The L.A./Inglewood police beating story...

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Really surprised it's not been brought up here (I guess with 317 religion threads, something's gonna get ignored...).







ANYWAY, so what do you guys think? Seen the video, right? Definitely a slam on the trunk. Definitely a punch in the face (ouch!).



God knows what happened before the camera caught the cops acting like idiots.



I guess the only thing I have to say about it is this: WHY does stuff like this have to get so #$%!@ complicated and big?



Here's the deal: the cop who punched and slammed: FIRED. Screw him. Should know better.



The victim: medical expenses paid by the city. If he wants, he can pursue a civil lawsuit against THE OFFICER (not the ENTIRE city, where taxpayers have to foot the bill for idiot cops).



In other words, no multi-million dollar "payoff" (think of what that does: to some people, that would be like the lottery! If you were stopped by cops and you were the type of person who normally carries around a "down with the pigs" chip on your shoulder, might you be tempted to "resist arrest" and otherwise show your ass, trying to tempt the cops into administering an ass-whipping, so your buddy - or just a regular citizen - could catch it on video and you could strike the jackpot?).



DO NOT tell me that mentality does not exist in some people, and that there are people walking around out there who would tax an ass beating if it meant a 7-figure payoff.







So anyway, what all do you guys think about this case? Anyone curious - like I am - to know what pissed this idiot cop off enough to do what he did?



Or do you think - like some seem to - that white cops are just naturally predisposed to beat on black perps?



I heard that 2 or 3 cops were treated for "minor injuries", so I wonder what happened.



Also (final question), is it more about "police brutality and abuse of power" OR is it simply about race?



I don't know, I'm asking.



In other words, would this be the big story it is if two or three black LAPD officers punched and roughed-up a white teen? Would anyone care? Would it even be a story? Would the cops be suspended? Would the activists who are coming to the aid and defense of the black teen victim suddenly turn around and come to the defense and aid of the three black cops?



That's what I ask: is it truly about police brutality or is it more about "backing your team" and supporting "one of your own"?



Again, I don't know...I'm asking.



I could see it go either way. I think some black people support other black people, no matter how awful an act they commit or wrong they are in a matter. The O.J. trial kinda confirmed that to me. I've wondered for years if whites would've rallied around Joe Namath as much as many blacks did around The Juice, if Namath was charged with the same exact crime and circumstances.



And yes, there are white people who go to bat for other lowlife whites. See it everyday, don't we? Not making this a "black thing" at all, so don't even start with me... (you know who you are).







There are activists and people of every race, gender, sexual orientation who seem to operate on the premise that, no matter what, you side with "your guy".



I find that really messed up, and I've never understood that. I wasn't wearing a "Free Dahmer" T-shirt. I'm not thinking "why don't they leave Martha Stewart alone".



When a person, who happens to be white, commits a crime or a horrible, immoral or shady act, as a fellow white person, I'm outraged, embarrassed and/or disgusted. NEVER do I, as a "white guy", feel the need to "circle the wagons" and rally around "my guy".



In other words, I'm not down at the L.A. jail with a "Free Baretta" sign. If Robert Blake did what he's accused of, I hope the dumb-ass fries for it.







I'm an open-minded, equal-opportunity basher: idiots and assholes come in all colors, genders and sexual preferences. It's their ACTIONS and WORDS that make them idiots and assholes...NOT their race, gender or sexual preference. That doesn't figure into it.



In MY opinion, that's a lot of what's wrong and messed up today. People putting TOO much stock into race, skin color, gender, sexual preference, religion, political affiliation, etc. to such a degree that it blinds other fellow like-minded types to the wrongness and evil sometimes committed by others.



See what I'm getting at? Just making sure...



[ 07-11-2002: Message edited by: pscates ]</p>
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 130
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    I heard that the guy who shot the video is all scared and in fear for his life and is refusing to cooperate and testity before the grand jury.



    He's afraid to come down to the DA's offices because he's convinced the cops are going to pull him into a room and kick his ass.



    He was on a phone interview on a local radio show yesterday (KFI AM 640's "John and Ken Show") and he completely terrified.



    The L.A. assistant D.A. called in on the other line and DEMANDED this guy show up - WITH the original video tape - a grand jury hearing this morning. He was issued a summons, and now it's a warrant for his pick-up.



    :eek:



    Getting messy...



    I hope this doesn't lead to another Rodney King situation: a big violent, horrible riot, with burning, beatings, lootings, etc.



