Black man righteously shames white cop who pulls him over

[LonePirate]

Link to tweet

This video is great. Most importantly, he lived to talk about it. He's the hero we need nowadays.

[malaise]

1. Get thee to the greatest page

Perfect

[MineralMan]

2. Good for him! This should go viral.

[spanone]

3. K&R...

[Sailor65x1]

4. Hero my ass

"When I hear something happen to a cop I think he had it coming." Yep, there's your hero right there.

And great patience on the part of the officer. Let the man-child have his rant and stayed calm. Very professional.

[Iggo]

5. Okay, that's enough.

[lisby]

6. He pulled over a black man for a missed turn signal

And came to the car with a drawn gun. Professional?

[Sailor65x1]

7. And clearly holstered it when he identified no threat

Did you notice how dark it is? He didn't pull over a black man, he pulled over a silhouette. Police dont have vision super powers.

Considering how calm he is during the rant, I'd day there was a reason he would have been at the ready initially.

[uponit7771]

11. So the turn signal was worth being THAT much in danger that he had to un-holster his firearm?!?!?!

Really, its about decision making !!!

[Sailor65x1]

14. You're right, it's decision making

And he made the decision after identifying no threat to re-holster. As to what behaviors prompted the extra caution initially, you know as well as I do that the video conveniently leaves out all of that, and that there is almost always more to the story.

[uponit7771]

24. I don't see a turn signal being worth it to place himself THAT MUCH in danger in the first place ...

... that's the bigger part of the decision making.

Like the woman, who wasn't a person of color, who didn't want to touch her cell phone in her lap while the officer was outside of her car; its best to error on the side of not having an interaction at all.

My understanding is the officer can still do their job ... well ... without enforcing things like missed turn signals when the driver didn't put anyone in danger.

[cstanleytech]

189. It's not the turn signal that is the potential danger usually rather it's the

driver behind the wheel and officer's in general need to be cautious when approaching the driver of a vehicle that they pull over.

[Nitram]

127. Sailor, this knee-jerk reflex to defend cops NO MATTER WHAT is part of the problem.

Last edited Mon Sep 11, 2017, 08:15 AM - Edit history (1)

It is why juries fail to convict in clear-cut cases of murder. Like when a cop shoots an unarmed man in the back as he is running away during a moving violation. And then lies that the guy took his taser, after dropping it by the guy's body to frame him.

[sharedvalues]

229. Juries fail to convict bc police investigate their own people, and prosecutors prosecute their own.

We need independent investigation of police misconduct. And independent prosecutors to prosecute.

Because right now what we have is asking people who work together to punish each other. Of course they have sympathy for their colleagues and friends.

[Kingofalldems]

175. If he felt threatened he should have called for backup.

BTW, I think your opinion would be a big hit at Fox news.

[brush]

182. WTH? Some people need to stop being cop apologist idiots. No turn signal is no reason for...

for a drawn gun.

If you're that scared you don't need to be a cop.

[Scruffy1]

16. Always someone willing to defend out of control police actions.

The public has been so brainwashed by the media some actually think their out of control behavior is normal. In every police force I know this is against policy. Besides which, I would love it if everyone obeyed the traffic rules, but the only enforcement 've seen is highly discriminatory. Where I live they get offf the streets from 4 to 7 pm so as not to harass the nearly all white commuters. There is no enforcment at all in well off neighborhoods. If I cross the river to a largely African American neighborhood there is cops writing tickets for everything. I've never seen any traffic enforcement on the same street on my side of the bridge, People routinely speed, tun stopsign and red light and I've never seen a traffic stop in my 20 years of living here.

[uponit7771]

29. +1, " In every police force I know this is against policy." I'm blessed to know some of the most ...

... professional officers who know how to act ... no perfect people ... but people.

[leftstreet]

32. +1

no truer words

[malaise]

70. That simple

[FuzzyRabbit]

102. This happens in Seattle also.

A few years ago I was talking to an SPD officer and she must have thought I was as racist as she was. She bragged to me that she had never written a ticket to a white driver, only black drivers.

[treestar]

112. Every action is not "out of control"

and this requires a lot more analysis. I thought the driver here acted more out of control. We sometimes get too close to a default "cop always in the wrong" position.

[Nitram]

128. Raising your voice and using profanity when threatened by a drawn gun is worse than

pulling a gun on someone for failing to use a turn signal? Treestar, your "analysis" is clouding your ability to reason clearly.

[cstanleytech]

192. Oh I can understand cussing if an officer did that to me, probably not to their face of course

but definitely afterwards.
As for the pulling over for the lack of turn signal it is a legitimate problem especially in my area where I often see people change lanes and cut other drivers off when doing it and to be honest I wish there was better enforcement over it as maybe some of the idiot's would learn to use the dang thing's.

[cwydro]

220. Yeah, I'm thinking cursing out a cop who just had a gun on me is not such a good idea.

Nope.

I once mouthed off to a cop. When I was much younger, and much more stupid.

I'm a white woman but believe me, they did not take kindly to it. They certainly did not act like this cop. Nooo, they did not.

[ATL Ebony]

209. He mentioned the real possibility of not going home to his family

and turning around to unexpectedly see a gun pointed in his face and all over a missed turn signal. He definitely was not out of control but rather reacting to a definite possibility that it could have been his last day on earth. He's well aware, as are most Americans, that POC are targeted for driving, walking, talking, sitting, etc. and how officers treat POC, including Obama and Holder -- no one is exempt.

I suggest the officer was mostly silent because he realized he was being recorded.

[NutmegYankee]

260. It's an issue of power.

Well to do neighborhoods have political power and the police department that harasses them finds it funding cut the next year. So the police go and harass those without power, often with the explicit blessing of those with power.

[Eliot Rosewater]

31. Which is how you know he wasnt being pulled over for a turn signal violation

he was being pulled over for driving while black, otherwise none of this happens or if he does pull him over, the gun is never drawn.

[uponit7771]

34. +1, RIGHT !!!

[Eliot Rosewater]

38. I wonder what the odds are that the people who side with the cop

in this situation are not POC.

i.e. have NEVER been treated like this in their lives.

[Sailor65x1]

53. Again, unless you think the officer has super human vision,

All he would have seen while making the stop was the silhouette of a person. So no, the driver was not pulled over for "Driving while black."

[Eliot Rosewater]

94. So he draws his gun on all citizens he pulls over no matter why he pulls them over?

in a BEST case scenario he didnt know the driver was black but as soon as he realized that he PULLED his gun, NOTHING else makes sense.

Either way, he reacted to the situation based solely on the fact that it was a black male, and at night you can EASILY see the driver in many instances.

BTW I invited you to tell us about your experiences as a black male being pulled over for little to no reason or having guns drawn on you.

[MrPurple]

103. He could have driven past streetlights where he was seen

You can often see other drivers at night because of streetlights. The cop could have been waiting at a traffic stop directly next to streetlights. Otherwise, this cop unholsters his gun every time he pulls someone over at night for not using a turn signal, which isn't likely.

[Nitram]

129. I've never seen a cop pull a gun on a white man for failing to use a turn signal.

[phylny]

191. I was pulled over at 2 a.m. near my neighborhood for a busted tail light.

Cop came to the window. No gun drawn. It was DARK out. No gun in my face.

I'm a white woman.

[Red Mountain]

174. Unless he ran his plates

and the driver had a black sounding name. Or a sticker from a historically black college. Or anything else the cop might have keyed in on to suggest the driver was black.

[ATL Ebony]

217. You don't really know what he saw

The car could have passed in front of the cop's headlights. We don't have enough information to determine what he saw except a missed turn signal.

[Juliusseizure]

248. Police should draw guns at ALL nighttime traffic

stops with logic, since everyone's a silhouette.

Then why don't they?

Because this was a black man. Period.

This must be a DU troll because the logic is Trumptard level.

If his license plate check indicated this man presented a danger, or the driver acted in a manner that made it NECESSARY for the police officer to draw his weapon, the officer acted illegally. This is a potential lawsuit for negligent infliction of emotional distress, especially given the systemic murders and police brutality against blacks that are rampant.

[LonePirate]

15. I guess I am from the segment of America that believes police should never instill fear in others.

The officer had no reason to pull his weapon. As soon as he parked his car, he knew a black person, probably a man was in the driver's seat as his patrol car's lights clearly illuminated the scene as you can see by the light on the officer's right arm in the video.

Large numbers of Americans are deathly afraid of LEOs in this country and this video provides proof as to why that is the case. The victim, in this case, the driver is not at fault for the officer's behavior. That's entirely on the officer who acted ridiculously and dangerously here. We don't live in Turkey or some other authoritarian police state. LEOs have no business treating Americans that way. If this officer cannot respect or treat fellow Americans with decency, then he should resign his position. I might suggest he pursue a job at a petting zoo because he is obviously too cowardly and trigger happy for his current one.

[uponit7771]

27. +1, omg so true .. I just posted about the woman who didn't want to touch her cell phone in her lap!

She's seen enough.

[-Steph-]

22. I'm a white female. I have been pulled over for traffic violations at night. I have never had a cop

approach my vehicle with a gun drawn and pointed at my face. Have you? I'm guessing you probably haven't either. That's because it's not how most police officers would conduct themselves.

[TheBlackAdder]

33. That's because the PD lights up your car, runs a check on the owner before approaching it.

Many times, they'll park on the side of the road, with their lights shining into the street, to see the driver.

After they pull you over, their overhead lights and high beams illuminate the interior of the car.

They can see you, you just can't see them.

[demigoddess]

47. same here. I think that guy was amazingly brave. But what he said was the truth.

I am sick at heart because all the people who have to live with this are usually amazing people who should be awarded a medal, just for staying in the U.S.

[Juliusseizure]

249. Cop should have at least apologized

What bravery is there in violating police policy and law by drawing a gun on an innocent civilian, especially a black man who thinks he's going to be shot and damn well has good reason to be paranoid.

A police officer can only draw a gun if its
NECESSARY for self-defense. That's the law.

Standing there like a deer in headlights doesn't make him brave. WTF.

[demigoddess]

308. the DRIVER was brave not the cop.

[treestar]

109. Me too but I have never been pulled over at night

The older I get, the nicer the cops are to me, and it might apply to black women. For the most part, if I were a cop, it would be the young, especially male, that might go haywire.

[procon]

35. What was the initial "threat" that made him draw his gun for a routine fix it ticket?

The cop is scared of the dark?
The cop is afraid of silhouettes?

If this an example of how police are trained to handle a simple ticket, that guy needs to find a new career path.

