Cop Caught Slamming Cyclist To The Ground On YouTube Indicted
from the fighting-back dept
Over the summer, you may have seen the video that got passed around quite a bit of a NYC police officer going out of his way to slam a Critical Mass cyclist to the ground. As you may have heard, the officer wrote up a report claiming that the cyclist ignored his commands to stop and tried to steer his bike into the him. From the video, that's obviously false, though the cyclist ended up having to spend a day in jail based on the report:
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Filed Under: critical mass, new york, police, police violence, youtube
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Re:
The video isn't what "cops are all about". There's always going to be a minority of bad apples in whatever demographic you happen to pick. The fact is if cops weren't around society would resemble New Orleans in the days following Hurricane Katrina.
Try not to get overly emotional when watching this kind of thing. Using your brand mentality is the reason we still have rampant racism and bigotry. Try some common sense.
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And you wonder...
Well, laughing a little I got into my car, and drove in the same direction as her since she drove the same route I needed to take. The way the lot is set up, it has a stop sign at every parking row entrance. I happened to be right at the parking lot entrance row, which had another stop sign. There was NO traffic around, other than an ego bruised female driver, and she was already long gone. Well, I decided skip the first stop sign, and stopped at the main road entrance stop sign. I drove through that, and started heading home. I saw that a community college cop pulled in right behind me, and I honestly thought I didn't do anything major here.
Wrong... that bastard pulled me over and when I asked politely what I did wrong, he told me that I ran a stop sign. I asked him for some leniency as there was no traffic and I didn't see where I could have caused a major incident. All that a$$hat told me, was "Does that make it right?"
Hell no it doesn't make it right, but I hadn't gotten a ticket in 3 years and even that one the cop confused me with another SUV that was speeding down the highway as I had my cruise control set to 75 in a 70. But I was being observant of traffic and kept safety in mind and I figured he'd come back with a warning, but I got slammed with 3 points and a $144 fine. I signed me ticket told him thank you very much and have a very Merry Christmas since he really contributed to my Christmas fund.
I hope that arse dies from AIDS.
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Re: And you wonder...
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Re: Re: And you wonder...
> and points shouldn't apply
Not if it's a state-run university like the University of Texas or UCLA. Not only are the campuses public property but the university cops are sworn state law enforcement officers.
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Re: Re: And you wonder...
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Re: And you wonder...
You don't seriously think cops are out there to promote traffic safety do you? They are simply tax collectors, and fines are just another tax. They are lazy tax collectors so; picking off speeders and stop sign rollers is much easier than finding the truly dangerous drivers.
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Re: Re: And you wonder...
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Re: And you wonder...
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Re: And you wonder...
The difference between you and what this article is actually about is that the person in the article didn't do anything wrong other then being in the wrong place at the wrong time (or maybe right since the video camera was rolling), and the officer committing a felony in falsifying his report. It looks like he will actually be brought to justice, which is refreshing as usually those in the good-ole-boys club are above the law most of the time.
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Re: Re: And you wonder...
> wrong other then being in the wrong place at
> the wrong time
Well, not exactly. If the person was a member of Critical Mass, as the article claims, then he most likely *was* doing something wrong. Critical Mass is a bicycle protest group that delights in causing gridlock in major cities by jamming intersections with hundreds of bike riders. And they usually strike right at rush hour in order to maximize the grief among commuters.
Does this excuse the cop's actions? Of course not. But let's not pretend this was just some innocent person out for a bike ride, either. If he was really a member of Critical Mass, he's the type of person who delights in making others miserable, so there was little bit of karma at play here on his part as well.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: And you wonder...
> is a perfectly legal protest protected
> by the right to demonstrate.
I don't know where you got your legal education but you should ask for your money back.
The "right to protest" doesn't allow one to violate traffic ordinances; it doesn't allow one to endanger other people's health and safety by making it impossible for emergency vehicles to move through the city; and the fact that a vehicle is "street legal" is wholly irrelevant to the issue -- it certainly doesn't somehow make using it to block intersections an acceptable or legal action.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: And you wonder...
And it was obvious that the guy on the bike was doing this, it was all caught on camera - he is sooo guilty. I say lynch em raaagt nooow.
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Re: Re: Re: And you wonder...
