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Morning Links
Friday, April 6th, 2012- Update: After public outcry, the Minnesota waitress from the post below this one will get to keep the full $12,000.
- Headline of the day.
- Danziger bridge cops will spend decades in prison for murdering unarmed citizens after Katrina. I wonder if conservative columnist Deroy Murdock still considers the incident “a magnificent and morally pristine use of force.”
- DHS officials attempt to seize $35,000 from a family traveling to Ethiopia by tricking them into violating federal law.
- Federal civil rights investigation critical of another local police department.
- This hero pup would almost certainly have been described as “vicious” if it had been police who had mistakenly broken into the home.
- 7 Rules for Recording the Police.
- SpongePulp FictionPants (NSFW audio).
- Blood pressure-spiking story of the day.
That Miller guy from the last story sounds like a psycho.
Judge Lynn Hughes’ opinion in that Ethiopia seizure case is just fantastic. It’s worth reading the whole thing.
I am sure the DHS techniques are commonplace, and this is probably one rare instance of them getting dinged for it, but it is satisfying to know that there are judges who are willing to write so directly against it.
DHS seizing money… a strange way of contributing to “Security.”
So Uncle Sam’s agents are now seizing Travellers’ Checks?
…Further evidence that they have become more of a nuisance
than the thieves and muggers…
Does Moore have a donation fund set up? That guys needs all our support.
RE: The waitress story
So, like cockroaches when the lights come on, the police scuttled for cover when they got caught trying to swipe the $12,000.
My apologies to any cockroaches I may have offended by my previous post.
Regarding the cops trying to keep the money by claiming that they were just following rules and procedures: This is some specious reasoning, considering they set the rules and procedures.
WRT the last link, it’s a sad commentary on how useless our media is that the Treyvon Martin shooting is THE national crime headline, but several police committing an unprovoked act of premeditated attempted murder on a disabled vet literally just minding his own business during the day is just a foot note.
** the differences between the two cases being that Treyvon Martin was between two private actors. This one was committed by the police force of one of the wealthiest cities in the country on a disabled combat veteran who was unambiguously not breaking the law when approached. If they can do that to a disabled white veteran with impunity, just imagine what they can do to blacks.
The last story is why I’ve been saying for years that we need an independent, privatized body of special investigators who’s sole purpose is to review incidents like this and press charges against the police. Give them some sort of immunity from arrest and prosecution while they are in the process of performing their duties, and turn them loose.
I will never, ever understand how guys like Miller get away with what they get away with. I can not believe that there isn’t one cop in all of Denver that see this guy for what he is and has the cojones to stand up for what is right.
I don’t even care if Moore WAS resisting. If a guy in police custody is beaten until he is unconscious, something is horribly, horribly wrong. Especially if he was conscious when he was handcuffed, and then, after being handcuffed, was somehow resisting enough to need to be beaten some more.
It seems like all police need to do is continue to chant “stop resisting” and they can get away with anything.
It is interesting how many civil rights investigations of LEOs we get with a black president. Not saying they should be done. Saying LEOs got used to not having Uncle Sam judge the merits of their harassment, beatings, torture, setups and murder. Sadly, Uncle Sam is not supposed to—that is what sworn to defend your individual Rights local judges and other public officials are for.
I bet all but one of the Danzinger bridge killer cops spends less than two years in prison.
I bet the waitress will be giving a lot of her check to her lawyer…who got a lot of positive press.
The Moore case occurred four years ago. The Martin case occurred four weeks ago. I think this accounts for the disparity in coverage.
Balko/Grigg — the best one-two nutpunch in the biz.
#8/9 Yes, there’s no disputing that the Treyvon Martin case, whatever else you want to say about it, became Big News primarily because it could be used (albeit stupidly) to indict gun ownership and ‘private’ racism. Real cops pull shit like that on black guys all the time and none of those assholes care.
#10, Yes, it’s SOP. Ergo, it’s justified. Or something.
#9
If they can do that to a disabled white veteran with impunity, just imagine what they can do to blacks.
_____________________________________
It’s called the drug war
#10
I would love for such a body but it would be only a matter of time until such a body is corrupted as much as internal affairs departments are. In addition this would be an election killer as any politician would be branded as being weak on crime by their opponent. The liberal would be painted as pro-criminal while the conservative and the libertarian would be accused of being a secret liberal.
#11
The only reason the Obama Administration is doing this is because it’s election time. The left is worse than the right when it comes to abuse from government street thugs. They put these dog and pony show investigations to show independents that they actually “care” when people get the unjustified wrath of the government thug. At least the right admits that they’re badge lickers who view the rights of the accused as “liberal coddling of criminals”
#14
Because people have been conditioned to believe that the word and actions of the thugs in blue is on par with Jesus. Criticizing them is akin to being pro-criminal, communist, etc.
Re: the Martin case – that took off when the looney left realized that they could falsely claim that the “stand your ground” law that they hate could possibly be demonized by tying it to that (possible) crime. Had it not been for that the story probably would have faded away quickly.
Re: the $12K – I typically call or at least email the department and individual officers if possible. I don’t do death threats or wish them death or anything like that. I do call them “vile scum”, “filth”, or whatever apt term comes to mind. Anyway, the point is that it helps to make them know that people are watching.
#13,
And yet it was a foot note 4 years ago back when the combined opposition to the wars and general cross spectrum public sympathy for the returning veterans would have laid the foundation for a ratings increasing controversy that would have blown the Martin case out of the water. I think JOR is right. The media simply doesn’t give a rat’s ass about police brutality unless it has a juicy anti-gun or racism angle.
a@ #10
“beaten until he is unconscious”
that’s the part that always gets me – what kind of human(oid)
can do that? To repeatedly strike someone cowering at your feet…
Not only that, to continue bellowing “Stop Resisting” when you’ve gone from beating an unarmed man, to beating a prone and restrained man, to beating an unconscious man, to beating what amounts to a bloody pile of raw meat and tattered clothing – it’s…
It’s…
Well, it’s really not a surprise anymore.
https://imgur.com/hQhz2
The DHS and Ethiopian family’s story just shows what low life scumbags those in law enforcement really are. They don’t care what’s right or moral. Just “GET” somebody for something.
Rohu,
Psychopath, plain and simple. And one who’s been given the power and authority of the govt. Scary, scary story, no doubt.
And as for all the other cops who let it continue: cowards and pathetic sheep.
http://waltontribune.com/news/article_aadf7f04-7c51-11e1-a994-0019bb2963f4.html
Here’s another puppy shooting.
re: The headline of the day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A1hp1jJkg0
Interim County Attorney Michelle W. Lawson: “Unfortunately, this came across as a case of government corruption”
Because that’s what it was, you ignorant slut!
@10 – Yea, about that.
Look up the UK’s “Independent Police Complaints Commission”
They CAUSED the riots last year here by their incompetence.
It’s no panacea.
I’m off to pester Deroy Murdock about how terrible he is (while it is still legal to do so).