February 21st, 2008
Don’t Fall Down in Shreveport like this woman
I really don’t like this police brutality news at all…or any brutality news. It makes me sick and I don’t really want to believe that humans do this to each other. I seem to be much better at writing and analyzing information about monetary policy, markets, government legislation, and technology than gross physical abuse. Maybe that’s because deep down I know that all those other things when abused eventually lead to the individuals abusing others. Although this story came on the internet a few days ago, I couldn’t bring myself to write about until now. And even now, I don’t think I can write much…just watch the video. I guess my hope is that in some small way this story and broader concern for humanity will be reached to whoever reads this post, or watches this video.
To do a basic summary, this woman was arrested for a DUI charge. She was uncooperative at best, repeatedly requesting to make a phone call to her lawyer while the police officer was reading her rights. The more uncooperative she became, the more aggressive and annoyed he became, thus escalating the situation (much like the strip search of the Ohio woman). He becomes physical with her while the camera is on, and then mysteriously the camera is shut off while she supposedly ‘fell’ and injured herself. When the camera comes back on, she’s lying in a pool of her own blood and she is taken out of the room on a stretcher. The officer was fired recently for “his handling of this particular incident”, yet strangely the officer and his lawyer continue to argue that there are no criminal charges filed against him because there is no evidence. I mean, do these people really think that we are that dumb? He obviously did SOMETHING wrong to be fired, the camera did not just conveniently shut off by itself and turn itself on again - the officer is even seen approaching the camera to shut it off. If the officer is indeed innocent, wouldn’t he want to make sure that his handling of a disorderly woman if on tape, for the record, to show how her injuries were self-inflicted? Plus, look at the injuries…two black eyes, welts on her face and chest - all from a fall? C’mon, if that’s truly the case, then I will be sure to check the doors & floors of any ‘holding room’ if I should ever be in Shreveport’s police station.
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Oh, and did you hear what his supervisor said…he followed protocol by turning off the camera.”In dealing with a DWI suspect, officers turn on a video camera to record the breath testing, according to police. Once that’s done, they turn it off and go into another room for processing. The taping itself is to be used as evidence in court.” Nice.
And he has also had several other excessive force charges filed against him.
I also cannot fathom that people can be so brutal to each other…
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:46 am
Yes, like the police officers who forcibly stripped searched the woman while she was screaming & frantic, he followed policy. That’s why I don’t understand why he was let go if he was doing his job. Perhaps in the other excessive force charges he forgot to follow policy and left the camera on.
I can’t quite put my finger on why this stuff just enrages me…police brutality in particular. I suppose that my logic follows a belief that those who are in a position to protect another (a person in authority via police, military, employer, parenthood, whatever) have a responsibility to serve & protect…and if they are good-intentioned human beings, they do so. Serial or gross failures of this responsibility should at least be reprimanded, but when it’s done to the weakest in society - the children, the homeless, the mentally ill, the poor, the handicapped - I become outraged.
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
OMG this is terrible..i can’t stand it!she’s bleeding alot and blackeyes!i don’t believe its all from fall.hell no…the police is so brutality!he’s stupid idiot!it should be the police arrested not the woman!