The cop didn't appear to be "calm", but rather petrified and confused while talking to his supervisor to get directions on what to do next.

[LostinRed]

37. Have to agree this guy was not a hero

Police are not the enemy. This cop stood there very professionally while that guy ranted. He was waving his arms which could be seen as a threat.

[uponit7771]

49. The woman who wouldn't touch her cell phone in her lap wasn't a hero either then right? Because

... they were both expressing the same feeling in a different way.

Just curious

tia

[LostinRed]

52. ?

No idea what you're referencing

[uponit7771]

54. This video of a woman who wouldn't touch her cell phone in her lap because of cops shooting people..

... while sKeered.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2017/aug/31/georgia-police-officer-we-only-shoot-black-people-video

[LostinRed]

62. I won't engage in whataboutism

Yes there are bad police officers. I just don't believe this officer was one of them

[uponit7771]

119. Not about the officers I'm asking about the peoples reactions to them, do these people who reacted

... to these officers have a good reason to react as they did?!

regards

[cstanleytech]

193. I think reacting with caution to anyone with a gun in general is a good idea

even if you know them really well.

[LanternWaste]

280. Your sentiment is certainly efficient in creating a submissive population

Your sentiment is certainly efficient in creating a submissive population, regardless of its actual and alleged agenda to follow...

[cstanleytech]

285. Oh? How would you approach someone with a gun even if its a cop? Pull out

your own and ask them to see which of you has the bigger one?

[paleotn]

203. I have been stopped by cops...

on many occasions over the 39 years I've been driving. Speeding, usually. Day and night.

I once blew through a speed trap when I was 18. I simply wasn't paying attention when they motioned for me to pull over....until both cops ran out in the road, waving their arms at me and one jumped on his motorcycle and came after me. By that time I figured out I'd fucked up royally and pulled over. Needless to say, the cop wasn't pleased and gave me the "when an officer motions you to pull over, you better do it"..."speeding in a residential neighborhood = dangerous"..."kids play on these streets"..etc. Once he calmed down, he asked me where I lived...where I went to school (just graduated HS...headed for college that fall)...asked if I knew so and so in high school....I did.....told me to slow down and be more careful next time and sent me on my way. No ticket, just a mild lecture. Hell, he did he even ask me for my drivers license, much less approach my car with his fucking pistol pulled.

Since then, I've been pulled over my share of times. Once, a cop (same city) gave me a speeding ticket, but either cut me some immense slack or didn't bother to run my license. You see, my license had been suspended a few months prior...long story about being college age young and stupid and ignoring a ticket I received in a much smaller, neighboring jurisdiction.

Not once, in my entire driving life, have I had a cop, state trooper, etc. even put their hand on their gun, much less approach my car with it pulled. Even at 2am in the morning.

The reason I've enjoyed such stellar treatment from law enforcement?.....I'm white and male...full stop. And that my friend is the epitome of white privilege. Black friends and colleagues have marveled at those stories over the years, because, you see, their experiences are quite different....not because they're any different from me socio-economically, but simply because they're black.

So yes, this guy is a hero to me. He stood up to what amounts to racist bullshit in the way he's treated by law enforcement and how I am treated.

[cstanleytech]

205. Roughly how many years or decades ago was the first one and has that department since then

had alot of the problems that have been plaguing many others with lax training and or recruiting alot more officers that should not be police officers?

[paleotn]

210. The first experience was in 1980

when I was 18. The second I mentioned was 1984. The city is in the mid-south and there has always been a two tired system in local department, based on race and socio-economics. Everyone knew it. It was simply the way life worked back then. I've not lived in my home town since 1995, but from what I hear, it's not gotten any worse or any better in the last 20+ years.

[gtar100]

122. He just had a police officer point a gun at his head for no good reason.

I will give the driver a pass for "ranting". Having a loaded gun pointed at your head has got to be terrifying and if you don't understand this then you're living in a fantasy or had your humanity ripped out of you. Good on the officer for not escalating the situation but he made a big mistake threatening this man's life for a turn signal violation (or, more likely, for being black).

[Nitram]

130. Police may not be the enemy, but they are a threat and a cause for a black man to fear

for his life when a cop approaches him with a drawn gun. Wake up, Losten, a man waving his arms while seated in a car with a closed door is not a threat to a cop armed with a loaded handgun. If you don't understand why that black man reacted the way he did then you are suffering of too much white privilege.

[usedtobedemgurl]

163. Maybe he was not professional....

maybe as soon as he realized he was being videoed (possibly live Facebooking) he stood there silently thinking, "Oh shit, now those uppity people have video cameras and I have to act like I am supposed to!" He had the gun out until he got to the car and saw he was being videotaped? Yeah, and at that moment, coincidentally, he realized he had made a mistake! Videos have a weird way of making people act they way they are supposed to. He probably would have lost his job if he kept acting the way he did when he first approached the car!

[samnsara]

39. i agree... it was pitch dark out there

...my grandfather was a cop ( one of the really good ones)..he looked and acted like Roy Rogers...but one night he stopped someone for a minor infraction, the driver was clearly drunk and a big guy ( grandpa was 6'4 himself!)..he ended up getting into a scuffle w/the driver.....driver was stronger.. ripped the muscles in grandpas arms. Surgery and ended his career in law enforcement. Drunk drivers wife and child came into visit grandpa in the hospital a cpl times. So you really never know.....

[VermontKevin]

116. I've been pulled over at night plenty of times because I worked odd hours. Never faced a gun.

But I'm white.

[ecstatic]

121. Then don't fucking pull him over for something stupid, if you're that f*cking

scared. It's really that simple!

[Nitram]

125. Right. So if when was the last time a cop pulled a gun on you for a similar offense?

The cop is calm because he is ashamed. As he should be. When did it become worthy of praise that a cop could remain calm in the face of an unarmed man venting his disapproval of the cop pulling a gun for failing to use a turn signal?

[IAMSPARTICUS]

183. and guess why

because he knows he's being video taped!

[Stinky The Clown]

206. I'm an old white guy who has been pulled over far too many times

I drive "enthusiasticaLLY" at times. I have NEVER had a gun pulled on me, including late night/early morning stops.

I have a shaved head. In silhouette I can easily be mistaken for another race/ethnicity. I never had a gun on my face.

I am very pro cop, but even more so, ANTI scared shitless cops, macho cops. 'roided cops, angry cops, racist cops, etc.

Your view is why these fuckers get away, literally, with murder. Because good people give them too much leeway. Cops have an OBLIGATION to moderate their action, even at some risk to themselves. If you disagree with that, then what is the opposite? Guns drawn on old lady jaywalkers in broad daylight?

Life has risks. Cops have to accept theirs, not wimp out and be candy assed snowflakes who hide behind their guns.

[heaven05]

239. rant!!!

Last edited Mon Sep 11, 2017, 09:47 AM - Edit history (1)

well you do understand that they, usually white cops "only shoot black people", right? The ranter on seeing a drawn gun probably was scared...but most white people can't understand that since fearing a white cop in a stop is a bonified reaction to the racism present in ameriKKKa since the killing of black men, women and CHILDREN has recently become a sport to whites in this country, again. But your response is understandable.... ....the only man child I've seen lately is that goddamn child calling himself potus....

[Maraya1969]

261. In 40+ years of driving I have never once been pulled over for not using a turn signal

Especially when one was not necessary! WTF was the reason for him to pull the guy over anyway? It sure looks like he was intending on harassing the man and nothing else. Unless you can give us all a reasonable explanation for what a cop would have the need to pull someone over for not using a directional signal in a place where it was not needed to be used.

I don't for one minute believe he just saw a "silhouette" either.

[treestar]

106. did he know the guy was black

and might that be routine at night? Cops never know when they are pulling over Clyde Barrow. Rare, but could happen. The most dangerous times for them are like that. We had one killed in a convenience store parking lot during the day (a black cop actually). The initial approach is the most dangerous part.

[ismnotwasm]

296. and here you are again

[Control-Z]

8. I'm sure it's easy to have patience when you're the one

HOLDING THE DAMN GUN!

What part of pulling a gun on someone because he forgot to use his turn signal is professional? Tell me.

[Sailor65x1]

12. He's not holding a gun

You can clearly see it holstered.

There are a lot of unknowns in a nighttime traffic stop that could have prompted him to approach the vehicle in a ready posture. What is important, yet will be entirely lost on DU, is that he obviously holstered his weapon AFTER observing the driver.

This video really shows exactly the opposite of what its maker intended.

[LostinRed]

43. Yup

[Kali]

9. doubt it is professionalism or patience

hopefully it was shame and embarrassment and he will never do that again. probably it was something else.

[Mariana]

246. It was knowing a camera was running. nt.

[uponit7771]

10. InOtherWords:"...those [not me] type of people have no reason to feel the way they do..." :rolleyes:

[Sailor65x1]

13. No, my words are pretty clear; there are no "Other words"

Nice try, but that dog won't hunt.

[uponit7771]

30. The misplaced benefit of the doubt is the dog that wont hunt IMHO, the man in the car reacted that..

... way because there was a reason to.

The officer has the authority and the ability to avoid those situations more.

[catbyte]

18. Seriously, Sailor65x1?

My dad was a cop for 30 years & he HATED guys like that cop. He has no business carrying a badge if he's so timid he needs to draw his gun, or thinks that his gun is an extension of his dick. Cops are supposed to diffuse a situation, not escalate it. There's no excuse for coming up to a vehicle with his gun drawn for something as minor as a failure to signal. Most cops wouldn't even stop somebody for that. I suspect the driver was stopped for Driving While Black. Ask yourself. Would he have done that if the driver had been anyone other than a Black male?

[SunSeeker]

57. Exactly. Thank you, catbyte.

That cop is too much of a coward to be in the police force. He is going to get an innocrnt person killed.

[Sailor65x1]

64. As I said up (Or down?)-Thread

Police don't have super human vision. When he initiated the stop, there is no way in that environment that the race of the driver would have been apparent. Not until the stop was well underway.

And unless your Dad was a cop in a very small town like Mayberry, I guarantee you he would have more than once found himself in a situation where the abundance of caution was initially called for. And thankfully he returned home to you each night because he excercised it.

[catbyte]

88. My dad wasn't a cop in "Mayberry" and I don't appreciate your condescension.

Cops always run the license tags before they walk up to a vehicle. He should've known the threat was minimal. My dad NEVER drew his firearm when he initiated a routine traffic stop. That's an excellent way to get yourself shot, actually. And that traffic cop looked like he had some heavy duty body armor on. He looked like he was patrolling in Fallujah. What do think a paranoid, armed driver would think if he saw a cop walking up to his vehicle with his gun drawn? Come on. The only time my dad approached a vehicle with his firearm drawn was when there was a credible threat.

