Don't let your children out at night ... there might be cops about

[Crazed Rabbit]

It has emerged recently that in Galveston, Texas, a terrible assault was perpetrated by police officers a couple years ago.

Apparently four officers got a call about some white prostitutes in an area. So they go to investigate. Some distance from the actual site of the complaint, a breaker goes out in a house and the mother sends her twelve year old daughter out to flip a switch to restore power. The cops are outside and see the girl, who is black.

The cops get out of their vehicle and advance towards the girl, one calling her a prostitute and saying she's going with them. They grab the girl and she starts screaming and resisting and calling for her father.

Did I mention what the cops were wearing yet? Oh, I didn't?

All officers were wearing plainclothes - civilian clothes with no uniform or insignia to identify themselves. They did not show their badges or otherwise identify themselves as police as they attacked the girl. And their vehicle? An unmarked blue van.

So we have a group of men getting out of a van and trying to haul a girl off into the van. As the girl resists, the police cover her mouth and start hitting her. Yes, hitting her; on her head, face, and neck, with their fists and a flashlight. So now we have a bunch of men jumping out of a van and trying to kidnap a girl and beating her.

Her parents come out and apparently the situation deescalates a bit, though the parents are forbidden from comforting their beaten child. They learn the cops were looking for three white prostitutes in a different area. No arrests occur, and the parents take their child to the emergency room where her multiple injuries are treated.

Several weeks later, the child is arrested while at school for assaulting a public servant. This seems to be a common tactic for police to cover their tracks by trying to gain leverage against a person who might sue them, by forcing the victims to spend resources defending themselves. A mistrial is declared on the first day and a retrial has not been scheduled.

Now the family is suing the police officers involved.

News story here: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairba...lse_arrest.php

Report about the lawsuit here: http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/0...at_Girl_12.htm

PDF of actual lawsuit here: http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/0...vestonCops.pdf

It is a shame the father didn't have a good gun handy.

I won't go on about the audacity of the police here - the events speak for themselves. But I'll say that it isn't the fact that these events occur that make me angry so much as the fact that nothing is ever done about them. Cops can kill innocent people and as long as they don't botch planting of the drugs on the bodies they can get away with it. The city and the department internal review will always find the officer's actions appropriate (as they did in this very case). We need some way to dispense justice (perhaps some elected county police overseer who can not have been an officer or prosecutor who can strip immunity and fire cops who violate the law or rights of people). Whatever the solution, continuing to allow this to occur without severe punishment will only increase the list of civilian victims.

Yes, there are good, honest cops of course. But because of the police culture we have in this country, cops hardly ever testify against one another - the whole brotherhood idea. In my view, good cops who do not speak out about injustice they witness are not good cops. Refusing to speak out, for whatever reason, especially a sense of police brotherhood, is akin to being neutral in a crisis. And I recall hearing something about a special place in the afterlife for such people.

You know, seeing the protests in Greece, I don't admire the anarchists using it as an excuse to go on a rampage. But good things can be said for standing up and making a government fear its people.

Crazed Rabbit

[ICantSpellDawg]

It has emerged recently that in Galveston, Texas, a terrible assault was perpetrated by police officers a couple years ago.

Apparently four officers got a call about some white prostitutes in an area. So they go to investigate. Some distance from the actual site of the complaint, a breaker goes out in a house and the mother sends her twelve year old daughter out to flip a switch to restore power. The cops are outside and see the girl, who is black.

The cops get out of their vehicle and advance towards the girl, one calling her a prostitute and saying she's going with them. They grab the girl and she starts screaming and resisting and calling for her father.

Did I mention what the cops were wearing yet? Oh, I didn't?

All officers were wearing plainclothes - civilian clothes with no uniform or insignia to identify themselves. They did not show their badges or otherwise identify themselves as police as they attacked the girl. And their vehicle? An unmarked blue van.

So we have a group of men getting out of a van and trying to haul a girl off into the van. As the girl resists, the police cover her mouth and start hitting her. Yes, hitting her; on her head, face, and neck, with their fists and a flashlight. So now we have a bunch of men jumping out of a van and trying to kidnap a girl and beating her.

Her parents come out and apparently the situation deescalates a bit, though the parents are forbidden from comforting their beaten child. They learn the cops were looking for three white prostitutes in a different area. No arrests occur, and the parents take their child to the emergency room where her multiple injuries are treated.

