The Shooting Gallery: Police Violence MEGATHREAD

[11B4V]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p04BeElmr0o

[Jacob]

Something like 70% of Ferguson are convicted felons because they couldn't pay their $1500 traffic fines on time. The place is a nightmare of crime-based revenue cultivation.

So is the dude a felon for failing to pay his rolling stop ticket or a real one?

And let me guess, felons can't vote right?

[derspiess]

This fella Louis Head is also a convicted felon out on parole, if you want to throw that in to the mix, Seedy.

What'd he do?

Two narcotics convictions; may be some other stuff as well.  He's been in & out of prison and has violated his parole before. 

[lustindarkness]

Once they were actually up close and the kid went for something in his waistband, part of me can understand the reaction. But part of me feels like they should have taken in the totality of the situation, namely that this is clearly a little kid, a pre-teen even, and that they should consider what they're doing a little differently.

That being said it's probably worth mentioning this kid had an airsoft gun, which is somewhere between a the harmless toy Jacob is going "pew pew" with and a dangerous weapon. It's more akin to a sling shot--it is a toy, but you can really hurt someone with one. I played with such guns as a kid, but I spent a lot of time in rural areas, I'm not sure it's wise to let your kids play with air soft guns at public playgrounds in the city limits of a big city. In fact I wouldn't be shocked if it's against ordinance. I only bring that up to say that somewhere in the guardianship chain of this kid, something broke down. I wasn't allowed to touch an airlift gun until I had been thoroughly taught "this is for shooting stuff with like cans or whatever, you NEVER point this at another kid or shoot another kid with it." You could (to quote a famous movie) put someone's eye out.

My son has a replica AR-15 airsoft rifle, and he was and still is pissed at me that I won't let him play with his buddies in the park behind the local junior high school, even during the summer.

It is illegal to have a "weapon" in public in New York, and I told him that there was no way he was brandishing it in public. He thinks I am a big jerk who doesn't let him have any fun, and all his friends are allowed.

Airsoft as a sport has grown a lot in the area, it used to be a bunch of us old farts that usually are a lot smarter about real looking weapons in public, now as the sport grows there are a lot more not so smart kids out there.

For example, we used play at a public park after midnight with the blessing of the local PD. Now we can only play at paid airsoft fields because kids started to go to the park by themselves, earlier in the evening and not in organized games (read no one called the PD ahead of time). Just imagine joggers freaking out calling 911 that a bunch of kids with assault rifles were at the park.

[CountDeMoney]

N.Y. / Region
In Eric Garner Chokehold Case, Grand Jury Is Said Not to Charge N.Y.P.D. Officer
By J. DAVID GOODMAN and AL BAKERDEC. 3, 2014

A Staten Island grand jury has voted not to bring criminal charges in the death of Eric Garner, a black man who died after being placed in a chokehold by a white police officer, two people briefed on the matter said Wednesday.

The decision was reached on Wednesday after months of testimony including from the officer who used the chokehold, Daniel Pantaleo. Mr. Garner died after the violent confrontation. The grand jury reached its decision less than two weeks after a grand jury in Ferguson, Mo., declined to bring charges against a white officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown.

For days, the New York Police Department has been readying for a new round of protests, which began in the city after the Ferguson decision and were expected to continue and possibly grow if the grand jury declined to bring charges against the officer.

The officer at the center of the Staten Island case released a statement offering the family of Mr. Garner his sympathies.

"I became a police officer to help people and to protect those who can't protect themselves," Officer Pantaleo said. "It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner. My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope that they will accept my personal condolences for their loss."

Jonathan C. Moore, a lawyer for the Garner family, said they hoped that federal prosecutors would continue to examine the case, and he urged people upset by the decision to voice their dismay, but to do so peacefully.

"We're astounded by the outcome of the grand jury process and that after hearing months of evidence and having deliberated that they would find no true bill as to any potential criminal charge," Mr. Moore said in a brief phone interview.

"It's very upsetting to us – we obviously hope that the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District, Loretta Lynch, will take a close look at this."

In Ferguson, protesters and police officers clashed in the streets almost immediately after Mr. Brown's killing by Officer Darren Wilson in August; riots erupted on the night the grand jury's decision was announced last month. By contrast, in late August, a demonstration on Staten Island over the death of Mr. Garner, 43, proceeded without confrontation or arrest.

Police Commissioner William J. Bratton, speaking at a news conference earlier Wednesday, said that he expected any protests to be peaceful and that the police were prepared to deal with anyone seeking to cause trouble.