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Re: Re: Re: Re: And you wonder...
> gridlock, is not quite the same as body-checking
> someone onto the concrete.
Which is why I clearly said it doesn't excuse the cop's actions. Perhaps you should read slower and sound out the words and you wouldn't miss key bits of information like that.
As for it being a "peaceful protest", that's a matter of opinion. But there's no question that the Critical Mass riders *were* doing something wrong. Snarling traffic all through mid-town by blocking intersections with bicyclists *is* a violation of law, so the people who were doing it *were* doing something wrong.
And these "protest" actions don't merely cause inconvenience to commuters. People's lives are endangered when ambulances can't get to medical calls, police can't get to crime calls and fire trucks can't get to burning buildings all because a bunch of "activists" decided to protest George Bush or global warming or whatever the hell by blocking traffic.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: And you wonder...
> street legal vehicle.
Doesn't matter if the vehicle is street legal or not. A car or a truck is street legal also, but it would still be an illegal act to take one and park it the middle of an intersection and block traffic. Intentionally impeding the flow of traffic is a violation in every jurisdiction I've ever worked.
Especially in NYC which has all those special "don't block the box" ordinances (the box being the intersections themselves).
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: And you wonder...
It worked.
If you asked the biker, either he's an idot, he's lying, or he'll say he was expecting something like that to happen, was ready for it to happen eventualy, and that it was good press for his movement. He'll still say it was unpleasent. And what the officer did is still wrong.
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Re: Re: Re: And you wonder...
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The two are not mutually exclusive, your puerile name-calling notwithstanding.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: And you wonder...
> alternative transportation. Bicycles are
> considered vehicles on the road and have to
> obey the same laws as motor vehicles.
So they do this by breaking those very laws? Seems like a rather hypocritical and nonsensical position to take.
> Critical Mass is trying to bring that awareness
> to people so that they are able to bike without
> fear of getting flattened by jerks like yourself
> who find them nothing but an annoyance.
Ah, more ad hominem name-calling. The last refuge of the intellectually bankrupt.
Oh, and Critical Mass doesn't just promote "alternative transportation". I witnessed a Critical Mass demo in NYC two years ago during the U.N. General Assembly and the overwhemling majority of the bikers were staging an anti-war/anti-Bush protest. They were wearing anti-war/anti-Bush t-shirts and when they stopped in the intersections and blocked traffic, they were chanting anti-war/anti-Bush slogans.
Not one word was mentioned about "alternative transportation".
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Re: And you wonder...
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Re: And you wonder...
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Re: And you wonder...
Does it really hurt you to stop for 5 seconds at the stop sign? Clearly there was some traffic if there a police officer there, should've looked before you drove.
Finally, why the heck did you include the entire first paragraph. The entire segment with the women had nothing to do with you getting a ticket.
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Re: And you wonder...
Pogan (The cop)in video certainly has some problems. Here is what Pogans Lawyer said:
"Pogan's union lawyer, Stuart London, countered that "the video doesn't show what happened in full context."
Despite all charges being dropped against Long, London said the bicyclist's unruly behavior caught Pogan's attention.
He [Long] was riding with his hands up in the air, screaming, yelling and disrupting traffic,"
Anyone see that? Because I certainly didnt. Pogan is a rookie cop with little experience. I seriously think this guy needs to consider a new career path. Because he does not have the temperment for that job. (Heck, I even seen one cop get punched right in the face once. The cop didnt over react when his nose was broken! All he did was run the guy down and cuff him- I Probably would have been so mad I would have wanted to thump his skull a couple times (Which is why I am not a cop). So before you get all anti-cop I wouldnt let one bad one ruin the many good ones out there doing their job.
Here is what wound up happening:
Pogan, who has been suspended from the force without pay, refused to comment. He tried to sneak out of the courthouse to avoid photographers.
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Re: And you wonder...
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Re: And you wonder...
"Officer, you've caught me driving drunk but I'm now stopped and pulled over at my home, but I didn't kill anyone, so I guess no harm no foul?"
Just stop next time when you're the only car around.
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1984 reversed
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You're kidding, right?
Stopped?
One would think the Rodney King video would have "stopped" abuse.
See you on the next abuse blog.
