed some restraint here.

[sarisataka]

17. The question was asked

I answered, simple as that.

I find the hyperbole comparison of police misconduct to Nazis insulting to all the victims of the Third Reich. Someday if you get the chance, listen to a Jew or Romani who has a number tattoo on their arm.

Nazi police acted within their laws and fully backed by the government to treat groups as inhuman beings not worthy to live. The comparison with our problems of police brutality is absurd and does nothing to improve our situation.

My reply was based on a story from a Slovak Jew. In his town, when the trucks wer full and ready to go to the train station whoever was left was taken to the woods, forced to dig, then shot. Not everyone at once mind you; some were spared to be shot later after they buried the first killed.

[dickthegrouch]

36. And you don't think that describes the US now?

"Nazi police acted within their laws and fully backed by the government to treat groups as inhuman beings not worthy to live. "

Because the prosecutors and DoJ are failing to rein this is, the bad cops are absolutely given the impression that they are operating within the law and with Government backing. Blacks are seen as subhuman and not worthy to live, where whites at least get a trial (sometimes).

[damnedifIknow]

40. Reminds me of this

The basic Gestapo law passed by the government in 1936 gave the Gestapo carte blanche to operate without judicial review—in effect, putting it above the law. The Gestapo was specifically exempted from responsibility to administrative courts, where citizens normally could sue the state to conform to laws. As early as 1935, however, a Prussian administrative court had ruled that the Gestapo's actions were not subject to judicial review. The SS officer Werner Best, onetime head of legal affairs in the Gestapo, summed up this policy by saying, "As long as the police carries out the will of the leadership, it is acting legally."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestapo

[sarisataka]

42. No

Last edited Tue Oct 7, 2014, 03:49 PM - Edit history (1)

police brutality is an abuse of the system accompanied by inadequate oversight and accountability.

This is what it looks like when the system approves:

humanrightsforallages.org/pics/atrocities/nazi/ww2db.comimage.phpimage_id=573.jpg

htherightplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/nazi-killing-russian-peasants.jpg

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/The_Bochnia_massacre_German-occupied_Poland_1939.jpg

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/Selection_Birkenau_ramp.jpg

Edit-cut and paste the links to view

[ChisolmTrailDem]

46. Thanks for editing your post, sarisataka. I appreciate it. nt

Last edited Tue Oct 7, 2014, 03:58 PM - Edit history (2)

[sarisataka]

58. Apologies

I should have thought of that.
I changed it so I give the addresses to the photos rather than displaying them

[ChisolmTrailDem]

59. Thanks, deleting my post. Sorry I was so gruff, been a rough day. nt

[sarisataka]

65. No worries

I took it as a reminder of decorum than a rebuke.

No offense taken

[unblock]

53. this is not correct. it's typical to fixate on the period of time when nazis had full control.

but the nazis were nazis even before they had real power, and they did an awful lot of intimidation and violence short of murder. they escalated as they were able to get away with more.

so yes, you could say that the nazis of 1943 would have simply shot them; but the nazis of 1933 might have contented themselves to tasers (had they had that technology at the time).

the application of "nazi" to other situations is obviously overdone and overdramatic, but i don't think it's implausible to think that in this case, the might have used guns if they thought they could get away with it, if they had the kind of power the 1943 nazis had.


fwiw, my mother is a holocaust survivor.

[sarisataka]

62. Not fully throughout

The Nazi era; they did have to be more circumspect in the early years before they had absolute power. Most people think of the peak of their power, especially when invoking storm troopers. Even during the Weimar Republic many groups could get away with naked violence.

fwiw- a lot. I have the deepest admiration for Holocaust survivors; they witnessed true Evil. Give her my regards if she is still with us.

[Dont call me Shirley]

5. Almost like the incident in New Mexico

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/18/oriana-ferrell_n_4295729.html

This ABUSE of power must stop now!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

8. This is not a problem, it's a FUCKING CRISIS. This shit has to stop now.

There was absolutely no reason for the cops to escalate. They are out of control.

[BrotherIvan]

13. Not only are they terrorizing those they are supposed to "protect and serve"

They are also bankrupting the cities who then have to pay the lawsuits due to their brutality. This video is perfect proof in a lawsuit. This needs to be addressed in every mayoral or race for governor. It used to be tough on crime, now it needs to be tough on cops.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

33. Chicago paid ~$100 Mil in police misconduct lawsuits in 2013. How does little Hammond, IN get by?

Minneapolis is considering forcing it's officers to carry insurance as a way to get rid of some of the worse ones who'll be virtually uninsurable. Seems like a roundabout way of dealing with the problem but at least they're doing something.
http://ballotpedia.org/City_of_Minneapolis_Police_Brutality_Personal_Insurance_Charter_Amendment_%28November_2014%29

[BrotherIvan]

63. 100 Million! While closing schools and busting the teachers' union

As many have said here, these settlements should come out of the pension fund of the police themselves. That would settle the problem right quick.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

79. To be honest the article wasn't clear over how much time the judgements were spread.

It just said that's approximately what they paid out that year so it could have been bunched up from several years into a new bond issue or something. Or maybe it was a spike from the John Burgis torture judgements.