And yes, I was always relieved when he came home. He worked the 8:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m. shift as long as I can remember. And he always came home safe because he was smart enough to NOT escalate a situation like that moron did.

[uponit7771]

255. lol ... Mayberry " ... not those areas ... ", your slip is showing dude.

[Doreen]

85. Exactly

[stonecutter357]

23. Fox and RWNJ's agree with you....

[Eliot Rosewater]

28. Do tell us your experiences being pulled over as a black man by cops

for forgetting to turn your signal on, with a gun pointed in your face.

Love to hear what you did in that situation.

[MineralMan]

51. Uh-huh...

Sorry, but that's pretty much nonsense as a reaction to that video.

[Mariana]

65. The cop knew he was being recorded.

I'm sure that helped to motivate him to be patient and behave professionally. Anyway, he's supposed to do that in any case, so he doesn't deserve any special praise for that.

[Lil Missy]

204. BINGO! The calm demeanor of the cop was because he knew he was being recorded.

[Perseus]

83. Not sure if you ever had someone pull a gun on you

but the experience and the adrenaline that runs through your veins is sometime uncontrollable, to feel that the end of your life is close is the worst experience there is, so I understand the man's rage, I also admire the patience the cop had while the man discharged all that adrenaline, and as I said on a previous post, I hope the end was better, that there was reconciliation and both drove away with more knowledge.

It is not easy to be a cop, and unfortunately, it is not easy to be black in the USA, that has to change and it is up to us to make that change, to write about it, to talk about it, to support only those who want equality, avoid watching TV shows that discriminate, to vote for only those who sincerely support diversity, and always talk peace.

[PdxSean]

96. Sailor65x1, foreman of the jury.

Sailor65x1 is a pretty good representation of the people and their thought process when they sit on juries in police misconduct cases. It matters not what led to the outrage, they will find some fault in the victim to ultimately justify their acquittal of the officer. The black man was ranting; the officer "stayed calm" and was "very professional."

I practiced civil rights law for 15 years. People like Sailor65x1 sit calmly during jury selection and profess to be fair and reasonable, not a biased bone in their bodies. Then, after the verdict, they are the most animated people in the jury room when they explain their decision supporting "our police." Judges often let the attorneys hear from the jury if they choose to share their thoughts. Attorneys must agree to not use any information learned at that time as a basis for appeal. The comments are often chilling.

Sailor65x1, I hope you never experience the terror of having someone point a gun at your head because because you failed to properly signal. As to your suggestion that it was because the office could only see a silhouette, consider that every nighttime stop involves such silhouettes. Under your theory, every nighttime stop would result in police pulling their guns.

I get it though. "We" can't be second-guessing "our" police officers. They have a tough job to do, right?

[ChubbyStar]

104. Excellent post

Super illuminating, and sadly not shocking.

[Susan Calvin]

126. Thank you. nt

[Juliusseizure]

250. Another attorney here

Yes agree and pointed out Sailor65x's amazing new police policy allowing them to draw their gun at any evening or nighttime traffic stop, or basically any nighttime police activity where shadows may exist.

I disagree, though, on this. I do hope a police officer draws his gun on Sailor65x at a nighttime traffic stop. Many people don't comprehend a victim until they've been the victim. Of course, he'll never fully comprehend the terror a black man has in that context, but it's a start.

[ecstatic]

120. LOL! "Great patience." You've proved the driver's point

You're impressed by the cop's unusual "patience," I guess compared to other cops who murder innocent civilians at the drop of a dime?

[Nitram]

124. "Great patience on the part of the officer?" WTF! What, he should shoot the guy for being angry

that he has gun drawn on him for failing to signal a turn. Look, the guy is right. How many unarmed black men have to be shot for nothing before cops stop pulling their guns just for DWB?

[USALiberal]

231. Wow, you missed the whole point. n/t

[mulp]

259. I was taught you only point a gun at something you intend to kill

I've never owned a gun, but in public school in Indiana back in the 60s, when hunting was the reason people owned guns, we were taught you never point a gun at something you didn't intend to shoot. A lesson repeated in boy scouts, and in public service messages in magazines and TV, etc.

Only since the NRA did it's reactionary response to Republicans reactionary response to the Black Panthers for Self Defense carrying long guns openly has pointing guns at people become a practice defended as somehow acceptable.

[Baitball Blogger]

17. What car camera was he using?

I have one, but I don't think it works quite as well as that one.

[Tribalceltic]

19. Your Concern is noted..

But where is your concern for the 1,000 people shot by cops?

[EX500rider]

142. Since most of those were criminals shooting at the cops not much?

Except for the innocent ones shot by mistake of course...considering they arrest over 30,000 people a day I'd say overall they do a good job of keeping the violence to a minimum.

[JonLP24]

243. By mistake of course

Like they didn't mean to shoot someone unarmed in the back. It was an accident. Considering many countries have less death by cops in 25 years than we do in 1 year I say they are doing a pretty shitty job and they can get away with shooting someone easier than they can if they whale on a suspect.

[uponit7771]

257. Cause the cops never shoot people who lay down on the ground with their hands in the air or shoot

.... someone in the back while running away from them or any of the other bullshit caught on camera in the last 4 years.

:rolleyes:

[EX500rider]

287. Didn't say they didn't...

....what I said was the large majority of people they shoot are shooting at them and are criminals, not innocents.

[Oneironaut]

20. The problem here is that black people are subconsciously seen as dangerous.

The cop may or may not know of his own biases. That's systematic racism.

There's no problem with him pulling someone over for not using their turn signal (though he may have just been fishing for a reason to pull the driver over).

There was no need for the officer to point his gun. The stop may have been justified, but the police generally unnecessarily treat black people as more of a threat than white people.

[Lucky Luciano]

21. Great rant. It does look like the cop is ashamed.

I hope he learned something.

[Hortensis]

25. My heroes are like my old coworker Ruth. Ruth was a short, stocky woman

of an obvious Central American native heritage, round face, no neck, brown skin, etc. She also made a nice living, drove a nice car, and was always dignified and impeccably groomed.

One day I was stopped in a traffic jam second car behind her, with a young officer directing our lane to go one at a time. When her turn came, he told her clearly, "Move your ass!" Her response? Quivering car immediately went dead-still and I heard am implacable "I BEG your pardon?" I was about to run up, but not needed. Her signal was clear: She would not tolerate this behavior and he was about to be in big trouble.

She made a call to his superior after but chose not to press a formal complaint. I would have for sure, but she stood up for herself and also presented a model that broke whatever stereotype this officer clung to.

The histrionics of this jerk playing to the camera were assinine, even if what he clearly believed was true. If these guys had behaved even a fraction that way, would this have lead the way to Woolworth's desegregation?

[M0rpheus]

150. The juxtaposition of your story and the Woolworth's sit in, doesn't really make sense to me.

While your (dignified and impeccably groomed ) coworker was offended, she was not under any threat of violence. She reported an officers lack of tact.

This man in the video felt threatened, and didn't take too kindly to it. He reported a threat on his person, in the most direct (not necessarily the smartest) way possible in the moment. It's not as if his complaint would get any attention from the PD.

Whether you like what he did and how he did it, or not he's not representing a "movement", he's representing himself. His respectability is not at issue. He didn't ask to be your hero.

Respectfully, you don't do the Civil Rights Movement, MLK, or yourself any favors in this comparison.

"Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.” - MLK


http://www.theroot.com/the-definition-danger-and-disease-of-respectability-po-1790854699

[Hortensis]

159. A cop telling a woman to "move your ass!" is LACK OF TACT? What?!!!

And yes, Ruth did put herself in danger by challenging a bad cop with a serious attitude problem. Hispanics know just as well as other minorities the dangers of that. She may not have been beaten on the street, but her family and church might have spent days tracking her down in that giant jail system, while she was shuttled around from jail to jail, abused and mistreated., and railroaded into court on phony charges. It was common 15 years ago and probably still is, which is why I was anxious to get up there and show him this brown-skinned woman wasn't alone. But she had no idea I was there and stood up to him all by herself, brave and resolute.

And carried away as this man in the car was by the opportunity to pump up the drama for the camera, he nevertheless appeared to believe he was taking a stand for his own rights, which is why I compared him to people who did it right. And, by the way, put themselves in genuinely very grave danger. Things are still unacceptably bad now, but nothing like then, there.

[M0rpheus]

212. Lack of tact - yes. Practically the minimum, I expect in my police interactions.

I know full well, the potential of police to escalate interactions with people of color. My point isn't to minimize the offense to your friend, or the actions that she took to resolve it.
My response to you was about "the right way" to respond to a situation.
I could posit that your coworker, (who you've painted as eminently respectable) went out of her way to be offended by average police behavior, and placed herself in a potentially dangerous situation, "challenging a bad cop with a serious attitude". Personally, I'd have just driven (moved my ass) off because, he wasn't worth my time.
Just because I may differ in my opinion in how it should have been handled does not mean your friend was wrong. However, putting her and civil rights protesters as the example Vs. the guy in the video feels a lot like respectability politics.

I was a black teenager in Chicago, in the 80s. I know exactly what was happening to POC then, as I do now.
I've been on the wrong side of a police weapon a time or two and, it's truly scary shit. I'm not necessarily proud of how I reacted afterwards, but that was long before social media allowed for instant transmission of situations like this to the whole world.
My opinions of police were solidified by those interactions. How I've dealt with them since, is the result.

Whether this guy's antics fall below the level of MLK approved(TM) is irrelevant.
People are tired of being treated like criminals... And this could be seen as part of that result.




"I don't favor violence. If we could bring about recognition and respect of our people by peaceful means, well and good. Everybody would like to reach his objectives peacefully. But I'm also a realist. The only people in this country who are asked to be nonviolent are black people." - Malcolm X

[cyclonefence]

26. What is the cop doing with his left hand?

Is he covering a body camera or microphone?

[Eliot Rosewater]

36. Curious , I saw that too, i thought that was his walkie or microphone and he

assuming he might need to make a call into HQ, but it could be a camera too.

[TheBlackAdder]

42. Most likely a mic to call for backup if things go to shit.

[Sailor65x1]

56. He has his fingers hooked in the top of his vest

And dangling the elbow. Just a place to put the hand. Like us standing with them in our pockets; except pilice don't do the pocket thing for the most part.

