| pocketkangaroo |
01-08-2009 03:13 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by AsianDivaGirlsWebDude
(Post 15297177)
There are lots of rumors circling, many of which will ultimately be proven to be false.
That is exactly why calmer heads should prevail.
The TV station that first claimed to show proof on video that Grant's hands were cuffed, has since retracted that claim.
As for the cops "illegally" confiscating cameras, they are simply collecting evidence. Now if they actually do destroy what is captured on the cameras, that would be illegal.
I am not naive, since I recognize that there are some bad cops out there, however, I also feel that the system has to be allowed to run it's course.
The community has every right to mourn and protest, however they do not have the right to become a lawless mob, and do property damage to people totally unassociated with the situation.
I should also note, that the individuals whom seemed to be doing the most vandalism appeared to be hoodlums without a cause, or the wannabe revolutionaries from the same outside agitator groups that regularly sprout up to exploit any protest situation in the Bay Area, in order to recruit and further agitate the crowd into more violent action.
ADG
|
I can only speak as a Chicago resident. It is common here for cops to confiscate security cameras, cell phones, etc and have it magically disappear. We've had a few famous cases in the last couple years.
One involved an off-duty police officer who was at a bar and literally beat the shit out of the lady behind the counter ( video here). This was reported and tapes were handed over to the police. They did nothing. In fact, they told the lady that the tapes had been lost at one time. It wasn't until it was released to the media that anything was done.
Another involves a cop who killed a couple people in a drunk driving incident. The cops went out of there way to hide the fact he was drunk. They tried to confiscate a video from a bar that showed the cop taking shots 10 minutes before the accident. It took a long time before he was even charged for an obvious crime.
Yet another involving video tape was at a bar in a wealthy part of Chicago. A bunch of cops who were off-duty beat the living shit out of a couple investment bankers. They again confiscated video and told the victims it was misplaced. Thankfully the bar owner had an extra copy that he either threatened to release to the media or did.
The point I'm trying to make is that within all police departments is a code where they will protect one another. That code often extends well beyond the law. It has been shown over the years that it is difficult to trust an investigation of a cop by another cop. They simply won't turn on the other one and their colleagues will not help.
Now this is the biggest flaw with our police system today. Good cops will not turn on bad cops. The people who are upset know this and know that it is very unlikely that anything major will happen to the cop. They also know that the only reason this cop may even get a slap on the wrist is because a few cell phones were not confiscated and thus shown to the public.
I truly hope this was an accident. The video is real bad. It looks like an execution. If this was not a cop doing this on the video, he would already be charged with murder. |