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Re: You're kidding, right?
Shame on them.
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Re: Re: You're kidding, right?
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Re: Re: Re: You're kidding, right?
Uh, wait, what?
"One would think the Rodney King video would have "stopped" abuse."
Rodney King video = guy on PCP.
"Does DS stand for dick sucker?"
Oh wait, I'm sorry, I thought I was talking to someone who didn't resort to random attacks to make a 'point'.
Or are you just trying to hit on me?
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Cops
I'm a cyclist and I know the rules of the road and I obey them (mainly because I don't want to be flattened by a car or truck) but also because I ride in some of the small municipalities around the city and don't want some gung-ho cop ticketing me for anything.
I haven't seen the video (can't view youtube @ wk,) but it seems like the aforementioned cop got what he deserved. He must have had problems with cyclists to begin with.
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To JSJOHNSON
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Re:
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what was critical mass protesting?
the whole thing sounds like something Anonymous would do, only on bikes.
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Retards. Cops serve the public, not the other way around.
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Re:
In court, they might refer to something called "mitigating circumstances".
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Did we see everything?
"Why didn't the cops try to stop him or try to keep him in line?"
That's exactly what we'd hear. I don't think this guy should be charged with anything serious but he certainly doesn't need to be an police officer. Everyone gets up in arms when cops do bad things but when cops do good things it's just their job. I think people need to unpucker their a-holes a little bit and relax.
If the cop had gone apeshit and beat the holy hell out of the guy, being up in arms is fair enough, but he knocked him down, there isn't an easy way to stop someone on a bike, so maybe he should have just let it go.
It's all about judgement calls, people get angry when the cops tazer/shoot someone they think has a gun. I'm not talking about the kid with a phone that gets tag 26 times in the back, that's dereliction of duty.
I'm talking about the guy who is trying to arrest someone and the person breaks free, tries to flee and turns around or does something else stupid.
I seriously doubt some of the folks that post these up in arms replies about how the cop is a pig and such could do the job that these men/women do, seriously. Some would end up getting shot or beat up because they decided using force of any kind wasn't really needed even if the person was unruly.
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Where to start?
Second, "you have to wonder", are you freaking nuts? There is NO EXCUSE for what this Police Officer did. I don't care if the guy was riding naked and masturbating in front of the crowd, throwing a Body Block to stop a Bicyclist is NOT RIGHT. This is ABUSE of power and Pogan needs to not just lose his job, but serve some time, just like if some private citizen would if they had done this.
Third, for you that break the law and complain about getting caught. Here's an idea, DON'T BREAK THE LAW. Whether you agree with the law or not, you don't have the right to break it. At the same time, even if you do break the law, you still have the right to be treated in a fair and just manner. If you run a stop sign, on a bike or in a car, the Police Officer does not have the right to body slam you or pull you out through the window without some sort of other provocation.
Fourth, let's not forget the MOST IMPORTANT thing here, Police Officers are people. Their job is to protect and serve the Public Interest. They don't need to be held to a "higher example", but instead, need to be held to the same HIGH STANDARDS as everyone is held to when doing a job. This idea that Police Officers should be held to a higher example is just ridiculous. When you do your job, do you think you should be held to a lower example because your job isn't as important? When the President does his job, do you think he/she should be held to a higher example just because he's the President? Seriously, everyone should be doing their level best at whatever job they have and everyone should therefore be judge by that and that alone. We already have too damn many fractions in our society because we want to hold one group to a different standard then the other, do we really need to fraction our Society even more by some stupid out-dated idea? If everyone did their best at everything they did, we'd be a whole lot better off, and we'd have no reason to have different standards. When you set up different standards of judgements for different people then you immediately setup a class of people and that class of people will, by the standard they are judged, be classified as a lower class, because they are being judged by a lower standard. If you put that in reverse, you set up a higher class of people who think they deserve more because their standard of judgment is greater then others. There should be no standard other then the GOLD STANDARD and everyone should strive to do their best to meet that standard. People tend to rise to meet the standard, or not rise to meet the lower standard, so let's put the bar up there and have everyone reach for it.
Have a great day!
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Re: Where to start?
Strawman - most people aren't complaining about being caught, but rather that their punishment was unreasonable.
