What is Digg?301 Comments
- Hodor, on 01/08/2009, -21/+305I'll probably get buried for not saying something like "those pigs!!" or whatever, but meh.
not to defend the officers too much, but we have no idea what that guy was doing 2 minutes before that picture was taken. It's standard to do a hold-down with the knee as is shown and it doesn't indicate that the person on the ground was being abused in any way.
there's plenty of real abuse-of-authority that we can see all over the place wrt this BART incident, but this particular picture doesn't really demonstrate that excessive force was used in this particular instance. - dejanigma, on 01/08/2009, -29/+117He doesn't look properly restrained.. Maybe you should shoot him, that always works.
- noahhoward, on 01/09/2009, -9/+79Here's a really cool idea. How about the protesters don't smash shop windows and set ***** on fire. Then perhaps the police won't be called in to break up a violent mindless herd?
- kinseyincanada, on 01/09/2009, -11/+70oh come on, you have no idea what this person was doing to warrent being arrested, we know there was violent protesters out there so the use of some force to arrest someone is justified.
- mreade, on 01/08/2009, -7/+58That mobile phone looks like it's about 2 seconds away from being destroyed...
- devildog1633310, on 01/09/2009, -9/+56This officer is using a legal submission to restrain for arrest or apprehension technique. What is the problem?
- woodrow8292, on 01/09/2009, -5/+43Yeah because they weren't smashing police cars, lighting fires, smashing windows, going crazy in the streets. Let me guess you would be the person saying "Where were the police while all this destruction was going on? why didn't they stop it?"
- inactive, on 01/09/2009, -16/+54I would bet that "protestor" means "***** who was rioting". And putting your knee on the back of their neck is a perfectly acceptable way to control someone while cuffing them. Not to mention the picture has no other ones before or after it. Buried as typical one sided *****,
- dagr8tim, on 01/09/2009, -6/+43Without the back story, that picture is pointless. For all we know, the guy on the ground could have been looting a store, burning a car, or getting to throw a molotov cocktail. Without a frame of reference, who knows if it was justified or not.
- 2mendndefend, on 01/09/2009, -7/+41Now I understand the protest, what happen should have never happen. But now we are trying to insight violence by posting pictures that may or may not be under the context of which is described. While it is SO easy to say this is a picture of police abusing power - it is so hard for our society to say...hey why don't we get all the reports and then judge. While the police who shot the gentlemen in the train station are totally in the wrong...let us not judge this before the whole picture. Innocent until proven otherwise.
While protesting is our right, we all must learn that a violent protest leads to more violence. Let us not fuel a flame that we might not be able to put out. - inactive, on 01/09/2009, -6/+39OMG, common sense and you havent been dugg down. Is this slashdot with a digg theme ?
- macbookpromat, on 01/09/2009, -7/+30Funny how as soon as there is police "brutality" involved it's dugg up. Whoever dugg this ***** up is plainly stupid. First off I see no evidence any brutality as using the knee to neck technique is a wide spread police technique to arrest someone quickly. Then there's the fact that this is Riot Control so you can automatically assume that the people in this picture who are being arrested were rioting and generally being idiots.
As for those of you who keep saying ***** the police, you'll be thanking them this year when GM shuts down and the crime rate flies in the US. Fact is most of you may want to get jobs as police officers, because that'll be a job that this whole recession mess will create.
Lastly buried as ***** dumb of all sorts. - Meekus, on 01/09/2009, -6/+27I don't know all the details of the BART incident or of the photo here, but I think people are too quick to denounce police. A good friend of mine is an officer, and every time he goes to work, there is a chance he can lose his life. A chance for his wife and two kids to never see him again. Every person he stops is a chance for someone to pull a gun and shoot him just because he has a badge.
I give him credit, I couldn't do what he does. He has a right to protect his life as an individual.
Don't get me wrong, I am not saying there are no jerk cops. There are. But just that we should be objective and treat each incident individually rather than saying a blanket statement like all cops are jerks. The few police I know today (I grew up with) are good people and care about protecting their fellow man.
