Woman Catches Cop Beating Handcuffed Suspect; Police Union First In Line To Shoot The Messenger
from the no-one-to-blame-but-everyone-else dept
The presumed illegality of filming police is a law enforcement mental disorder. Far too many officers believe they have the right to perform their public service unobserved. Officers continue to take cameras from bystanders who happen to catch them behaving badly. Abby Phillip at the Washington Post details another apparent act of police misconduct that resulted in more misconduct as officers attempted to shut the recording down.
Just after 4 p.m. Thursday, a woman stood a few feet away from several Miami Police Department patrol cars with her cellphone camera recording. After a few seconds, an officer entered the frame, escorting a handcuffed young black man to the back of a police car.Here's the video:
Suddenly, the officer put his head inside the car door and appeared to punch the suspect.
“Oh!” a woman exclaimed on the recording, reacting to what was unfolding before her. The woman, who the Associated Press identified as Shenitria Blocker, moved closer, and the officer climbed into the back seat of the car. Moments later, the camera shook and the video ended.
The camera shake was due to an officer's attempt to take Blocker's phone away from her. Blocker says they then ordered her to delete the footage or face being arrested. While the video does show Blocker moving in very close to the police car to get a better view of the action, any arrestable offense would have been limited to "interference," and that would only be legit if she refused to move away from the vehicle when ordered to. No such order was given. Instead, the cop went for the camera and threatened her with arrest.
Even if the cops can't find a sufficiently malleable "violation" to charge photographers with, the law enforcement community (including police departments and, especially, their unions) finds ways to ensure no damning recording goes unpunished.
To its credit, the Miami Police Department has suspended the officer caught punching the handcuffed arrestee and is investigating the incident. On the other hand, it hasn't said anything about the unidentified officer who attempted to take Blocker's phone, nor has it issued a statement affirming the public's right to film police officers.
The Miami Fraternal Order of Police, on the other hand, is going out of its way to deliver its own brand of "justice" for Blocker having the temerity to catch one of its officers behaving badly.
In a statement, the police union said “social media has placed a very negative tone on law enforcement nationwide” and that the officer in question was “protecting our community.”Ah. So that's what happened. A now-suspended officer didn't punch an arrested man who was already in the back of a patrol car. Social media did. In fact, social media should be made to answer for the hundreds of incidents of police misconduct every year. At the very least, people should stop running to social media with their clips of police abuse because being a cop is hard work.
But the union has gone farther than simply making the ridiculous assertion that all of these police officers captured on film doing the things they were actually doing is nothing more than negative spin by Social Media Co. LLC. It's also attempting to disparage Blocker herself -- ironically, by using the same social media that's apparently destroying the reputation of its suspect-punching police officer.
The union has delivered screenshots of Blocker's since-removed Facebook page, claiming these show Blocker is a bad person and therefore, all video captured by her phone should be disregarded… or something.
The remainder of the union’s statement focused on criticizing Smith, the woman who at the time they believed recorded the video. It highlighted screenshots of Smith’s Facebook page and accused her of posting photos of herself with men who have handguns.According to the farcical police officers' group, the real problem is men with guns on Facebook pages, not an officer punching a handcuffed suspect. If only the "community" had done more to raise Ms. Blocker right, Unidentified-and-Suspended Officer X wouldn't have had to punch a handcuffed man in the back of his patrol car.
“Our community has accepted behavior that motivates violence in our younger generation. It’s time for the community to take a stand against this reckless behavior and stop the violence,” he continued. “As the saying goes: It takes a village to raise a child. Guns don’t belong in the hands of children.”So, remember: the next time you see a police officer beating a handcuffed person, remember that somewhere out there, there's a male with a gun and someone's daughter might be friends with him. Ask yourself: what's more important here? The reputation of the misbehaving officer? Or the reputation of the misbehaving officer? And then put the camera away. Because as the union sees it, the only people above reproach are the officers whose abusive actions prompt poorly-thought out and thoroughly ridiculous statements from their unions.
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Filed Under: filming, miami, miami police department, photographing police, photography is not a crime, police, shenitria blocker
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Refreshing honesty
I actually agree wholeheartedly with this, and it's nice of them to finally admit it. Mind, a little odd that he describes the police as 'children' in his statement, but I suppose a group that regularly throws tantrums when they don't get their way does rather fit the definition.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to replace my irony meter, given it seems to have exploded for some reason.
