Baltimore Riots

[kimmy]

Today, I found another article that says in the US police have killed more people than those Americans killed in the Iraqi war. If the article is true and we'll have to wait and see, the US, this summer is going to be violent and I'm old enough to remember the rioting in the 1960's. http://www.globalresearch.ca/is-the-federal-government-ready-for-war-against-the-american-people/5446852

oh for ... no, there's no secret plan to declare martial law.

-k

[Argus]

Ah..no. Politicians are vetted many ways including by the party they join and of course by the electorate. Cops, not so much. As they can wield their power under cover of darkness in back alleys etc.

This is a ridiculous assertion. The only thing that matters to political parties is whether a candidate is likely to win, and they certainly don't care if they're honest, fair minded or have the slightest degree of integrity. As for the electorate, they know almost nothing about the individuals they vote for.

Edited May 3, 2015 by Argus

[Argus]

WE PAY THEIR SALARIES! THEY WORK FOR US!

Not if you're among the 30% of Canadians who pay no income tax. In fact, I'd bet that almost none of the people the cops deal with on a daily basis pays much or any taxes. Most of the people they deal with are on the losing end of society, and act like it. The police know this, and I'm sure it has an impact on how they behave towards them.

Edited May 3, 2015 by Argus

[kimmy]

This is a ridiculous assertion. The only thing that matters to political parties is whether a candidate is likely to win, and they certainly don't care if they're honest, fair minded or have the slightest degree of integrity. As for the electorate, they know almost nothing about the individuals they vote for.

This stuff regarding the power wielded by politicians is a ridiculous diversion from the topic.

If you find yourself cornered by a group of thugs in a parkade, does it matter to you that the urban poor are virtually powerless in society? nuh-uh. At that moment, in that situation, those urban poor-people have a great deal of power over you, far more so than some distant politician. Likewise when you find yourself face-to-face with the police.

Not if you're among the 30% of Canadians who pay no income tax. In fact, I'd bet that almost none of the people the cops deal with on a daily basis pays much or any taxes. Most of the people they deal with are on the losing end of society, and act like it. The police know this, and I'm sure it has an impact on how they behave towards them.

I once had an acquaintance who worked in the emergency room at a hospital in Edmonton's north side. They said it was very frustrating watching the same people show up at emergency over and over. People who had drank crap trying to get drunk. People punched or kicked or stabbed in drunken brawls. People sick from eating or smoking something trying to get high. People-- poor people, disproportionately native-- with trouble that traced back to their own stupidity. And they'd see the same faces over and over, and think "I wonder what Joe drank this time," and they'd see unfamiliar natives come in and expect that they too had been involved in some kind of ill-fated drinking party and usually that was correct. And they said that after seeing the same thing over and over again, it was becoming hard not to be prejudiced, and hard not to wonder "what's the point of helping Joe when he's just going to be back here again next week?"

And I have no doubt that cops feel the same kind of frustration.

-k

[sharkman]

There are hundreds of threads on this forum that indicate that people are very concerned with governmental powers. Are we only supposed to be concerned with one thing at a time?

Politicians have the power to make "big picture" decisions that affect lots of people, but when you interact with the police they have direct and immediate power over you in a way that no politician has.

-k

No, I didn't suggest that we should only be concerned with one thing at a time. I had read the previous post above mine which suggested it was silly to believe that politicians have more power than police officers. In fact, the police are there to uphold the laws that the politicians write. In a way they do the bidding of the politicians.

[Argus]

So a couple of cops saw this guy, this Black guy, adjusting 'an object' at his waist in New York the other day. Naturally they suspected something was wrong. It was. As they approached him he pulled out a gun and opened fired, hitting one in the head, before fleeing.

I don't mention it because it's unusual. I mention it because it's almost a cliche of what cops are thinking whenever they see a black man acting in any way suspiciously. They man in question was a career criminal with a long list of priors, including attempted murder. This is the kind of thing which has them on edge and ready to assume the worst of people - and act like it, all too often. It leads to the informal cop motto "Better to be judged by twelve than carried by six."

Edited May 3, 2015 by Argus

[Bob Macadoo]

Good point. I guess we're suppose to believe that these black officers are racist against blacks. The other sides argument implodes as usual.

Yep that's never been seen before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlGKaE3mqY0

[On Guard for Thee]

This is a ridiculous assertion. The only thing that matters to political parties is whether a candidate is likely to win, and they certainly don't care if they're honest, fair minded or have the slightest degree of integrity. As for the electorate, they know almost nothing about the individuals they vote for.

And your ridiculous assertion basically made my point, so thanks.