A bad day at work for me puts me in a bad mood for the rest of the night when I go home. A bad day at work for an officer is winding up in the morgue. - dagr8tim, on 01/09/2009, -6/+27@seventhc
Sounds like somebody's been picked up more than once doing 45 in a 25. Or was it running a red light? Maybe DUI? Perhaps you don't feel the need to carry insurance or drive with a valid driver's license.
If you think all police officer's do is write tickets. Do us all a favor and kill yourself now. If all they did was write tickets, they'd have no time left to shoot innocent civilians.
Perhaps what we need is cops spending more time writing tickets so they have less time to shoot people. - borez, on 01/09/2009, -12/+32You think, I'm ex army mate... that's a way dangerous manoeuvre. In a scuffle it would only take one person to fall over the suppressing officer from behind to snap that guys neck clean ( which in that situation can happen pretty easily ). Get the guys arm, stick it up his back, non lethal, highly affective.
But I'm thinking that the officer in that situation isn't being suppressive, he's being oppressive, as I'm seeing more and more in recent pictures of American Police in action. - danwallace, on 01/09/2009, -4/+23You people are idiots. This is not police brutality. Not in any way.
- beck5, on 01/09/2009, -5/+22Standard way to restrain people all over the world
burried - xEn1gma, on 01/09/2009, -2/+19There's a burning car in the other pictures.
Something tells me this person being "abused" had to do something with it. - Finalreminder, on 01/09/2009, -3/+19Outrageous!! They could have given him a hug and a drink of water or something.
- NateTheApe21, on 01/09/2009, -6/+21maybe it is because he was rioting
- vertigo32, on 01/09/2009, -4/+18It's a legal and legitimate technique for subduing suspects / criminals. Is it 'brutal'? Well, it's not designed to be fun, but it's definitely preferable to getting shot or beaten with batons until you start struggling.
We have no idea what happend before this picture was taken or what the person being arrested in this photo was doing. This article says he was subdued for 'not moving as fast as police wanted him to', but I doubt that is the full story here.
Considering the rioting / looting that was going on, it's no surprise that police are attempting to restore order...and they appear to be doing it in a relatively professional manner. Riots get out of hand quickly, and when people start rioting it's necessary (to protect all of the innocent people / property) to stop it immediately. Things like curfews, martial law, and riot police are much better than ongoing riots and anarchy in your community.
Keep in mind that in most countries, the guy with the mobile phone taking photos and the person who took this photo would be beaten and have their phone / camera destroyed. Instead, they were probably told to get the hell out of there, stop taking pictures, and go home. I won't defend police brutality (and the shooter who sparked off this whole incident certainly needs to be investigated and charged with the appropriate crimes) but riots aren't good things and need to be stopped immediately. - colincornaby, on 01/09/2009, -4/+17Yay pictures without context! Seriously, you can't criticize the Bush administration propaganda machine, and then flash a bunch of pictures around without any context in an attack on people...
- DeviantDragon, on 01/09/2009, -6/+19You have a brittle-ass neck then.
- theonlywizdum, on 01/09/2009, -4/+16You could always move to china. The police over there dont shoot bean bags, or carry batons. They use real bullets and 2X4s.
- borez, on 01/09/2009, -31/+43Knee in the back fair enough, knee in the neck though... you're seriously gonna kill somebody doing that mate, and it'll only take a split second being off balance to do it. What a muppet.
- mattlohkamp, on 01/09/2009, -4/+16needs moar taser.
- NLaBruiser, on 01/09/2009, -5/+16I love how everyone hates cops until they're assaulted / carjacked / robbed / raped / stalked / intimidated / etc.
Let's take a moment to realize the 'true' problem - the mentality of having to act 'street'. Having to be so tough and disrespectful so that you aren't 'soft' that you create negative situations for yourself, those around you, and most of all - the police that have to respond to your dumb ass.
I am NOT condoning the execution of this young man by a BART cop. To me, looked like murder, and the cop should stand trial for it. But accuse the man, not the organization. Police are USUALLY our best out there saving our asses day in and day out - and I would know, my dad was one of them. - btschul, on 01/09/2009, -2/+13Because stupid ***** people feel the need to bust up privately owned shops and cars in retaliation for an incident that they still don't have all the facts about.
