Ahh, ok. I just read about how tasers work, sorry. I didn't realize that it's possible that he thought Scott could zap him again.
Still....*seven* shots in the back? On Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 2:30:55 PM UTC-4, KeithInTampa wrote: > > Hey Perp, > > Slager had been shot by Scott with his own taser; and was running away > from Slager with the taser guide-wires still attached to Slager's > chest.....(The Guide-Wires are approximately 35' in length for law > enforcement models) > > I openly admit that this is potentially a stretch, but this was never > revealed; despite the fact that Slager's own report states exactly that. > Once we saw the enhanced video, it is clear that Slager's story was > absolutely true and correct. That Scott and Slager had in fact engaged in > a tussle; with Scott on top of Slager, and somehow manged to wrest control > of Slager's taser. > > My point, is that I am willing to hear and see the results of a trial > before I condemn Slager. > > On Tue, Jul 12, 2016 at 12:50 PM, 'Perplexed' via PoliticalForum < > [email protected] <javascript:>> wrote: > >> >> How can a reasonable person believe that someone running away from a cop >> poses a "significant physical danger" to that cop? >> >> It doesn't compute! >> >> On Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 12:28:02 PM UTC-4, KeithInTampa wrote: >>> >>> Your little cut and paste article answers your own question within the >>> first sentence: >>> >>> "A seminal 1985 Supreme Court case, *Tennessee vs. Garner*, held that >>> the police may not shoot at a fleeing person unless* the officer >>> reasonably believes that the individual poses a significant physical danger >>> to the officer"* >>> >>> (Emphasis Added) >>> >>> On Tue, Jul 12, 2016 at 12:11 PM, plainolamerican <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> there's seldom an excuse for shooting an unarmed suspect in the back. >>>> >>>> A seminal 1985 Supreme Court case, Tennessee vs. Garner, held that the >>>> police may not shoot at a fleeing person unless the officer reasonably >>>> believes that the individual poses a significant physical danger to the >>>> officer or others in the community. That means officers are expected to >>>> take other, less-deadly action during a foot or car pursuit unless the >>>> person being chased is seen as an immediate safety risk. >>>> >>>> In other words, a police officer who fires at a fleeing man who a >>>> moment earlier murdered a convenience store clerk may have reasonable >>>> grounds to argue that the shooting was justified. But if that same robber >>>> never fired his own weapon, the officer would likely have a much harder >>>> argument. >>>> >>>> “You don’t shoot fleeing felons. You apprehend them unless there are >>>> exigent circumstances — emergencies — that require urgent police action to >>>> safeguard the community as a whole,” said Greg Gilbertson, a police >>>> practices expert and criminal justice professor at Centralia College in >>>> Washington state. >>>> >>>> Gilbertson said he thought the video of the shooting of Walter Scott in >>>> North Charleston, South Carolina, was “insane” given what he said was the >>>> apparent lack of justification. >>>> >>>> Though the legal standard has been established, courts continue to hear >>>> cases involving use of force against fleeing felons under a variety of >>>> circumstances. Just last year, the Supreme Court sided with police >>>> officers >>>> who were sued over a high-speed, two-state chase in Arkansas that ended >>>> with the deaths of the fleeing driver and his passenger. >>>> >>>> *In cases where police officers are not supposed to use deadly force >>>> against a fleeing person, what should they do?* >>>> >>>> Each case involving a suspect who flees the police, whether in a car or >>>> on foot, poses a balancing test for an officer, said Chuck Drago, a police >>>> practices expert and former Oviedo, Florida, police chief. >>>> >>>> “Am I creating more of a danger by chasing this person than if I let >>>> this person stay at large?” Drago said. “Especially in a vehicle pursuit, >>>> is it worth risking everyone on the road to catch this guy?” >>>> >>>> In a pursuit on foot, the more reasonable option might be to call for >>>> backup, including perhaps with a police dog, so that other officers can >>>> set >>>> up a perimeter and trap the suspect, Drago said. >>>> >>>> In the South Carolina case, the former lawyer for the North Charleston >>>> officer, Michael Slager, said Monday that Slager felt threatened and had >>>> fired because Scott was trying to grab his stun gun — an older model that >>>> would have had to have been manually reloaded. But if the stun gun was on >>>> the ground at the time Scott fled, Drago said, then “there is no longer a >>>> threat. The threat is gone.” >>>> >>>> There’s also no indication on the video that after the physical >>>> encounter between the men, where the officer has said he believed Scott >>>> had >>>> tried to get ahold of his stun gun, that he shouts any instructions. >>>> >>>> On Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 10:57:12 AM UTC-5, KeithInTampa wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Maybe not if the guy just jacked you up with 50,000 watts and is now >>>>> running away with the guide wires still attached to your chest..... >>>>> >>>>> On Tue, Jul 12, 2016 at 11:52 AM, plainolamerican < >>>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Have you heard >>>>>> --- >>>>>> that shooting an unarmed man in the back is the act of a coward? >>>>>> >>>>>> On Monday, July 11, 2016 at 4:07:38 PM UTC-5, KeithInTampa wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Obviously, the initial media reports are incorrect. Scott somehow >>>>>>> wrested control of the taser from Slager during the altercation and >>>>>>> shot >>>>>>> Slager: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> This becomes obvious with the enhanced video, and I will make it >>>>>>> easy for you: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5em7GcDTg8U >>>>>>> >>>>>>> The taser guide wire is clearly visable from Slager's chest; as >>>>>>> Scott runs after shooting Slager. (If you can, try to watch this on a >>>>>>> full >>>>>>> screen PC/laptop. It may be difficult to see if you are viewing from a >>>>>>> cell phone. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Other questions that you should ask yourself Plain Ol': >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Have you seen Officer Slager’s report? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Have you heard the radio calls made by Officer Slager? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Have you heard the radio traffic from the responding officers who >>>>>>> were trying to aid an officer in a fight with a suspect? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Have you heard from the passenger that was riding with Scott? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Have you heard from the mysterious “car selling” neighbor (that >>>>>>> Scott initially told Slager regarding the purchase of the vehicle) ? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 4:24 PM, plainolamerican < >>>>>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> ok ... not exactly. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> According to the incident report and city officials, Slager then >>>>>>>> fired his Taser, hitting Scott.[20] >>>>>>>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Walter_Scott#cite_note-WaPo.Charged-21> >>>>>>>> Scott >>>>>>>> fled, and Slager drew his handgun, firing eight rounds at him from >>>>>>>> behind. >>>>>>>> [7] >>>>>>>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Walter_Scott#cite_note-NYTimes.Charged-8> >>>>>>>> The >>>>>>>> coroner's report stated that Scott was struck a total of five times: >>>>>>>> three >>>>>>>> times in the back, once in the upper buttocks, and once on one of his >>>>>>>> ears. >>>>>>>> [21] >>>>>>>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Walter_Scott#cite_note-NYTimes.Federal-22> >>>>>>>> Official >>>>>>>> autopsy reports have not been released.[7] >>>>>>>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Walter_Scott#cite_note-NYTimes.Charged-8> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Immediately following the shooting, Slager radioed a dispatcher, >>>>>>>> stating, "Shots fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser." >>>>>>>> [20] >>>>>>>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Walter_Scott#cite_note-WaPo.Charged-21> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> When Slager fired his gun, Scott was approximately 15 to 20 feet (5 >>>>>>>> to 6 m) away and fleeing.[7] >>>>>>>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Walter_Scott#cite_note-NYTimes.Charged-8> >>>>>>>> In >>>>>>>> the report of the shooting filed before the video surfaced, Slager >>>>>>>> said he >>>>>>>> had feared for his life because Scott had taken his Taser,[7] >>>>>>>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Walter_Scott#cite_note-NYTimes.Charged-8> >>>>>>>> and >>>>>>>> that he shot Scott because he "felt threatened".