great image there, lol On Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 6:00:12 PM UTC-4, KeithInTampa wrote: > > Well, let's conduct an experiment. Let me shoot your Secular Progressive > ass (or chest) with 50,000 watts, and let's see what your reaction is after > I take off running, leaving the guide-wires attached..... > > > > On Tue, Jul 12, 2016 at 4:51 PM, plainolamerican <[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! >> --- >> of course it doesn't ... but Keith will always side with cops against >> blacks and xians against muzzies. >> >> >> On Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 11:50:45 AM UTC-5, Perplexed 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. 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]. >>>>>>> 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.