    The city is just NOW seeming to get beyond what happened in 1993. Would be a shame to have another one take place.
  • Reply 2 of 130
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    I don't know, after watching The Shield a few times, I thought it was pretty tame...
  • Reply 3 of 130
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member




    True! Vic Mackey probably would've administered AT LEAST four more punches, and possibly shoved a sock down his throat.



    This kid probably got off easy.







    I'm just kidding. I am curious though: does anyone know what made this cop go off?



    Oh yeah, relating to what I talk about in my first post and people "backing their side": All LAPD (okay, A LOT) are going to rally around this idiot cop, JUST because he's another cop.



    The wrong, immoral act he committed doesn't register. Only that he's a "fellow cop".



    See, I just don't get that. I could never be so blindly loyal to someone because of outward, physical or occupational traits. That whole things completely escapes me.



    That's what I'm TALKING about: every black person in L.A. is going to rally around and support the teen victim. Every white cop is going to support the idiot cop. Everyone's going to choose up sides and it's going to get ugly.



    And guess who loses, ultimately?



    The friendly, law-abiding senior citizen Korean couple who own a deli/convenience store have the honor of getting their business burned to the ground and looted (and possibly personally assaulted) if this thing somehow grows and reaches Rodney King proportions. Because they came to this country for the opportunity and to make a good life for themselves, they bust their ass to open up their own little store in a once-great (but not lately so) neighborhood (because the rent and property is cheaper there) and are pursuing the "American dream" (whatever the hell that is these days...you tell me).



    And because one idiot black person antagonizes one idiot white cop and one idiot white cop responds to idiot black person in an idiotic way, Mr. and Mrs. Kim get to sit on the sidewalk later this summer and watch their entire life go up in flames.







    People with NOTHING to do with the situation will be the ones to suffer. Other black, other whites, other cops, other teens, other races, etc.



    Anyone see any sort of pattern or sameness emerging here? Just checking...



    [ 07-11-2002: Message edited by: pscates ]</p>
  • Reply 4 of 130
    macfenianmacfenian Posts: 276member
    I agree. Why can't it just be a guy losing the plot, for whatever reason, and hitting another guy?



    I'm sick of this 400 years crap.



    Newsflash, I wasn't born 400 years ago so it's not my fault and I'm not responsible. Truth is, there are "elements" in the black (or whatever is politically correct this week) society that love to play victim. It prevents them from ever having to get a real job and work for a living.



    I know that sounds bad but it's true. Sad but true more like. I think everybody needs to be represented and when someone is discriminated against that they should get all the help possible to see justice done. But I'm sick of things being twisted around in to something it's not just because the person that does it is white.



    I know it works the other way as well. I know that when a black man robs a store that there are white people shouting how typical it is and that it's always "them black folk".



    I'm just sick of putting up with them. And sick of people shouting racist for every tiny little thing where a black person and a white person are involved. Truth is, all this "being kept down by the man" bullcrap is just as racist as the KKK. After all, we're not being seen as individuals who do things, we're being seen as white individuals that do things. Racist.



    Fire the cop, by all means. It doesn't matter what the kid said or did. He shouldn't hit him like that. That's why he's the cop and the guy is the purpetrator.



    Just let no one start bleeting about Rodney King, Malcolm X, busses, KKK and slavery again because it's total bull and it gets on my nerves.
  • Reply 5 of 130
    macfenianmacfenian Posts: 276member
    soz



    [ 07-11-2002: Message edited by: macfenian ]</p>
  • Reply 6 of 130
    Okay - so this guy was shoved onto a car. So what. I know from experience that a quick jerk on the handcuffs alone can hurt worse than that push the cop gave him.



    As for being punched in the face, there had better have been some provocation on the perps part, e.g., he kicked the cop in the shin and we didn't see it because of the camera angle. Otherwise, that's excessive force in my book.



    Still, this is peanuts compared to the ass-whipping Rodney King got a few years back.
  • Reply 7 of 130
    jesperasjesperas Posts: 524member
    From what I understand, this isn't the first complaint of excessive force against this cop, but it is the first caught on tape. Besides, I don't believe that anything could justify this cop repeatedly slamming the kid down on the roof of his car, AFTER HE HAD ALREADY BEEN HANDCUFFED AND WAS ONLY SEMI-CONSCIOUS. Media's only been airing the same segment of the tape so we don't know what the kid might have said or did, but that goes both ways--we don't know what the cop did either.