[Horse with no Name]

40. I'm a white middle aged woman and log about 100,000 miles a year

I get pulled over from time to time in small towns for bullshit things....but I never get tickets and I have never had a gun in my face.
Once they see I am a white middle aged woman and run my license and insurance they let me go.
This isn't okay. That cop has a twitchy trigger finger and should probably be given a desk job.

[left-of-center2012]

41. Give the cop credit

The police officer remained calm and respectful while the driver had a hissy fit.

Driver out of control.
Disrespectful, rude, vulgar.

Picture of a good cop being abused,
and staying cool.

[uponit7771]

50. The woman who wouldn't touch her cell phone in her lap was having a hissy too? thx in advance

... for any input, I would really like to know your perspective.

[left-of-center2012]

66. I'm addressing one video ...

... not looking at your distraction.

[Mariana]

55. The cop knew he was being recorded.

Just maybe that had an effect on his behaviour.

[left-of-center2012]

68. And the driver was playing to his camera ...

He should have kept cool and been respectful,
instead of playing for YouTube.

[Mariana]

71. So what?

Do you think that should have any affect whatsoever on the attitude and behaviour of the cop?

[left-of-center2012]

76. The cop remained calm and polite.

The driver did not.

cop 1
driver 0

[Mariana]

78. If you just had a pointed in your face

would you remain calm and polite? Let's remember exactly who was threatened with deadly force in this situation.

[left-of-center2012]

82. Some cop points a gun at me ...

I would do my damnedest to remain calm and respectful.

[gtar100]

145. Interesting that you see this as some sort of competition.

Scorecard. Really? That's fck'd up.

[left-of-center2012]

143. attitude and behaviour of the cop

Calm, cool, polite?

[MrsCoffee]

262. It's oh so polite to point a gun in someone's face because they didn't use a turn signal?

Fuck that. We are supposed to accept that as calm, cool and polite? I am so fucking sick of these arguments that reek of privilege around here. How can anyone be left of center and have such contempt for civil rights? Is this that hard left I've been hearing about?


Fuck that authoritarian bullshit. It's not ok for him to treat citizens this way just beause he can.

[left-of-center2012]

271. Nothing seen on the video of cop pointing a gun

Cops gun remained holster.

[MrsCoffee]

275. You didn't see it, so it couldn't have happened.

Surely the guy in the video is not to be believed. The benefit of the doubt should of course go to the cop.

[left-of-center2012]

278. Exactly

[procon]

60. I dunno, is pulling a gun on the driver for a pissant signal violation, "respectful"?

Tell me, which section of the municipal code mandates citizens to remain pleasant and deferential to a cop who just signaled his intention to kill the driver over a minor traffic stop?

Tell me, why does a "good cop" make a show of displaying his lethal intent as the first choice in ticketing that driver?

That cop was not the poster boy of a "cool cop", he was a frightened, uncertain little man, he was looking toward a confrontation and he alone initiated a crisis that could have easily escalated into another cop murdering a man for the crime of being black. He seems very poorly trained and inexperienced not to recognize that his own unfounded actions would likely cause any reasonable person to be angry an feel unjustly threatened and in eminent danger through no fault of their own.

[left-of-center2012]

69. The cop was merely being cautious.

Last edited Sun Sep 10, 2017, 04:10 PM - Edit history (1)

Once he saw it was just some fool, he holstered his gun.

[procon]

73. "cautious" must mean something different on your planet, yeah? nt

[uponit7771]

117. cautious putting himself in a situation where he had to un-holster his weapon?! Bull, that's the

... same excuse Zimmerman and Wilson gave

[pangaia]

118. "some fool?"

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nitram]

132. "Once he saw it was just some fool." Wow!

Expressing anger at having a gun drawn on you for a failure to signal a turn makes him a fool? I'm not sure your buddha icon would agree with you on this one. Did it ever occur to you that the man feared for his life as the cop approached, and the adrenaline fueled an angry (and justified) rant?

[left-of-center2012]

147. Did he think acting as he did was his best defense?

The driver's angry tirade inflamed the situation.
The officer's calm, cool, polite demeanor deescalated it.

[pangaia]

168. nope..

I will give the cop props for taking it i, as he should...
I hope he learned a lesson that day.

trust be, that is not the first time the driver has been pulled over, or stopped in the street or threatened, or questioned in a grocery store, or,,or for being black.

[USALiberal]

232. LOL, and a white man would not have had a gun pulled on him. Wow, missing much? n/t

[left-of-center2012]

241. No where in the video ...

... was the cop's gun out.

[uponit7771]

258. There's no reason ... NOT ... to believe the driver of the car when he said he did have his gun out

[left-of-center2012]

272. Well, he was having a hissy fit n/t

[uponit7771]

273. As expected, still no reason ... NOT ... to believe what he said especially when the officer did not

... contradict what was said.

[LanternWaste]

282. You certainly do seem to allege knowledge of the cops precise thinking process.

You certainly do seem to allege knowledge of the cops precise thinking process.

[Nitram]

131. No, the cop deserves no credit at all. Unless you think that a cop who doesn't shoot a seated

and unarmed black man is acting above and beyond the call of duty. A citizen has the right to speak angrily about a cop's misuse of authority and poor judgement.

[shanny]

240. I give the cop credit

for seeing the camera the driver was clearly playing to, and acting accordingly.

[LanternWaste]

281. You certainly holds cops to a low standard if you afford them credit simply for doing the least poss

You certainly holds cops to a low standard if you afford them credit simply for doing the least possible work.

(I'd pretend the cop was being abused as well if my narrative depended on it)

[Ohioboy]

44. I give this cop a lot of credit.

I totally get the black man's point. Failure to signal doesn't seem to be the type of crime to pull out a gun for, but the cop listened patiently and let things cool down. I think the cop actually may have seen the guys point.

[procon]

63. No, he wasn't "patient", he was petrified with that deer caught in the headlights look. nt

[left-of-center2012]

87. Amen

The way the driver acted, there was no telling what might happen next.
The cop de-escalated the situation by remaining calm and respectful.

[USALiberal]

233. ONLY BECAUSE THE ASSHOLE COP WAS BEING RECORDED! REALLY SIMPLE! nt

[Hoyt]

101. The policeman knew he was being videoed; otherwise, he would have taken the opportunity to beat or

at least arrest the driver. Just my guess. If he was that afraid of the driver to pull his gun, he should have called backup.

[bluevoter4life]

45. No doubt

This recording probably saved his life.

[Mariana]

58. I agree, it almost certainly would have gone worse

If the cop didn't know he was on camera. The posters upthread who are praising the cop for remaining calm should keep that in mind - the cop knew he was being recorded.

[yuiyoshida]

46. yup, saw this video

good for him!

[Sunlei]

48. common turn single trick to make a traffic stop, after they run plates & get nothing. They're afraid

but have to approach the driver to give the ticket (or warning).

some police that's their 'job' hand out tickets. Use whatever to stop the cars, light out, no turn single, run plates for something, 'jay walkers' bike riding on sidewalk, walker who doesn't seem to fit in the area or 'looks like a suspect'.

Police are humans, some do love to stop POC much more then a pretty girl and a lot are scared shitless, nervous by hyper-training-all the time.

[bitterross]

59. Not a great example on the part of the motorist. Too over the top.

I get that he was probably pulled over for driving while black. And I KNOW that cops abuse their power all the time. Especially dealing with people of color.

Having said all that, the video begins with a motorist cursing a police officer who is standing there without his weapon drawn. Yes, his hand is on his weapon. I'm pretty sure that is SOP though. There is no proof, other than a man ranting, that the officer approached with his weapon drawn. No, the officer does not admit this by not correcting the motorist as he rants and by just saying "okay" the whole time. He's just doing his best to not escalate the situation.

That is not a great video to have as an example for police abusing an African American motorist. I watched it all the way through and what I saw was a man ranting at a police officer while the police officer took it.

This video could easily be used by the people who say cops are justified in their treatment of black men because it shows a very calm police officer and a very agitated black man. It doesn't show the officer taking down the man nor even threatening him. We have plenty of those videos we don't need this one.

[left-of-center2012]

89. Exactly

All the video shows is a calm, cool, respectful cop
and an irate, out of control, vulgar driver playing to his camera.

[kag]

90. I'm with you bitterross.

If he really did pull his gun, that's unforgivable. But the video doesn't show that.

The guy's reaction is probably completely rational (if a bit abusive), but without the preceding events we just don't know enough.

We just need more information.

[Nitram]

133. I found the video very convincing, bitter.

And my sympathies were all with the driver. I've never had a cop pull a gun on me for a minor violation. If I were black it would scare the shit out of me.

[bitterross]

152. I believe the driver. I just don't see how it is convincing - unless you want to it be

I absolutely understand how you would be convinced. You know that cops do bad things to black men. So you are open the the possibility that everything is as the driver states it is.

If, however, you are a white supremacist in a white majority area everyone you know who gets pulled over for these BS reasons is white. So there is nothing odd about someone getting pulled over for it. If one of your white neighbors gets pulled over and reacts the way the driver in the video reacted you're going to say he's nuts for the reaction. You are probably also of the general opinion that if a cop pulls you over you did something to deserve it. That is certainly the way people where I am from in the South view it. They start out with you are guilty until proven innocent when it comes to cops and give the cops the benefit of the doubt in every case.

Now let's take the situation at hand given that framing. You are a white supremacist and you already have the opinion that black men are inferior, dangerous, and prone to violence. Then, you add on the inherent belief that all people who get pulled over by cops must have been doing something wrong to get pulled over in the first place. From that lens what you then see in that video is not a black man who suffers prejudice. You see a dangerous, ranting black man who is verbally abusing a very calm police officer who was only doing his job. Remember, the driver did apparently make a lane change without signaling. So, white supremacist that you are you focus on the fact that the cop had every right to pull the guy over regardless of his race and that you are sure he'd have done the same thing to one of your white buddies too because he has in the past. You focus on the fact that the only thing you see in the video is a cop with his hand on his gun - not with it drawn. Never in the video is it drawn. And a ranting black man.

Then, white supremacist that you are you immediately leap to the conclusion that this n-word is recording this for a reason - to make cops look bad. That he's absolutely lying about the gun ever being drawn because it isn't in the video. That he is cussing that officer and abusing him verbally to get a reaction on video so he can post it on the internet. Then, by God, that's just what this uppity n-word tells the police officer he's going to do. Post this on the internet.

All of your white supremacist feelings and thoughts are now confirmed. All you saw was an lying, angry, ranting n-word of the type you expect and say they all are, with an agenda, who was cussing a calm police officer.