- d46ron1337, on 01/09/2009, -1/+12The right to PEACEABLY assemble is our right protected by the constitution, once the protest turns violent the police then intervene and pictures like this are taken. I believe most people forget that little word "Peaceful" when understanding our 1st amendment right, and need to truly educate themselves on their Right to Peaceably Assemble before jumping to conclusion on Police Brutality. Please before we jump on the Right to Assemble without adding Peacefully before Assemble read our First Amendment Right:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
From the accounts that I've read regarding the Protesting in Oakland the protest has turned violent and the police must move in to protect those citizens not protesting. Even the caption of the picture reads "...as protesters smashed storefronts and set cars on fire."
I'm just as enraged about the unnecessary force used by the BART Officer when he killed that young man, however getting angry when police are doing their job to protect the peace in this situation is showing a lack of understanding of the situation. Violence is not solved by more violence and this riot is causing more focus to be placed on the "Riot/Protest" instead of the action that caused this to occur in the first place.
If all of those people who are now rioting were to stand outside City Hall and not move until something is done for that young man I'm pretty sure more people would have heard about the Unarmed Man being shot by the BART Police Officer instead of hearing about "Riots in Oakland." Regardless of the reasoning behind the riots most people will focus on the riot itself instead of the cause of the riot. - vertigo32, on 01/09/2009, -2/+12I don't understand why you are being dugg down. When the police order you to disperse due to unlawful assembly, you are in violation of the law and subject to arrest. This was not a peaceful assembly protected by the constitution, this was a riot.
If people were rioting in my community, destroying businesses, and burning cars, I would hope and expect that the police would respond in force using the same techniques. It's not fun getting slammed by the cops, but it beats getting shot or beaten with batons.
If you think this treatment is unfair and brutal, read up on the Watts Riots (and other race riots from the same period). There was a time when people would have been flat out shot for refusing a lawful dispersal order. Also, when you read up on those riots, ask yourself if you would want that in your own community. I live near Detroit, and there are STILL burned out and abandoned buildings left over from the race riots throughout the city - 40 years later. - TigerStar337, on 01/09/2009, -4/+14Perhaps the protester deserved it. The protesters are looking for trouble. What to they expect? That said, IMHO, the policeman didn't need draw his gun leading to shooting a person in the back.
- btschul, on 01/09/2009, -1/+9Protip: Don't participate in a riot, and you won't get a knee in the back of your neck.
- TheSwashbuckler, on 01/09/2009, -3/+11Knee on neck, or smashing storefronts and burning cars of people that had nothing to do with the original incident. Which is more newsworthy?
- Sogui, on 01/09/2009, -5/+13All I know is if you look at the rest of the set you see a burning car in the background and in another picture you can clearly see he isn't even putting much weight on the knee.
- unclebuck, on 01/09/2009, -0/+8Jesus, what a bunch of pussies. That's not police brutality. Not even close. Back in the 1930s the cop would have had his knee on the guy's balls while his partner opened his skull with a billy club.
Buried. - blu64, on 01/09/2009, -5/+13stick around. the grown ups are just getting up on the west coast. we will digg you up.
- mjmcphee, on 01/09/2009, -3/+10You have to view this from the cop's standpoint. This cop has no clue what's going on in this guy head. And the best way to get someone to comply and submit fully is to put your knee on their neck.It's all about keeping you and your fellow officers safe. Hell at least it wasn't knee drop.
If a cop asks or tells you to do something, you better damn well do it, especially if he's wearing a helmet and toting a baton. - TheCamino, on 01/09/2009, -2/+9
Wrong.
Good cops are everywhere.
It's the bad ones that stand out, because they're held to a higher standard of personal restraint. - noahhoward, on 01/09/2009, -7/+14***** off. You think the populace needs to be armed?? The ***** populace was already smashing police cars, smashing storefronts, lighting cars on fire and you want them to have guns too? What the hell is wrong with you?
If these idiots had been armed they'd likely have been dragging the police and any other random person they could get out into the streets and shooting them. - dd12101, on 01/09/2009, -1/+8when people act like animals, they should be treated like animals.
- mattlohkamp, on 01/09/2009, -1/+8We have 'em screaming in the streets, we have 'em tippin' over ***** and breakin' *****' windows of small businesses, and settin' *****' fires...