    Anyway, NOBODY is saying that all white cops are racists, but that doesn't mean that there aren't racist cops. I don't know if this cop is a racist either--maybe he's just high strung and likes to kick the crap out of people. Whatever. Still doesn't excuse what he did, whether it was racially motivated or not.



    And I think that the media is focusing on this because they're waiting to see what the outcome will be. With what was caught on video, you'd think this should be case-closed, no-brainer. History has demonstrated that cases like this--even with what looks like damning evidence--tend not to be ruled in favor of the victim. I think the media's waiting to see the true racist act committed: the acquittal of the cop, and his reinstatement to duty.
  • Reply 8 of 130
    ijerryijerry Posts: 615member
    From what I have heard the teen was sitting in the passenger seat and wasn't even the reason the cops were there in the first place. However, the teen does have some mental problems. He has a slowed speach and sometimes takes a while to answer a question. He is not completely handicaped but does have some characteristics.



    that is where my problem lies. This is not a racial thing it is an idiotic thing. And how you view it should reveal to you whether you are racist or not.



    end of line...
  • Reply 8 of 130
    tmptmp Posts: 601member
    macfenian, you are so clearly not from Los Angeles.



    For years, the police in this town were run with an "Us against them" mentality that was only recently adressed. Police viewed all citizens of Los Angeles as the enemy; someone to be suspect. In some ways they still do.



    They also tended to treat people living in "white" neighborhoods a lot better that the ones in "black" ones. You might argue that there is more crime in "black" ones, but the treatment was not the same in similar-class areas of town. A black man driving a Buick in Baldwin Hills simply was not treated the same as a white man driving the same car in Hancock Park. And if that Black man was driving through Hancock Park, he'd better have his driver's license and proof of insurance handy. I'm not talking about 1955 here either.



    Our dear (former, thank god) police chief Darryl Gates was almost entirely responsible for the LA riots. When Mayor Bradley tried to fire him, the city council wimped out and let him stay. Gates then shielded the officers resposible for this beating. The trial was moved to all-white Simi Valley, where the officers were found not guilty. The rioting that followed was both stupid (why trash your own neighborhoods to protest something that happened in Simi Valley? Oh, I guess that the police were too busy making sure you never got to Bel Air), and ruinous to the neighborhoods that could least afford it.



    Was it any wonder that O.J. got off? The big fear of the city was that if he was found guilty, that there would be more riots. This, and the fact that the jury was filled with predominantly older African-Americans (for whom the idea of "the man" trying to pin a murder on a brother seems less like fiction and more like something that had happened to their cousin) made sure that there would not be a conviction.



    In the meantime, we have had Rampart, and now we have Inglewood. Is there any reason that black Angelenos should not be thinking "same old, same old"? I've lived here 20 years, that's what crossed my mind.
  • Reply 10 of 130
    haraldharald Posts: 2,152member
    Fenian,



    I agree / disagree.



    Yup, not born 400 years ago. Not responsible for the crimes of my (European) ancestors.



    Stick it.



    BUT:



    Errr "the man" is still keeping black people down. And that's a fact. The disproportionate amount of black people in prison and on death row is not because black people are more inherently criminal or murderous, but it IS a fact ... relating to the economic circumstance of American (and European) black people.



    Why is it a fact? Well, you tell me.



    But I can tell you that it's not victimhood-for-gain that makes many black people pissed off, but these factual statistics and the day-to-day realities that cause these facts. They see it around them, they want to change the facts, they can't, they get pissed off, they "moan" and it's not so surprising ...



    And what do they "moan" at ... well, if it looks like "the man" and acts like "the man" ... then ...
  • Reply 11 of 130
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    [quote] ANYWAY, so what do you guys think? Seen the video, right? Definitely a slam on the trunk. Definitely a punch in the face (ouch!). <hr></blockquote>



    I agree with your results. Fire the Cop. Pay the medical expenses for the plaintiff with a little extra but certainly not millions. And move on.



    [quote] Or do you think - like some seem to - that white cops are just naturally predisposed to beat on black perps?<hr></blockquote>



    Not really. I think Blacks are more likely to behave in a manner that causes these issues. Most of the people I know kiss Cop azz when they can including me. It saves you from catching a beat down...sad but true.



    [quote] In other words, would this be the big story it is if two or three black LAPD officers punched and roughed-up a white teen? Would anyone care? Would it even be a story? Would the cops be suspended? Would the activists who are coming to the aid and defense of the black teen victim suddenly turn around and come to the defense and aid of the three black cops? <hr></blockquote>



    No..you wouldn't have "White Activists" marching or anything but those Black Cops would be fired.



