Miami Police Shove, Choke Black Teen for "Dehumanizing Stares"

[KansDem]

Source: DemocracyNow!

An African-American teenager is accusing Miami police of brutality after being pushed to the ground and placed in a chokehold. Fourteen-year-old Tremaine McMillian was carrying his young puppy when a Miami-Dade police officer confronted him. Police say Tremaine appeared to be a threat because he gave the officer "dehumanizing stares." The officer pushed McMillian to the ground and held him there in a chokehold. Speaking to CBS Miami, Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta tried to justify the incident by saying even though he tried to walk away, McMillian was accosted because his "body language" amounted to a threat.

Alvaro Zabaleta: "Once he’s approaching the roadway, they grab him. And then once his body language of stiffening up, closing the fists, flaring his hands, trying to pull away — well now you’re resisting an officer that point. Of course we have to neutralize the threat in front of us. And when you have somebody that is being resistant, somebody that is pulling away from you, somebody that’s clenching their fist, somebody that’s flaring their arms, that’s the immediate threat. At this point, we’re not dealing or concerned with the puppy, what we’re concerned about is the immediate threat towards the officer."

McMillian says he was feeding his puppy with a bottle when the police attacked him. The puppy suffered an injury to his left paw.


Read more: http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/30/headlines

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What is a "dehumanizing stare?"

Video from another source--
http://endthelie.com/2013/05/29/14-year-old-put-in-chokehold-by-police-charged-with-felony-after-giving-police-dehumanizing-stares/#axzz2Umww51Nz

[The Magistrate]

1. Officer Needs To Be Beaten Till Crippled, Publicly

No excuse for this kind of criminal abuse.

[Poll_Blind]

18. Some time ago, you said it best- that basically this sort of thing will continue to happen until....

...police fear being arrested by other police on the spot for such behavior.

PB

[The Magistrate]

19. Thank You, Sir

I certainly stand by that statement, but must confess I do not expect to ever see it come to pass.

[zeemike]

44. Well that is not going to happen.

They are trained to do this...and also trained to defend their fellow officers in a blue wall of silence.
Fundamental changes must be made, or we will have a Gestapo like force over us... or maybe we already have.

[kestrel91316]

26. [phone]

[Hayabusa]

33. Hammurabi that asshole

[tblue]

49. Pic:

Ghastly. Put them in a Super Max.

[Blue_Tires]

2. A "dehumanizing stare" must be one of those Caribbean voodoo things

[BlancheSplanchnik]

12. yeah. Those black peeplez have speshul powers.

Officers need to protect themselves.

[sofa king]

17. Oddly enough, it provoked an inhumane reaction.

So it sounds to me like the kid saw things as they really were, and that is what provoked the reaction.

[The Magistrate]

20. Cold But Fair, Sir

[hobbit709]

3. Evidently looking at the cops without rapt adoration.

[tblue]

45. He was supposed to bow.

Or get on the ground and kiss their feet.

Horrible cops. And they hurt the little puppy too. There are too many bad cops. Do not like.

[Brigid]

48. He was looking at the cops without abject terror.

That's what set them off.

[lame54]

4. He was carrying a puppy - what do you expect

[kestrel91316]

27. A BOTTLE BABY, no less. He clearly was a threat and needed beating.

[KamaAina]

60. Maybe the puppy was a pit bull

(actually pit bulls are banned in Miami!)

[auburngrad82]

101. Puppy, Skittles, what's the difference?

His black skin turned him into a threat.

I can't wait for the internet trolls to start posting that the kid was much bigger and scarier than the pictures of him as a 12-year old that the librul media use would indicate.

[Arkansas Granny]

5. His "body language" was a threat even though he tried to walk away? Somebody needs to

explain that one to me because it doesn't make sense.

[Baitball Blogger]

9. I think he meant his "body color."

[Arkansas Granny]

10. Thanks for the clarification. That must be it.

[AsahinaKimi]

36. spot on.

That is probably exactly what it was.

[awoke_in_2003]

71. Yep. nt

[niyad]

14. this:

Speaking to CBS Miami, Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta tried to justify the incident by saying even though he tried to walk away, McMillian was accosted because his "body language" amounted to a threat.

Alvaro Zabaleta: "Once he’s approaching the roadway, they grab him. And then once his body language of stiffening up, closing the fists, flaring his hands, trying to pull away — well now you’re resisting an officer that point. Of course we have to neutralize the threat in front of us. And when you have somebody that is being resistant, somebody that is pulling away from you, somebody that’s clenching their fist, somebody that’s flaring their arms, that’s the immediate threat. At this point, we’re not dealing or concerned with the puppy, what we’re concerned about is the immediate threat towards the officer."

