Maybe it is not about being Black but because you talk back
We all now know that the Cambridge police officer who arrested the Harvard Professor, teaches how not to racially profile a person. OK so he isn't a "racist". But it sure sounded to me that he overreacted to someone who was upset at the way he was being treated. Perhaps the problem was that the professor was miffed and "felt" he was being profiled so he showed some attitude to the cop. The officer felt he was being disrespected so he decided to teach this guy a lesson. He arrested the guy "just because" he could.
Why do we have to always act subservient to the police? One NPR Commentator (who is African American) told Scott Simon that he taught his children to always smile and look as non threatening as possible to the police whenever they were stopped. Funny, that is exactly the same behavior you should use if you are cornered by a strange and hostile dog.
I just saw a shocking video tape where two big cops roughed up and threw a woman into a wall several times "just because" she was mouthing off to them, even though she never laid a hand on them. I couldn't believe it when I heard the officers were cleared of wrong doing.
I don't want to go after the police but I do feel that because they have this great responsibility they need to have training in anger management as stringent as firearm safety. While police are required to practice their shooting skills they should also be required to keep honing their "people skills" so they can resolve a misunderstanding without hauling someone to jail or violence "just because" someone is mouthing off.
Should I have give up my right to freedom of speech just because I am talking to a police officer? I think this incident should have us looking at how race plays a role in our relations with the police but also how their authority "just because" should be checked.
Why do we have to always act subservient to the police? One NPR Commentator (who is African American) told Scott Simon that he taught his children to always smile and look as non threatening as possible to the police whenever they were stopped. Funny, that is exactly the same behavior you should use if you are cornered by a strange and hostile dog.
I just saw a shocking video tape where two big cops roughed up and threw a woman into a wall several times "just because" she was mouthing off to them, even though she never laid a hand on them. I couldn't believe it when I heard the officers were cleared of wrong doing.
I don't want to go after the police but I do feel that because they have this great responsibility they need to have training in anger management as stringent as firearm safety. While police are required to practice their shooting skills they should also be required to keep honing their "people skills" so they can resolve a misunderstanding without hauling someone to jail or violence "just because" someone is mouthing off.
Should I have give up my right to freedom of speech just because I am talking to a police officer? I think this incident should have us looking at how race plays a role in our relations with the police but also how their authority "just because" should be checked.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jacqueline English on -
Ok guys this just in, check out the video where a police officer tasers a 70 year grandma because she was talking back she was 4 feet from the cop and half his size. This is what I am talking about
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Permalink Reply by John Antonelli on -
Send us a link but note police have been killed by dead bodies and some of thso egrannies especailly the psycho ones are damn dangerous....
Still say in any issue with the police be civil and respectful and if you are not happy with your treatment go to the station and file a report and if you get no joy there, take them to court. But note in these kinds of cases and before a jury, the police usually win.
Jacqueline English said:Ok guys this just in, check out the video where a police officer tasers a 70 year grandma because she was talking back she was 4 feet from the cop and half his size. This is what I am talking about
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Permalink Reply by Jacqueline English on
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You are a hard case, I doubt you have ever been harassed by cops you are a very sheltered man but they can get out of line just ask Abner Louisma who was shot 32 times while reaching for his ID card. and you can find the granny on Utube by now no doubt. She didn't look dangerous to me John, but I doubt there is any thing I could say to shake your fervor about how cops= good all the time. I am sure you want the last word so take it we will just have to agree to disagree
John Antonelli said:Send us a link but note police have been killed by dead bodies and some of thso egrannies especailly the psycho ones are damn dangerous....
Still say in any issue with the police be civil and respectful and if you are not happy with your treatment go to the station and file a report and if you get no joy there, take them to court. But note in these kinds of cases and before a jury, the police usually win.