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Re: Refreshing honesty
It’s time for the community to take a stand against this reckless behavior and stop the violence,
Which appears to be exactly what the community is doing.
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Re: Refreshing honesty
[...] Mind, a little odd that he describes the police as 'children' in his statement [...]
+1 :D
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Re: Refreshing honesty
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Protecting…
Yeah, just try "protecting" an officer like that and see how well it goes down.
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Ah, yes. The unassailable police union version of "whoever smelt it, dealt it." Children with guns indeed.
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Re:
Congratulations to the police union for proving they're also racists.
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Re: Re:
Perhaps they're slow witted and somebody ought to explain to the police that no matter how much they may resent the presence of minorities in their country, beating the crap out of them at every turn isn't going to make them go away, nor will it look very good for them when it reaches the six o'clock news, even if they're drug dealers or gangstas!
I'd also suggest upping the ante. Any cop found pulling this is fired AND their watch commander is busted back to beat cop. If they can't control their subordinates, they're either unfit for command or they're part of the problem themselves.
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I'm pretty sure they'll defend black officers beating up white patrons just as well, they just get less opportunity to do so. It's the badge that places the human above the animal.
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... if that were to ever happen
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FTFY, Miami Fraternal Order of Police.
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Shoot The Messenger
So my suggestion would be "Messenger was attacked after recording" or "Messenger's cellphone was attacked". The 2nd example might sound stupid to most but we live in an age where objects can be prosecuted so why shouldn't they have the same rights as a person?
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Brutal reality
Further, he didn't get put in the hospital for weeks, or months. He has not lost a limb, or the use of one. His internal organs do not appear to have ruptured. He still has both ears. Neither of his eyes were gouged out.
While the video does does not really provide evidence on this point, there doesn't seem to be any claim that the arrested man lost consciousness—let alone had his skull fractured. Actually, there doesn't seem to be a claim that any major bones were broken.
Certainly, there wasn't excessive blood loss. The guy wasn't left on the sidewalk to bleed out, while the cops stopped the paramedics from doing anything.
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Re: Brutal reality
No, the fact is that a police officer who is supposed to uphold the values of society was captured on film beating a handcuffed man who presented absolutely NO THREAT.
Police now a days are nothing but a bunch of jack booted thugs that believe they are above the laws that they are obligated to uphold.
I sincerely hope that the officer in question is immediately fired and brought up on charges.
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That's part of the brutal reality.
And if he is brought up on charges it will be a refreshing exception to the typical outcome.
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Re: That's part of the brutal reality.
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Re: Brutal reality
Because he got no debilitating injuries, it wasn't really (alleged) excessive force?
Her recording the incident prevented it from escalating?
Because it didn't go farther, she didn't have a right to record the officers?
You listed a bunch of things, then just... quit. I can't tell what you were trying to say.
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Re: Re: Brutal reality
When not maiming or killing a suspect is seen as an improvement over what they could have done, rather than just 'doing their job properly', you know their reputations are bad.
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Re: Brutal reality
If this was a torture case, you'd be the guy saying the victim wasn't tortured while being water-boarded because he didn't suffer organ failure so the way he's been treated is just fine.
In this case, the guy had been arrested, and was then assaulted while in custody.
Police Brutality - "...the wanton use of excessive force, usually physical, but also common in forms of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer." -- wikipedia.
It seems to fit.
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Re: Brutal reality
Oh, well, that's alright then. Move along people. Nothing to see here. I guess the cop just feared for his safety a bit which is why it's alright that he assaulted a defenseless, already restrained civilian. Oh wait, assault is illegal, isn't it?
You're part of the problem, you know? I wonder how much he's going to get from suing your employers.
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Re: Re: Brutal reality
That depends! If you work for the king (aka Gov) then the king's guard does not care for such things. For the king is right, the king is law, hail the king!
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Re: Re: Re: Brutal reality
If you do not then you are a rebel (aka terrorist) so raise that right arm of yours and hail the king (Gov)! If you don't then hellfire shall rain down on you! Just ask thousands of children in the so called mid east... well "ask"... get an oujia board and ask them.
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I take by these standards...
So so long as you personally are not put in the hospital for at least a week, or are maimed or lose the capacity of using your limbs, so long as you don't lose consciousness or suffer a skull fracture or lose an excessive amount of blood, the police can do whatever the fuck they want to you, yes?
And the same would apply if the police assaulted your spouse and children, yes?
Just checking.
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Re: I take by these standards...