That, Nitram, my friend is how I fear that video will be interpreted.

ON EDIT: There are unfortunately plenty of videos that prove the cops treat black men especially harshly. There are many of black men being shot in the back and otherwise murdered at the hands of police. Those are difficult to dispute for their veracity and yet they are routinely disputed. This video has none of the same elements in it. It has only the driver ranting at the officer. I believe the driver and I have no doubt he is justified in his reaction. I just don't see this video as an example that will work to convince anyone except those of us who are already convinced and I see its potential to do the opposite.

[Nitram]

166. That's an awful lot of words to elaborate on what you already wrote.

Your meaning was clear the first time. My point is that a number of us who are responding to this OP clearly find the video to be a convincing statement against police over-reaction to very minor alleged violations, and agree that the driver was more than justified in scolding a police officer who drew a gun on an unarmed civilian who allegedly failed to signal a turn.

[kentuck]

61. Missed turn signal?

Give me a break!

Really! Do not the police have more important things to worry about?

[Trust Buster]

67. The driver was out of control. He was fortunate that the officer didn't arrest him IMO.

[Mariana]

74. Arrest him for what?

He didn't make a single threatening move. He said some words, that is all.

[Trust Buster]

79. Obstructing official business. I sure wouldn't want to stand on the road waiting for this guy to

Finish his out of control rant before issuing him a ticket for a lane violation. Many officers get struck by passing motorists in that position. If the driver wishes to file a complaint with the city, he is welcome to do so. Obstructing official business by trying to bait the officer was foolish to say the least.

[Mariana]

86. That sounds like a real stretch.

I'd like to see the actual law you think he broke.

[Trust Buster]

91. I have my opinion, you have yours.

[Mariana]

97. Laws are generally written down.

You seem to think the cops should just make up a law whenever they feel like it so they can arrest anyone who talks back. That's not how it works. Real laws are generally written down and made publicly available to read, so if this man broke a real law, you should be able to find it easily enough.

[Stinky The Clown]

207. You may not have intended it that way, but that's a somewhat racist statement.

I'm sure you will not get why I said that and instead come back and explain to me why it isn't, proving beyond a doubt that you don't get it.

[Trust Buster]

208. There was nothing racist about my statement. Those that jump to hot button words instead of

Debating a point have lost the argument.

[Stinky The Clown]

213. As I said, you didn't get it

There's no point to debate.

Take the last word if you feel the need. I'm done with you.

[Trust Buster]

214. You added zero to the conversation other than name calling. Don't kid yourself, you did not debate.

[ChubbyStar]

216. There wasnt any name calling from Stinky

We can all read his post.

[Trust Buster]

221. Calling me racist because he disagrees with my position regarding this traffic stop

IS name calling and certainly does not pass for honest debate.

[ChubbyStar]

225. Stinky said "You may not have intended it that way, but that's a somewhat racist statement"

He didn't call you a racist, he said your statement could be construed that way. Anyhow I stand with him and have no need to engage with you any further. Go bust your truth with someone else.

[USALiberal]

234. How was he obstructing? Officer was asking NO questions or saying anything. n/t

[Mariana]

247. I asked that poster to show us the law

this man supposedly broke that would justify an arrest. As you can see, it hasn't been provided yet. I think the poster wishes there was a law like that, so police could lock up anyone who doesn't suck up to them.

[MrsCoffee]

263. Fuck civil rights, eh?

I mean it's all about the cop and his business? God forbid some asshole doesn't use a turn signal thereby creating an official business decision to pull out and aim his gun at a human being.

That's some ultimate authoritarian bullshit. Maybe the fucker is in the wrong "business"!

The whole defense of this cop is wrapped up in privilege.

[Trust Buster]

264. Nonsense, the driver can file a complaint if he so chooses. The tirade of profanities was wrong.

[MrsCoffee]

265. And the cop can follow the law himself or find a new fucking "business".

The driver's tirade of profanities is completely understandable to those not looking at the situation from a perspective of privilege.

[Trust Buster]

266. I have seen zero evidence that the officer broke the law.

[MrsCoffee]

267. Of course you haven't.

Yet you have no problem believing that the driver was lucky not to be arrested.

It actually makes me sick to my stomach to read a post like this on a website like this.

[Trust Buster]

268. Calm down. Two opinions can differ.

[MrsCoffee]

269. I don't calm down in the fight for civil rights.

[NutmegYankee]

291. The driver can say whatever profanities he wants.

Welcome to Free Speech. And no, obscenities laws do not cover profanities.

[Trust Buster]

292. Nope, not to a police officer. Escalating a situation is also not very smart.

[NutmegYankee]

293. Please cite the case law then.

[Trust Buster]

295. I'm not a lawyer. Common sense is my guide.

[NutmegYankee]

297. So you say it's illegal, but you have nothing to back it up?

[Trust Buster]

298. You miss the entire point. The officer showed incredible restraint. The driver was escalating the

Situation. That is my opinion and I'm sticking to it. That's all.

[NutmegYankee]

299. The Officer has no legal basis to arrest the man for profanities.

If he did, it's an easy win lawsuit.

[Trust Buster]

300. Sure he did. Obstructing official police business would have been an easy misdemeanor.

This officer took verbal abuse in an effort not to escalate the situation while the driver did everything to escalate the situation. We will just have to agree to disagree on this one.

[NutmegYankee]

302. LOL!

See my other post. And BTW, obstruction doesn't cover this scenario - it's is ALWAYS legal to criticize your government.

[NutmegYankee]

301. Your main issue Trustbuster is you have an Authoritarian personality type.

It's not as common on the left, but it's here too. You feel that people should be obedient and respectful to authorities, because you believe in deferring to those you consider a proper authority. Others want to challenge authority, like myself, to ensure that we don't lose our individual rights. I also remember that police departments didn't exist when out government was founded, and they would be a completely foreign concept to our founders. Police are constructs of OUR legislatures to serve and protect US - if we (normal citizenry) have to fear the police, then there is a significant problem with the established relationship.

[Trust Buster]

303. Nope, verbally abusing an officer and risking an escalation is just not smart.

[NutmegYankee]

305. Actually, you do.

It was noticed long before this exchange - it's not necessarily a bad thing, but it will cause conflict with many other liberals.

[Trust Buster]

306. So much for your "free speech" meme, Huh ? LOL

[NutmegYankee]

307. meme?

[procon]

80. Under what municipal code violation?

Cursing in public?
Failure to appear submissive?
Lack of differential meekness?
Being black while driving?

Your choice.

[Iggo]

218. #4 is the one that gets a gun pulled on you for missing a turn signal.

[left-of-center2012]

92. I agree

Charge him with polluting the air with obscenities.

[Nitram]

134. Out of control? He was very, very angry about having faced a moment where he thought he might die.

He didn't get out of the car, he didn't wave a weapon around. He vented his anger verbally to an armed cop who had just stepped over the line.

[Mariana]

157. Well, he should have been locked up for that.

The cop should have made up a fake law and arrested him because he dared to express his displeasure.

[Nitram]

270. Out of control? For scolding a cop who harassed him by stopping him at night for not

using a turn signal, and approached him with gun drawn when he found that there were no arrest warrants out for him. No, it was the cop who was out of control. Until he realized he was being filmed.

[MarkEzra]

72. Appropriate use of Force! This stop was not about a minor turn signal!

This was Aggravated Black While Driving It'd aggravated because it's a nice car and this black man seems to be working father.
What was that black man thinking!?

[whistler162]

84. So you know the officer and his family!

Gotta love the DU psychics.

[left-of-center2012]

93. "What was that black man thinking!?"

How many hits will I get on Youtube?

[Nitram]

135. Shame on you so-called left-of-center. The man feared for his life as a cop with a drawn gun

approached his car in the dark. He had the video to record what could have been his last minutes alive, and to provide evidence if he were shot to death as so many have. Not everybody is a Trump, concerned only with fame. Can't you put yourself in the driver's black shoes and understand the fear he must have felt? The adrenaline pumped him up and he vented his anger against one more incident in which he was placed in danger of his life because he is a black man.

[B2G]

75. Total douchebag. Nt

[Perseus]

77. To the cop's credit

he took everything the guy said, answered every question, and hopefully will learn from this experience. I hope that at the end both were able to talk with more civility, did the cop deserve it? yes, but the end should always be one of peace and reconciliation.

[Mariana]

81. I think everyone should record encounters with police

whenever possible. There's no way to know, but this may have turned out very differently if there had been no camera running.

[left-of-center2012]

95. After the video ...

They shared a good laugh and said ...

"See you on Youtube."

[Perseus]

100. Funny...

but there is and should always be room for reconciliation, otherwise we won't move forward.

I did laugh, by the way...

[Doreen]

98. Here is a flippin idea.

I was in the city early one morning and a little lost and did an illegal lane change because of my confusion. There was a police car right near me and he simply got on his loud speaker and told me to pay attention because I mad a wrong lane change. Did not pull me over just warned me and that was fine and I payed more attention to what I was doing. I suspect this was a good officer because I am assuming what he saw as a true mistake was not enough to pull me over and ticket me. If I had known how to contact the police office I would have called and thanked the officer for being a good officer and using common sense. I am impressed with how he handled the situation. I wish all officers were that good.

[rogue emissary]

99. In one video clip, this driver extols BLM agenda perfectly!

[LuckyCharms]

105. Unfortunately, the driver acted like an idiot, but he was right.

I'd be fucking furious if some cop stuck a gun in my face for a minor offense.

The driver would have made his point better if he remained calm.

[Mariana]

108. He was probably full of adrenaline

after having a gun in his face. That can make it difficult to remain calm. He did manage to refrain from making any verbal threats of violence, or any threatening moves.

[treestar]

107. I do think it would be fair to hear the cop's

side, why did he draw the gun.

[ret5hd]

111. Let 'im post it. Why wouldn't he, such bravery and all that.

[SethH]

196. a newspaper will likely report on this

talk to the driver and the police department, etc.

Not only find out what exactly happened, but confirm that it actually did happen, was not staged. I don't think it was staged, but it's important to have media to confirm things like this, preserve some semblance of truth vs. lies.

[LiberalLovinLug]

110. Using this as an example of police brutality/abuse/harrasment whittles down the real issue IMO

Perhaps this cop did overreact to some degree. But he sees a large man, black or not, sitting in the drivers seat. Its at night. It may have been in a "bad area" of town. It looks like he was working alone, so he couldn't have a partner back him up. So he approached the vehicle with his gun drawn. But then holstered it as soon as he was close enough to see the driver was not a threat.