Jacqueline English said:Ok guys this just in, check out the video where a police officer tasers a 70 year grandma because she was talking back she was 4 feet from the cop and half his size. This is what I am talking about
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Permalink Reply by John Antonelli on
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Abner Louima was a legal shooting. Adner did not folow instruction and appeared to be going for his weapon. Do you really think the cops enjoyed shooting him? They don't you know. As for the video, I was waiting for a link to be posted. And yes I have been stopped by the police and no I wasn't happy about it, and yes the cop got mouthy, and yes I did go to the police station and complain. More details if interested.
Jacqueline English said:You are a hard case, I doubt you have ever been harassed by cops you are a very sheltered man but they can get out of line just ask Abner Louisma who was shot 32 times while reaching for his ID card. and you can find the granny on Utube by now no doubt. She didn't look dangerous to me John, but I doubt there is any thing I could say to shake your fervor about how cops= good all the time. I am sure you want the last word so take it we will just have to agree to disagree
John Antonelli said:Send us a link but note police have been killed by dead bodies and some of thso egrannies especailly the psycho ones are damn dangerous....
Still say in any issue with the police be civil and respectful and if you are not happy with your treatment go to the station and file a report and if you get no joy there, take them to court. But note in these kinds of cases and before a jury, the police usually win.
Jacqueline English said:Ok guys this just in, check out the video where a police officer tasers a 70 year grandma because she was talking back she was 4 feet from the cop and half his size. This is what I am talking about
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Permalink Reply by Jacqueline English on
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so the penalty for not following instructions is death?
John Antonelli said:Abner Louima was a legal shooting. Adner did not folow instruction and appeared to be going for his weapon. Do you really think the cops enjoyed shooting him? They don't you know. As for the video, I was waiting for a link to be posted. And yes I have been stopped by the police and no I wasn't happy about it, and yes the cop got mouthy, and yes I did go to the police station and complain. More details if interested.
Jacqueline English said:You are a hard case, I doubt you have ever been harassed by cops you are a very sheltered man but they can get out of line just ask Abner Louisma who was shot 32 times while reaching for his ID card. and you can find the granny on Utube by now no doubt. She didn't look dangerous to me John, but I doubt there is any thing I could say to shake your fervor about how cops= good all the time. I am sure you want the last word so take it we will just have to agree to disagree
John Antonelli said:Send us a link but note police have been killed by dead bodies and some of thso egrannies especailly the psycho ones are damn dangerous....
Still say in any issue with the police be civil and respectful and if you are not happy with your treatment go to the station and file a report and if you get no joy there, take them to court. But note in these kinds of cases and before a jury, the police usually win.
Jacqueline English said:Ok guys this just in, check out the video where a police officer tasers a 70 year grandma because she was talking back she was 4 feet from the cop and half his size. This is what I am talking about
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Permalink Reply by John Antonelli on
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Sometimes, how is the cop in the short time he has to make a decison to decide if you are a threat or not.
Jacqueline English said:so the penalty for not following instructions is death?
John Antonelli said:Abner Louima was a legal shooting. Adner did not folow instruction and appeared to be going for his weapon. Do you really think the cops enjoyed shooting him? They don't you know. As for the video, I was waiting for a link to be posted. And yes I have been stopped by the police and no I wasn't happy about it, and yes the cop got mouthy, and yes I did go to the police station and complain. More details if interested.
Jacqueline English said:You are a hard case, I doubt you have ever been harassed by cops you are a very sheltered man but they can get out of line just ask Abner Louisma who was shot 32 times while reaching for his ID card. and you can find the granny on Utube by now no doubt. She didn't look dangerous to me John, but I doubt there is any thing I could say to shake your fervor about how cops= good all the time. I am sure you want the last word so take it we will just have to agree to disagree
John Antonelli said:Send us a link but note police have been killed by dead bodies and some of thso egrannies especailly the psycho ones are damn dangerous....
Still say in any issue with the police be civil and respectful and if you are not happy with your treatment go to the station and file a report and if you get no joy there, take them to court. But note in these kinds of cases and before a jury, the police usually win.
