Kennedy

And I've alreday said that I know (not think, know) that it's not kosher to leave a handcuffed subject. That was wrong. Also, as far as I can tell, he actually could have used a little bit of higher force to prevent the shenanigans from going on as long as they did. A little oleo capsicum goes a long way with people who are resisting arrest. It's not somehting they tend to forget either. He let himself get too hyped up. It happens to everyone. If anyone here thinks they can find a single person who doesn't have limits and/or will never find them is dreaming. I don't think he needs more training. I think ALL cops need more training. But all these whiners that want better cops don't want to foot the bill for all that better training. Kind of a Catch 22 for police trainers. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

You've got to be kidding me, right? While it's pretty widely accepted that the cops who arrested King did NOT do it right, you have got to be joking with that logic. Police are taught to use their baton is way that does NOT cause serious bodily injury. Breaking major bones qualifies are serious injury. The leg and arm are first level striking targets. They can be struck, causing major pain and possible loss of movement, without permanent damage. Hitting it 24 times is overkill, and the cop should realize that his tactic isn't working and move to another, but I can only laugh at you when you say that because major damage wasn't done, that is your evidence of intent to do major damage. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

That's because the law gives cops the right to use force to overcome force. Here in North Carolina, it's G.S. 15A-401(d). Look it up, your state and every other has a similar law. It says when a cop makes an arrest, he can use force to (A) defend himself and (B) overcome force used to resist the arrest. Why don't you tell us about your "plain evidence." Go on, tell us what you know about what happened before the cop was rolling around on the ground trying to put the handcuffs on the kid. Let the rest of us know what you seem to have miraculously divined. Right, you're the epitome of unbiased observer, and have no axes to grind with law enforcement. Hey, TRY TO KEEP UP. YOU HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT WENT ON BEFORE THE VIDEO CAMERA CAUGHT UP. Why do you think the cop had the kid on the ground. Do you think that the cop yanked him off the board and threw him on the ground for no reason? Newsflash: cops don't arrest people on the ground unless they resist or they are wanted on felony warrrants. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

I don't understand why grown adults don't have a better understanding than teenagers on the scene. I understand if they were too ignorant, agitated, and stressed to understand, but adults after the fact should be able to comprhend that kids were not grabbed by the throat for skateboarding. They were placed undersrrest for city code violation, fleeing, resisting arrest, interferring with law enforcement, and possible more, depending on the jurisdiction. People, you need to pull your collective head out of your ass and pay attention. THe kids escalated the situation to to point of violence. If they had just done as they were told, they would;ve either been given a verbal warning or a citation. No big deal, no one would;ve ended up on the ground, and there wouldn't have been any problems. However, they just had to mouth off, run, fight, and interfere. Sorry folks, but regardless of what the original offence is, if you do all that, you're going to jail, whether you want to or not. Hell, I'm not even sure everyone here knows which one was the female. The first suspect, the one in the still picture on his back with the cop on top of him, is a MALE. He is NOT being choked, he is being held down by his shirt. The only accusations of choking come from an unintended position the cop finds himself in with two suspects (one of which has a blond pony tail and is over 18) and the "hold" lasts for about a second and a half. well, at least we agree the "kids" need some kind of discipline or intervention. I put kids in quotes because aparently two of them are over 18. That's NOT the skateboarder beat. That's the downtown beat, where skateboarding is illegal. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

Wow, way to educate yourself about what actually happened, rather than stating you'd murder a law enforcement officer based on fictitious circumstances. See above post. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

Boy, it's nice to be educated about a situation before you speak. It prevents you looking like an ass, and lets you predict the outcome far more effectively than ignorant follks. http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=nation_world&id=5445837 http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2007/07/cop_cleared.aspx http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/07/04/news/070507arskate.txt witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

Thankfully, most kids out there aren't your "any kid." Your "any kid" is a piece of trash, and committed several misdemeanors. That video is just one more piece of tripe posted to YouTube by an ignorant schumck who doesn't know a damn thing about the law or police procedures. Is someone going to hire a lawyer to go after the town? I don't doubt it. Are they going to get a dime? Not a chance, unless the city wants to invite someone to file a lawsuit every time there is a use of force by settling. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