Other situations, the cop might keep the gun drawn and order the person out of the car because he didn't like the way he was being shouted at (or the color of his skin). And if the person struggled at all, he'd be arrested for "resisting an officer" or some such BS. I thought this officer handled the situation..as far as we can see...very professionally. Using this as your example of a 'bad cop' is counter productive to a very real problem.

[LonePirate]

113. Are you kidding me? He used racial profiling to assume guilt before being proven innocent.

LEOs should always be the best possible citizens at all times. This was not the case here, far from it in fact. He saw a black man and pulled his gun before holstering it. Why did he pull it in the first place? He saw a black man behind the wheel. He had no reason to pull his gun but he did so anyway because the driver was black. He terrified a man for no reason - a man who for good reason believes his life is in danger because a white cop pulls a gun. I don't know if you pay attention to the news or history but that sort of event seldom ends well if you're a black man.

There are certainly more egregious examples of bad police behavior but this cop is a bad cop or a chickenshit racist, take your pick of which one or both.

[LiberalLovinLug]

115. I took it as him being unnecessarily overly cautious in a situation

where he was alone, at night, and there was a big man behind the wheel. How do you know for sure that he would not have approached the vehicle without his gun drawn if everything else was the same only it was a big white man? You may be right, I am just giving my opinion based on what I am seeing. This officer is not being an asshole. He's not reacting to the man's rant, (whose reaction is perfectly understandable) and is acting professional.

I just think one has to be cautious about using examples like this as proof of police brutality and abuse. I hate the way cops get away with abuse and even murder as much as anyone. But this cop may have drawn his weapon, not because he saw the driver was black, but because he was overly cautious and paranoid himself. He did not seem like an aggressive asshole breed of cop to me. But I respect your opinion.

[Lee-Lee]

155. Where do you see any evidence of racial profiling?

In this video?

Just because he is black?

Do you know what happened before the video starts? Do you know if the man was acting erratically like moving around gabbing things as the officer approached or if he calmly had his hands on the wheel? One of those things will cause an officer to go to a higher defensive posture- and you don't have a clue what happened but are going ahead and declaring this racial profiling based on nothing but your own ignorance of the situation and your own biases and bigotry against police.

What if the officer pulled him over and he was reaching under the seat and around the dahs in an unusual fashion and that's why he drew his gun? And what if that was the man setting up his camera in just the right angle to make his viral video, but the cop couldn't see what or why it was as he approached?

You didn't consider any of that, you just jumped right into the cop must be racists.

Maybe you should consider how your own biases and bigotry shape what you accuse others of without merit before making such accusations.

[LonePirate]

162. Assuming a white cop is a racist after he pulls a gun on a black man in a car is pretty safe bet.

The man was pulled over for a turn signal violation, at least that's what we can infer from the video as the LEO seemingly told the driver why he had been stopped. What sort of LEO pulls a gun for a turn signal citation? A racist one or one who thinks they can treat the public however they want, regardless of the law.

LEOs across the country have been tainted by countless actions of their fellow LEOs who have essentially considered it open season to kill black Americans at their discretion. The impetus is on LEOs do whatever they can not escalate situations or frighten Americans. This LEO should have known better than to do what he did. He should expect every black driver they pull over to be scared shitless or mad as hell because they reasonably fear their life will be coming to an end in a few seconds. He made the situation worse with his actions.

Perhaps you prefer living in a police state where officers brandish guns simply for the joy of tormenting people, let alone for killing them because they know there are no repercussions for it so long as the victim is black. I don't want to live in such a society and you shouldn't either. Unfortunately, that is the America we live in now. I don't like it but you seemingly have no problems with it because it is not happening to you.

[Lee-Lee]

172. Your making a whole lid of assumptions not backed by evidence

You say pulling a gun for a stop for a signal isn't warranted. Except life isn't that simple.

If he was pulled over and as the officer approached he had his hands clearly on the wheel with his overhead light on giving the officer no reason to have suspicions or be wary, it wouldn't be justified.

If he was pulled over and was moving a round, grabbing things in the car, moving stuff around (like setting a camera up) and in the dark all the officer can see is him reaching around and grabbing things suspiciously and making furtive movements that could be grabbing a weapon then approaching with a gun drawn is 100% reasonable.

You don't know what of the above was the case, it could be one of the other or anything in between, and you are making your accusations of racial profiling against the officer based on absolutely no evidence at all, other than your assumptions and biases. But we do know at some point he did place a camera up on the dash perfectly aimed to catch him and the officer and that he was behaving very irrationally, so it's not unreasonable to think he may have made movements that made the officer raise his defensive posture as he approached. You don't know enough to say and you damm sure don't know enough to be accusing the officer of being a racist.

[LonePirate]

177. You're doing nothing but making excuses for reprehensible and inexcusable behavior.

A black man has just been pulled over by the police for seemingly doing nothing wrong in his mind (not using a turn signal certainly doesn't qualify as wrong in the minds of most people). I wouldn't blame him if he started freaking out thinking he had only seconds to live. Yet somehow you assume he freaked out for no reason (of which there is no proof to either) and the LEO was justified in pulling his gun.

A turn signal violation is not a reason to pull a gun on someone. Nor is being black but that is by the simplest and most likely reason for what this LEO did. It's not much of a leap to think a cop is racist if that cop is white and he takes out a gun against a black motorist for a turn signal violation. You'd rather blame the victim, though. Do you also blame Fernando Castille and the numerous other recent incidents of LEOs gunning down black men in American for no reason? Sure seems to me that you are.

[Lee-Lee]

180. You clearly can't think rationally about this

So no matter what is never justified to pull a gun because the initial stop is for a turn signal? What if the guy had started digging in his glove box or console of the camera and the cop didn't know if it was a gun or anything else he was grabbing?

You don't know why he did it. You don't know any context at all. You don't know how the driver was behaving or acting.

Without knowing that you have zero facts to declare this a case of racism or racial profiling. Maybe you like to declare people racists without one bit of actual evdeince or any facts, but rational people don't and people like you doing so are what make it harder to make people take accusations of racism that have merit seriously.

You declaring the cop must be racist with no idea of what actually happened is the same twisted logic as a person seeing a black man in a nice car and declaring it must be stolen with no evidence to back it up but their own bigotry and biases.

[LonePirate]

185. You're the one with all of the suppositions. Based on the known facts, racism is the likely suspect.

Here are the facts and reasonable conclusions one can make.

1. The guy was pulled over for a turn signal violation. Not reckless driving. Not driving at a high rate speed. Not for running a stop light/sign.
2. Standard police procedure suggests the LEO ran the car's license plate before he stepped out of the patrol car. He knows the car has not been reported stolen or else the encounter with the driver would have gone differently. (These are two big assumptions but they are very likely unless the LEO is completely incompetent which is certainly possible).
3. The patrol car's headlights are on (see the light on the LEO's right arm). In all likelihood, he sees that the driver is black before he reaches the driver's side door. Maybe the LEO doesn't know this but it sure seems likely that he does realize the driver's race.

From the facts alone, racism is the probable reason he pulled his gun. From these facts, what other explanation is there for the LEO to pull his gun? You're supposing other circumstances or events which are completely unproven in order to justify this LEO's behavior. Perhaps this LEO isn't a racist cop prone to abusing his authority. However, he is still acting like one which is just as bad. If he felt his life was in danger based on the facts above, then he should resign immediately as he has no business being in his line of work. He might not be as reluctant to keep his fingers off the trigger the next time he pulls over a frightened and angry black man for a lowly turn signal violation.

[Lee-Lee]

190. Your making up facts

The idea that the cop ran the tag before getting out and got a return is a huge assumption. Your claim that it is "standard police procedure" is total conjecture on your part since there are thousands of agencies out there and every one has its own procedures.

The truth is he may or may not have had a return on that tag when he got out. He may or may not have had an MDT to run it himself, most officers still don't in this country, so he likely radioed it in. If he got the answer back before getting out depends on a huge number of factors- how busy his dispatchers were, how much radio traffic was occupying the channel, and how fast the DMV system was returning the info. When I was doing the job it wasn't uncommon for the system to take 2-5 minutes or more to return a result and there were often periods overnight where the system was taken down for maintenance where we couldn't get any return. We would call the tag in as we we turned on the blue lights and sometimes we would have the run back before we got out of the dispatchers were not busy and the system was running smooth. Sometimes we didn't and got out before that came back because you don't just sit there forever waiting for that to come back.

As for him seeing he is black- it's actually pretty hard to determine the race of a person ahead of you in a car on the road with headlights and blue lights flashing. Try it next time you drive at night and when you pull up behind people in the dark- you will notice everyone just looks like a shadow and you can see shapes and movement, but you don't see enough to determine things like race.

What you can see is movements. It's just as likely that he saw movements that could have possibly been the man reaching for something or trying to hide something and reacted to that than than that he saw a black man and just decieded to pull his gun because he's a huge racist- in fact far more likely that it was a reaction to the mans actions. You seem to totally ignore that there could be perfectly justified reasons based on the drivers behavior (that we don't know because all before was conveniently edited out) and you leap straight to calling the man a racist based on no evidence and all assumptions.

What if the driver did reach around under the seat of another suspicious way for some reason, soy to try and set his camera up to make his video for World Star? If that happens are you still going to declare its racist?

For the record in my department procedure and SOP was if you pulled someone over and they started reaching for things or making movements that could be reaching for a weapon you drew your handgun and kept it by your side or aimed it depending on your judgement. It's every bit reasonable to assume that could be the case here at least as equally possible as your explanation that the man is just a racist who likes to point guns at black people. In reality it's the far more likely explanation.

[MrsCoffee]

277. Only in your reality.

Only because they train you that way. Most of us see the fact that you're trained to pull your gun because someone dare move after being pulled over as insane. And it's a fact that it happens to people of color far more frequently and is often used as a bullshit excuse by some trigger happy cop after the fact. It's not ok.

[kwassa]

288. What policeman pulls over a citizen for not using a turn signal?

Many don't use turn signals, it is a trivial offense.

I rarely see a policeman use a turn signal while driving themselves. They don't observe the laws they enforce, they drive way above the speed limit, etc.

When speed cameras were first installed in this county, there were stories of the police driving quite fast by the cameras and giving the finger to those cameras, something we citizens wished we could do. The police didn't drive any slower.