Jacqueline English said:Ok guys this just in, check out the video where a police officer tasers a 70 year grandma because she was talking back she was 4 feet from the cop and half his size. This is what I am talking about
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Permalink Reply by Karl on -
Jacqueline,
Don't bother. John is lazy. I have done the back and forth thing with him before. He will not do his own homework to find information that is in opposition to his own thinking. Also, when presented with the truth he will voice only visceral opinions, not ones backed by data that would force an otherwise thinking person to at least re-examine their position.
He has referred to police activities as "righteous kills" in some of the exchanges he and I have had. When we discussed the Abner Louima case he believed that the cops were wholly justified in killing an unarmed man.
In short, you will get nowhere with trying to get him to see the world outside of his well fortified, personal, comfortable blinders. Sometimes, when a person's frame of reference is narrow there is just nothing you can do, especially if that person is willing to do nothing to broaden their view.
Jacqueline English said:You are a hard case, I doubt you have ever been harassed by cops you are a very sheltered man but they can get out of line just ask Abner Louisma who was shot 32 times while reaching for his ID card. and you can find the granny on Utube by now no doubt. She didn't look dangerous to me John, but I doubt there is any thing I could say to shake your fervor about how cops= good all the time. I am sure you want the last word so take it we will just have to agree to disagree
John Antonelli said:Send us a link but note police have been killed by dead bodies and some of thso egrannies especailly the psycho ones are damn dangerous....
Still say in any issue with the police be civil and respectful and if you are not happy with your treatment go to the station and file a report and if you get no joy there, take them to court. But note in these kinds of cases and before a jury, the police usually win.
Jacqueline English said:Ok guys this just in, check out the video where a police officer tasers a 70 year grandma because she was talking back she was 4 feet from the cop and half his size. This is what I am talking about
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Permalink Reply by John Antonelli on
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So a 20+ year career in criminal justice is not enough to know from whence I speak? Bottom line, you are a cop you see someone acting suspiciously say stealing things from a building you tell him to stop, put his hands up and instead he reaches into his coat and is pulling something out. I draw quickly and fire kiling him. Righteous shoot because in thsi case he was pulling out a gun and wanted to shoot me because he had a life time of warrants outstanding fro hsi arrest. But you know what, he could have just been pulling out a wallet. Those are the choices you have to make as a police officer and you know what we say. Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
Jacqueline, just how much jail time did the cops get in the case you reference and no it was not Abner Louima who was shot, he was sodomized in a police station rest room, something few in law enforcement condoned, so please be sure you get yoru research done properly it was Amadou Bailo Diallo. So much for my lazy research skills yes.
Karl said:Jacqueline,
Don't bother. John is lazy. I have done the back and forth thing with him before. He will not do his own homework to find information that is in opposition to his own thinking. Also, when presented with the truth he will voice only visceral opinions, not ones backed by data that would force an otherwise thinking person to at least re-examine their position.
He has referred to police activities as "righteous kills" in some of the exchanges he and I have had. When we discussed the Abner Louima case he believed that the cops were wholly justified in killing an unarmed man.
In short, you will get nowhere with trying to get him to see the world outside of his well fortified, personal, comfortable blinders. Sometimes, when a person's frame of reference is narrow there is just nothing you can do, especially if that person is willing to do nothing to broaden their view.
Jacqueline English said:You are a hard case, I doubt you have ever been harassed by cops you are a very sheltered man but they can get out of line just ask Abner Louisma who was shot 32 times while reaching for his ID card. and you can find the granny on Utube by now no doubt. She didn't look dangerous to me John, but I doubt there is any thing I could say to shake your fervor about how cops= good all the time. I am sure you want the last word so take it we will just have to agree to disagree
John Antonelli said:Send us a link but note police have been killed by dead bodies and some of thso egrannies especailly the psycho ones are damn dangerous....
Still say in any issue with the police be civil and respectful and if you are not happy with your treatment go to the station and file a report and if you get no joy there, take them to court. But note in these kinds of cases and before a jury, the police usually win.
