Reply With Quote
I CERTAINLY hope you are not insinuating that my grandfather was a racist. Au contraire, he was the victim of racism while trying to become a cop. In fact, the first time he went to sit for a test they wouldn't let him in because he was Mexican. In San Antonio. The second time they said he failed but wouldnt give him a score. The third time they said he failed with a 69.5. There are no half points on a standardized test! Finally he went a fourth time and was let in. After that kind of treatment, he was not about to discriminate against others.
I know things like this exist, and if the story is true, then those cops deserved much more than they got. Of course, you only have one side of the story, but if he was as bad as you say, then it was clearly police abuse and the fact they got off with a wrist slap is repulsive.I once participated in a protest in my locality. A friend of mine, who was a known idiot mind you and had a reputation that still precedes him to this day, was hanging out behind a pizza shop on a weekend with 2 of his cousins. Cops come, give him the rundown, know who he is immediately and arrest him. While thats no big deal and I cry no river for him, his mother visiting him the next day at the cop shop and his face is unrecognizable with the markings of the cuffs on his wrists....you get the point. The cops arrested him and his cousins with little to no protest (as one should do, that is, not resist). But that wasnt good enough for those particular cops. They wanted to send a message. So after handcuffing all 3 of them, the decided to kick the ever-loving out of them, dragging them around on the faces across the concrete, nightsticks, kicking, lifting them up off the ground by the cuffs....they were/are punks, this much is true....but they were 16-17 year old punks who did not resist arrest (until one of them tried running away in cuffs while the cops were busy kicking someone else's ass, of which he was charged with trying to escape).
Whats already a long story, I will sum up. His mother was outraged, contacted a lawyer, and the cops in a very smug way told them to go themselves. So, we "kids" got together and descended upon the police station. About 200 teenagers with signs and chants...got the attention of all the local media, and more importantly, and high powered attorney looking to give himself some face time. All said and done, they got off on probation with no charges against the police. No suspensions, nothing. This was a time without the internets and YouTube. I would like to think if those events behind the pizza parlor were filmed, that other Americans would be outraged as I am/was.
I never said that those cops weren't out of line, never ever. In fact, I think they were completely out of line, from what I can tell. That still doesn't mean that I think 99% of all cops are power-hungry assholes like you seem to think.But sadly, you have authoritarian ass-wipes for countrymen who relish in the subjugation of "those damn hippies". What it boils down to is, people that watch the video posted in this thread and think those cops werent out of line are pathetic. They like rules, lots of them, and they really, really like watching people break some mundane rule and get corporal punishment for it. That, or its fear. Either way, it makes them spineless cowards no more worth a liter of piss and as cheaply thrown away and forgotten about.
While I do enjoy your conviction, you do realize to many this type of talk will make anything else you said (no matter how good your points are) futile, right?Our State is accelerating toward totalitarianism and some -head lazy bags actually embrace it. Hopefully one day, there will be "Us" and there will be "Them" and I'll be able to make my point with a little more conviction upon those who would choose slavery, compliance and conformity over True Freedom as it was intended.
Well, if the majority of my friends and family NOT excessively drinking, smoking pot or making bonfires means that I am naive, so be it.Some cops? Ha, you really are naive...
Its cool if youre a goody two shoes without a lawbreaking bone in your body, good on you for being everyones "moral north". Some of us, ie Most of us, actually enjoy some things that are outside the law. Such as, smoking weed, drinking heavily and playing loud music in remote areas, large bonfires in the middle of nowhere drinking entirely too much alcohol at an age where is isnt/wasnt allowed. Etc etc etc...
Actually, I used to smoke pot and do drugs and drink to excess on a regular basis. Coke, pot, acid -- whatever was cheap. Whatever my friend who worked in a drugstore could get from his dealer for the tylenol and other OTC pills he stole from work would get us. The difference is I knew I was breaking the law, so did it in a private residence without disturbing the peace with loud music or bonfire. Sorry, if you are going to break the law on purpose, you either do it without drawing attention to yourself or you get no sympathy if you get caught.
I am hardly the "moral north." YOu seem to think I am some sweet, innocent little girl but that is not it at all. I just accept the fact that there are consequences to my actions, and i was VERY lucky to have never had to face them, at least not in court. Personal consequences is another matter and thread.
