Don't even talk to them, give them the minimal information required and don't bother with anything else.

But true, never touch a cop. Maybe she could have asked first. Then be hauled off for a vague verbal assault on a police officer. Suppose they'd have come up with something if they chose to.

Police "unions" protect obviously bad cops. And mos the times police investigate their own officers and find no wrong doing.
Citizen review boards would be better but police "unions" hate them.

Too many cops are bullies with unbelievable power available to them. Scary.

I am pro-union as fuck, but I make an exception for brownshirt "unions."

...and the county law enforcement "unions" pointedly do not participate with the other labor and trade unions because they do not appreciate the generally left leaning (read very left wing, LOL) positions of the CLC executive board or the other participating unions, particularly when their vote is only worth as many delegate seats as their per capitas provide. They HATE losing democratically, so they simply don't participate.

a defense attorney. They are part of the system. If the system works correctly then justice will prevail. Dont blame the unions.

from the consequences of their lawlessness.

properly. It's weak prosecution by management.

of the state from the worst consequences of their lawlessness.

Do you realize the police investigate their OWN officers to decide on discipline?

Do you realize local prosecutors do not like charging the police because it pisses off the other "union" members who the local prosecutors need to solve real crimes?

Police unions defend obviously bad cops. Crooked cops. Cops they should be ashamed of. ALL THE TIME.

Imagine telling BP that they could, on their own, decide if they were in the wrong on an oil spill and not the EPA. How do you think BP would respond? Fine themselves a lot of money? LOL. No, that might not be a good plan.

Please educate yourself.

Last edited Sun Jun 22, 2014, 11:09 AM - Edit history (1)

quo, enforce racism and classism, and protect criminals.

Both Calvin Coolidge and FDR opposed them.

They think they actually have the rights guaranteed by the Constitution when dealing with cops. We don't. We have as many rights as the cops say we have. Maybe later in a court of law we can get restitution, but good luck with that.

Do not say anything to a cop beyond answering their questions with "Yes," "No," or "I do not consent to this search."

"White people often make this mistake. They think they actually have the rights guaranteed by the Constitution when dealing with cops".

To be fair, sometimes PoC think this too. We call them the sadly misinformed.

endangerment. Cop grasping at straws should spend time in the pockey.

Apparently--



Then it's "Uh-oh, time to step back slowly and quietly!"

They only "touch" citizens who are unarmed...

I think this has been the norm for decades but body cams and the like are catching more of it than before. I've heard of horrible stories of police brutality in the days of worker strikes during the 1930s and of course during the days of the civil rights struggle when cameras weren't everywhere.

Didn't you see the post yesterday with police shooting an unarmed old man in front of his whole family. This ain't the 1960's my friend.

to manipulate the clothing of others regardless of the reason. This idiot should have realized that putting your hands and moving someone's clothing about for whatever reason would have a threatening gesture to anyone, and they don't need to know what your supposed innocent reason for doing it is. She further should have realized that in putting her hands on a cop would understandably be seen as a threat to their person and intent to do harm since that's the only reason people tend to put their hands on a cop in the first place.

Anyone putting their hands on me and trying to manipulate my clothing is going to be seen as a threat to me and should be on guard that their head was about to hit the floor, and because I'm not a cop I seriously doubt anyone here would take issue with that.

If she wanted to see the cop's name tag all she had to do was ASK. I've asked plenty of cops to see their name tag or badge or ask them to repeat their name if I didn't catch it and they've been perfectly fine about showing it to me themselves to get their name or badge number correct.

There was no threat to the officer. Force, especially deadly force, is becoming the normal response to no/low threat situations. We own the state, the state does not own us.

And frankly, anyone that has someone put their hands on them without warning would take it as a threat. Cops don't have the luxury of waiting to see what a person that puts their hands on them decides to do next. In their experience anyone that puts their hands on them has violent intent.

Every cop just like every civilian person has the right to preserve their person, and anyone that suffers a person putting their hands on them without warning has a right to feel threatened by the gesture and retaliate. Your rights stop where another's body begins and that includes their clothing. Like I said, if this was anyone else other than a cop no excuses would be made for the person grabbing on someone else. If it was a cop that grabbed on a waitress or librarian or anyone else that wears a nametag in the course of their business you'd be decrying the cop that was so horrible to be doing such grabbing on someone and poo-poo the excuse that they just wanted to see their nametag.

I am thoroughly convinced that the heavily armed thug felt himself in imminent danger as this unarmed woman touched his clothing. Personally I think he should have tased her just to be sure....

...and then pepper-sprayed, for good measure.

Just to be sure...

On edit: Oh, and perhaps body-slammed as icing on the cake--

I've interacted with cops many times, and never once did it occur to me to grab their clothing. And if I'd done so, I fully expect that they'd have responded rather forcefully.

Next time I can't read a waitress' name tag, maybe I'll just grab her clothing for a better look. I'm sure it'll be fine.

and drag you to jail. The lady probably never dreamed of that type of response and from the video it looked to me as if she just wanted to know the cops name.

Not okay to grab anyone and this lady didn't "grab" anybody. It's very possible she did ask him and was ignored.

'cause I've personally never met that waitress. But if a waitress is detaining you by force, I generally think you have a right to at least know what her name is so that you can report her to the appropriate authorities.

If you phone your friend to drop by to check out your new car, does that give him the right to demand your identification? If you cal 911, cops are allowed to do so, for instance.

I can't cite the specific precedent, but I believe that courts have ruled fairly definitively that interaction with police in the performance of duty differs from interaction with civilians.

He could have decided she was going for his gun and shot her.