- andyb747, on 01/09/2009, -7/+14majority of these "protesters" never protested anything in their life.... but now here is a chance to act like an ***** in the streets and destroy other peoples property......if they really want to protest organize it properly.
- boozedrinker, on 01/09/2009, -12/+19While I do think what happened with the BART shooting and over-zealous cops in general, I can say that this is pretty standard protocol...
There are good cops out there...you just have to look REALLY hard to find them! - blackinthmiddle, on 01/09/2009, -0/+7While I agree with you that good cops get a bad rap because of the bad ones, using the "since you don't hear about them means everything is fine" argument is just plain stupid. I grew up in the Bronx and let's just say I don't like cops. The worst incident I had with them was when they pulled us over (by cutting us off in the middle of the highway, almost causing an accident) for no reason whatsoever and pull their guns out and had them drawn on us. Why? Well because we were two engineering students coming back from school, that's why! They searched our car and searched us personally completely without warrant. When they finally saw the floor of my car littered with engineering books, they finally calmed down.
We never reported this because it wasn't the youtube generation and it would have been four cops words versus two black kids. *Nobody* would have believed us. Again, I agree with you, but your logic's a little flawed. People have run ins with the cops all the time and figure if they didn't capture the damn event on video they're wasting their time reporting it. - britblogger, on 01/09/2009, -1/+8show me some video footage of this guy "not doing anything", then repost this propagandist pile of ***** submission.
- woodrow8292, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6If my son or daughter was in the middle of a riot where people were burning dumpsters and jumping on the hoods of police cars, what this police officer is doing to them would be a walk in the the park compared to when I got a hold of them!
- mediaphile, on 01/09/2009, -1/+7@unknownpoltroon:
"we do know that the police were abusing their power by executing helpless people last week."
I like how you pluralize a singular incident (e.g., "the police," "their power"), making it sound conspiratorial, and how you use charged language (e.g., "abusing," "executing") to further exaggerate the point you're trying to make. - Pixelante, on 01/09/2009, -2/+8You have odd tastes. Nothing wrong with it, of course,
- FenianNProud, on 01/09/2009, -1/+7Buried.
People are participating in a riot, i.e. setting cars aflame, destroying property, etc. Way to show the solidarity of your neighborhood by destroying it in a further display of ignorant actions. Nothing says, 'stop the violence' like mass destruction of property.
Using a dumbass cops reckless behavior to participate in even further dumbass behavior is going to solve what? Oh, right - nothing. - smotpoker, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6What black said plus consider how extreme most of the abuses have to be to get *any* attention from the media, let alone enough to get noticed or believed by the majority of the population.
Not only do they have to be extreme but there has to be extra-compelling evidence to get picked up by the MSM or accepted by most people. Besides this, since Rodney King riots (and now this Oakland case), there is unfortunately added incentive for MSM not to publicize such abuses.
There are hundreds of cases where the same rogue cops are repeatedly reported by numerous people and they never get fired or charged until/unless something like the Oakland incident happens. If you search youtube, you will find literally dozens of amateur footage and local news report footage of brutality incidents and the like. That is only a very small representation of reported abuses let alone those that only get reported (and dismissed) during the victims' court procedures (yes, these abuses typically happen to suspects/criminals which is why they are so frequently ignored) or go completely unreported.
Any cop on the streets and likely most detectives are at the very least corrupt in that they cover for the more corrupt cops which in and of itself often hurts society as much or more than criminals themselves.
When a cop lies to convict an innocent suspect because he acted so suspicious it costs loads of tax dollars, the real criminal is more likely to roam free longer and the suspect (and his family) suffer greatly (having to go on welfare, being steered towards a life of crime, etc). When another cop ignores that cop's act or helps him commit it, he equally corrupt especially if he does so more than once.
I strongly urge anyone reading this (who really cares about the issue) to check out this link: http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/reports98/police ...
While personally I've only been physically abused twice (both times relatively minor but still technically illegal) I have been lied against on multiple occasions which hurt both me and my family greatly in ways we still suffer from. The above link (and the links it contains) thoroughly details and analyzes many of the factors that allow and contribute to police brutality and misconduct as well as documenting dozens of severe cases of criminal activity, coverups etc in the last few decades, most of which went and remain almost completely unpunished, including beatings, torture, conspiracy, theft, robbery and murder -
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