Do you honestly think that with all the private and governmental efforts to "snuff out" the gun industry and private gun ownership that it is safe without constant intervention? Come on now. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

NEWSFLASH: SMOKELESS POWDER IS NOT AN EXPLOSIVE. And how, pray tell, would a retail outlet, you know, the "facility containing explosives" ensure that none of the verbotten item got within 50 feet? Bill, have you ever been to a place that works with real explosives? Converting the firearms and ammunition manufacturing industry, as well as warehouses, distributors, ad retailers, to meet those standards would run in the hundreds of millions easily. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

http://www.nssf.org/news/PR_idx.cfm?PRloc=common/PR/&PR=BP070207.cfm witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

Thanks for clearing up my misconception. Like I said, if all you were doing was speeding, then a speeding charge, with a possible side order of careless and reckless, is in order. I doubt most cops would impound your vehicle and haul you off to the local jail. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

Carbs schmarbs, just hit the gym harder. It's the high-fructose corn syrup and caffeine that FUBAR my body. disclaimer: By hit the gym, I mean workout. I don't use a gym. When in doubt, walk further, do a little more of that silly video, or make you man a little happier a little longer. All great cardio for killing carbs. Besides, it LIGHT. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

Just ask any fire fighter what scares the bejeezus out of them, and they'll tell you than ammunition (and rocket motors, professor) are not even on the list, let alone high on the list. Every fire fighter with an iota of training knows that ammunition is no more dangerous during transit than a container of popcorn. All these new definitions/regulations are going to do is raise the price paid by people who have ammunition shipped to them. I've been one in the past, but depending on how this affects price, rather how much it raises the price, will determine whether or not I continue to do so. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

You are officially cool in my book. (RoadRash would agree with you, incidentally) witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

right ... about ... here ... witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

This is the best part. (from teh second story, no shots fired) I bet those six or seven punches hurt like hell. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

I very much doubt it was dumb luck, it was just made to look that way to protect sources. Standard practice. zshou vil seece und dezizt vrom revee-link met-huds und zoor-sez, oor face zee coonzekwensez, vor dee hoomlant. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

So you would ban an item, and have the government confiscate private property, just because it was involved in between 100 and 800 accidental deaths? Nice. So you would ban: Ladders Automobiles Swimming pools Bathtubs Electricity and Doctors Interesting world you propose. Not sure I'd want to live there, though. Besides, you're working on a faulty premise when you assume that removing firearms would have no effect on the crime rate. Between 760,000 and 3.6 million crimes are stopped because of the presence of guns. You also don't present any kind of plan to get guns from criminals, the people who are the problem, and who would not turn in their guns. http://www.gunsandcrime.org/dgufreq.html http://www.guncite.com/gun_control_gcdguse.html http://www.saf.org/journal/11Kleck.pdf witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

(A) I've got respect for Darius, even when we disagree vehemently. (B) I find it interesting how after reading a story (or just part of a story) so many people jumped to the conclusion that it was white people who beat a man to death. Those damned "redneck christians," and such. Before you go applying negative stereotype, be sure the people involved can even be labelled with those stereotypes. The fact is neither the person who struck the child with his car, nor the people who beat him to death, were white. Hell, I wonder if there were even any white people in the neighborhood. (C) Damn those warmongering 'nucks. Burn my White House, will you... witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

OK, if you think it's so cool that he let you off, I have to ask you, do you want everyone doing 95 in a 65 to be let off with a warning? Or are you just frickin special, sunshine? Would I think a cop should take you to jail for doing 95 in a 65? Probably not. Charging you with speeding, careless and reckless driving, and any other offense you committed should be sufficient to get the message across. The final arrest vs. citation decision would depend on what else you've done (right then and there, not prior history) and what your attitude is when the cop approaches you. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