[uponit7771]

254. Right Lee-Lee ... cop admits they only shoot black people on camera but we should all give them the

... benefit of the doubt right?

response: " ... that was sarcasm ... "

nah, that was needless cruelty to a scared shit-less human being

[ret5hd]

114. I'm a big (white) guy...

and I've done way more than my share of dumbass illegal things that could have ended a lot differently than they did.

You know, not once in many many night time traffic stops (some resulting in me going to jail ---as I said, "dumbass illegal things&quot NOT ONCE have I had a gun pulled on me by a cop.

Those days are long behind me now, and I drive like a grandpa (oh wait, I AM a grandpa! How the hell did that happen???) and don't do dumbass things anymore. And I'm middle aged. And I'm still WHITE, so I hardly get stopped at all anymore.

[Nitram]

137. I'm curious, Liberal, what do you think made the office realize "the driver was not a threat?"

I believe the cop should have followed procedure and kept his gun holstered until there was evidence of a threat.

[TCJ70]

140. Do you know the officer broke procedure by having his gun out?

EDIT: This is an honest question. I don't know enough about police procedure to say whether or not there is one about having your gun out.

[Nitram]

164. My question was an honest one too (you don't have some sort of monopoly on honesty).

I'll repeat: What do you think made the office realize "the driver was not a threat?"

Your premise seems to be that the cop was justified in pulling his gun until he saw that the driver was not a threat. What changed when he saw the driver?

[TCJ70]

167. I didn't write the post you initially responded to here...

...and I know this is a touchy subject so I put my edit in there so my question wouldn't be seen as snarky.

I don't know, much like no one else does, why the officer had his gun drawn or why he put it away. What I know is that he put it away. If he was some sort of unhinged racist, you would think seeing a black man would make him less likely to put the gun away.

Do you know if he broke procedure by having his gun out while approaching the vehicle?

[Nitram]

170. The point is that the cop should not have drawn his gun soaring a minor traffic stop.

In light of recent events, a black man has justifiable reason to fear for his life in that situation, and can be forgiven for scolding a public servant for possibly endangering his life. How many times have we read of a cop accidentally discharging his gun and killing or wounding someone? I believe that unless there is a clear and present danger, the cop should not unholster his weapon.

[TCJ70]

194. It's fine for you to believe that...

...it's not even worth arguing about because everyone can have their own opinion on what is or isn't appropriate here. Given that all we have is a video from after the officer holstered the gun and stood there while the driver went off on him in some pretty ugly ways, it's odd to me that this is being held as evidence of some great racial injustice. We don't know anything about the situation from before the camera started rolling.

All of this is moot, however, if your assertion from earlier in the thread about him having broken protocol is true. So I'll ask again, do you know he broke protocol here?

I'd be curious what constitutes a clear and present danger in your mind as well. I bet it's a different definition than mine. And probably different than the officer. Who's right if that's your standard? Everyone.

[Nitram]

289. Just 3 more questions, TCJ. Would you consider the failure to signal a turn a clear and present

danger? Did the clear and present danger somehow materialize after the driver pulled over and waited for the cop to walk up? What changed?

[TCJ70]

304. Answers:

1. No
2. I don't know. No one knows.
3. See answer 2

The point is, there's a lot of unknown things about this situation. The only known thing is that the driver was given time to set up a camera and record himself going off on this officer, while he stood there and waited. Not really solid grounds for all the hate this cop is getting...

Now that I've answered your questions while you've been so adept at dodging mine, would you care to point out your evidence that the cop broke protocol?

[LiberalLovinLug]

284. We don't know what that was.

I am not excusing him. I think he went too far, but there are a lot of dangers and other factors that police must deal with. Maybe the gentleman was fiddling with his iphone in order to film and that looked odd. But he made a mistake, as opposed to a criminal act. And he seemed to be genuinely accepting of that. I just think there should be differing levels of outrage for different situations, or we are accused of crying wolf for every racoon and the message gets diluted.

[uponit7771]

253. Then his decision making is slack, he shouldn't put himself in a situation where he needs to touch..

... his firearm unless its 200% necessary !!!

[mudstump]

123. Any lawyer will tell you that this is exactly...

what NOT to do when pulled over by a cop.

[Mariana]

161. Lawyers don't want their clients getting shot

or beaten or locked up on bogus charges, because so many of them will fly into a rage if someone doesn't grovel. That's reasonable.

[still_one]

136. WOW!!!

[madokie]

138. I had a similar incident soon after coming home from 'Nam

I won't go into all the details but I will say the cop retired from the police force after the talking I gave him. Rolling out of my car to stand up to a 12 gauge riot gun 12 inches from my face so soon after returning from the war. I wasn't happy to say the least and he was all apologetic after I had my say.

Edit to say: right on Brother, don't let him/them treat you this way, Shame his ass

[TCJ70]

139. So...guy gets pulled over and cop has a gun out walking up to the car...

...cop puts gun away and then the driver starts recording and yelling at the cop for what? NOT shooting him? Insults the cop to his face for what? NOT keeping his gun out?

I'm sorry. If it's dark out and a cop is approaching a vehicle by themselves with no idea of what's going on, it's understandable to be ready for anything. The way this driver treated the cop for NOT treating him like an ongoing threat is absurd. Keep in mind that hindsight is 20/20. This guy obviously was not a threat to begin with but there's no way to know that in advance.

[LonePirate]

144. So you support cops terrorizing black men because that's what he did.

Before LEO leaves his patrol car, he knows whether or not the car has been reported stolen and the he probably also knows if the car's registered owner has an arrest warrant outstanding. Apparently neither of those were the case here. Yet for some reason, the officer still drew his gun. That act alone is enough to convince any black American, especially a black man, that he is not long for this Earth.

More than likely, this cop is a racist and his intent was to make this a miserable evening, maybe even the last evening, for this driver. That camera and this man's justified anger are all that seemed to stop him. This officer should be reprimanded or fired, or at the very least, be assigned to desk duty and removed from interacting with the public.

As Americans, we need to put an end to these bullshit apologies for LEOs when their behavior crosses the line. Those of us who are white certainly need to check our privilege and put ourselves in the shoes of this driver. How would we feel if a police officer pulled a gun on us simply for failing to use a turn signal? How would we feel if we thought we only had a few seconds to live because we live in a society where cops freely kill people like us and never face any consequences for it?

Every single American should be appalled by this incident. We shouldn't be making excuses or giving this cop a pass for reprehensible behavior. If he is too scared to do his job, he should resign. He certainly should not be terrorizing drivers under the pretense of a turn signal violation.

[TCJ70]

148. Didn't realize I was talking to a psychic...

More than likely, this cop is a racist and his intent was to make this a miserable evening, maybe even the last evening, for this driver. That camera and this man's justified anger are all that seemed to stop him. This officer should be reprimanded or fired, or at the very least, be assigned to desk duty and removed from interacting with the public.

Why is that "more than likely" when nothing bad happened? As for the video, it seems to start after the officer put the gun away. Why would a non-recording camera stop the officer? You've made some serious assumptions here about the officer that are actually worse than the video since we now know that nothing awful happened here.

What do we really know about this situation? Do we know what state this is? Do we know it's gun laws? The only thing we really know about the situation is that no one got hurt and this particular officer showed good judgement of a situation that he was walking into blind. I'm just not sure this is such a great example of police injustice as say, actual police injustice.

[LonePirate]

154. I didn't realize I was talking to someone who cannot identify obvious racial profiling.

It's also interesting how innocent until proven guilty only applies to the LEO and not to the driver in your perspective.

Like it or not but law enforcement agencies across the country are in the midst of a public crisis where millions and millions of Americans are rightfully afraid of them, especially when they draw a gun. The onus is on LEOs like this one to restore the public trust and protect Americans. This LEO failed miserably at the former and given how much he scared and angered the driver, he failed at the latter as well. And yes, restoring the public trust and protecting Americans are of greater importance than bullshit safety concerns, of which there were none here.

Until more Americans call out the despicable behavior exhibited by LEOs like the one in this video, LEOs will never change. Situations like this one will continue to happen. The next time, it might be you in the driver's seat. None of us should tolerate or excuse horrible actions from LEOs. To me, it sure seems like you're giving this LEO a free pass to do the exact same thing again - pull a gun on a driver who is scared for his life simply because of the color of his skin.

[Lee-Lee]

156. There was no "obvious racial profiling" in that video

All we saw was a man cursing and ranting at a police officer like a spoiled child while the officer remained calm and professional.

You don't have a clue what happened prior to that video or what may have caused that officer to draw his weapon, but your declaring it to be obvious racial profiling based on nothing more than your own internal baises and bigoted attitude about cops, assuming that's the only explanation.

What your doing in declaring it to be racial profiling with no evidence is exactly how racists declare all black men to be criminals with no evidence. Your engaged in the exact same faulty thinking and logic you think you are against.

[TCJ70]

160. "Obvious racial profiling"

What makes it obvious? Your preconceived notions about this cop? Is there anything about this situation from a factual standpoint that makes it obvious? No. You're accusing me of ignoring "innocent until proven guilty" while you seem to have a "guilty all the time no matter what" stance on the police. I even said in my post that it was clear, after the fact, that there was no threat here. That can't be known in advance for a police officer. I know you're a psychic and all, but not everyone has the gift.

To me, it sure seems like you're giving this LEO a free pass to do the exact same thing again - pull a gun on a driver who is scared for his life simply because of the color of his skin.

Again with the psychic stuff. We know nothing about why the guy had a gun pulled. No one would like an officer to approach them with a gun drawn...but that doesn't make it wrong in every circumstance. This situation is far from a failure when you have actual failures with dead bodies as results to draw examples from.

[LonePirate]

176. He pulled a gun on a black man for a turn signal violation.

I'm simply following Occam's Razor and the simplest, most likely reason is that the LEO is a racist as there was no threat. He should have known better. He should have known how the driver would react once he pulled his gun. Yet he has a badge, a gun and he's white so he does as he pleases, citizenry be damned.

[TCJ70]

195. The simplest answer is racism...

...assuming a deep seated and ingrained racial hatred is easier than every other alternative? Interesting.

[LonePirate]

197. What other alternatives? Such as the one where he is incompetent at his job?

Yeah, maybe he didn't pull his gun when he realized the driver was black. Maybe he's an LEO who simply had no business possessing a gun in the first place because he doesn't know when and when not to use it.

That driver is lucky the LEO didn't kill him, destroy the cameraevidence and then frame him by planting drugs or a gun in the car. I suppose that is another alternative we should consider.

[Lee-Lee]

198. Maybe the driver was reaching under his seat or making suspicious movements

You cite Occam's Razor as stating that racism is the most obvious answer- but you don't have a clue. The most common reason people get guns drawn on them during a traffic stop is actually making suspicious or furtive movements that make the officer concerned they could be reaching for a gun.