    [quote] I could see it go either way. I think some black people support other black people, no matter how awful an act they commit or wrong they are in a matter. The O.J. trial kinda confirmed that to me. I've wondered for years if whites would've rallied around Joe Namath as much as many blacks did around The Juice, if Namath was charged with the same exact crime and circumstances. <hr></blockquote>



    That's partially because every incident in which a Black is demonized affect Blacks worse than Whites because there are not enough positive portrayals happening whithin the community. So when some see Black being arrested for heinous crimes they tend to think that it represents a larger majority of the Black Culture.



    [quote] In MY opinion, that's a lot of what's wrong and messed up today. People putting TOO much stock into race, skin color, gender, sexual preference, religion, political affiliation, etc. to such a degree that it blinds other fellow like-minded types to the wrongness and evil sometimes committed by others. <hr></blockquote>



    They will respond by saying "you're a member of the most dominant majority..a Male and a White one at that" Therefore you may not know what a minority group goes through.
  • Reply 12 of 130
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    [quote]I'm sick of this 400 years crap. <hr></blockquote>



    LOL...stop listening to nuts like Sharpton and Jesse.



    [quote] I'm just sick of putting up with them. And sick of people shouting racist for every tiny little thing where a black person and a white person are involved. Truth is, all this "being kept down by the man" bullcrap is just as racist as the KKK. After all, we're not being seen as individuals who do things, we're being seen as white individuals that do things. Racist. <hr></blockquote>



    Funny thing is MOST people rebuke this crap and stick with what THEY believe to be Morally correct but the boneheads that run the newspapers and News Station just LOVE to whip up this controversy. I distincly remember alternating video shots of groups of Whites and Black shown during the verdict of OJ simpson. Blacks where shown cheering while Whites were shown in distress. This was the most blatant and divisive newcast I had ever seen in my life and it wasn't just one station that did this. Frankly I was supremely disgusted with the media and honestly really haven't watched them with any regularity since.
  • Reply 13 of 130
    outsideroutsider Posts: 6,008member
    The news here in CT did the same with the OJ trial. It was so obvious it made you sick.
  • Reply 14 of 130
    thegeldingthegelding Posts: 3,230member
    ok, this is complicated on many levels....



    1.yes, too many people view bad events as winning the lottery (stupid girl at my work thought she could actually retire because she ate once at applebys and it made her sick..she got very upset when they basically gave her nothing)....but if only the cop is fired and the boy's medical bills are paid, why would the city/county/state make any changes to the way it trains it's police force?? it is cheaper to pay a few medical bills and fire a few cops than to pay for extra training etc for it's whole force...the money payout is to show that it is cheaper for the state to train it's cops and police the police's behavior correctly than to let things slide and then blame a few "rogue" cops....

    2. the only good thing about the OJ trail was it showed that this country is starting to treat black people more like white people...basically if you are a rich black man you can get away with what rich white men have done for ages...color doesn't mean as much as money does...i guess that is growth??

    3. neither i nor my long dead relatives lived in this country 400 years ago (we've been here about 200 years and came over as indentured servents...kinda like temp slaving)...but this country was built in large part by slave labor and should do "something" to admit/help/repay for that...and saying that it has been so long ago and has no bearing on today is laughable....i went to Malcolm X Elementary School, i was one on only about 4 white kids that went there, i was from a broken home and was poor as poor can be...but i never had a door shut in my face, never had people cross the road so they wouldn't have to walk near me, never had car doors lock quickly because i was walking next to their car....all these things happened to my black friends everyday...i saw it happen time and time again...and their is no way that being treated like this everyday of your life doesn't affect the why you "are"....we have come a long way...we don't offen kill black men that date or marry white women anymore...there are many more people of "color" making great sucesses of themselves and their lives...but to be "white" in america is still the single greatest advantage any person can have...but i ramble....g
  • Reply 15 of 130
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Can't help what I am, hmurchison. Or how I see things.







    Dreaded white male or not, the things I said still hold true and make sense. Some things are indeed pretty clear-cut and simple.



    It's rampant, overzealous political correctness, historical revisionists, full-time professional shit-stirrers, apologists, guilt (white and otherwise), etc. that muddy the waters and make some things seem tougher than they really are.