Several weeks later, the child is arrested while at school for assaulting a public servant. This seems to be a common tactic for police to cover their tracks by trying to gain leverage against a person who might sue them, by forcing the victims to spend resources defending themselves. A mistrial is declared on the first day and a retrial has not been scheduled.

Now the family is suing the police officers involved.

News story here: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairba...lse_arrest.php

Report about the lawsuit here: http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/0...at_Girl_12.htm

PDF of actual lawsuit here: http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/0...vestonCops.pdf

It is a shame the father didn't have a good gun handy.

I won't go on about the audacity of the police here - the events speak for themselves. But I'll say that it isn't the fact that these events occur that make me angry so much as the fact that nothing is ever done about them. Cops can kill innocent people and as long as they don't botch planting of the drugs on the bodies they can get away with it. The city and the department internal review will always find the officer's actions appropriate (as they did in this very case). We need some way to dispense justice (perhaps some elected county police overseer who can not have been an officer or prosecutor who can strip immunity and fire cops who violate the law or rights of people). Whatever the solution, continuing to allow this to occur without severe punishment will only increase the list of civilian victims.

Yes, there are good, honest cops of course. But because of the police culture we have in this country, cops hardly ever testify against one another - the whole brotherhood idea. In my view, good cops who do not speak out about injustice they witness are not good cops. Refusing to speak out, for whatever reason, especially a sense of police brotherhood, is akin to being neutral in a crisis. And I recall hearing something about a special place in the afterlife for such people.

You know, seeing the protests in Greece, I don't admire the anarchists using it as an excuse to go on a rampage. But good things can be said for standing up and making a government fear its people.

Crazed Rabbit

That is insane. That poor girl.

[Tribesman]

It is a shame the father didn't have a good gun handy.

Yeah , then you could write about the poor little orphan whose daddy got killed by 4 armed men
I must say I am surprised though , the police didn't shoot the dog when it attacked them

[Hosakawa Tito]

Yeah , then you could write about the poor little orphan whose daddy got killed by 4 armed men
I must say I am surprised though , the police didn't shoot the dog when it attacked them

Maybe they're dog lovers at heart...

[seireikhaan]

Absolutely disgusting. That something like this can occur and not be punished is nothing short of outrageous. I like CR's idea of a local county police overseer. Unfortunately, I'm not really sure how on earth to keep that position from the influence of the police themselves. I'm sure there's plenty of police that have plenty of spare "sting" money to ensure their positions.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Yeah , then you could write about the poor little orphan whose daddy got killed by 4 armed men

The girl has a mother - didn't you read the story?

I must say I am surprised though , the police didn't shoot the dog when it attacked them

Yes, rather odd - they actually gave a warning.

In seriousness, fighting back against four armed men, even if you had the element of surprise, is a dangerous prospect. But I can't help but think that if such jackbooted agents met with more such resistance we would see a drop in such tactics. Unfortunately, the tree of liberty must be fertilized with the blood of good men and tyrants from time to time.

CR

[Tristuskhan]

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigade...iminalit%C3%A9 (sorry , I have no translation)

Those men clearly deserve to enter the french Police.

[Tribesman]

The girl has a mother - didn't you read the story?

errrrrr.....

[Ice]

Yeah , then you could write about the poor little orphan whose daddy got killed by 4 armed men
I must say I am surprised though , the police didn't shoot the dog when it attacked them

That's actually what I thought. Somehow I think trying to use a gun against four, racist police officers would have turned out poorly for both parties.

It is a shame this did happen though.

[Tribesman]

Last edited by Banquo's Ghost; Today at 09:14. Reason: Edited unnecessary provocation

What is provocative about a dictionary definition ?
Hey , there is nothing provocative in suggesting someone needs a dictionary when they make an issue over a word they clearly didn't know the meaning of .

[Crazed Rabbit]

Sean Stewart, one of the cops who took part in this attack, was given an award for "Officer of the Year" this June: (Page 5 of this 24 page PDF)

You even admitted it yourself that the situation de-escalated after the father came out - why would escalating it be any better?

These incidents will continue to occur until the cops get incentives not to engage in such activities. If they knew they'd get shot at while pulling this unconstitutional, unlawful crap, they'd be much more likely to just walk up and talk to people instead of doing this or no-knock raids. Sadly, innocent people would die. But innocent people are dying right now from extreme police tactics with no punishment for the cops from the law - just reviews that always clear them of wrongdoing.