[ancianita]

101. What a great idea. That and the mandatory insurance idea. Thanks! I'm passing this along.

[BrotherIvan]

111. If we treated the police union like the teachers' union, they would back off

Instead they are given military equipment and they recruit from the most violent, aggressive people they can find. I've seen their recruitment spiel and it's scary. I understand that being a cop in a heavily armed society is scary, but they are taking it out on peaceful citizens, black men and women, every day. I don't know how to fix it, but I will support someone who comes up with a good plan.

[woo me with science]

66. Stopping militarization of police=taking on corporate politicians.

Militarization of our police departments is a *bipartisan* effort of corporatists in both parties, right along with mass surveillance, the assaults on journalism, and the persecution of whistleblowers. The programs and legislation that are turning our police departments into paramilitary forces come through Homeland Security and the Pentagon, and are being used to suppress and intimidate dissent, exploit communities, and fill lucrative private prisons with slave labor as the nation is corporatized and Americans are made into a nation of low-paid wage slaves.

Both parties are complicit in this outrage. See the links below. Real change requires pushback against corporate politicians who are enabling this militarization, and that includes both corporate Democrats and Republicans.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The entire Democratic leadership opposed Grayson amendment to stop arming cops with DOD weapons
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025390424

WOW... Went Looking For Connections Between Ferguson And ALEC... Found This Piece Of The Puzzle...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025413841

The exploitation of Ferguson I: In 2013 the town issued over 24,000 arrest warrants..
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025404667

The exploitation of Ferguson II: The Seamy Underbelly Of Ferguson Starts To Appear
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025416747

The exploitation of Ferguson III: Ferguson Feeds Off the Poor: Three Warrants a Year Per Household
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025428157

Police Militarization (including the Obama administration's role)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/aclu-police-militarization-swat_n_2813334.html

It's almost certain that if the police agencies cooperate, the ACLU will find that the militarization trend has accelerated since Kraska's studies more than a decade ago. All of the policies, incentives and funding mechanisms that were driving the trend then are still in effect now. And most of them have grown in size and scope.

The George W. Bush administration actually began scaling down the Byrne and COPS programs in the early 2000s, part of a general strategy of leaving law enforcement to states and localities. But the Obama administration has since resurrected both programs. The Byrne program got a $2 billion surge in funding as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, by far the largest budget in the program's 25-year history. Obama also gave the COPS program $1.55 billion that same year, a 250 percent increase over its 2008 budget, and again the largest budget in the program's history. Vice President Joe Biden had championed both programs during his time in the Senate.

The Pentagon's 1033 program has also exploded under Obama. In the program's monthly newsletter (Motto: "From Warfighter to Crimefighter&quot , its director announced in October 2011 that his office had given away a record $500 million in military gear in fiscal year 2011, which he noted, "passes the previous mark by several hundred million dollars." He added, "I believe we can exceed that in FY 12.”

Then there are the Department of Homeland Security's anti-terrorism grants. The Center for Investigative Reporting found in a 2011 investigation that since 2001, DHS has given out more than $34 billion in grants to police departments across the country, many of which have been used to purchase military-grade guns, tanks, armor, and armored personnel carriers. The grants have gone to such unlikely terrorism targets as Fargo, N.D.; Canyon County, Idaho; and Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The final ACLU report on militarization of police in America
https://www.aclu.org/criminal-law-reform/war-comes-home-excessive-militarization-american-police-report

"Operation Urban Shield"...Training our Police, Fire, First Responders..in Military Tactics
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025412909

[Hoppy]

11. I suppose the initial police report described how the mean, black speaking person

Violently resisted arrest and was a danger to the police.

[Dopers_Greed]

15. Police officers should be help personally liable for lawsuits

Rather than the cities that employ them

[7962]

112. THIS IS THE SOLUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!! + 1million!!

When a cop knows he might lose his house he will likely think twice a lot more than he does now. Now they all know that the city will pay for whatever happens.

[RockaFowler]

18. That video is heartbreaking

The young girl in the back seat is terrified

I agree with you - this has to stop

[TexasProgresive]

20. I wonder if there is a move to show "good" cops to counter all the bad cop press?

I've seen several pieces on cops doing a nice thing instead of being an asshole. The lastest was this one:
http://www.live5news.com/story/26724443/cop-buys-mom-car-seat
Now are these cops doing this out of the goodness of their hearts or are they being ordered to make nice so the cops don't look all bad?