    At this point, I don't think I could ever be convinced otherwise. See it, in some way, shape or form, EVERY SINGLE DAY. Either in my own life/surroundings, or out in the world, via the news.



    Being a white male doesn't (and shouldn't) automatically mean I don't - and can't - "get it".



    Of course, I know some of you uppity, too-smart-for-your-own-good college types here will dispute that until the cows come home...



    And, of course, you'd be wrong.







    But believe me when I say that it isn't lost on me that the world is a tough, cruel and often unfair place. But guess what? I'm not out there helping to MAKE it that way, although my skin color and gender alone IMMEDIATELY brands me - in the eyes of some - as "part of the problem".



    Trust me: I'm just as clueless, baggage-laden and ****ed-up as the next guy, white, black or otherwise.



    Believe it or not, I truly do (especially in the last five or so years of my life) live by the Golden Rule, as much and often as I possibly can.



    I've never wanted to make ANYONE'S life miserable or tougher than it needs to be. All I've EVER asked is the same in return from the OTHER billions of ya-hoos running around this planet.



    Shouldn't be that hard...







    [ 07-11-2002: Message edited by: pscates ]</p>
  • Reply 16 of 130
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    pscates. I know you're a straight shooter but that's what you may hear from some people.



    Personally I feel that we have SERIOUS issues about teaching our children Right from Wrong.



    Police beating up on people is wrong.



    The more "exemptions" we allow the more muddy our Justice becomes.
  • Reply 17 of 130
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Oh, I TOTALLY agree. The simple notions or "right and wrong" and "good and bad" seem to be given less face time than perhaps in the past?



    I know so many parents who, for whatever reason(s), seem to have simply thrown up their hands. It's as if they seem to pack it in, thinking "ah, can't compete with the Internet, video games, pop culture, tabloid TV, pop stars, MTV, etc." and just try to get by doing the bare minimum.



    THESE are the people I know with the brattiest, most disrepectful, always-in-some-sort-of-trouble kids.



    The parents/families I know who "do the right thing" and go the entire way (or the "extra mile") have kids who are a pleasure to be around, talk to, see, etc.



    People can't tell me there isn't a connection.







    But hell, what do I know? Seems the lines are blurred to such a degree. You can't even say the Pledge of Allegience anymore without it becoming - literally - a Federal case. So what are the chances schools are going to be expected to shoulder this burden?



    If the parents are falling down (as many of them are) and the schools, for whatever reason (say the ACLU or some parent getting bent out of shape that - gasp - morals and right/wrong are being taught or discussed in a classroom), then who's left?



    No wonder so many kids are unbelievably ****ed-up and off course. Sometimes I consider it a small miracle there aren't MORE school shootings and nonsense!







    Buy back to the Inglewood thing: yeah, that cop should be fired. He wasn't in a fight for his life, you know? I mean, if he was struggling with an uncuffed perp and fearing for his life and/or the safety of his partner and citizens, then I'd WANT the cop to whip some ass.



    But when the kid is cuffed, seems about half out of it and is no threat, punching him in the face only buys you a lot of unneeded trouble.



    THAT'S why the cop is an idiot. He should know better. He should have more control. And if he doesn't, then maybe he shouldn't be in that line of work?



    This isn't Alabama, circa 1926. You DON'T go around using your badge as a license to "whip up on th' nigras...". That's why this cop is a flaming idiot.







    Anyone THAT stupid and shortsighted, I don't WANT as a cop, you know?
  • Reply 18 of 130
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    This isn't "a guy hitting another guy" as one poster above put it. It's a police officer, given power by the city and state beating on a citizen without provocation. No need to hit that kid in the face, no need to slam him down on the trunk and it IS the city's responsibility and it IS the city that should be sued in addition to the cop being fired and charged with assault.



    I am going to choke on my own vomit if I keep hearing this White Man's Plight garbage.



    No "and move on", what the hell kind of attitude is that?



    I'm not Jesse Jackson by any stretch of the imagination, but pull your heads out.
  • Reply 19 of 130
    thegeldingthegelding Posts: 3,230member
    i agree too often with groverat...which further proves that Austin ain't part of Texas ...g
  • Reply 20 of 130
    jeffyboyjeffyboy Posts: 1,055member
    <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/07/11/police.beating/index.html"; target="_blank">CNN story</a>



    <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />



    Now the kid that shot the video is arrested for prior shoplifting and a drunken hit and run!



    Gotta love L.A.!



    Jeff
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