Outrageous Police Action or Not?

[Husar]

Another detail seems to have eluded everyone. The police officer makes the prediction that the Oakland Raiders will make the Superbowl (all season, this prediciton defies the bounds of reason and by now, impossible, but I have no idea when the video was taped). He then forces the 2 men to agree with him, and then underscores the symbolic act by highlighting and getting group agreement that the reason his prediction is correct is because of his gun and his badge. This troubles me much, much more than the rap stint. He sounds like Judge Dread... "I am the law....".

The article says they were joking.
About police officers following the law to the letter, what if the law is for example wrong or inhumane? What if the law says beat them to death for littering? Do you expect them to always follow that?
I personally prefer human policemen with a sense of humour instead of robots who apply the law to the last letter and read some paragraphs to me.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

The cop may not have a racist bone in his body. BUT

Having the litterers do a "rap" suggests implicit racism in the same fashion as if he had made native Amerinds perform a "sun dance" or if he had forced persons of Indian extraction to say "ball point pen" a few dozen times. It is trading on ridicule that is based upon the ethnicity of the individual -- NOT kopacetic.

Don't mistake my point. I think sentences that involve a little public humiliation for minor offenses --e.g. wear a sign saying "I throw trash on my own city streets" for 2 weeks or making the fine $200 less $1 for each pushup you can complete or forcing a driver to put a sign on their car reading "I don't know what a red traffic light means" with one of those stupid smilies -- might be more corrective than simple fines etc.

However:

Such a penalty should be imposed by the polity via legislation and NOT the arresting officer.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

The cop may not have a racist bone in his body. BUT

Having the litterers do a "rap" suggests implicit racism in the same fashion as if he had made native Amerinds perform a "sun dance" or if he had forced persons of Indian extraction to say "ball point pen" a few dozen times. It is trading on ridicule that is based upon the ethnicity of the individual -- NOT kopacetic.

Yeah, IF the suggestion is that liking rap music is a bad thing. This is one of those harmless assumptions that people make. Also, lot's of people like rap music, isn't it the most popular genre? "Sun dance" is hardly a fair comparison.

[yesdachi]

I saw this on the “entertainment” news my wife was watching last night. It doesn’t seem to be a big deal, the guys said they were rappers and the cop asked them to do a rap, the cop was kind of an arrogant goof-off but so what, I have encountered cops that I thought were going to beat the snot out of me for looking at them wrong. I would have much preferred this guy.