Plain, Well certainly not in this incidence.
On Nov 2, 11:56 am, plainolamerican <[email protected]> wrote: > NEVER Seek “Help” from the State’s Armed Enforcers > --- > not good advice > > remember, they are the good guys, most of the time > > On Nov 1, 12:57 pm, "M. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > NEVERSeek “Help” from the State’s Armed EnforcersPosted byWilliam Griggon > > November 1, 2009 08:03 AM > > Niles Leo Meservey, a 51-year-old resident of Stanwood, Washington, was > > drunk and belligerent when he slumped into the seat behind the steering > > wheel of his Corvette last June 10. > > Meservey had been cut off by the bartender after he had inflicted his > > unwanted attention on a couple of women at a nearby club, briefly dragging > > one of them onto the dance floor. > > Several people were worried about the prospect of the intoxicated man > > attempting to drive home when he clearly presented a risk to himself and > > others. One of them, Trisha Tribble,called 911. > > “We’re really concerned about a guy leaving the parking lot of Chuckwagon > > [Inn] on Evergreen Way in a white Corvette, he’s extremely intoxicated,” > > Tribble told the dispatcher. > > Several officers from the Everett Police Department soon arrived; among > > them were Troy Meade, an 11-year-veteran, and Officer Steven Klocker. Meade > > arrived at about 11:39 PM; Klocker reached the scene a little less than > > five minutes later. > > At the time Officer Meade arrived, Meservey was hedged in by cars on either > > side of his Corvette, and cut off by a parking lot fence in front of him. > > Meade pulled up behind Meservey’s car, effectively boxing him in. > > Joanne Hancock, who was smoking outside the Chuckwagon Inn when the police > > arrived, went inside to tell others concerned about Meservey that “They’ve > > got him!” The news prompted a small group of people to go outside to watch > > the arrest. > > By the time Klocker arrived to provide “backup,” Meade had spent perhaps > > five minutes trying to convince Meservey to get out of the car. Klocker > > would laterreportthat Meade’s tone and attitude toward the intoxicated man > > were “belligerent,” and that he “used language which made him [Klocker] > > uncomfortable because of the nearby civilians.” > > “I don’t know why the f**k I am trying to save your dumb ass,” Meade > > snarled at Meservey, according to Klocker’s account. > > Both Meade and Klocker withdrew their portable electro-shock torture > > devices (more commonly called Tasers). Meade, who was closest to the > > driver, shot Meservey with his Taser through the open driver’s side window, > > inflicting two separate strikes one five seconds long, the other six > > seconds’ duration. > > “Why in the f**k did you do that?” muttered the drunken man, who > > predictably enough didn’t want to stick around for any more abuse. He > > reached for his keys and started the car, but he had nowhere to go: It > > lurched over a concrete curb and ran into an unyielding chain-link fence. > > Bear in mind, once again, that Meservey was entirely boxed in. It was > > possible, albeit with some difficulty, for Officer Meade to reach through > > the window and seize the car keys, rather than escalating the situation by > > using potentially deadly force. > > But Meade’s pointless escalation didn’t stop with the two Taser strikes. > > After Meservey’s brief attempt to drive away, Meade according to the > > official police account took up a position near the left rear wheel of the > > Corvette, and pulled his gun. > > “Time to end this,” bellowed Meade, according to Klocker. “Enough is > > enough.” From a distance of six to seven feet, Meade fired eight shots into > > the car, murdering Meservey. > > When several other police officers arrived a few minutes later, Meade was > > seen pacing back and forth near the murder scene. > > “I’m out of it,” he exclaimed to one of the new arrivals. “I want my > > Garrity.” > > The“Garrity Rule”adapted from the 1967 Supreme Court rulingGarrity v. New > > Jersey, which involved a ticket-fixing scandal triggers an enhancement of > > the right against self-incrimination that only the government’s armed > > enforcers enjoy: Any statements made after the magical Garrity incantation > > is uttered can only be used for the purpose of a departmental > > investigation, not for criminal prosecution. > > Klocker, who witnessed the entire incident, pointed out to investigators > > that when Meservey’s body was pulled from the car, the prongs of Officer > > Meade’s Taser were still firmly embedded in his shoulder. > > “I’m thinking as I ‘m dragging him … why didn’t we [shock] him > > again?”Klocker told investigators.If escalation had been “necessary,” > > Klocker thought, Meade would have used the Taser again, or resorted to > > pepper spray. “I would never have shot [Meservey]… I don’t think we had > > reached that level of force yet,” Klocker concluded. > > What seems obvious to someone not indoctrinated in the state’s view of > > discretionary killing is this:There was no reason to use force of any kind > > in this situation, beyond the minimal amount necessary to take the keys > > away from Meservey. Once that was accomplished, the intoxicated man had > > nowhere to go, and it would have been a matter of patiently waiting for him > > to leave his car, or fall asleep. > > Rather that choosing an approach of that kind, Meade (who was involved in a > > prior lethal shooting a few years ago) went up the escalation ladder very > > quickly vaulting from confrontational and abusive language to lethal > > violence within a matter of minutes. > > Meade did provide an ironic service of sorts by offering such a compelling > > display of the fact that citizens face the risk of lethal violence > > ineveryencounter they have with law enforcement personnel. Making that > > point was obviously not worth the price of a man’s life. > > Meservey’s daughter has filed a $15 million wrongful death claim against > > Everett.Meade has been charged with first-degree manslaughterand placed on > > paid vacation (aka “administrative leave”); unlike a private citizen > > charged with lethally shooting an unarmed man six times in the back, Meade > > is loose on his own recognizance.Meade’s attorney defends the murderas the > > result of a “split-second decision” (it wasn’t, as we’ve seen) and > > predicts, with tragically justifiable confidence, that the officer will be > > acquitted in court.It’s entirely likely that Meade wouldn’t have been > > indicted if it weren’t for rising public concern over recent police > > shootings in Everett. > > Trisha Tribble, who called 911, was mortified by the death of Meservey, > > whom she described as “this drunken guy, [who] was obviously out of his > > mind.” > > “There was no reason for him to die,” she commented after the slaying. > > And that was the trouble with Tribble’s actions the night of June 10: Any > > time we seek “help” from the state’s armed enforcers, we’re effectively > > inviting them to use lethal force. > > (Thanks to LRC reader J.C. Warren for the tip.)- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