[Argus]

And your ridiculous assertion basically made my point, so thanks.

Julian Fantino.

[On Guard for Thee]

So a couple of cops saw this guy, this Black guy, adjusting 'an object' at his waist in New York the other day. Naturally they suspected something was wrong. It was. As they approached him he pulled out a gun and opened fired, hitting one in the head, before fleeing.

I don't mention it because it's unusual. I mention it because it's almost a cliche of what cops are thinking whenever they see a black man acting in any way suspiciously. They man in question was a career criminal with a long list of priors, including attempted murder. This is the kind of thing which has them on edge and ready to assume the worst of people - and act like it, all too often. It leads to the informal cop motto "Better to be judged by twelve than carried by six."

Well at least this gang of 6 in Baltimore will finally be judged by 12.

[kimmy]

So a couple of cops saw this guy, this Black guy, adjusting 'an object' at his waist in New York the other day. Naturally they suspected something was wrong. It was. As they approached him he pulled out a gun and opened fired, hitting one in the head, before fleeing.

I don't mention it because it's unusual. I mention it because it's almost a cliche of what cops are thinking whenever they see a black man acting in any way suspiciously. They man in question was a career criminal with a long list of priors, including attempted murder. This is the kind of thing which has them on edge and ready to assume the worst of people - and act like it, all too often. It leads to the informal cop motto "Better to be judged by twelve than carried by six."

I don't see how that relates to an unarmed person who was shackled hand and foot in the back of a van somehow arriving at the station with a severed spine.

-k

[sharkman]

Well at least this gang of 6 in Baltimore will finally be judged by 12.

Speaking of which, since 3 of the 6 are black, can they even be accused of racist behaviour? This doesn't quite fit the narrative of white cops beating black perps.

[On Guard for Thee]

Speaking of which, since 3 of the 6 are black, can they even be accused of racist behaviour? This doesn't quite fit the narrative of white cops beating black perps.

Well maybe thats why charges were finally laid in this case. Seriously though, as a human rights advocate from the area suggested in an interview following these charges being laid, black cops in many USPDs arent so much black as they are blue. In other words I guess they just follow the lead.

[Big Guy]

I have been reading the analysis by experienced lawyers of the charges that have been laid against those 6 police. The consensus is that it will be very difficult to get a conviction on most of these charges - even if these officers turn against each other.

The predominant opinion was that this was a political move attempting to kick the problem down the road to another place and time.

They felt that only one (maybe two) convictions would be the final result because of the lack of evidence.

[Shady]

I have been reading the analysis by experienced lawyers of the charges that have been laid against those 6 police. The consensus is that it will be very difficult to get a conviction on most of these charges - even if these officers turn against each other.

The predominant opinion was that this was a political move attempting to kick the problem down the road to another place and time.

They felt that only one (maybe two) convictions would be the final result because of the lack of evidence.

Yep, the charges are a huge overreach.

[GostHacked]

I suspect that describes more politicians than cops. Government is where you acquire real power.

The multiple militarized police units across the nation are utilized to maintain that real power. Wait, this is still not a police state, right?

[Shady]

The multiple militarized police units across the nation are utilized to maintain that real power. Wait, this is still not a police state, right?

Nope, not even close to a police state. There is no right or freedom to destroy other people's property. Never has been, never will be.

[Shady]

Yep that's never been seen before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlGKaE3mqY0

Oh yeah, you can see lots of things in movies. There's a guy in a cape that flys around saving people too!

[Bryan]

Oh yeah, you can see lots of things in movies. There's a guy in a cape that flys around saving people too!

I saw a guy drive a 3 million dollar car through the air through three buildings a good 500 ft up last night. It was in a movie, so it must have actually happened, right?

[kimmy]

Nope, not even close to a police state. There is no right or freedom to destroy other people's property. Never has been, never will be.

Peaceful protest has failed to produce any change. A long history of successful civil suits against Baltimore's PD has also failed to produce any change.

-k

[Bryan]

Peaceful protest has failed to produce any change. A long history of successful civil suits against Baltimore's PD has also failed to produce any change.

-k

So, what, if you don't get what you want, it's OK to destroy other people's property?

[sharkman]

So the only thing left is rioting, of course.

[kimmy]

So, what, if you don't get what you want, it's OK to destroy other people's property?

So the only thing left is rioting, of course.

That's how the United States of America was founded! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

-k

[kimmy]

So the only thing left is rioting, of course.

What alternatives would you suggest?

-k

[Bryan]

That's how the United States of America was founded! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

-k

Add that to the ever growing list of reasons that I'm thankful that I don't live there.