That little bumper sticker quote is not the central premise of the protest group it’s the systemic, historical police repression and I think you know that.

I have one simple question for you. Why do you think that so many African-Americans feel that police departments are biased against them?

#20

even worse

oh well, gee it’s obvious isn’t it, he was a bad man so we need not bother ourselves with spending anymore time on that subject

let’s get to something really important shall we?, hmm, i think bibles should be compulsory texts in all children’s courses

what’s De Caprio staring in these days?

hey look, the price of oil is down again

hey look at them evil Russians and those evil Palestinians – that bunch of 2000 or so killed recently

it’s obvious isn’t it – they were all bad people or harbored bad people or knew bad people or let bad people hang out with them right?

yeh?

agreed?

right wing people are often so shallow when trying to apply what they think is logic

never mind, technology will save us all

p

Do you realize that this is at the center of the problem. He was a bad person anyway so it is OK that he is killed.

The eye witness testimony that is most consistent with the physical evidence is also consistent with Officer Wilson’s account. Add that to the video of a bullying Michael Brown robbing a convenience store, and the idea that this particular incident represents repression is just absurd.

Adopting a lie like “Hands up, don’t shoot” is not the way to make a point and casts doubt on the central premise of the protest movement.

Police and civilians who are licensed to carry are taught that a threat one can reasonably surmise will result in death or great bodily harm can be met with deadly force. A grand jury who heard and saw all the evidence decided that deadly force was justified. Do you know more than they do, or do you just assume that if they disagree with what you think you know, they are the ones who are wrong?

If you are going to make the point about systematic repression by police, don’t cite lies or statistics, give real examples of repression and also give credit for how police departments and local governments already deal with cops who don’t uphold community standards.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/01/smirking-bully-new-york-cop-charged-in-attack-on-female-mta-worker/

It’s ape behavior.

… the evidence indicates Michael Brown was shot after assaulting a cop and then rushing at him in a second assault attempt.

Yes, it does. The evidence also shows that didn’t happen. The evidence also shows the killer assaulted Brown first with his car’s door. The evidence also shows he didn’t. The evidence also shows Brown was fleeing for his life. The evidence also shows Brown was not fleeing for his life. The evidence shows “witness #20,” whom the prosecutor based the police officer’s *DEFENSE* upon, did not witness the event. The evidence also shows “witness #20” was there and did see the event. (The chief prosecutor later said the DA’s office knew “witness #20” lied; he also said she did not.) The evidence shows the victim was assaulted and battered by the killer to “teach him a lesson” about walking in the street. The evidence also shows that is not true.

Thus we see the state of law enforcement in the USA: the prosecutor doing his damnedest to defend the accused.

Meanwhile, unarmed young men are being killed by police. If I recall correctly, more than 1,100 people in year 2014 in the USA were killed by police officers. There were what— 138 police officers killed, if one adds car accidents and accidental shootings and suicide.

Police officers are supposed to be professionals. There is no excuse for shooting someone who is running away. Police officers have *LESS* excuse to use force than non-police officers because they are trained to deal with confrontations— most non-police are not.

By the way, if Brown had struck the killer (some witnesses said he did; some witnesses said he did not), that is not a defense to killing a human being. Do you think if you punched someone in the jaw, it’s okay for your victim to shoot you to death?

Just a little to the west of Lewisburg, PA is the borough of Hartleton. As an borough, it is empowered to set its own speed laws and enforce them with its own police force. The Hartleton speed trap has been in place since at least 1983 and the police chief told the council of a neighboring borough that Hartleton had not had to increase its taxes since they set up their own police force. It pays for itself and covers a lot of other expenses and the best part is that almost all of the money comes from outside the borough line.

Eric Garner’s death will be dealt with as a civil matter, it was not a crime. Absent any protest, the police department would have reviewed what happened and made changes. Police departments and local governments take that sort of thing very seriously just the same as employers take safety regulations very seriously; such deaths are painfully expensive for the local government and business as well as being tragic for families.

Put yourself in the shoes of a shopkeeper who sells cigarettes and pays taxes to support law enforcement in their community; do you think it is reasonable for them to accept the fact that someone is standing outside their store selling loosies? If the guy selling loosies does not cooperate and move along, he should not be arrested or compelled to move along? I agree that the arrest methods, while lawful, were suspect, but I don’t agree that such a case represents repression.

If you want to minimize arrests for what you consider minor violations, then change the penalties as they have in California with Prop 47. Cops generally do not put themselves in harm’s way for misdemeanor arrests unless they have received specific directives or complaints.

My perception is that in the vast majority of cases, cops profile those who look or act like criminals, not because of race.