Police abuse Eight Radical Kids for Cooking Chicken and Skinny Dipping
Eight charged with resisting officers during Punk Week gathering at Bandemer Park
Police say those arrested refused to leave the park, prompting what witnesses described as a heated exchange between officers and people who traveled to Ann Arbor from around the country hoping to have a good time.
A woman used her cell phone to videotape the chaos, which broke out as people were barbecuing chicken, she said. She captured footage of a woman who ran from a police car before being tackled and dragged away in handcuffs.
[...]
Ann Arbor police Sgt. David Strauss said officers responded to a report at 5:43 p.m. Sunday that people were smoking marijuana, “lounging naked,” and “having sex” at the Lake Shore Drive park along the Huron River.
The caller estimated 25 people were there, Strauss said. Police spokeswoman Lt. Angella Abrams said the caller was concerned children could potentially see the people. Several dogs were reportedly running loose, Abrams said.
When officers arrived, Abrams said, they told people to disperse.
“Eight of them did not comply and were taken into custody,” Abrams said.
Robert Levin, 26, of Baltimore, Md., said between 20 and 30 people were in the park, a couple of whom were swimming naked. Most were waiting for their chicken to finish cooking, Levin said.
Two patrol cars pulled up with three white male officers inside, and Levin says they got out and started cursing at people, ordering them to leave the park.
He claims officers used a homophobic slur to refer to people and directed a racial slur at a black man. "We were basically saying it was a public park and asking why we have to leave," Levin said.
Videos and more at the link.
Police lie, police murder, police intentionally hurt, police use homophobic and racial slurs, police beat people and then claim they were beaten. Why are we to trust the police again?
Worst part of all of this is police on the stand are almost always believed, despite the fact that almost every single entity in the justice system knows the police are corrupt.
Ann Arbor police Sgt. David Strauss said officers responded to a report at 5:43 p.m. Sunday that people were smoking marijuana, “lounging naked,” and “having sex” at the Lake Shore Drive park along the Huron River.
I wonder for their next vacation if they'd be interested to receive home made brochures for Cape Breton.
Interesting, I remember a few years back there was a big hoopla about a couple of Europeans getting busted for "Sex on the Beach" in Dubai. The international outcry in the media, and in the blogosphere was like a tidal wave, aimed largely at the repressive mores of the Islamic state. Despite dire predictions here (lots of talk about how people here would be let go with a warning, and so on), and elsewhere that the couple were headed for a 6 year jail term, the pair received 3 month sentences (suspended), and a smallish fine.
One wonders why this story is not getting any play in the MSN?
So how can police officers be socialized differently and how would we as a society go about making this paradigm shift?
I've always found sex on the beach to be a bit on the sweet side. I always add extra vodka too.
Very good point, Cueball.
Caissa, that sounds like an interesting topic for a new thread. I'm serious.
So how can police officers be socialized differently and how would we as a society go about making this paradigm shift?
First society has to question the need for policing at all. The institution is kind of like insurance really, for most people, it allays their fears about things they think might happen to them. When they do happen to them of course 99.9% of the time the police are there arfter the fact and do nothing. Most people believe that they act as a kind of deterent, but really, the most effective deterent to crime is social well being, employment and respect.
For example, the Toronto City police budget has doubled in the last 10 years, despite the fact that crime rates are not measurably different than they were 10 years ago. One billion dollars a year is blown on this particularly useless city service, when that money could be spent improving social services, and the infrastructure that makes the city a reasonable place to live.
The police services and the entire judicial system is like sucking wound on the taxpayers wallet, but if you feed them enough fear they will buy the insurance policy they will never need.
Second, once society realizes this fact, we don't have to switch paradigms at all, just shift the budget entries.
Third, the former police will be well socialized raking parks, filling pot holes, and handing out welfare cheques in their new jobs.
You make a number of good points Cueball, but since human nature is what it is, even if it were possible to eliminate poverty, crime would still happen. You only have to look at crime within gated communities, and the rising problem of gangs in the BC city of Abbottsford even though it does not have near the level of poverty that exists in other western Canadian cities. Cetrainly poverty isn't a factor in such things as the Columbine school shootings, as the shooters had every economic advantage growing up they could.
The other function police serve is to bring criminals to justice after crimes have happened. Granted the police have done a terrible job in several cases (for example the Picton case and the numerous missing Aboriginal women on the Prairies).
So back to your original question, let's say we've done as you suggested. We've spent on social services and eliminated the police. Now someone breaks into my residence and beats me up very badly. In the system you just described, what would happen next? How can I receive justice for what happened?