Do you believe that it's reasonable to give someone a significant fine and points on their license for blowing a stop sign when there was no one around? That's the sorta thing I imagine warnings are for. It's called a mitigating circumstance.
Just like blowing a stop sign when school lets out is an aggravating circumstance.
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Re: Re: Where to start?
That, and the fact that someone saw him means that someone else was around.
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Notice to the Police
So, when you want to beat the hell out of a suspect--don't. Be professional even if the suspect deserves a beating.
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I hope
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Re: I hope
I call that karma personally.
Oh, also, I laughed a little when the cop launched that guy off his bike. It's not like he was out having a ride on a nice day, the whole premise of these rides are to cause problems so someone will pay attention. I'm sure there's some greater good cause, but they're blocking traffic and causing headaches, good job helping society !!
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Re: Re: I hope
If you don't know what CM is about maybe you should STFU.
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Re: Re: Re: I hope
What I said wasn't an attack on the rides, just a simple version of what any protest is, to cause problems so someone will pay attention.
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Ego
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Remember Justin Volpe? All of the police in that tiny little department could hear that innocent man screaming when Volpe rammed a broomhandle up his backside. Volpe came out and, holding the bloody (amongst other things) stick aloft, said, "Today I broke a man."
They all protect each other.
Pogan's pals on the force are probably saying, "Tough luck, buddy" and passing the hat to help him out. They think they're in the right.
Hence, the only thing that they truly fear is the budgetary hit of a lawsuit.
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If one watches the video one sees a video of the take down.
Viewing the video it looks like this bike rider was targeted. Why?
What happened 1 to 2 blocks up the street?
Why was there a video camera where it was recording the take down?
Now knowing that the bike riders were engaged in an illegal protest designed to cause traffic gridlock one then should ask the question was there something that that that particular rider did that if disclosed would show that that particular rider deserved what he got?
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I have had more close calls with bike riders when I walk the streets of Manhattan than I ever had with cars.
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It just makes me chuckle inside that he probably thought he was all cool 'breaking' the no brake law - but law caught up with him in a very ironic sense.
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~"We didn't see what the cyclist did earlier that day! He might have run a stop sign, blocked the box, killed someone, spit on the sidewalk!"
The cop did file a report , which I read to get the other side of the story. The cop lied about everything I can make out in the video, so I don't believe the rest of the report either (except the bit about obstructing traffic, as I understand that's what CM does). He just depended on people to believe the cop, because a cop's word is better than a mere civilian's.
Even with video evidence and the police report (linked from the article), the majority of the posters are *still* trying to blame the victim or defend the assailant.
"Oh that silly fixie-kid thinks he's so cool not having any brakes on his bike"
Brakes don't help when the cop beside you tackles you, genius.
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More Cameras Needed
We could also launch a bunch more spy cameras to catch the cops pulling single women over for minor traffic violations way out in the countryside where there are no honest citizens around with cell phone cameras to document subsequent abuses.
And big brother could use the cameras to document all the crimes regular Americans commit every day, from spitting on the sidewalk to crossing over the white line at intersections, and parking a bit outside the designated space. Let us SPARE NO EXPENSE.
Meanwhile, let us IGNORE the FELONIES committed by our current presidential administration when they order or approve KIDNAPPING of citizens of other countries, then bring them to Guantanamo and deprive them of their rights to an attorney, speedy trial, and to confront witnesses against them. And while they spend 7 years in confinement, TORTURE them in an attempt to get them to admit to a past crimes, since our government cannot prove they committed one before (or after) they kidnapped them.
We can PRETEND that our country gives a CRAP about Constitutional Rights and International Law and the Geneva Convention and all such other blather, while we have a president who smiles while he kisses babies, praises God, and then praises his troops who invaded an independent country without good cause, and killed over a hundred thousand of their citizens for existing where our bombs happened to drop, EACH ONE OF WHOM HAS A FAMILY WHO NOW HATES THE US.
All in the name of Imperialism, Democracy, and Good Government, I suppose. Bush is likely to pardon the cop and designate him to lead one of his "kidnapping teams" that travels the world in chartered planes flying out of an airstrip in eastern North Carolina.
ONLY 33 MORE DAYS LEFT.
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Re: More Cameras Needed
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