[frylock]

39. there was no threat to these cowards

[SwissTony]

83. Great how the cops charge someone for resisting arrest

even though the "villain" hasn't done anything worthy of arrest.

[niyad]

85. and now this:

Police ultimately booked Tremaine on a felony charge of resisting arrest with violence as well as misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.

what the F*** is wrong with the police, the da and the judge? what the hell is wrong with florida, period?

[Iggo]

6. Yay, Cops!

They're the best!

[tblue]

47. Miami's Finest

I don't ever want to go there. They might do that to me.

[KansDem]

7. Video

News report with video added to OP

[tabasco]

8. What.The.Fuck

Elimination of individual liberties and the increase of police power have been disastrous for this nation.

The primary causes are gutless politicians and the "war" on some drugs.

[niyad]

11. once, I would have said that this was almost unbelievable. sadly, this kind of arrogant, brutal

stupidity seems to be becoming the norm for those sworn to "serve and protect"

[thefool_wa]

16. Serve and Protect...

Their pocket books.

Their careers.

Their arrogance.

Their racism.

Their power.

NOT the people who they claim to serve.

Cops treat every encounter with everyone as though its a life and death struggle. To them there are no people they protect, because everyone is a potential threat. Now we have cops beating up kids for what boils down to looking at them funny. This gets worse and worse every year. Add to that the fact that most cops are ex soldiers who are so full of themselves that they feel people should bow down to them (not talking about all soldiers, just the ones who come back and become cops) and this problem is never going to get better.

[dixiegrrrrl]

53. In many cases, such as this, it is arrogant, brutal RACISM

which has been on rise dramtically since 2008.
That is not by "co-incidence" either.

[Ikonoklast]

13. And there are still those that wonder why people of color fear the police.

If that was little White boy with a puppy, he wouldn't have even been noticed by the cops.

[Bully Taw]

23. Was the cop that did this disgusting abuse white?

the article does not say.

[FrodosPet]

28. With a name like Alvaro Zabaleta

He is likely of latino origin. Not that it should matter. If you are a cop, you should be used to receiving the "stink eye". Of having people "stare daggers" at you. So what elevated this kid to a threat?

[niyad]

73. think he is the detective, not the one who brutalized this kid.

[Brigid]

29. Looks that way in the photo.

[Ikonoklast]

32. People of color fear police no matter what the race of the cop is.

They know that they'll get treated just as bad either way.

[JEB]

15. Yeah, but that puppy was loaded

and the cop felt threatened. Lucky to be alive.

[kath]

21. fucking pigs.

A fourteen year old. Feeding a puppy.

I have no words.

[In_The_Wind]

79. +1

[Katashi_itto]

22. "JEEZUS CHRSIT...WATCH OUT HE'S GOT A PUPPY....SHOOT HIM!!!!"

Obviously the puppy was a Pitbull.

[Brigid]

34. A pit bull mix.

Named Polo.

[Katashi_itto]

42. Well, a mix explains everything! They should have shot the kid.

Crazy eyed teens wielding Illicit, milk bottles and Pitbull mix puppies are a threat to the public.

Tax dollars at work

[Brigid]

24. "Neutralize the threat?"

An unarmed 14-year-old? Really?

[FrodosPet]

25. If you've ever received one, you would know

For sure they will send a chill down your spine. Not sure if it is worth tasering somebody, but you most def want to get away from it.

[noiretextatique]

50. are you talking about the "dehumanizing stare?"

from a 14yo armed with a puppy and a bottle? most definitely NOT worth tasering. and if they were so why didn't they just leave him...and his stare alone? the most ridiculous excuse for police brutality...ever.

[niyad]

75. please tell me you forgot the sarcasm thingy. what in the HELL IS a "dehumanizing stare" anyway?

and what the hell is wrong with armed cops that they would feel threatened by a look (regardless of what that "look" looked like) from a scrawny kid? if they really did feel threatened, they are clearly unqualified for their jobs, and should be seeking employment elsewhere at once.

[FrodosPet]

80. "Stink Eye", "Evil Eye", "Staring Daggers"

"If looks could kill" - you've never heard of those expressions before? You are a fortunate person if no one has ever given you one of those cold, angry looks that says "I want to hurt you with the power of my glare. I want you to suffer and die."

Depending on who is giving it to you, they can be frightening.