• “Huntsville, Alabama, Police Officer Convicted of Excessive Use of Force and Obstruction of Justice”, DoJ OPA, July 31, 2015 Note well that both of these convictions involve false statements by the (former) officers.
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When I was a kid in grade school...
This was in a stark-white wonderbread suburb of Los Angeles, well before the Rodney King incident made news in 1991, and also before I got to take pictures of my mother's extensive black and blue marks after an incident on the wrong side of two officers and their truncheons which ultimately landed her in jail.
I couldn't imagine violent action my mother could have done to require the police to use their weapons in proportional response. I still cannot to this day.
I'm pretty sure that nice police-officer man outright lied to us children when he explained the care by which all LAPD officers conducted themselves.
I'm pretty sure he was witting that he was telling lies.
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Re: Re: I take by these standards...
• “Police Officer in Fulton, New York, Sentenced for Assaulting a Man in His Custody”, DoJ PAO, Jan 23, 2015 Compare factors mentioned in that case with this case, which is reported from the U.S. Attorney's Office, in the Western District of New York—
• “Buffalo Police Officer Involved In Videotaped Beating Sentenced On Civil Right Charges”, USAO - WDNY, Dec 1, 2014 Perhaps someone who understands the DoJ internal politics can explain.
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Re: Re: Re: I take by these standards...
• “Former Alabama Sheriff’s Investigator Sentenced to 36 Months for Assaulting Handcuffed Man at Macon County Jail”, DoJ OPA, September 9, 2014
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Re: Re: Re: Re: I take by these standards...
“Macon County Sheriff's investigator pleads guilty to unlawfully arresting salesman, assaulting him at county jail”, by Erin Edgemon, Al.com, April 4, 2014 Even if McCray only hit him with his hands or fists, I'd say that the use of a firearm in the unlawful arrest amounts to a significant aggravating factor in that case.
So, considering the totality, probably not on the same level after all.
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Re: Brutal reality
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Re: Brutal reality
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I would love to hear this argument in a court someday, im sure there will be laughs all around, including the judge.
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"sorry officer, it can't be deleted without a direct court order."
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Re:
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Re: Re:
There's also another problem with claiming that it was recorded to the cloud storage if it wasn't. The police can lie to you without any issue, but it's a crime to lie to them, so if you claim something that's not true, to a thug trying to bury incriminating evidence, you'll probably be looking at criminal charges piled on top of whatever other bogus charges they hit you with for standing up to them.
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Re: Re: Re:
Not always. Certain lies are always a crime (such as giving them a false identity or filing a false police report) and it's a crime to lie to police when they are asking about things you personally witnessed when they are conducting an investigation (that's obstructing justice). In most other circumstances, though, lying to the cops is not actually illegal.
The specific limits vary from state to state, so if you plan on lying you should probably look up the law where you live.
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Re:
No, don't tell them that it's automatically backed up online. Let them think the recording is gone so that they can file their bogus report. Then once they've lied in their official statement, release the recording and prove that they lied.
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Mind you, it's not perfect or guaranteed, given there have been judges who have ruled that video evidence isn't as reliable as officer testimony when the former contradicted the latter, but it should at least tip the odds, even if ever so slightly, in favor of the defendant.
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But if you want it introduced as an Exhibit, you really want the phone itself, with the original recording on it.
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Yup. That's why you release it publicly first. Otherwise it gets buried in the legal process.
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All we need is more idiots like this running the justice system and we'd all be fucked. And to be blunt, it doesn't look like there's a lot of drawbacks with doing so.
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http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=43891
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Florida has citizen's arrest, and such an arrest can be made for any felony you directly witness. Unlike the typical police arrest, you can make a citizen's arrest simply by informing someone verbally that they are under citizen's arrest.
If they resist, you could use force to compel their obedience, but you're not required to -- and unwise given how trigger happy police are, even though resisting arrest is a crime as well.
Discovering that an officer was under arrest, violently resisted the arrest, fled from the arrest and his coworkers aided and abetted him will make a trial judge DEEPLY unhappy.
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Reno 911
It was one a documentary called Reno 911 and it involved the cops and a mime.
I didn't like it then either.
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The Camera Is Mightier Than The Gun
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Re:
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Re:
In law, probably. In practice, don't be absurd.
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Top Coppers
"Welcome to Justice City where the bad guys are bad, and the good guys are worse."
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Ad hominem
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Blocker needs to be disabled...
...to watch the video
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