So if you want to go with the most obvious explanation, that is it. Not racism.

The driver was clearly not acting rationally and it's not a stretch at all to think he could have made movements that caused the officer to be suspicious or adopt a defensive posture.

[LonePirate]

202. Oh yeah. Nobody ever tries to retrieve their paperwork after being pulled over.

If that ever becomes common place, we're going to see a sharp rise in shootings of motorists by trigger happy officers.

Racism is definitely the most likely reason this LEO drew his weapon regardless of how much you want to blame the victim here.

[MrsCoffee]

276. No, that is only the most obvious explanation that a cop can come up with.

Most of us see the "most obvious explanation" as being profiling and institutionalized racism.

[R B Garr]

279. Everyone is making "furtive moves", i.e., -- reaching for their driver's licenses.

Cops must be aware that the first thing people will do is to look for their DL's.

[Lee-Lee]

153. Really?

You declare the man you never met and have no clue about to be "more than likely" a racist based on nothing more than a very edited video for an man acting very irrationally during a traffic stop, with no context or anything else?

And you think everyone should be appalled? And declare the behavior "reprehensible" even though the only behavior you see is him calmly standing there being cursed at?

[Trust Buster]

146. I agree. It is easy for keyboard heroes to not appreciate the shoes the officer was walking in.

[USALiberal]

236. Pull video of him approaching a white driver with his gun out and I will agree. n/t

[heaven05]

244. yeah you're right

those black people are scary. ....got to have gun out with them every time....right?

[USALiberal]

235. FFS, show me video of him approaching EVERY car that way and I will believe your BS. nt

[uponit7771]

252. WTF !? Point being the cop shouldn't put himself in a situation where he needs to touch his firearm

... UNLESS its 200% necessary !!!

My goodness!!!

[Johnny2X2X]

141. What people defending the officer miss

They don't see the driver as family or friend. When I see this driver, I think of loved ones or friends. This person had a gun pulled on them for no reason, if that were my family or friend I would be livid. When a gun is drawn a life is put in danger. Sure, it's good he holstered it, but that is not the point.

[LakeArenal]

149. Can't wait til I see Samuel L Jackson in the movie version

Everybody take a minute to walk in everybody's shoes.
Everyone's. Driver and cop alike.

[left-of-center2012]

158. I agree with you 100%

Not all cops are bad,
and not all stopped drivers are victims.

Any driver who acted as this one did would give any cop cause for concern.

The officer handled the situation calmly,
while the driver went bizerk.

Maybe the driver should have been taken in for a mental evaluation.

[Kingofalldems]

199. Not surprised one bit by your post.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

169. Righteously ,oh really ?

I wonder if the cops method of approach has anything to do with how it is they are trained at academy ? And there lies the problem. And the guy who was pulled over-, there is nothing righteous about his mannerism.

[LonePirate]

179. Yeah, we all should remain calm right before we are summarily executed by a police officer.

By all means, let's blame the driver for his reaction even though American police agencies across the land have conditioned black Americans to expect death during routine traffic stops. WTF is wrong with this country?

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

184. That's a big question LonePirate

Why not confine your question to the issue at hand ? What is wrong with police training at the academies.
If and when you come to know that answer, there is WTF. From there they, the new cops are sent out into the field. And field training or OJT isn't at all what it once was. And so a lone roving patrol officer is reliant on academy training. So who teaches them to err on the side of caution by drawing the service revolver ? OK so,is it an elective decision,or is it fallowing procedure ? Last I checked on that issue ,it's flawed training straight out of academy-nation wide . WTF right ? So many problems to fix in this country.

[LonePirate]

187. It goes beyond training. It's the LEO's lack of social awareness as well.

It is certainly possible that this LEO has not been trained sufficiently to handle situations like this one. Whether it is due to poor academy training (if he received any at all) or poor on the job training, his behavior could be attributable to that.

Every LEO in this country should be fully cognizant of the destroyed relationships between LEOs and POC in this country. As such, every LEO in this country should take it upon themselves not to make those relationships any worse, regardless if they have not had any training related to community relations. I fail to see how drawing a weapon for a routine traffic stop contributes to improving the relationships between LEOs and POC in America. This LEO needs to be reassigned to a position with no face-to-face public interaction or he should be fired.

[trueblue2007]

171. NEWS ARTICLE and twitter reactions here

https://blavity.com/cop-draws-gun-on-black-man-during-traffic-stop-and-his-powerful-reaction-speaks-for-us-all

[LonePirate]

178. Thank you for posting this. Sadly, incidents like this are far too common in America nowadays.

[Nitram]

173. March 2000: NY police will review their policy on when to draw gun.

After two incidents in recent weeks in which police officers have come under scrutiny for drawing their weapons, Commissioner Howard Safir said yesterday that the Police Department would review its policy on when officers can unholster their pistols.

Commissioner Safir, at City Hall with Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, announced the review a day after an undercover narcotics detective was reassigned because he chased a drug suspect through a crowded schoolyard with his gun drawn, and two weeks after another undercover detective fatally shot an unarmed man in a scuffle.

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/31/nyregion/police-will-review-policy-on-when-to-draw-guns.html?mcubz=3

[GetRidOfThem]

186. Volitile scene, could have gone wrong...

But it did not.

Lot 's of material to discuss, lots of opinions.

My question is: did the cop learn anything from this? If yes, then we have progress.

[LonePirate]

188. I hope a journalist somewhere investigates this event and obtains both sides of the story.

I suspect the LEO will be advised not to comment by his superiors or union or lawyer if he is contacted about it. Still, the department for which he works should issue a public statement, even if it is of the meaningless variety like they commonly release.

[Susan Calvin]

200. If he'd been white, we'd just have called him a jerk.

As it is, he's very brave, and obviously very POd from previous experience.

[Iggo]

219. If he'd've been white, the cop wouldn't have pulled a gun. (n/t)

[Susan Calvin]

222. Yes, exactly. nt

[MrScorpio]

201. Damn skippy! nt

[Stinky The Clown]

211. After reading this thread, bear in mind the fundamental point:

The

Cop

Approached

A

Car

Because

Of

Failure

To

Use

A

Turn

Signal

WITH HIS GUN DRAWN.




That is NOT okay.

Okay?

[LonePirate]

215. Exactly! Although it's easy not to realize that given the numerous responses here supporting the LEO

Does anyone want that to happen to them? I'm guessing there is a lot of white privilege in this thread coming from people who think something like this would never happen to them.

[Susan Calvin]

224. It wouldn't have. I know that. White privilege.

But I flatter myself I have this thing called empathy.

"Accept in your mind that anything that can happen can happen to you." (No idea of the source.)

[Susan Calvin]

223. Yes. Exactly. nt

[uponit7771]

251. +1, don't believe some are scolding the drive

[jmowreader]

226. Watch these two videos

On May 20, 2010, sovereign citizens and "tax freedom gurus" Jerry and Joseph Kane were driving a vehicle with expired license plates on Interstate 40. They were stopped by a West Memphis, AR, police officer who was joined by another one. The Kanes gunned down both officers with an AK-47 before fleeing the scene. They fled to the nearby Walmart parking lot, where they engaged in another firefight with police; they were killed in the parking lot.

This one incident changed the police motto nationwide from "to serve and protect" to "shoot first and ask questions afterward."

As for this incident...go to YouTube and search for "cop owned." People are intentionally getting pulled over so they can berate the cops on camera, and then they upload the videos. The police know about this. If a cop troll is "the hero we need nowadays" to you, we need to find you some better heroes.

[LonePirate]

227. You think someone who doesn't use a turn signal is a cop troll?

I'm guessing you are white and the epidemic of police officers gunning down innocent POC is non-existent to you because you think that would never happen to you. Oh, to live in such a world!

[Stinky The Clown]

228. Those are examples of the risk cops should accept when they accept the job.

Why are cops being trolled (assuming they are), do you suppose?

[USALiberal]

238. Really stupid comparisons.......

So then in EVERY SINGLE STOP the cops should have guns out since at some point in history a cop was confronted in the same situation???? See how silly that is? Jesus, what is wrong with you?

[HipChick]

230. "He ain't about to Sandra Bland me"...

Sandra Bland was murdered for the same thing

[williesgirl]

237. I have a CCW. Since when you get pulled over, cops always run

your plates, i get a little nervous, and I'm an old white lady! But, I've never had an officer even put his hand on his gun. I keep both hands on the top of the steering wheel, and put the interior lights on. The only time I even have a gun with me is if I'm out at night and alone. It's more for when I get home in the rural mountains. I leave my gate open and have seen 2 bears in my yard upon returning in the past. I'd hate to shoot one, but am less afraid and know if necessary I can protect myself. I've lived here for 14 years, and never read about or heard of a deputy drawing his gun without cause or shooting a driver pulled over on a traffic stop. I think the cop we're discussing is afraid of black males. If true, he shouldn't be a cop.

[nini]

242. My dad was a cop and he always told me to never say anything when pulled over

Answer what I was asked and that was it. He knew there were cops at there that shouldn't be.

I'm a white female and have been pulled over for no real reason and I chalked most of it up because I had older beater cars and am dark so I could look Mexican to them. I had one guy give me some major crap and I let it go because that's what my dad told me to do.

Fast forward to my sisters' wedding and that cop was one of the guys my dad hired for security ( I never knew the guys name to tell my dad). I had a bit of alcohol in me and told him what he did and he said all I had to do was tell him who my father was. I told him I shouldn't have to in order to be treated as I should have. Now this doesn't even come close to what this man had to put up with and I'm not saying it is. I'm just thankful he did not get hurt and it could've turned ugly with one of the big asshole cops. I do not blame him one bit for his rant.

My grandson is black and I am scared to death for him. I know that fear has been there long before my grandson was born.

[Willie Pep]

256. I would need more information to judge what happened in this video.

There are always two sides to these stories. The police officer seems pretty calm while this guy was going on his rant. Also, what is with everyone video recording everything and posting it online now? Everyone has a soap box now I guess. You can't really tell what happened here but the police officer comes across better than the passenger I think.

[tenderfoot]

274. I just stopped in to read the TRIGGERED responses from obvious disrupters

They never disappoint

[TCJ70]

286. Yeah, a lot of people so quick to call racism...

...so triggered.

[Nitram]

290. Yeah, a lot of (white) people so quick to defend cops...

...so triggered.

[Blue_Tires]

283. He's my bro, all right!