[niyad]

82. you have GOT to be kidding!! those are expressions--when was the last time anybody in this

physical world was killed by a LOOK? Yes, of course, I have heard those expressions, even had that sort of look directed at me. did I cower in terror? hardly. I can do those looks, too.

the freaking point is, these are SUPPOSED to be TRAINED police officers--and they were scared of a 14 year old kid with a LOOK? as I said, they need new jobs, at once, preferably where the public will never encounter them.

[Arctic Dave]

30. They need to be beaten with a tire iron.

Fucksticks.

[KG]

31. yay, cops!

[blackspade]

35. WTH?

These cops need to be fired.
Along with this Zabaleta character as well.

[frylock]

37. fuck tha police

[NOLALady]

38. Floriduh?

Maybe he was really feeding the puppy a dangerous can of tea.

[gitchel]

40. This is how many autistic children die.

This is exactly how many autistic kids would behave. From the puppy-feeding, to the trying to back away, to the odd stare. Many autistic kids have been strangled, tasered, or killed because they weren't able to slip into the proper submissive role fast enough or correctly enough.

Someone needs to be educated. Either the police need to learn how to stop jumping to the conclusion that "odd" behavior means disrespect, or autistic kids need to be taught that the police are NOT your friend. I suspect the later is easier to accomplish.

Jeff

[Conium]

41. The dehumanizing stare worked.

Police lost their humanity.

[Orrex]

46. Oh, sure.

Blame the stare.

[Saviolo]

51. Stares don't kill people

Doncha know?

That boy was wielding a dangerous stare, no question.

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

[azureblue]

43. let's beat that black boy

He looked at us funny. I think I saw him lookin' at a white girl. He sho' doesn't know his place, does he. We'll show him. Shades of 50's South....

[Half-Century Man]

52. Assault puppy with an extended bottle magazine.

I have to give the Police the benefit of doubt with the whole dehumanizing stare thing. They are the experts on giving someone a dehumanizing stare.
Once I was pretty sure 2 TSA goons thought I was a balrog, at least by the stares I got.

[NoMoreWarNow]

54. what.. the... fuck...

What the fuck is going on?

[ladjf]

55. WIthout a weapon, there is no way that a slender 14 yr. old could be a physical threat to a

policeman. nt

[Orsino]

56. FaceCrime. n/t

[Dawson Leery]

57. The Miami Pigs (who's penisons are bankrupting the city)

have a history of these kinds of acts (along with many other departments).

[Initech]

58. Are we in a police state yet?

[KamaAina]

59. A little Cop Rock for ya...

No, really, it's by The Police.

[heaven05]

61. after

Last edited Thu May 30, 2013, 02:20 PM - Edit history (1)

watertown with it's lock down and wild neighborhood shooting in which many private homes were hit. And with many of the other incidents of this type of security force(s) behavior, I can come to only one conclusion. We are being made accustomed to this type of behavior from our internal security force(s) so that it will be easier to create the draconian police state, that is on the way, with the acquiescence of a major portion of the amerikkkan populace. "dehumanizing stare"?????? They are out to prove a point to all minorities and others seen as an internal threat. Glad they didn't kill the kid with that choke hold.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

62. They have a hard job.

You weren't there.

Try being in the police officer shoes.

Everyone makes mistakes.








Did I miss any?

[telclaven]

93. You forgot

"All department policies and procedures were followed"

[MrScorpio]

63. At this point, we all have to admit to ourselves that our police departments…

Are COMPLETELY out of control and represent a grave danger to our communities.

[Skeeter Barnes]

64. It could be any one of us next.

It could be you, your wife or your kid that is the next "threat" getting their head busted open for nothing and the pigs will get away with it.

[Incitatus]

65. So not only canyou not film cops,they will beat the shit out of you for just looking at them. nt

[olegramps]

66. I willing to bet that this cop is a great admirer of the Tea Party fascists.

[L0oniX]

67. Blocking the door to a donut shop with a guard dog is just asking for it.

[Luschnig]

68. American hypocrisy

I've never understood how Americans can condemned the Nazis when they have never been any better. The brutality is the same but since the victims are different Americans must believe what they do is totally different.

[beevul]

69. Criminal behavior by the police will not stop...

Criminal behavior by the police will not stop unless and until these sorts of bahaviors start costing the people engaging in them, their careers and their freedom.

Even if these assholes get fired, they always seem to turn up in another department down the road. Firing isn't good enough. Lawsuits aren't good enough - they just cost the taxpayers money.