"We have had quite a bit of time to prepare for the events that will unfold here for the next few days," Mr. Bratton said.

While seeking to ensure that people can voice their opinions, Mr. Bratton said the police would "take forceful action" against those who used the protests to break the law.

The grand jury, impanelled by District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan Jr. in September, has weighed evidence – including a video recorded by bystanders of Mr. Garner's violent arrest – and heard testimony from the officers involved.

Grand juries determine whether enough evidence exists for a case to go forward to a criminal trial, either before a jury or a judge. By law, they operate in secret and hear only evidence presented by prosecutors, who also instruct the grand jurors on the law. Defense lawyers are barred from speaking. For a decision, 12 jurors who have heard all the evidence must agree.

An indictment was considered only against Officer Pantaleo, who testified last, on Nov. 21, his lawyer, Stuart London, said. The other officers received immunity, he said.

The case exposed lapses in police tactics – chokeholds are banned by the Police Department's own guidelines – and raised questions about the aggressive policing of minor offenses in a time of historically low crime. The officers, part of a plainclothes unit, suspected Mr. Garner of selling loose cigarettes on the street near the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, a complaint among local business owners.

Mr. Garner's death hastened an effort to retrain all the department's patrol officers and brought scrutiny on how officers who violate its rules are disciplined. Officer Pantaleo has been stripped of his gun and badge.

It was unclear whether Officer Pantaleo would return to enforcement duties.Commissioner . Bratton said he would remain on suspension pending an internal investigation by the Police Department.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who is scheduled to hold a news conference with Mr. Garner's family later in the evening, said that he was not surprised by the decision and that he had little faith in local prosecutors to pursue cases against the police.

"People thought we were being extreme," said Mr. Sharpton. "But now, I think you can see, we have no confidence in the state grand juries, whether in Ferguson or in New York, because there is an intrinsic relationship between state prosecutors and the police; they depend on the police for their evidence, they run for office and depend on the unions for endorsements."

[DontSayBanana]

"I became a police officer to help people and to protect those who can't protect themselves," Officer Pantaleo said. "It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner. My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope that they will accept my personal condolences for their loss."

It was a chokehold.  A move so dangerous it's banned by pretty much every law enforcement agency across the country.  Either he's full of it or too stupid to wear the badge.

[CountDeMoney]

It was a chokehold.  A move so dangerous it's banned by pretty much every law enforcement agency across the country.  Either he's full of it or too stupid to wear the badge.

But see, it's OK, because the suspect was black.

[Jacob]

This fella Louis Head is also a convicted felon out on parole, if you want to throw that in to the mix, Seedy.

What'd he do?

Two narcotics convictions; may be some other stuff as well.  He's been in & out of prison and has violated his parole before.

Any idea if those were "had 25 kg of cocaine" or "was smoking a joint on his porch" convictions?

[Valmy]

Oh, shut the fuck up already, you ignorant douchebag.  Fathers who bury sons get a pass on the shit they say.  So fuck off. 

It was his step-father, and if you incite a mob you're still responsible for your words.  Losing a step-son or even your own son is no excuse to incite people to burn down a neighborhood. 

I know I know.  White property > black lives.  I watched Do the Right Thing as well.

[derspiess]

Any idea if those were "had 25 kg of cocaine" or "was smoking a joint on his porch" convictions?

No clue, man.  Let us know what you find out.

[Eddie Teach]

I know I know.  White property > black lives.  I watched Do the Right Thing as well.

Mookie was a little punk.

[derspiess]

Oh, shut the fuck up already, you ignorant douchebag.  Fathers who bury sons get a pass on the shit they say.  So fuck off. 

It was his step-father, and if you incite a mob you're still responsible for your words.  Losing a step-son or even your own son is no excuse to incite people to burn down a neighborhood. 

I know I know.  White property > black lives.  I watched Do the Right Thing as well.

A black life was lost in the rioting & several were injured.  Some of the damaged/destroyed businesses were minority-owned.  Add that to your equation.

[garbon]

I hope NYC doesn't decide to act crazy tonight.

[Admiral Yi]

Any idea if those were "had 25 kg of cocaine" or "was smoking a joint on his porch" convictions?

A joint on your porch doesn't get you a felony.

[garbon]

I can hear the protesters from my office (and I'm on the 14th floor). Chants of "fight back!" Unlike Mono, I'm torn as I sympathize with them but wish they would protest...somewhere else.