Explain to me what the guy video taping did to get arrested? He was totally passive and saying sir the whole time...... The only thing he could have done a little better was simply not say ANYTHING and video tape it as a bystander. I mean what right does the cop have to tell him to put the camera down? Why? What did he do? And he tells one guy to come here after he hears him say "I got a picture of him choking the boy" Look, if it is illegal to skateboard on the street, fine, but the accounts so far have said the cop basically tackled the first kid without saying anything and started choking him.......and then goes ballistic. It just seems like a clear case of abuse of power..... To protect and serve, not to punish....... THANK YOU !!!! That is EXACTLY what I am talking about......... DD
What accounts? Whatever. I am sure you are right. I am sure this officer, seeing a skateborder, just ran up to him w/o saying a word and went Rodney Harrison on his ass.
Accounts listed in this article on KATV channel 7's website -------------------------------------------------------------------- "Matt McCormack, Arrested for Skateboarding) "He grabbed a kid from around his back by the neck and took him to the ground and choked him." (Skylar Nalls, Arrested for Skateboarding) "The kid didn't know that he was coming after him. He kind of just grabbed him from behind and took him to the ground and started choking him." --------------------------------------------------------------------- Granted they are from the guys arrested but if true, then what do you think? From a Poll on channel 7s website: ------------------------------------------------------- Do you think the Hot Springs police officer in the skateboarder video acted appropriately? Yes 36 % No 64 % Total: 49668 votes -------------------------------------------------------- What if he did do that? I am not saying that he did, but that he was severely overzealous in his actions during the video........ Can't you just give the kids a ticket? DD
My assessment of the situation First Kid: No idea what he did or didn't do to get arrested, can't draw a conclusion Second Kid that ran: Mouthed off that "He's choked him for riding his skateboard and I got a picture". Not arrestable but, the cop told him to come here and he took off running now he is arrestable and dumb. What he said, choking, I got a picture probably freaked the cop out and he told the kid to "come here" He still couldn't do anything to the kid and have been within the law but once the kid ran he had broken the law. Third Kid, Female: Cop told her she was in violation of city oridinance, I assume for skating. Cop told her to sit down, she refused, she is arrestable. Fourth Kid: This dumbass asked for it, you don't physically impede an officer unless you WANT to go to jail, he did but he might get a BJ from skater girl later so good and bad. Fifth Kid Camera Man: No idea here, Deputy Dick crossed the line on this one no two ways about it. The whole situation I guarantee you could have been avoided by being nice to the big ole pork product. The cop was a douche but what really set him off was the kid saying I got a picture of him choking the kid. He asked the kid to come here and the kid took off, upon returning as my poker buds would say Mr. Policeman was "On Tilt" big time. Be nice to the po-pos. That Chris Rock vid is spot on.
It is funny to me I recall old videos of the hippies protesting Vietnam etc and I think some of them got beaten I wonder now. . .where would some people stand on people protesting If cops went upside some heads. . . I don't think people would be that upset about it Mainly because of our unfaltering beleif that Cops are always right and giving them a major benefit of the doubt Rocket River
That is one biased account DaDa. I don't for a sec believe any officer ran up to a teen and just tackled him w/o warning. Maybe he did just try to give him a ticket? We'll never know cause we only see what happened after the fact.
I agree that it is a biased account, but my point is that most cops are giving THEIR biased account, what do you think would have happened to these kids without the video? Well, my opinion of what happened after the fact is that the officer was WAY out of line and severly over reacted. Watch the 2nd officer in the video, he is much more calm, and seems to have a much better attitude. I hope the guy gets fired, you don't need cops that treat people like that....and I think it happens a LOT more than we think it does. Glad for the video generation, again, if Cops all have to have videos on them at all times, they would act much more appropriatly. DD
hard to disagree with much you said. but im sure DD will find a way, you actually left some responsibility up to the kids, i.e. listening and following instructions
I don't disagree with any of that, my point is that the cop was WAY over the line.....and thus himself was out of line and escalated a situation when he should have done a better job of defusing it. The cop is supposed to be trained to handle situations, and is supposed to be the adult here.....instead he made it WAY worse........and deserves whatever punishment he gets..... DD
Yet you have no clue what he even reacted to. Do you do business this way DaDa? I mean, overreact and make rash judgements before having all the facts in front of you?
yes he should have. But the kids should have also done a better job of diffusing the situation...like leaving when they first got told to stop. I dont know, but i have a hard time thinking that the cop arrested him right away with no warning to stop. both are at fault. not 100% cops fault like you mentioned earlier
Codell, I have enough facts in the video to see he overreacted.......do you condone what he did? You think it was ok? Because I think it was excessive....... I think, after reviewing what evidence we have.... 1. The kids should have gotten a ticket and a fine. 2. They should not have run. 3. They should not have interfered. 4. The cop reacted very badly and escalated a calm situation. 5. The guy taking the video did nothing to be arrested. That is just based upon the evidence in the videos...... Again, both are at fault but the cop is supposed to be the adult and trained to handle these situations, he did a piss poor job...... 100% the cops fault for choking the kids and overeacting and escalating a very small situation. He has been trained......to handle these situations, he sucked at it. DD
I can't wait until he gets fired and loses his job. Then he won't be able to get a job in the state. Then his wife will divorce him and his child will think he's a "bad man". He will never see either of them again and he becomes nothing but an afterthought. Maybe when his child does poorly in school, the mother will say, "You don't want to end up like your father, do you?" With no life and nothing to live for, all he seeks is revenge. He acquires a gun and goes to the home of the kid with the camera. He breaks into the home in the middle of night and makes his way up to the teenagers bedroom. Standing over his bed, his eyes red with hate. "You..." he speaks out, tears pouring from his eyes, his thoughts focused on his wife leaving him and his child too scared to look at his face. He raises the gun and aims for the teenager's head. blam. Ex officer joe williams touches his neck. he removes his hand and it is sticky. he can't breathe and he begins to choke. blood is pouring down his shirt from his neck. He turns around to see the teenagers father aiming a pistol at his face. ..... just kidding, the kids get arrested for posting unauthorized video of a police arrest, are charged with defamation of a police officer and don't get to go to college. Officer Joe Williams gets a raise and gets the new nickname "Punk Buster." Welcome to Arkansas.
No you don't. You know nothing about we he reacted and/or overreacted to in the first place. I'm withholding judgement until all the facts surface. I distinctly remember the whole girl on roller skates scenario with the Dallas PD. I'm baffled on how you made this judgement when you know nothing about what transpired before the video was shot. Agree with you here. No matter what happens, never run. Agree with you here too. Well, again, w/o knowing all the facts, I don't know if his reaction was warranted or not. It was a very physical reaction no doubt. Who is to say even with all his training he could have calmed the situation? He couldn't keep them from running and interfering, which you admit that shouldn't have done. So how he is supposed to calm them? It was 1 on 4 or 5 before the 2nd officer showed up. We'll he obviously had a skateboard. What was he doing before he started shooting video? Exactly. The video occured after the fact. None of us have all the evidence. So you feel that if an officer does his job correctly there should never be a need for him/her to get physical?