[22] >>>>>>>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Walter_Scott#cite_note-23> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On Monday, July 11, 2016 at 3:01:40 PM UTC-5, KeithInTampa wrote: >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Well not exactly. It seems that Walter Scott shot Slager with a >>>>>>>>> taser; twice; and then ran with him still holding the >>>>>>>>> taser/cartridge with >>>>>>>>> the taser guide-wires still in Slager's chest. This was after the >>>>>>>>> two had >>>>>>>>> been in a scuffle, where Scott was clearly on top of Slager; >>>>>>>>> apparently >>>>>>>>> winning. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Not nearly as clean and neat as it was sold to the public. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> (Watch the videos in the links provided Plain Ol') >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 3:21 PM, plainolamerican < >>>>>>>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Michael Slager stopped Walter Scott >>>>>>>>>> <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/09/us/former-south-carolina-officer-is-indicted-in-death-of-walter-scott.html?_r=1> >>>>>>>>>> for >>>>>>>>>> a busted taillight and then fatally shot him >>>>>>>>>> --- >>>>>>>>>> he shot the unarmed man 8 times in the back. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> On Monday, July 11, 2016 at 8:48:16 AM UTC-5, MJ wrote: >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> [ALL people ... actually] >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> September/October 2015 issue >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> *Police Shootings Won't Stop Unless We Also Stop Shaking Down >>>>>>>>>>> Black People * >>>>>>>>>>> *The dangers of turning police officers into revenue generators. >>>>>>>>>>> *Jack Hitt >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> In April, several days after North Charleston, South Carolina, >>>>>>>>>>> police officer Michael Slager stopped Walter Scott >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/09/us/former-south-carolina-officer-is-indicted-in-death-of-walter-scott.html?_r=1> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> for a busted taillight and then fatally shot him, the usual >>>>>>>>>>> cable-news >>>>>>>>>>> transmogrification of victim into superpredator ran into problems. >>>>>>>>>>> The dash >>>>>>>>>>> cam >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/04/09/tsr-dash-cam-walter-scott-police-shooting.cnn> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> showed Scott being pulled over while traveling at a nerdy rate of >>>>>>>>>>> speed, >>>>>>>>>>> using his left turn signal to pull into a parking lot and having an >>>>>>>>>>> amiable >>>>>>>>>>> conversation with Slager until he realized he'd probably get popped >>>>>>>>>>> for >>>>>>>>>>> nonpayment of child support. At which point he bolted out of the >>>>>>>>>>> car and >>>>>>>>>>> hobbled off. Slager then shot him. Why didn't the cop just jog up >>>>>>>>>>> and grab >>>>>>>>>>> him? Calling what the obese 50-year-old Scott was doing "running" >>>>>>>>>>> really >>>>>>>>>>> stretches the bounds of literary license. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> But maybe the question to ask is: Why did Scott run? The answer >>>>>>>>>>> came when the *New York Times* revealed >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/20/us/skip-child-support-go-to-jail-lose-job-repeat.html> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Scott to be a man of modest means trapped in an exhausting hamster >>>>>>>>>>> wheel: >>>>>>>>>>> He would get a low-paying job, make some child support payments, >>>>>>>>>>> fall >>>>>>>>>>> behind on them, get fined, miss a payment, get jailed for a few >>>>>>>>>>> weeks, lose >>>>>>>>>>> that job due to absence, and then start over at a lower-paying job. >>>>>>>>>>> From >>>>>>>>>>> all apparent evidence, he was a decent schlub trying to make things >>>>>>>>>>> work in >>>>>>>>>>> a system engineered to make his life miserable and recast his best >>>>>>>>>>> efforts >>>>>>>>>>> as criminal behavior. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Recently, two more deaths of African Americans that have blown >>>>>>>>>>> up in the media follow a pattern similar to Scott's. Sandra >>>>>>>>>>> Bland >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/texas-waller-county-sandra-bland-racial-tensions> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> in Texas and Samuel DuBose >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/video-shows-police-shooting-samuel-dubose> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> in Cincinnati were each stopped for minor traffic infractions >>>>>>>>>>> (failing to >>>>>>>>>>> use turn signal, missing front license plate), followed by >>>>>>>>>>> immediate >>>>>>>>>>> escalation by the officer into rage, and then an official story >>>>>>>>>>> that is >>>>>>>>>>> obviously contradicted >>>>>>>>>>> <http://gawker.com/video-of-sam-duboses-death-drastically-different-from-t-1720896658> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> by the video (that the officer tried to "de-escalate" the tension >>>>>>>>>>> with >>>>>>>>>>> Bland; that the officer was dragged by DuBose's car). In both >>>>>>>>>>> cases, the >>>>>>>>>>> perpetrator of a minor traffic offense died. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> When incidents of police violence come to light, the usual >>>>>>>>>>> defense is that we should not tarnish all the good cops just >>>>>>>>>>> because of "a >>>>>>>>>>> few bad apples." No one can argue with that. But what is usually >>>>>>>>>>> implied in >>>>>>>>>>> that phrase is that the "bad" officers' intentions are >>>>>>>>>>> malevolentthat they >>>>>>>>>>> are morally corrupt and racist. And that may be true, but they are >>>>>>>>>>> also bad >>>>>>>>>>> in the job-performance sense. These men are crummy cops, sometimes >>>>>>>>>>> profoundly so. Slager had a record for gratuitously using his >>>>>>>>>>> Taser. >>>>>>>>>>> Timothy Leohmann, who leapt from his car and instantly killed >>>>>>>>>>> 12-year-old Tamir >>>>>>>>>>> Rice >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cleveland-officer-shot-tamir-rice-within-seconds-of-pulling-up-in-patrol-car/>, >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> had been deemed "weepy" and unable to "emotionally function" by a >>>>>>>>>>> supervisor at his previous PD job, who added: "I do not believe >>>>>>>>>>> time, nor >>>>>>>>>>> training, will be able to change or correct these deficiencies." >>>>>>>>>>> Ferguson's >>>>>>>>>>> Darren Wilson was also fired >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/darren-wilsons-first-job-was-on-a-troubled-police-force-disbanded-by-authorities/2014/08/23/1ac796f0-2a45-11e4-8593-da634b334390_story.html> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> from his previous jobactually, the entire police force of >>>>>>>>>>> Jennings, >>>>>>>>>>> Missouri, was disbanded for being awful. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> When you ask why such "bad" cops are nevertheless armed and >>>>>>>>>>> allowed to patrol the streets, one begins to see that lurking >>>>>>>>>>> beneath this >>>>>>>>>>> violence is a fiscal menace: police departments forced to assist >>>>>>>>>>> city >>>>>>>>>>> officials in raising revenue, in many cases funding their own >>>>>>>>>>> salariesredirecting the very concept of keeping the peace into >>>>>>>>>>> underwriting the budget. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> We saw a glimpse of this when the Justice Department released >>>>>>>>>>> its report >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.motherjones.com/documents/2191006-doj-ferguson-report> >>>>>>>>>>> on Ferguson in March. In his statement, then-Attorney General Eric >>>>>>>>>>> Holder >>>>>>>>>>> referenced a lady in town whose life sounded Walter Scott-like. She >>>>>>>>>>> had >>>>>>>>>>> received two parking tickets totaling $151. Her efforts to pay >>>>>>>>>>> those fines >>>>>>>>>>> fell so behind that she eventually paid out more than $500. At one >>>>>>>>>>> point, >>>>>>>>>>> she was jailed for nonpayment andeight years laterstill owes $541 >>>>>>>>>>> in >>>>>>>>>>> accrued fees. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> The judge largely responsible for the extraction of these fees >>>>>>>>>>> from Ferguson's poor, Ronald J. Brockmeyer >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/06/ferguson-judge-owes-unpaid-taxes-ronald-brockmeyer>, >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> owed $172,646 in back taxes, a sum orders of magnitude greater than >>>>>>>>>>> any >>>>>>>>>>> late fine coming before his bench. Even as he was jailing black >>>>>>>>>>> ladies for >>>>>>>>>>> parking tickets, Brockmeyer was allegedly erasing citations for >>>>>>>>>>> white >>>>>>>>>>> Ferguson residents who happened to be his friends. After the >>>>>>>>>>> report's >>>>>>>>>>> publication, he resigned so that Ferguson could "begin its healing >>>>>>>>>>> process." >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> But consider: In 2010, this collaboration between the Ferguson >>>>>>>>>>> police and the courts generated $1.4 million in income for the >>>>>>>>>>> city. This >>>>>>>>>>> year, they will more than double that amount$3.1 millionproviding >>>>>>>>>>> nearly >>>>>>>>>>> a quarter of the city's $13 million budget, almost all of it >>>>>>>>>>> extracted from >>>>>>>>>>> its poorest African American citizens. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Evidence also suggests that this new form of raising >>>>>>>>>>> revenuepoliciteering?goes far beyond Ferguson. Remember the >>>>>>>>>>> recent >>>>>>>>>>> Oklahoma case involving Robert Bates >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/volunteer-tulsa-deputy-robert-bates-sold-company-went-back-to/article_7f23ccc3-4bcb-52a4-826d-c06103a42786.html>, >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> a 73-year-old millionaire insurance broker with scant law >>>>>>>>>>> enforcement >>>>>>>>>>> background who was allowed to go out on patrollikely because he >>>>>>>>>>> had >>>>>>>>>>> donated lots of money and equipment to the local sheriff's office? >>>>>>>>>>> He >>>>>>>>>>> killed an unarmed black suspect when he grabbed his gun instead of >>>>>>>>>>> his >>>>>>>>>>> Taser. In the days that followed, we learned that other deputies >>>>>>>>>>> had long >>>>>>>>>>> resented this guy's freelance incompetence. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> "Essentially, these small towns in urban areas have municipal >>>>>>>>>>> infrastructure that can't be supported by the tax base, and so they >>>>>>>>>>> ticket >>>>>>>>>>> everything in sight to keep the town functioning," said William >>>>>>>>>>> Maurer, a >>>>>>>>>>> lawyer with the Institute for Justice who has been studying the >>>>>>>>>>> sudden rise >>>>>>>>>>> in "nontraffic-related fines." >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Take the St. Louis suburb of Pagedale, where, among other Norman >>>>>>>>>>> Rockwell-worthy features deemed illegal, "you can't have a hedge >>>>>>>>>>> more than >>>>>>>>>>> three feet high," Maurer says. "You can't have a basketball hoop or >>>>>>>>>>> a >>>>>>>>>>> wading pool in front of a house. You can't have a dish antenna on >>>>>>>>>>> the front >>>>>>>>>>> of your house. You can't walk on the roadway if there is a >>>>>>>>>>> sidewalk, and if >>>>>>>>>>> there is not a sidewalk, they must walk on the left side of the >>>>>>>>>>> roadway. >>>>>>>>>>> They must walk on the right of the crosswalk. They can't conduct a >>>>>>>>>>> barbecue >>>>>>>>>>> in the front yard and can't have an alcoholic beverage within 150 >>>>>>>>>>> feet of a >>>>>>>>>>> barbecue. Kids cannot play in the street. They also have >>>>>>>>>>> restrictions >>>>>>>>>>> against pants being worn below the waist in public. Cars must be >>>>>>>>>>> within 500 >>>>>>>>>>> feet of a lamp or a source of illumination during nighttime hours. >>>>>>>>>>> Blinds >>>>>>>>>>> must be neatly hung in respectable appearance, properly maintained, >>>>>>>>>>> and in >>>>>>>>>>> a state of good repair." >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Where did this Kafkaesque laundry list come from? Maurer >>>>>>>>>>> explains that in 2010, Missouri passed a law that capped the amount >>>>>>>>>>> of city >>>>>>>>>>> revenue that any agency could generate from traffic stops. The >>>>>>>>>>> intent was >>>>>>>>>>> to limit small-town speed traps, but the unintentional consequences >>>>>>>>>>> are now >>>>>>>>>>> clear: Pagedale saw a 495 percent increase in nontraffic-related >>>>>>>>>>> arrests. >>>>>>>>>>> "In Frontenac, the increase was 364 percent," Maurer says. "In >>>>>>>>>>> Lakeshire, >>>>>>>>>>> it was 209 percent." >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> This racket now has many variants. South Carolina hosts " >>>>>>>>>>> Operation Rolling Thunder >>>>>>>>>>> <http://ij.org/south-carolina-police-seized-nearly-100-000-in-crackdown-but-stopped-few-criminals>," >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> an annual dragnet in which 21 different law enforcement agencies >>>>>>>>>>> swarm >>>>>>>>>>> stretches of I-85 and I-26 in the name of catching drug dealers. In >>>>>>>>>>> 2013, >>>>>>>>>>> this law enforcement Bonnaroo netted 1,300 traffic citations and >>>>>>>>>>> 300 >>>>>>>>>>> speeding tickets. But after everyone had paid up, the operation >>>>>>>>>>> boasted >>>>>>>>>>> exactly one felony conviction. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> A different strategy in San Diego simply tacks on various fees >>>>>>>>>>> to an existing fine. A 2012 *Union Tribune* investigation >>>>>>>>>>> <http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?hl=en&biw&bih&q=cache:gLaPZ1TIbc0J:http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2012/aug/18/courts-how-your-35-speeding-ticket-becomes-a-235/%2BCourt+officials+say+that+San+Diego+County+law+enforcement+agencies+have+recently+been+issuing+fewer+tickets+than+in+the+past&gbv=2&&ct=clnk> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> revealed that while speeding is a simple $35 fine, other government >>>>>>>>>>> agencies can tack on as many as 10 other surcharges, including: a >>>>>>>>>>> state >>>>>>>>>>> penalty assessment, $40; county penalty assessment, $36; court >>>>>>>>>>> construction, $20; state surcharge, $8; DNA identification, $16; >>>>>>>>>>> criminal >>>>>>>>>>> conviction fee, $35; court operations, $40; emergency medical air >>>>>>>>>>> transportation penalty, $4; and night court, $1. When it's all said >>>>>>>>>>> and >>>>>>>>>>> done, that $35 ticket comes to $235. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Another report >>>>>>>>>>> <http://cdn.sandiegouniontrib.com/news/documents/2015/02/25/SDPD_traffic_stops_report.pdf> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> released earlier this year connects the dots: African Americans and >>>>>>>>>>> Latinos >>>>>>>>>>> make up less than a third of San Diego's population but represent >>>>>>>>>>> 64.5 >>>>>>>>>>> percent of those searched during a traffic stop. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> There is still no comprehensive study to determine just how many >>>>>>>>>>> cities pay their bills by indenturing the poor, but it is probably >>>>>>>>>>> no >>>>>>>>>>> coincidence that when you examine the recent rash of police >>>>>>>>>>> killings, you >>>>>>>>>>> find that the offenses they were initially stopped for were >>>>>>>>>>> preposterously >>>>>>>>>>> minor. Bland's lane change signal, DuBose's missing plate. Walter >>>>>>>>>>> Scott had >>>>>>>>>>> that busted taillightwhich, we all later learned, is not even a >>>>>>>>>>> crime in >>>>>>>>>>> South Carolina. Eric Garner was selling loose cigarettes. When >>>>>>>>>>> Darren >>>>>>>>>>> Wilson was called to look into a robbery >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/08/15/ferguson-police-releasing-name-of-officer-who-shot-michael-brown/>, >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> the reason he initially stopped Michael Brown was for walking in >>>>>>>>>>> the >>>>>>>>>>> streetin Ferguson, an illegal act according to Section 44-344 >>>>>>>>>>> <https://www.municode.com/library/mo/ferguson/codes/code_of_ordinances?searchRequest=%7B%22searchText%22:%22manner%20of%20walking%20in%20roadway%22,%22pageNum%22:1,%22resultsPerPage%22:25,%22booleanSearch%22:false,%22stemming%22:true,%22fuzzy%22:false,%22synonym%22:false,%22contentTypes%22:%5B%22CODES%22%5D,%22productIds%22:%5B%5D%7D&nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH44TRMOVE_ARTVIIPE_S44-344MAWAALRO> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> of the local code. Between 2011 and 2013, 95 percent of the >>>>>>>>>>> perpetrators of >>>>>>>>>>> this atrocity were African American, meaning that "walking while >>>>>>>>>>> black" is >>>>>>>>>>> not a punch line. It is a crime. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> And not just a crime, but a crime that comes with fines that are >>>>>>>>>>> strictly enforced. In 2014, Ferguson's bottom-line-driven police >>>>>>>>>>> force >>>>>>>>>>> issued 16,000 arrest warrants to three-fourths of the town's total >>>>>>>>>>> population of 21,000. Stop and think about that for a moment: In >>>>>>>>>>> Ferguson, >>>>>>>>>>> 75 percent of all residents had active outstanding arrest warrants. >>>>>>>>>>> Most of >>>>>>>>>>> the entire city was a virtual plantation of indentured revenue >>>>>>>>>>> producers. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Back in Pagedale, *St. Louis Post-Dispatch* reporter Jennifer >>>>>>>>>>> Mann recently calculated >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/municipalities-ticket-for-trees-and-toys-as-traffic-revenue-declines/article_42739be7-afd1-5f66-b325-e1f654ba9625.html> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> a 500 percent increase in petty fines over the last five years. >>>>>>>>>>> "Pagedale >>>>>>>>>>> handed out 2,255 citations for these types of offenses last year," >>>>>>>>>>> Mann >>>>>>>>>>> wrote, "or nearly two per household." >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> "Once the system is primed for maximizing revenuestarting with >>>>>>>>>>> fines and fine enforcement," Holder said apropos Ferguson, "the >>>>>>>>>>> city relies >>>>>>>>>>> on the police force to serve, essentially, as a collection agency >>>>>>>>>>> for the >>>>>>>>>>> municipal court rather than a law enforcement entity." >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> In Alabama, a circuit court judge, Hub Harrington, wrote a >>>>>>>>>>> blistering opinion >>>>>>>>>>> <http://www.motherjones.com/documents/2191007-court-order-in-dana-burdette-v-town-of> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> three years ago asserting that the Shelby County Jail had become a >>>>>>>>>>> kind of >>>>>>>>>>> "debtors' prison" and that the court system had devolved into a >>>>>>>>>>> "judicially >>>>>>>>>>> sanctioned extortion racket." This pattern leads to a cruel >>>>>>>>>>> paradox: One >>>>>>>>>>> arm of the state is paying a large sum to lock up a person who >>>>>>>>>>> can't pay a >>>>>>>>>>> small sum owed to a different arm of the state. The result? Bigger >>>>>>>>>>> state >>>>>>>>>>> deficits. As the director of the Brennan Center's Justice Program >>>>>>>>>>> put it, >>>>>>>>>>> "Having taxpayers foot a bill of $4,000 to incarcerate a man who >>>>>>>>>>> owes the >>>>>>>>>>> state $745 or a woman who owes a predatory lender $425 and removing >>>>>>>>>>> them >>>>>>>>>>> from the job force makes sense in no reasonable world." >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> When the poor come to understand that they are likely to be >>>>>>>>>>> detained and fined for comically absurd crimes, it can't be a >>>>>>>>>>> surprise to >>>>>>>>>>> the police that their officers are viewed with increasing distrust. >>>>>>>>>>> In this >>>>>>>>>>> environment, running away from a cop is not an act of suspicion; >>>>>>>>>>> it's >>>>>>>>>>> common sense. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Cops like to talk about "good police." They say, "That guy is >>>>>>>>>>> good police"a top compliment, by which they mean cool under the >>>>>>>>>>> pressure >>>>>>>>>>> of the street and cunning at getting people to give up the details >>>>>>>>>>> of a >>>>>>>>>>> crime. Good police look bad when sharing the street with crummy >>>>>>>>>>> police. But >>>>>>>>>>> when budgetary whims replace peacekeeping as the central motivation >>>>>>>>>>> of law >>>>>>>>>>> enforcement, who is more likely to write up more tickets, the good >>>>>>>>>>> cop or >>>>>>>>>>> the crummy one? When the mission of the entire department shifts >>>>>>>>>>> from >>>>>>>>>>> "protect and serve" to "punish and profit," then just what >>>>>>>>>>> constitutes good >>>>>>>>>>> police? >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/police-shootings-traffic-stops-excessive-fines >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> -- >>>>>>>>>> -- >>>>>>>>>> Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. >>>>>>>>>> For options & help see >>>>>>>>>> http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ >>>>>>>>>> * It's active and moderated. 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Register and vote in our polls. >>>>>> * Read the latest breaking news, and more. >>>>>> >>>>>> --- >>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>> Groups "PoliticalForum" group. >>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, >>>>>> send an email to [email protected]. >>>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>> -- >>>> Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. >>>> For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum >>>> >>>> * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ >>>> * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. >>>> * Read the latest breaking news, and more. >>>> >>>> --- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "PoliticalForum" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>>> >>> >>> -- >> -- >> Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. >> For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum >> >> * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ >> * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. >> * Read the latest breaking news, and more. >> >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "PoliticalForum" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected] <javascript:>. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
