13 March 2009

Friday Links: Eff The Police Edition

Aaaand, here’s where I get my Friday depression-inducement posts out before the weekend. Today’s first topic: Police Brutality!

- So, I’m assuming most of you have seen the video of the Seattle cop “defending” himself against a 15-year old girl (WARNING: Graphic State Violence Y’all):

Well, Norm Stamper, retired police chief of Seattle, has a great take on the phenomenon of police violence. His bottom line?

So, why did I abuse the very people I'd been hired to serve?

Not to get too psychological, I did it because the power of my position went straight to my head; because other cops I'd come to admire did it; and because I thought I could get away with it. Which I did--until a principled prosecutor slapped me upside the head and demanded to know whether the U.S. Constitution meant anything to me.

It comes down to this: real cops, those with a conscience, those who honor the law, must step up and take control of the cop culture.

Amen and amen. My only quibble is that he thinks it has to be cop-driven change. I think the increasing prevalence of video cameras and YouTube will be the ultimate driver of change. I don’t see cops changing too much on their own. What will happen, though, is that the amount of brutality-videos will rise and public sentiment against the cops will grow to the point where even their thick-headed unions will recognize they have to self-police (groanpun) if they wish to have any public trust. At least I hope this happens.

- This is a fresh story, hot off the presses, and local! A Denver cop accused of jumping on the back of a handcuffed teen, was acquitted today. I don’t mean “jumping" as in piggy-back either: the teen was handcuffed, on his stomach, and the cop, allegedly, just up and jumped on his back like it was an Urban Rebounder. The kid got broken ribs and killed his kidney. He still has to piss into a bag today. His crime? Drinking a beer.

The part that irks me is that the cop was acquitted because the defense proved that the other two cops who testified against Officer Porter were colluding in a lie to cover up their own brutality. Okay, great. The kid’s still got a busted kidney and, lest we forget, GOT JUMPED ON BY @#%@! SOMEBODY! Someone did it. There is blood that needs to be forfeited for this beating, and we’ve just eliminated one of the suspects. Don’t stop searching though.

I hope the family soaks the city of Denver for every penny they can get.

- And finally, from our New York bureau, a man was acquitted of gun charges because the defense luckily found out that the arresting cop was on steroids, took crib notes from Training Day, and dispense advice to cops on how to commit maximum citizen beatage*…on MySpace. Internet: the backlash begins.

Stay tuned for more! We here at Top Of Snowden know you have a choice in Depressing Stories About the State and Its Violent Excesses, and appreciate that you chose us! We hope that you will keep us in mind the next time you need a heart to be broken or an attitude depressed.

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*Maximum Citizen Beatage is one of the best band/album titles I’ve ever unintentionally written.

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