[ncjustice80]

85. The latter. I have never seen a cop do a good thing that didnt scream PR move.

[lpbk2713]

21. What makes this incident truly bizarre ...

is that seat belt enforcement is for the occupants' protection.

"I'm gonna save your frikkin life even if I have to kill you."

[surrealAmerican]

29. I'm thinking the cops see it more as a source of revenue.

What percentage of the law enforcement budget comes from fines in Hammond?

[jmowreader]

35. I'm thinking you hit the problem on the head

This shit wasn't happening to the extent it does now when the police were more a Law Enforcement Agency than they were a Revenue Generating Agency. In today's brave new world, the cops can do pretty much anything they want so long as it brings the ducats in.

[LittleGirl]

38. Ding Ding Ding - thread winner!!

that is all.

[tblue37]

74. Dont forget, that young black man who was shot at a gas station when he tried to comply with

the cop's order to show ID was (according to the cop's claim) initially approached because he was not wearing a seatbelt.

[benld74]

22. This type of police behavior has to STOP now!

I hope their lawsuit bankrupts whatever town these pigs are from,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[bullsnarfle]

51. Oh, great...

That's going to be just great for the poor damn civilians who live there and had not one bloody thing to do with terrorizing the people in the car.
I gotta better idea -- how about we take it out of police pay/benefits/retirement accounts, etc. when they do this shit? I bet if you hit them in the wallet they will think twice before inflicting this crap on folks. It's the lack of accountability that encourages and abets them to get away with it as it is.
I hold no hope as to seeing these cops held accountable by the "law" (yeah, right), but why soak Joe & Jane Citizen (already on the ropes from the recession) for the cops thuggery??????

[tblue37]

75. A lot of Joe and Jane Citizens are not protesting these abuses because they figure

it only happens to minorities, so it won't happen to them. If Joe and Jane Citizen themselves finally begin to really feel at least some of the consequences of letting LEOs get away with treating minorities this way, then maybe Joe and Jane will start squawking against such brutality, rather than rallying, as all too many do, in support of all the Darren Wilsons in the country's police departments.

[bbgrunt]

24. police brutality and

paranoia have only escalated with the increased loosening of gun laws. Now they see every encounter as a threat.

[CaptainTruth]

27. Pathetic. Bullies. Thugs. And I'm sure those children are going to grow up

... with admiration & respect for police. NOT! Are cops really so stupid that they can't see how acts like this only increase hatred of them, which leads to more disrespect from the public & perpetuates the problem? I guess they really are that stupid.

When cops work so hard to be the enemy, they do in fact become the enemy.

I hope that family wins a huge award, & the officer loses his job & pension. Anyone that violent & agressive should not ever be allowed to work in a position where they have to deal with citizens, they are a danger to the public.

[napkinz]

31. doing their job to ...

[tblue37]

76. Like the CHP thug who repeatedly punched the elderly black woman in the face and head and then later

claimed he was only trying to protect her, since she could have stepped into traffic and been hit by a car.

If he had not been caught on videotape by a passing motorist, he would have gotten off with no consequences at all. He never did get charged for assaulting her, though he certainly should have been, but at least he did get fired.

[napkinz]

82. think how many racist officers got away with such crimes before the age of videotape

I'm thinking before the Rodney King beating by LAPD officers in 1991

[Madmiddle]

32. This would be that cops last day on this planet.

[ballyhoo]

47. Yep. And once that starts happening, these

megalomaniacs will retreat from their practices.

[blackspade]

34. "resisting law enforcement and refusal to aid an officer"

These are not real charges.

What a load of bullshit.

[Glassunion]

54. "Contempt of Cop" does not sound as snappy.

[get the red out]

37. Couldn't they just give them a ticket?

Breaking out the car window and tazering him in front of his kids is so wretched!!!!! That poor family.

[theHandpuppet]

41. Some cops seem to be looking for any reason to terrorize black families

Supposedly they were pulled over on a seat belt issue. Really? This is what our citizens can expect for not buckling their seat belt? I saw that video this morning and the sounds of the little terrorized girl crying are still haunting me. What the fuck is going on in our country?

[CanSocDem]

50. That's what I was thinking.

It's as if, nationwide, cops are sitting around feeling all persecuted by the bad press in Missouri thinking up ways that they can re-assert their authority. Intimidation seems to be popular.



.

[jeff47]

67. A ticket brings in only a little money.

You get the big bucks by seizing the car after you find drugs in it. Find or "find", either works.

[BlindTiresias]

43. jesus

Stay in the car, get your window smashed and a tazer used on you.
Get out of the car and get shot while retrieving your license and registration.

