Police Officers Not Guilty in Kelly Thomas Beating Death

[IcyPeas]

Source: Los Angeles Times

An Orange County jury Monday found two former Fullerton police officers accused of killing a schizophrenic homeless man, Kelly Thomas, not guilty.
Manuel Ramos and Jay Cicinelli were charged with striking Kelly Thomas with a baton and a stun gun in a beating that left him comatose. He died five days later.


http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-live-verdict-in-kelly-thomas-police-murder-case-20140113,0,5661959.story#ixzz2qKO1A3jf




Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-live-verdict-in-kelly-thomas-police-murder-case-20140113,0,5661959.story#axzz2qKIML2Wb

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By watching the video, in my eyes, he was beaten to death for nothing.

[Kingofalldems]

1. Disgusting. I hope federal charges are filed.

[warrant46]

20. Never--Holder has other plans for Cali

Like busting a few medical marijuana outlets and have his thugs beat the crap out of the owners with nightsticks.

[Dawson Leery]

2. Vile. The worship of the f**cking uniform must stop.

[Blue_Tires]

3. Jurors have to be fuckin' trolling the rest of us or something...

Evidently the Rodney King travesty hasn't taught anyone shit...

The long downward trend in jurisprudence continues...I can't remember any common-sense high-profile case where the jury did the *right* thing the past 2-3 years...

[Bennyboy]

4. Horrible horribleness.

These officers knew this guy. They dealt with him all the time. Absolute bullshit here.

of course it went exactly as everyone knew it would.

[SamKnause]

5. Kelly Thomas

I have no words.

Shaking head in total disgust and bewilderment.

[840high]

7. ....

[Beaverhausen]

6. unfuckingbelieveable

what the hell does it take to get convicted these days?

Hopefully Thomas' family can bring up a civil lawsuit.

[FreedRadical]

8. Saw an earlier thread about the DA..

throwing this case intentionally. Giving it just kind of lip service of prosecution.

[Live and Learn]

27. I don't believe that. I heard daily recaps of the trial.

Seemed like the prosecutor did his best but he was not nearly as "charismatic" or as good a liar as the defense lawyers (who proclaimed that anyone that doesn't follow police orders, legal or not, and even in self defense, can lawfully be killed by officers even if they are no threat to anybody).

Any reasoned individual could have seen through their BS but apparently Orange County doesn't have too many of those.

[FreedRadical]

33. I didn't follow so I can't comment. nt

[Brigid]

9. Yet another travesty of justice . . .

Brought to you by a "criminal justice system" that knows not the first thing about what it means to "protect and serve."

[onwardsand upwards]

36. They are there to serve and protect the rich ...

... and intimidate the poor.

It's called "preserving public order", and it's their primary function.

[gvstn]

10. Sickening. What is up with that jury?

[blkmusclmachine]

11. How'd the man die???

And, where were the cops???

[christx30]

12. They cops were there.

They were beating the crap out of him and stunning him over and over again. The only reason they were even charged is because someone filmed it without the cops' knowledge. You can hear the man screaming for help and crying for his dad. The blue assholes put him into a coma and he died after that. Bottom line, the man was murdered by the cops.

[rhett o rick]

24. Not all police are psychopaths, but what a perfect job for a psychopaths. I hope all involved

rot in hell including the DA.

[christx30]

25. Not all cops are psychopaths,

but the ones that aren't will protect the ones that are. That Thin Blue Line they keep telling us about. They will either look the other way or hide evidence of wrongdoing to protect their friends.
A cop here in Austin was busted by a state trooper on a DWI. The chief fired him on the spot. A cop radio host was complaining about the firing. He should be given a second chance. It made me sick to listen to it.

[rhett o rick]

26. We live in a bully society. We are taught from a young age that bullies rule. nm

[passiveporcupine]

13. Why aren't the police trained

to understand fear and how some people react to it...mental illness and how some people react because of it. It's like they just assume anyone they deal with (that is homeless even) is as normal as everyone else and should behave the same way...and if they don't, it's because they want to resist arrest.

And one more question. Once they had him on the ground, and couldn't get him to put his arms behind his back to be cuffed...why didn't they cuff his ankles together. Then they could stand back and give him time to calm down and breath. Nobody is going anywhere with their feet cuffed together. Even if their hands are not yet cuffed, they are pretty much helpless without a weapon. If he tried to hop away, all they have to do is attach a tether to his feet and just give the situation some time to calm down a bit. Don't they know he thinks he's fighting for his life? Whether or not he's "on" anything. That's how he's feeling.

This is when you cuff his feet and tether him and call in the mental health professionals to evaluate the situation, sedate him if necessary. If they would do that, there would be far fewer death by cops in situations like this.

I don't understand this "police mentality" at all.

[YOHABLO]

17. Yes it is the mind-set that police officers have ... they have no training for the mentally disabled

[blackspade]

32. It sounds like no training at all....

Well, other than how to murder and beat the system....