So I think that escalation could serve to provide disincentives for cops committing these unconstitutional actions. There are consequences, of course. But these police tactics are getting worse and worse. People - mostly poor - are suffering more. Escalation would mean standing up to this sort of unlawful action, and putting a stop to it by making cops not want to use these extreme tactics. I think it would overall save more lives in the long run. That would be sore comfort to the loved ones of those who got killed by the cops, though.

I can't shake the feeling that such people are unlikely to actually want to do the fertilizing themselves.

Heh. I am mainly outraged by these assaults on our rights, but another reason I want this to stop is because if cops break into my house at night on a no-knock raid I'll probably end up dead like that poor grandma in Atlanta (Since in the US, cops generally tend to break down a door and run in and not identify themselves as police when executing a no-knock raid).

Heck, some police departments have taken concealed pistol licenses as an excuse to send SWAT teams bursting into people's homes in the middle of the night for non-violent crimes. That itself defies reality - you have someone (the person with the CPL) who submitted to background checks and fingerprinting voluntarily at a police station and so the cops think the best way to arrest him is not just to send some cops knocking on his door in the day but to bust in at night. There would be so much less violence if the cops in such situations would not treat everything as a shoot out at the OK Corral. But instead the cops are looking for ways to escalate the situation. They need to learn two can play that game.

We need real legal binds against such police actions - some independent elected investigator who can fire cops and remove immunity. Or some other way of extracting justice.

CR

[Slyspy]

It has emerged recently that in Galveston, Texas, a terrible assault was perpetrated by police officers a couple years ago.

Apparently four officers got a call about some white prostitutes in an area. So they go to investigate. Some distance from the actual site of the complaint, a breaker goes out in a house and the mother sends her twelve year old daughter out to flip a switch to restore power. The cops are outside and see the girl, who is black.

The cops get out of their vehicle and advance towards the girl, one calling her a prostitute and saying she's going with them. They grab the girl and she starts screaming and resisting and calling for her father.

Did I mention what the cops were wearing yet? Oh, I didn't?

All officers were wearing plainclothes - civilian clothes with no uniform or insignia to identify themselves. They did not show their badges or otherwise identify themselves as police as they attacked the girl. And their vehicle? An unmarked blue van.

So we have a group of men getting out of a van and trying to haul a girl off into the van. As the girl resists, the police cover her mouth and start hitting her. Yes, hitting her; on her head, face, and neck, with their fists and a flashlight. So now we have a bunch of men jumping out of a van and trying to kidnap a girl and beating her.

Her parents come out and apparently the situation deescalates a bit, though the parents are forbidden from comforting their beaten child. They learn the cops were looking for three white prostitutes in a different area. No arrests occur, and the parents take their child to the emergency room where her multiple injuries are treated.

Several weeks later, the child is arrested while at school for assaulting a public servant. This seems to be a common tactic for police to cover their tracks by trying to gain leverage against a person who might sue them, by forcing the victims to spend resources defending themselves. A mistrial is declared on the first day and a retrial has not been scheduled.

Now the family is suing the police officers involved.

News story here: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairba...lse_arrest.php

Report about the lawsuit here: http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/0...at_Girl_12.htm

PDF of actual lawsuit here: http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/0...vestonCops.pdf

It is a shame the father didn't have a good gun handy.

I won't go on about the audacity of the police here - the events speak for themselves. But I'll say that it isn't the fact that these events occur that make me angry so much as the fact that nothing is ever done about them. Cops can kill innocent people and as long as they don't botch planting of the drugs on the bodies they can get away with it. The city and the department internal review will always find the officer's actions appropriate (as they did in this very case). We need some way to dispense justice (perhaps some elected county police overseer who can not have been an officer or prosecutor who can strip immunity and fire cops who violate the law or rights of people). Whatever the solution, continuing to allow this to occur without severe punishment will only increase the list of civilian victims.

Yes, there are good, honest cops of course. But because of the police culture we have in this country, cops hardly ever testify against one another - the whole brotherhood idea. In my view, good cops who do not speak out about injustice they witness are not good cops. Refusing to speak out, for whatever reason, especially a sense of police brotherhood, is akin to being neutral in a crisis. And I recall hearing something about a special place in the afterlife for such people.

You know, seeing the protests in Greece, I don't admire the anarchists using it as an excuse to go on a rampage. But good things can be said for standing up and making a government fear its people.