Again, I know such abuse exists. But let me ask you this -- how many cop calls do you think a busy city gets in a single day? There could literally be hundreds or thousands of calls in a day. Let's say 1000 calls in a day. Out of those, how many do you think are an instance where a cop abuses his power? Beacuse I will tell you what -- we hear about the majority of those, I guarantee you. People do NOT keep quiet about this stuff. In a day and age of cop cars having cameras, everybody and their cousin have camera phones and yes, the aforementioned YouTube, people broadcast this . So out of a thousand calls, how many do you think someone got beat down for no reason? 999 out of those 1000, like you suggest?Now, when every kid does such things, they knowingly break the law and accept the risk and possible punishment involved. What one doesnt accept is the Cowboy Cop and his moral standards being beaten into the side of your head for breaking laws that are no more than misdemeanors. Felons being beaten down, I dont cry for. Punk kids being punk kids, I do unless their offense is a felony. I cant tell you or count how many times I have been manhandled by -head, power-tripping Pigs. Not recently because I dont go out (wonder why that is? Maybe its because I have too much lose, unlike when I was a teenager). But when I was a kid, grown men with uniforms and badges used to kick my ass. Not once in a while, not in a blue moon, Im talking every time I interacted with a cop, it usually involved him putting handcuffs on me before even asking my name, then slamming my face onto his hood, and if you were dumb enough to protest or open your mouth, your legs would be swept from under you and without the use of your hands, your face kisses concrete. Ive watched friends get pepper sprayed in the face while face down on the ground in handcuffs for asking "What did I do wrong?" Ive watched my brother get beatdown by 3 pigs for being a smartass.
I have seen plenty. I lived in one of the most gang-ravaged areas of Los Angeles. We used to find coke and used needles at the dumpster to our apt compelx. I have lived here on the West side of San Antonio for years. I've been the victim of several crimes (and committed several of my own) and no matter what, I was almost always thankful to see a cop.What have you seen? What your grandfather told you? What you saw when you called for their help? Big whoop. Ask me if "What did I do wrong?" is a valid reason to choke on your own vomit from being basically gassed? Ask me if physically beating a minor in a community role of authority is "A-Ok" because he was a punk? If parents beat their own children like I watched cops do in the past, theyd be in prison for child abuse, but its ok for cops, right?
Total bull , and you know it. You would be one of the first to protest when someone lumps and ENTIRE group of people into one category, yet you do it with such ease here. Because it's convenient for you.that. people that agree with that. cops and people who endorse their ever-increasing power. Theyre boys with toys. Boys with the smallest taste of power that cant help but abuse it every single time someone isnt looking.
As I already said, I have lived in four other states than Texas, including some real hotbeds of crime. So no, I am not some Texas country bumpkin who has lived in a four-square mile area her whole life. And I don't see what being a woman has to do with it. Am I less likely to commit a crime, or are cops only assholes to men? What exactly is your insinuation here?I never wanted to be a cop. Loooooong before I was ever a punk, I never wanted to be a cop. But I do know, very personally, 3 cops. Another 3 I know as acquaintances at best, but 3 I can speak for with authority on the matter. They were punks once, they were high school athletes (or wanna be athletes) once. They wanted to be cops for no other reason than power. Cops dont make a of difference in the community. None. Look at Detroit, look at Dallas, look anywhere in the country/world and tell me how much os the societal harmony that exists is directly related to cops. None. Zero. Nada. They are enforcement. They are citizens with a badge, a gun and certificate that tells them they are much better than you and would love to remind you of that fact.
Cops are . By and large. I am quite sure there are some straight shooters, I have met a few (actually, I met 3 at once one time, thats another story...thank God for them, seriously). But a vast, VAST majority are just waiting for any excuse to exercises their authority over you. You being a woman says a lot, as well. You have no idea. Youre the granddaughter of a cop...do you live in the same area that all your cop family worked? More reasons to discount your opinion if true.
Overall, I don't disagree with everything you have said. But I don't have any pent-up anger over cops, either. And I have seen a few asshole ones. I saw one that made my friend cry and threatened to arrest her if she didn't shutup, even though all she had done was speeding. I had friend arrested in Austin for public urination when it wasn't him, but his buddy who did it. Yeah, those things piss me off but -- out of all the times in my life where I needed a cop or had to deal with one, that makes up for a very small percentage of assholes.Cops are only "cool" when you act like a wimp. Dont ask questions, dont declare your position, dont do a damn thing but sit there and take whatever it is they want to give. Most people dont want to be arrested, some people actually dont deserve it under the cir stance and dont want to leave their fate to the whims of some head on a powertrip so they voice their opinion. Bad idea. Ive seen that, multiple times, over and over.
A guy resisting arrest, gets his ass kicked. No problem.
Guy commits/wanted for a felony gets his ass kicked. No problem.
Punk teenager opens his dumb mouth and gets a boot stuck in it. I have huge, gaping chasm of a problem.
The Boys in Blue have lost their healthy fear of the populace, and that fear in mind gets more and more distant with every incident like the one posted and nobody does anything. Even worse, you have people agreeing with that police action. Sooner, much sooner than later, those same complicit ass-wipes are going to find themselves in a situation where they feel they arent being treated fairly, or they will observe something they feel isnt right. Only then will they understand what the minority have known for quite some time and being the spinless cowards they are, wont do . Ignorance and arrogance get you only so far for so long. So enjoy your cop family and all its benefits. The rest of us will have to deal with reality, and the reality is, the deck is stacked and some players dont seem to care.
You may hate cops but one day you will need one. And yeah, he may be an asshole but he may not be either. But the fact that you already pegged him as a 'boy with a toy' and power-hungry means that no matter what he does, you are going to find a reason to quibble. Maybe one day you will encouter a few more good cops and change your mind. Of course, if you actually stopped breaking the law, it might help.
