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Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Activists Claim Police Brutality During Protest

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Caught on tape. A protester pinned to the ground by police and activists say what happened to him is police brutality. Meghan McCorkell has more on the police response.

Police say that man failed to follow instructions when he was ordered to move out of the street and onto the sidewalk, but activists claim officers too it too far.

Chaos broke out at a protest in east Baltimore. A Youtube video showed police pinning a man to the ground.

“They grabbed me,” said protester Thomas Threatt. “I say, `Why is you grabbing me? My daughter’s out here.’”

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15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh why are these protestors protesting I mean they are all losers and should be doing something useful for society. We ALL know after recent local events that the police NEVER lie or stretch the truth. They would never mistreat the public or use excessive force when it was not really needed what so ever.........it must be those dang SU kids.

Anonymous said...

Great example of the out of control Obama led culture; an disruptive pansy is made responsible for his unlawful actions and disregard for authority then he cries foul - it was he who was harmed. No sympathy from this corner. Too bad he wasn't made to fully understand how stupid and irresponsible his actions are.

Anonymous said...

3:59
I know you must be talking about the cops in Baltimore that have cost tax payers 16.8 million dollars in 2 years for their brutal shenanigans, Right?
Yup,
Great example of the out of control Obama led LEO enforcers...

Anonymous said...

Then steps in another peaceful preacher making demands. They would stop this crap if there was a law that says if you are arrested while on any type of government assistance, your assistance will be terminated until your case is heard in court, including, a public defender which is also taxpayer paid.

Anonymous said...

Why You be Grabbin me?
Cause you be not doin what you told!

Can't tell the mentality of this perp huh?

Should have bopped him. Then he can't talk back.

Anonymous said...

Losers.

Anonymous said...

They would stop this crap if there was a law that says if you are arrested while on any type of government assistance, your assistance will be terminated until your case is heard in court, including, a public defender which is also taxpayer paid.

May 1, 2012 4:18 PM

That's exactly what the government wants. Be dependent on good ole uncle sam, then he can take the rest of our rights and freedoms, or he won't pay and feed them.

And some on here are cheering them on and can't wait for it to happen.

They are so easy to turn against their fellow man. They don't even realize what they are doing. And when they do, it will be way too late.

You may feel superior to others right now but soon you will find out you are no different than the ones you debase and ridicule.

Anonymous said...

For all of you bashing the police again: maybe if they had said pretty please put your hands behind your back he would have stopped resisting right? Or maybe they could have bargained with him using some candy or cupcakes to make him stop resisting. Uhh, not likely. And that certainly didn't look like any protest I've seen. The truth is its fairly difficult to handcuff a guy who really doesn't want to be handcuffed. They only used 5 cops to arrest him because numbers 6 - 20 were busy trying to gain control of the crowd before somebody got seriously hurt or they started looting businesses in the area. Pain compliance techniques are meant to hurt. The more it hurts, the quicker you stop fighting or resisting and put your hands behind your back. Pepper spray burns like hell, but I and every other officer going through the academy was sprayed directly in the face and had to learn to fight through it just so we could carry it. And the effects usually wear off within an hour and there is no permanent damage (except you develop an acute sense of fear for pepper spray. Also any decent officer knows the quicker you get the suspect out of the area the quicker the crowd tends to die down. As a previous poster nentioned look him on case search. He is cerainly no angel with multiple charges for CDS, theft, car theft, MDOP, etc. Given his track record I doubt he was protesting for other's civil rights. One more point, I love how the video doesn't start ubtil after they are tring to get him cuffed om the ground - very convenient. I'm sure there was no video editing involved. Church leaders and civilians have no idea what it takes to arrest resisting suspects. I'll be trying that "pretty please" technique next time a suspects is resisting to see if it works. I'm pretty sure I know what the result will be.

Anonymous said...

@2:59 you must be a cop. You and I both know that cops do this on a regular basis. Excessive force is always needed in their eyes, probably your too. It must make them sleep well at night to overpower a man and force them to do what they want, a power trip some might call it. Polic enever have problems with that lol. Get real dude cops aren't even important anymore honestly it's not like they really fight crime. They are usually more of a burden to most of the tax payers compared to those who actually need their help....

Anonymous said...

2:59-I'm a retired cop and I agree with you 100%,but you left something out.What if the police had not responded at all?What if amidst all of the lawsuits against the Baltimore Police Dept and all of the allegations of brutality the BPD refused to intervene in such cases.Then they would be in hot water for not showing up.Another damned if you do damned if you don't scenario.

Giovanni Jones said...

From 259: Yes I am a cop, & damn proud of it. How observant of you all to pick up on clues from my previous post & realize that I’m a cop. I have been a cop for nearly a decade, & I have NEVER been accused of police brutality. Sure I've had to fight or tackle a couple of suspects, & I've pepper sprayed a couple of suspects, but I've never been accused of police brutality. I went thru 6 months of training to learn how to do my job. I'm professional, courteous, & I treat everyone w/ the same respect that I would expect you to give my family members - until you resist arrest, run, or try to fight me. Then I will use the amount of force necessary to arrest you. If that means punching, using pepper spray, or that I have to shoot you then I will. Not because I am some crazy ass gun nut that is just dying to kill somebody. Its because my #1 priority is to go home safely to my family at the end of a shift, & I'll do whats necessary to protect me & my fellow officers on every call. Once you’re in handcuffs & I've gained control of you (for my safety & yours) then use of force stops. What you know of cops you saw on NYPD Blue or The Shield, or thirty seconds of shaky cell phone camera footage that's been edited to show the good parts. You don't know what the use of force continuum is. I don't go into a doctor's office & tell them that they gave the wrong prescription because I don't know. I don't walk into a garage & tell a mechanic what parts my truck needs because I don't know. Unless you've gone thru a Police Academy you don't know how to do my job either. You think you can do a better job? Go apply @ your local law enforcement office. Show us all how its done. I dare you.