Even if that was the case, does it warrent a fully grown man placing his hands around the neck of a young girl? If you are talking about the cop kneeling over the kid at the start of the tape, (A) I already explained that it is not choking in an earlier post, and (B) that is not a girl. If you mean later on in the video when the cop is trying to place the girl with the ponytail under arrest and another kid gets in the middle, I don't think he intended to choke them, but when he grabs them and they struggle, it can happen. He's wrong for letting it get to a choking position, but I don't think he intended to choke them. Either way the hold lasted for maybe a second, total. As for why he ended up with his forearm around her upper torso and possibly neck area, you can look to her resisting arrest and her little friend who screamed at the cop at the top of his lungs. Of course, at that distance (arm's reach), his best bet when dealing with multiple suspects who area resisting is to use OC spray and your radio (to call other units, not to smack them). With the cop-haters and "I have a problem with authority" types posting here squealing about wrestling with the kids, I can only imagine their response to using chemical sprays. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

I figured as much. In your mind the kids did nothing wrong and the cop did everything wrong. The kids violated a city oridnance. (you can go to jail for that) The kids didn't obey directions of an officer investigating a crime. (you can go to jail for that) When the officer caught them an told them they were under arrest, and attempted to handcuff them, they physically resisted. (you can go to jail for that) But yeah, the kids are angels who were victims of excessive force by a deranged cop who doesn't belong on the streets. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

His back up is trying to cal him down? Try again. His back up is there trying to get the kids/violators/criminals to back up and obey. If you think the first cop is going overboard, watch again and you'll see the second cop has his hand over his sidearm (that means he's holding onto his gun). The sirens in the background? That is other cops responding to a foot pursuit and violators resisting arrest. The first cop was wrong to leave his prisoner, but in reality those kids are lucky they didn't get peppersprayed. As much as you don't like it, it would have been legally justified. What, you think the human body doesn't exhibit signs of stress after wrestling and running? Interesting world you live in. Well, thankfully law enfrocement is not ruled by ignorant Johnny-come-latelys. Instead there are lawyers and judges and departmental supervisors to serve that role. They know a little more about it than you do. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

When I see people make assumptions without any backstory or evidence, I wonder how they can think a cop will give a shit about their opinion. No evidence? THERE WAS VIDEO! Did the video show what happened BEFORE everyone was rolling on the ground? No? Then you don't know what happened that caused the cop to resort to physical arrests, do you? I didn't jump to conclusions. I watched the video and then made conclusions. The cop should show more control. The kids should show more respect. Well, we agree there. But you need to understandthat resisting arrest is more than disrespect. It's a crime. The cop, yeah, like I said he should never have left his prisoner. That kid was his responsibility as soon as the cuffs went on. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*

I agree with you on one point. He should not have left the first one that he handcuffed. I'm sure that's the largest part of why he is on admin duty after then incident. However, I have several points where I disagree with you. First, the still picture at the beginning, you say he's choking the kid. I've seen cops in that position before. The cop is most likely holding on to the kid's shirt just below the collar, and when he pushes down, the shirt moves and his fist is on his left, the kid's right, side of the neck. It'sholding the kid down, not choking him. It's been mistaken for choking before, but it's not. It's like a head lock. I have video somewhere of an Asian cop ere in teh states holding an arrestee in a headlock, and the arrestee is shouting "you're choking me, you're choking me." Well, he's screaming, so he's not being choked. Same idea here. It looks bad, but it's not choking or grabbing the neck. Police manners? Are you referring to professionalism and courtesy? Those should be everyone's manners, not just police. But as to why he is not exhibiting those traits? The incident has gone way beyond sirs and ma'ams by the time someone is on the ground. It's always good to be able to talk to someone when they are resisting, but that's not always an option. Like I said in a previous post, how do you know he didn't approach the encounter with all professionalism and courtesy? Not all encounters can be de-escalated or defused. Juveniles can be that much more difficult that other folks. Just ask parents. You can't always act cool when you are wrestling someone to the ground and putting on the handcuffs. It looks better when you can, but that's not always possible. It's a good thing they didn't actively assault the officer, because that is a good way to end up with serious injuries. Or dead. Using weapons on a cop is a first class way to commit suicide. I didn't assume that anyone committed serious assaults. At no point did I say they attacked the officer. However, they resisted a lawful arrest. That never turns out well for the person doing it. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1*