Jacqueline English said:Ok guys this just in, check out the video where a police officer tasers a 70 year grandma because she was talking back she was 4 feet from the cop and half his size. This is what I am talking about
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Permalink Reply by Jacqueline English on
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Thank. You. Karl I figured by now that talking to John is a waste of time I wanted have a discussion about whether or not someone could be arrested for saying something the police don't like as opposed to really disturbing the peace. Disturbing the peace vs disturbing police. I may have gotten my cases mixed up but neither case shows the police in a good light.
John Antonelli said:So a 20+ year career in criminal justice is not enough to know from whence I speak? Bottom line, you are a cop you see someone acting suspiciously say stealing things from a building you tell him to stop, put his hands up and instead he reaches into his coat and is pulling something out. I draw quickly and fire kiling him. Righteous shoot because in thsi case he was pulling out a gun and wanted to shoot me because he had a life time of warrants outstanding fro hsi arrest. But you know what, he could have just been pulling out a wallet. Those are the choices you have to make as a police officer and you know what we say. Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
Jacqueline, just how much jail time did the cops get in the case you reference and no it was not Abner Louima who was shot, he was sodomized in a police station rest room, something few in law enforcement condoned, so please be sure you get yoru research done properly it was Amadou Bailo Diallo. So much for my lazy research skills yes.
Karl said:Jacqueline,
Don't bother. John is lazy. I have done the back and forth thing with him before. He will not do his own homework to find information that is in opposition to his own thinking. Also, when presented with the truth he will voice only visceral opinions, not ones backed by data that would force an otherwise thinking person to at least re-examine their position.
He has referred to police activities as "righteous kills" in some of the exchanges he and I have had. When we discussed the Abner Louima case he believed that the cops were wholly justified in killing an unarmed man.
In short, you will get nowhere with trying to get him to see the world outside of his well fortified, personal, comfortable blinders. Sometimes, when a person's frame of reference is narrow there is just nothing you can do, especially if that person is willing to do nothing to broaden their view.
Jacqueline English said:You are a hard case, I doubt you have ever been harassed by cops you are a very sheltered man but they can get out of line just ask Abner Louisma who was shot 32 times while reaching for his ID card. and you can find the granny on Utube by now no doubt. She didn't look dangerous to me John, but I doubt there is any thing I could say to shake your fervor about how cops= good all the time. I am sure you want the last word so take it we will just have to agree to disagree
John Antonelli said:Send us a link but note police have been killed by dead bodies and some of thso egrannies especailly the psycho ones are damn dangerous....
Still say in any issue with the police be civil and respectful and if you are not happy with your treatment go to the station and file a report and if you get no joy there, take them to court. But note in these kinds of cases and before a jury, the police usually win.
Jacqueline English said:Ok guys this just in, check out the video where a police officer tasers a 70 year grandma because she was talking back she was 4 feet from the cop and half his size. This is what I am talking about
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Permalink Reply by John Antonelli on
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Just what is the difference between disturbing the peace and disturbing police? Who deicded this (answer the police). In any interaction with police officers, it behooves you to be polite quite and comply with their direction immediately. If you are not happy with the way you were treated the time nad place to deal with that is after the interaction is completed. Anything else and you very well will wind up like Mr. Gates.
Jacqueline, please explain how the Diallo shooting was a bad shoot Did any police officers go to jail over it? As I recall the family did get some money but that was nusiance suit money in that it is easier and cheaper to make a settlement than fight it in court. I am very interested in how in the space of a second that an officer has to make a critical decision with a non compliant suspect, who does exactly what he is told not to do, just how the police could have done it better.
May I suggest you sit down with a Red Stripe and watch a few episodes of COPS. I promise I won't tell PBS that you changed the channel if you don't tell on me....
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Permalink Reply by Jason Novak (WAMU 88.5) on -
Everyone, let's not resort to name-calling and insults. This started out as a thoughtful exchange...
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