Giovanni Jones said...

From 259 cont: Then after you've been in a couple of fights & made a few arrests come back & tell me all about it. Your opinion of police officers & "use of force" will change dramatically. The retired officer that commented on my behalf is exactly right. We are damned if we do & damned if we don't. The next time shots are fired in your neighborhood will you grab your gun & try to chase down a suspect - No, but I will. If you walked thru a parking lot & saw a man smacking his wife around, would you jump in to defend her - probably not, but I will. And he won't respond to things like please put your hands behind your back. Please don't hit that woman because that's just so disrespectful. Sir, You are violating her civil rights. I don't expect you to understand my position, my training or my experience because you've never walked in my shoes. I don't expect you to understand "Use of Force" because you didn't sit through the class. I don't expect you to grasp what its really like because you can't - & unfortunately you never will. Please don't misunderstand me, & think that I believe all cops are good or fair or always use the proper amount of force. Just like in every other facet of life there are bad apples in every barrel. There are professional athletes that will do anything to cheat to win the next game or get that next big contract. There are doctors out there knowingly writing unnecessary or illegal prescriptions because they can make a lot of money doing it & they just don't give a damn about being honest. There are teachers out there that are sexual deviants & they could be preying on your son or daughter right now. There are cops out there that do get off on being mean, power hungry liars, abusing their powers just because they can. I believe that percentage is fairly low though. Just like the majority of the public that we run into everyday. Approximately 85% are good law abiding citizens (just like cops). 10% are basically good people but will on occasion make stupid mistakes because of stupid weakness or just got caught up in the moment (just like some cops). Then there is about 5% that will do anything to get what they want - lie, cheat, steal, abuse at will, etc (just like dirty cops). As we uncover the dirty cops hopefully we get rid of them immediately & send them on to a job that they are suited for like digging ditches or cleaning outhouses, or throw ‘em jail & give them what they really deserve. Either way I could really give a rat's ass what you do w/ those dirty cops because it's not ME.

lmclain said...

2:50...so you admit there are some power tripping cops who abuse their authority, huh? What did YOU do about the ones you've encountered? And PLEASE stop with the "we're the only ones who run TO trouble" hero crap. I've personally intervened in situations like you describe and I've seen a few other citizens do it. Actually it happens all the time. You just never hear about it. And you must be the only cop who doesn't taunt, body slam, punch, slap, push, or even shoot suspects that are in handcuffs. Further, and most importantly, your JOB is NOT to "go home safely every night". That's a GOAL, but not your job. It is to protect the community and give your life in that endeavor if necessary. THAT'S your job. And, since I know a few cops and two are in my family, "resisting arrest", "disturbing the peace", "obstructing justice" (a real cop favorite!), "hindering a police officer" are ALL catch-all charges that can be used against ANY citizen at any time, for any reason, mostly being used against someone who questioned your authority or actions and that pissed you off. So, then you get to tackle a suspect, put your knee in his neck while two other officers put their knees in his back (pain compliance -- you know what I mean, don't you??) and twist his arms in contortions not necessaary. All the while (your TRAINING includes this instruction and you KNOW it) shouting "stop resisting!!) for the video replay in court in case someone claims you used too much "force", you can (and do) claim he was resisting. And your claim that other profesion have bad apples, too, is a huge load of self serving crap. Those other professions don't have the authority to beat you, or kill you and claim they "felt threatened". the rest of us can actually BE threatened and you guys would arrest US for doing anything about it. That is, if we survived.

Anonymous said...

Imclain, would you please drop the penis-envy and go try to be a police officer for crying out loud. You rail against good people doing a job you wouldn't (and more than likely COULDN'T do) without offering any constructive ideas for stopping the behavior of those who NEED TO BE RESTRAINED. I know, I know, the laws, just like the constitution, only apply when they work in YOUR favor... This people is the problem with this country. It's called a therapist, look it up...

lmclain said...

7:27...lol...penis envy? really? Refute what I said. I used G. Jone's own statements. What I stated were facts. Documented by not only official police reports and government records, but videos and (get this, you girlie boy) COURT RECORDS, you know, the testimony and evidence stuff?? When you can't argue the truth or the facts, you try to shoot the messenger. Now, go kiss the ace of some of those "good people" trying to do a good job --- of raising revenue (your main function, Braveheart), writing seat belt tickets, and breaking, on a regular basis, all the laws (all of them) that you so strictly enforce against the people. Try also to add a few inches to their height and their penis. THEN, I MIGHT have some envy, depending on how much you actually add. Refute the facts, you "anonymous" little sissy.