[FreakinDJ]

14. Couldn't beleive it when I heard it

[Liberal_in_LA]

16. i expected this verdict. reporter said two jurors were nodding to the defense as they closed

Cops can't do wrong to some

[polly7]

18. Wow ...

It doesn't seem possible anyone could look at that and not find them guilty. I remember the thread here when it first happened. Very sad for the family .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=116234 (Warning: There is a GRAPHIC picture of him in hospital in this thread).

[cosmicone]

19. It's orange county

where Nixon is still considered by some to be the best president ever

[SoapBox]

21. Sickening...

And in my mind, absolutely criminal.

[ReRe]

22. What do you want?

Look it... this was Orange County, CA. I wonder if a change of venue was requested by the prosecution? I doubt it. Again, Orange Co, CA prosecutor. That poor man was guilty of one thing... being down and out in Orange Co, CA. If you are down on your luck, have nowhere to go, no family or friends to help you, and you live on the streets of Orange Co, CA, you best be hauling butt out of there if you want to live another day.

[JI7]

23. that's fucked up, any info on the jury and did they say anything ?

[cvoogt]

28. Cowardice all around

cops: cowards. What was Kelly going to do to them? They already had his bag. He had no weapons. They were stronger by far and had guns and tasers. Completely disproportionate and idiotic. It's all about compliance, at all costs. Well, they got him to comply alright. I hope they're happy and I hope the jurors have many sleepless nights wondering if they or their relatives might some day have a similar fate if they wind up in the wrong place at the wrong time. The jury is 100% complicit and 100% morally bankrupt.

[Live and Learn]

34. In complete agreement.

This verdict was a travesty of justice. I don't think it even possible that the police could have behaved any worse. Heck, even shooting him, would have been kinder.

It is not just about justice for Kelly, but also about trust in law enforcement (and our families safety when dealing with them) for the rest of us. Police forces should never feel above the law and should be exemplars of it. They must be held to a higher standard if we are to trust them with the power we give them and these two (and the other participants) not only abused it but behaved worse than most of the folks we have currently imprisoned.

[cvoogt]

42. The "war on drugs" also plays into this

One cop in particular (I think the one who threatened Kelly with his fists) kept saying to to the others "he's on something". Clearly, the cop was convinced Kelly's behavior could be explained by drugs, and mental illness did not enter into the picture. And somehow when they think it's drug-related any level of violence is A-OK, apparently. The war on drugs is inhibiting officers' situational awareness and does the public a huge disservice. The scales need to be balanced in favor of looking at social and health issues and not just "hey, everyone's a potential criminal and must be dealt with harshly".

[markpkessinger]

29. And as long as juries continue to give police a pass on this sort of thing . . .

. . . it will continue to happen, and the frequency of such incidents will continue to increase. Just disgusting.

[Live and Learn]

35. +1 nt

[jsr]

30. Sickening.

[blackspade]

31. Cops always get away with murder.

It's what they do.
It's always the same excuse: "I was in fear of my life."
Then maybe you shouldn't be a fucking cop.
Bullshit.

[bobGandolf]

37. Wouldn't expect it from a jury...

I can see them getting off on an internal investigation, it happens all the time. I guess I had too much faith a jury would get it right.

[RandiFan1290]

38. Just like the mafia

The pigs intimidate the jury. They will pack the court room and stare down the jurists. I bet some of them were pulled over and talked to as well.

By the time the trial is over the jury knows exactly what they have to do if they want to remain safe. Most of us can't just pack up and leave town.

[go west young man]

39. Shoulder cams should be on every law enforcement officer...

as soon as that is implemented we can all watch the rampant criminal behavoir amongst US police go away. It would also help us fight crime and understand traffic accidents and injuries much more in depth. It's ironic that citizens are all watched by authorities and all our information is stored on gov't servers. Yet police, fire and first responders who cams would actually benefit (both them and us) in their jobs are not being scrutinized at all. However, we have cameras trained on bartenders, convenience store clerks, day care workers and school teachers. Something is definitely wrong with this picture. (Pun fully intended) A smart country would be chronicling police activity so we can improve upon policing.

[reddread]

40. GODDAMN THOSE MURDERING MOTHERFUCKERS TO HELL

This is no way to start my day.
Last week, four teeneagers nearly beat a homeless man to death in Fresno.
They did succeed in kicking his dog to death.
Everyone is outraged.
About the dogs death.

[Inkfreak]

41. I hate injustice. And I hate cops. Fuck em. (nt)

[Throd]

43. I try to give police the benefit of the doubt, but in this case they simply murdered a crazy guy.

[cannabis_flower]

44. Karma's a Bitch

Justice for Kelly! Go Anonymous - taking down the Fullerton Police Department!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202398894987374&set=gm.10151846587382823&type=1&theater

Not sure how to post a picture but check it out. Screenshot of Fullerton Police Department website failure!

[IcyPeas]

45. is Anonymous going after

the fullerton police dept? the link leads to an "oops" message. That would be great.

Did some research and found this link:

http://thepoliticalfreakshow.us/post/73282887648/anonymous-targets-fullerton-police-over-homeless-mans