Crazed Rabbit

I hope that the law suit against the police succeeds. Certainly there is also an unhealthy tendancy of officialdom to close ranks over incidents like this. We can see it in action over here with the De Menezes shooting.

But your take on the story seems a little bizarre. I don't see how "It is a shame the father didn't have a good gun handy". As has been said already, I doubt that this would have resulted in "Her parents come out and apparently the situation deescalates a bit" or, if policemen however off the rails got shot, how it would then have ended with "A mistrial is declared on the first day and a retrial has not been scheduled".

Further, anybody using a phrase like "Unfortunately, the tree of liberty must be fertilized with the blood of good men and tyrants from time to time." worries me. The quote is from Jefferson I think? I can't shake the feeling that such people are unlikely to actually want to do the fertilizing themselves.

[Tristuskhan]

Such cases are so common here in France that I'm just a bit surprised with your astonishment. Recently a young man got badly mauled by three men of the french police, for no reason (the scene was filmed by a neighbour). The next day he was charged for assaulting authority, since one of the cops had supposedly a finger broken. They dared.

I bet if those methods also become usual in your countries, you'll all learn how to hate the police.

[Xiahou]

Yes, there are good, honest cops of course. But because of the police culture we have in this country, cops hardly ever testify against one another - the whole brotherhood idea. In my view, good cops who do not speak out about injustice they witness are not good cops. Refusing to speak out, for whatever reason, especially a sense of police brotherhood, is akin to being neutral in a crisis. And I recall hearing something about a special place in the afterlife for such people

That's the real issue. There will always be corrupt, evil people in all walks of life. The problem grows out of control when you have law-abiding people covering up their wrongdoings out of a misplaced sense of loyalty.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Pigs!

Armed citizens with issues about government brutality. God bless America!

I love your threads about police brutality CR.

[Tribesman]

Armed citizens with issues about government brutality. God bless America!

Hello Timothy

[Mooks]

Armed citizens with issues about government brutality. God bless America!

I love your threads about police brutality CR.

Nevermind the police brutality, the majority of them are still pigs. They spy on people, bust into people's home's, steal their stuff, kidnap them and throw them in prison on a daily basis.

Before you accuse me of hating cops, I could be much much worse. One of my friends had his cousin and his best friend shot and killed by cops (different occasions). They only thing they did to me was throw the only person I ever looked up too in jail (hes in their right now).

[Tribesman]

One of my friends had his cousin and his best friend shot and killed by cops

What did they do ?

They only thing they did to me was throw the only person I ever looked up too in jail

What did he do ?

[Mooks]

What did they do ?

What did he do ?

His cousin got off his medication for a little bit, walked around his neighborhood stark naked. Completely looney. The cops rolled up, one of them messed with him and he somehow managed to grab his nightstick and was walking around with it. Cops shot him. Media either said he attacked them or was charging at them with the nightstick. Both stories are complete lies, and even if they arent they shot a naked guy with a nightstick wtf. He showed me all the news reports of youtube, but I forgot the titles.

Not sure about his best friend.

The only person who I ever looked up too, who taught me alot of what I know. He was trying to get money for his business and his house was raided last week by narcotics (I wont elaborate). If your interested http://www.myspace.com/dynamicalg .

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

You ignored my post, Tribesman.

unless they have a badge

Part of the problem (beyond the officers' incompetence) was they were in plainclothes and in an unmarked van and failed to identify themselves, was it not? That's what's laid out in the lawsuit pdf. If that's how it happened can't you see some wrong-doing in the policemen's action? Or does possession of a badge absolve one of all guilt?

[Tribesman]

His cousin got off his medication for a little bit, walked around his neighborhood stark naked. Completely looney. The cops rolled up, one of them messed with him and he somehow managed to grab his nightstick and was walking around with it. Cops shot him. Media either said he attacked them or was charging at them with the nightstick. Both stories are complete lies, and even if they arent they shot a naked guy with a nightstick wtf.

Says it all , too right they should have shot him .

The only person who I ever looked up too, who taught me alot of what I know. He was trying to get money for his business and his house was raided last week by narcotics (I wont elaborate).

Yeah thats someone to look up to , someone who wants a business but finances it with drugs and then is dumb enough to get busted and jailed ..what a role model

You ignored my post, Tribesman

No I didn't .
Notice the big "IF" in your post