[Rozlee]

49. It's not even a sometimes occasion. It's the Cop Brutality of the Day.

I guess it was always like this, but street camera vigilantes are reporting it in greater numbers. It doesn't seem to stop these thugs though. The violence against citizens, especially African-American and minority citizens, seems to be escalating.

[1StrongBlackMan]

57. Another generation of Black youth taught ...

"Mr. Police Officer is NOT your friend."

[The Wizard]

61. Armed and dangerous

is a term usually associated with criminals at large.

[Uncle Joe]

64. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, savalez.

[OldRedneck]

71. Oh, I see . . .

They are black. No police misconduct here.

Now, if they had been white . . .

That'll teach 'em to Drive While Black.

[KitSileya]

72. White Americans need to realize that there is *nothing* a black man can do

To stay safe in the presence of American cops. Nothing. Stay in the car - get shot. Get out of the car - get shot. Raise your hand above your head - get shot. Lay down on the ground - get shot. Be handcuffed - get shot.

As you can see from the video, Jones stayed calm, respectful, asked why he was being ordered to get out of his car, and ended up tazered in front of his children.

Cops keep saying that their outrageous behavior is intended to keep them safe when they feel threatened - but they don't get to overreact because they perceive a risk, and still get to be called heroes. Cops aren't heroes anymore (if they ever were,) they are cowards, going after the most powerless targets in American society - a group that can be killed with impunity...black men.

[Damansarajaya]

73. One of these plicks is a two-time abuser.

From the link above: "One of the officers involved in the confrontation has been involved in two prior excessive force lawsuits, with the City of Hammond making payouts to settle both cases."

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/26719562/hammond-family-claims-police-overstepped-their-authority-in-traffic-stop

[Gothmog]

77. This officer deserves to be sued

[Iggo]

78. They are ALL Darren Wilson. (n/t)

[Enthusiast]

80. Fascist Brown Shirts.

This country has gone to shit.

[dickthegrouch]

83. I'm looking for improvements to a letter for PD's and DA's

I would like to get a lot of people on record that they will govern and police us as we expect. Please see this thread http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025633408 and suggest improvements to my letter. It is deliberately combative, so that they have to think carefully about their answers.

[whereisjustice]

89. Meanwhile, Wall Street and Congress fuck us over day after day. This country is corrupt

from top to bottom.

[byronius]

90. Yeah, that was professional conduct. Absolutely. Best policin' ever. Real Super Troopers.

Insert Planetary Sarcasm Icon.

[blkmusclmachine]

93. Fight the POLICE STATE

[MrMickeysMom]

94. My God… What did they just do in front of that child?

A fucking SEAT BELT?

If I were black, I think I'd be dead by now. I just can't see it any other way. This shit is way passed being wrong.

[caraher]

95. Amazing how taser vs. gun use by cops works

Tasers were sold to the public as an alternative to deadly force. Yet it seems like every time a cop feels "threatened" they go straight to the gun. Meanwhile, when they feel like intimidating someone or forcing compliance, the taser always seems to come right out...

[Union Scribe]

96. Can the federal government intervene?

Does the DOJ or someone have the power to mandate that police agencies throughout the country make changes to start reversing this shit? There needs to be psychological testing of all officers and removal of the racists and the aggressive ones. And the training and equipment have to be changed from military tactics to proper community policing ones that focus on safety and service. Until that culture changes, nothing will change. They don't even care that cameras are pointed at them!

[Hestia]

104. Personally, I think it is from not firing all the bush appointees in the Justice Dept.

when Obama & Holder first came in. They left in place a GOP springboard as what JD will and will not investigate. It's all part of the Death By a Thousand Cuts we've been living under.

I do hope that whomever the new Atty General is, they will clean house and get rid of the non-qualified personnel, or at least the managers who are telling personnel to stand down and not investigate. AND I hope they aren't Wall Street connected like Holder was.

AND I hope the new Democratic President takes note and fires everyone top to bottom in the new administration and makes them reapply for their jobs (those who can be, otherwise, they have cafeteria duty). It is something we need to take the time to do, not just to keep a dying vessel afloat by simply bailing water. It needs to be dry docked and fixed.

[Eric J in MN]

102. This shows why seatbelt violations shouldn't be a primary offense.

Every cop-civilian interaction is dangerous.

Letting cops pull people over because they're not sure if they're wearing seatbelts multiplies cop-civilian interactions.

[daleanime]

105. This shit has got to stop.

[world wide wally]

106. Everyone I talk to agrees that cops are out of control, and as long as they keep getting

away with it, it's only going to get worse.
We need at least one or two cities to show some balls and simply prosecute some of these out of control assholes.

And they wonder why people don't like them

[AZ Progressive]

107. "SUBMIT, DAMNIT!!!"

"Bow down and kiss our boots!"