Criminal charges of a career disabling nature, and nothing less, is whats needed.

[damnedifIknow]

70. Fascist punks

There needs to be a serious conversation about police brutality in this country like yesterday.

[Thor_MN]

72. Dehumanizing stare? Sounds like the Salem Witch claims...

Are we really getting this stupid?

[niyad]

74. thank goodness I wear sunglasses all the time--that way they can't see the dehumanizing

stares. . . oh, wait, the fact that they can't see my eyes is threat enough.

[niyad]

76. let's see--deputies kill a demo lady who was "acting strangely", and a 14 year old boy is thrown

to the ground and put in a chokehold for a "dehumanizing stare". what a wonderful world in which we live.

by the way, how far is sanford from miami?

[Paulie]

99. Did ya miss the story about running over sleeping 20 something beach goers?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2929935

[niyad]

100. no, I saw that one after I posted. and the same smarmy reporting: SHE wasn't drinking. SHE

had been sleeping for, oh-the-horror- over TWENTY MINUTES. the snide implication that she was doing something wrong, when it was the cop who wasn't looking. but, we have to have cops on the beach in their big trucks to keep down crime (what, they can't ride a golf cart?)

[notadmblnd]

77. If looks could actually kill

I'd be a mass murder. In fact all the women in my family would be mass murderers. We inherited our evil glares from our grandmother.

[niyad]

78. what I read this morning was bad enough, but now THIS:

Police ultimately booked Tremaine on a felony charge of resisting arrest with violence as well as misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.

what the F*** is wrong with the police, the da and the judge? what the hell is wrong with florida, period?

[JimDandy]

81. Where is a civil rights march when you need one.

These police brutality stories are coming from all over the country. And their brutality is most often perpetrated against minorities.

[Heywood J]

84. Yet another in a long, long line of reasons why I will never visit or pass through Florida. (NT)

[Doctor_J]

86. Here's one

[KansDem]

87. If eyes are indeed windows to the soul...

It looks like her soul packed up and left.

[Doctor_J]

88. which leaves first, the soul or the mind?

For teabaggers, I think Hate Radio first steals their brains, and eventually they become soulless.

OK, I am done hijacking this timely thread.

[KansDem]

89. Well, as Dan Quayle said, "What a waste it is to lose one's mind...

...or not to have a mind is being very wasteful."

I suppose the same applies to souls...

[duhneece]

90. How do we oppose this, protest this, change this?

I don't want to just wring my hands, this is not a rhetorical question. I am blank as to how we raise our country's consciousness enough where enough of us stand up and say, 'no more.'

[Comrade Grumpy]

91. Comrade Grumpy says: National Commission on Law Enforcement Practices

It's time for Obama to call for one.

Maybe one of those on-line White House petitions would be a way to start.

[Sunlei]

92. puppy in video is limping, hope someone steps up & helps the child with a vet visit. and..

everyone dominated by todays police should do a jury trial,as is their right.

enough is enough with todays police, they are out of control brutal with citizens and kids! Americans need to overwelm the local courts with thousands of trial by jury for all these crazy police charges.

Let the police sit on front of a judge and jury and tell about how a skinnny bare chested beach goer kid (holding a little puppy) clenched his fists and made angry eyes at him. so he threw him to the ground and choked him.

[niyad]

94. according to an article I read yesterday, mother said they had to give the puppy up, because

they could not afford a vet bill.

[Sunlei]

97. aww that's sad & a very traumatic day for the family. My heart goes out to the 14 year old.

Its to harsh the police will ruin the life of a kid with felony like this. A family just wants to go to the beach and have some fun, the police cruse those areas creating trouble.

people ALL need to demand their right to a jury trial, especially when they know police have over-stepped their power.

[niyad]

95. hmm, I wonder how the mayor, the council and the tourism bureau would feel if people stopped

coming to miami because of their insane, completely out-of-control police force? how many lost dollars would it take to get their attention?

[christx30]

96. And yet if one of these offiers

was killed in some way, he'd be hailed as a "15 year veteran" of the force, a "protector of the community" and "loving father of 3" or some shit.
We seriously need to stop giving cops such an open check and start holding them accountable. More need to go to jail for this kind of BS.

[Hugabear]

98. Cops like these were George Zimmerman's role models

Fucking disgusting

[HughBeaumont]

102. Just another day at the office for the Legal Gang.

[Th1onein]

103. The next to the last one pisses me off

I am so sick of this shit. These torturing sorry MFers.