Police Brutality in New Orleans

[Atheist Peace]

Earlier today I saw the video tape of two cops beating a 64 year old man to a pulp, very clearly for no reason at all. He may have tried to get away or something, but he didn't have time to do anything bad (while the horse stood in the way of the camera) and of course that would warrant him lying in a huge pool of his own blood on the street unable to get up. And then after, a third cop decided to throw a tv producer into the side of a car repeatedly for video taping it.

This is despicable, and the cops haven't even been fired yet! They were only suspended. The media for once did something good in reporting this, even if they are only doing it for their own gain. Something should be done about cops doing things like this. A few things that should be done in my opinion are that "police brutality" should be made a special crime so that if assault/battery is determined to be a form of abuse of police power and should carry a much heavier punishment. (If there already is something like this, ive never heard of it) Also, to take an idea from Jello Biafra, all cops should face re-election every four years. And in addition, a very concise record of any brutality or things they are responsible for should be obvious to the public.

What does everyone think of this situation?

[JP226]

i'm sorry, but i don't trust anything. The media was reporting massive thefts and rapes. Murder, total anarchy, but inreality none of it happened. The media said thousands upon thousands had died. In reality not more than 500. I just can't take the media seriously.

[Atheist Peace]

They have a video of a 64 year old man being beaten repeatedly by two cops and then him lying in a pool of his own blood trying to turn over as hes being prodded by the feet of a cop but he is unable to move beyond a slight amount. What's not to trust?

[Blaven]

i'm sorry, but i don't trust anything. The media was reporting massive thefts and rapes. Murder, total anarchy, but inreality none of it happened. The media said thousands upon thousands had died. In reality not more than 500. I just can't take the media seriously.

They have video tape of a (black) man getting his ass beat by four (white) cops. Seriously, what is there to doubt? The media didn't just stage it, it was real, it happened. If he's resisting arrest, taze him. If they didn't wanna taze him because he was old and they didn't know what could've happened too him, then I could excuse them for punching him in the gut a couple of times or something, and even then only if he's got some weapon of some kind. Hell, he's 64, they should easily be able to keep him under control without having to do either of the two things above, much less than beat the ever loving **** out of him.

And the mounted cop walking in front of the camera's view right on cue leads me to believe that this was probably premeditated. ****ing disgusting.

And Bwaho, what country do you live in?

[danzig]

They have video tape of a (black) man getting his ass beat by four (white) cops. Seriously, what is there to doubt? The media didn't just stage it, it was real, it happened. If he's resisting arrest, taze him. If they didn't wanna taze him because he was old and they didn't know what could've happened too him, then I could excuse them for punching him in the gut a couple of times or something, and even then only if he's got some weapon of some kind. Hell, he's 64, they should easily be able to keep him under control without having to do either of the two things above, much less than beat the ever loving **** out of him.

Please dont interject race into this argument until/if evidence that it was racially motivated surfaces. This was police brutality...period assuming it was something other then that at the moment simply clouds the issue. We've seen black cops engaged in beating black suspects, we've seen white cops beat a white man so cant jump to that conclusion. Id also like to point out a little fact lost in the whole Katrina chaos that New Orleans/Lousianna is one of the most corrupt states in the union. Hell if I remember correctly New Orleans police have the highest % of arrest of *cops* for murder. Its been hit by massive accustations of corruptions, drug involvement etc...I think if any assumption is to be made its that New Orleans police is one of the most poorly ran, poorly organized police forces in the US...hell just look at Katrina where 30% of them 'disappeared' instead of doing their job and the video of cops looting Walmart. What IS clear is based on that video tape those cops should deserve a nice little stay in a prison cell.

[MadBurgerMaker]

A news report on the beating is here.

I cant find the original one I saw last night (with the horse standing in the way, etc).

This is despicable, and the cops haven't even been fired yet! They were only suspended.

Well....theyve been charged with battery, so if theyre found guilty Id imagine theyll be fired.

EDIT: I found it after actually looking at the AP videos there . On the videos list, goto page 2...its the third one down, titled "Officers to be charged after beating." As they add videos, itll move, but there you go.

[Bwaho]

What does everyone think of this situation?

There are many people who overreact and report false occasions of police brutality, mainly just because they're trying make the police look like evil blood sucking demons (communists in my school were doing this very often). But yes, I have seen for myself when the police have used unnecessary force. They were handcuffing this guy who had surrendered and made no resistance, but the police sicked their dog on him and it was biting his arm. Those I hate the most are "guards", they are patrol the subway mostly. Once they dragged my brothers friend into a room and beat him with nightsticks badly... he was in the hospital for very long. He had done nothing, he was just waiting for the train to come and the guards were bored and decided to have a little "fun".

[JP226]

First of all i'm not going to sit there and say "white cops beating a black man?" Well it must definietly have hapened that way, everyone knows all cops are racist.

Secondly from the tape things appear to have gotten out of hand. The officers should be punished for going over board, absolutely. I want to know what got it that way. I mean did some cops just out of the blue come up to a random guy and start beating him because he was black?

More than one side can be wrong in this scenario. But as always the media can not figure that out.

I'm not going to put my foot in my mouth liek I did with NO.

On a side note, i'm not justifying/ denying anything, I'm just waiting for more details. Not gonna go overboard.

[Blaven]

First of all i'm not going to sit there and say "white cops beating a black man?" Well it must definietly have hapened that way, everyone knows all cops are racist.

Not saying that at all, but it sure as hell looks that way with these cops.

Secondly from the tape things appear to have gotten out of hand. The officers should be punished for going over board, absolutely. I want to know what got it that way. I mean did some cops just out of the blue come up to a random guy and start beating him because he was black?

That's what it's looking like, because the black guy didn't look like he was trying to harm them in any way. And even if it wasn't race motivated, that doesn't make it any less appalling.

[JP226]

That's what it's looking like, because the black guy didn't look like he was trying to harm them in any way. And even if it wasn't race motivated, that doesn't make it any less appalling.

well honestly we only got a snap shot of what actually happened. How long had this incident been gong on if the media had enough time to get there and start filming. Even the producers were obviously there.

Again, don't rush to judgement, it's one thing for a cop to lose his cool from time to time on the beat, but it's a whole other thing to start accusing them of brutality on some guy who's doing absolutely nothing, no matter his color. Just wait til we find more facts and then make a desicison.

Your're right it looks bad, but it looks so bad that things aren't exactly adding up.

[imb39]

well honestly we only got a snap shot of what actually happened. How long had this incident been gong on if the media had enough time to get there and start filming. Even the producers were obviously there.

So the producers provoked the policemen? Is this what you are saying might have happened? The man was drunk, he was 64 years old - not in the prime of his life - and surrounded by policemen

Again, don't rush to judgement, it's one thing for a cop to lose his cool from time to time on the beat, but it's a whole other thing to start accusing them of brutality on some guy who's doing absolutely nothing, no matter his color. Just wait til we find more facts and then make a desicison.

No one has accused the police (as a whole) of racism. Having said that, in Britain, racism is fairly endemin in the police force. It has, apparently, got better but the police are not trusted by the minorities. This is the problem - the message it sends out is 'racist police, again.' If you were a minority, and your minority was picked on more frequently than say, the majority (this has a history of happening in Britain, though the recording of the arrests might be helping now, in this regard - I just don't know), then what weould you AS A MINORITY be thinking?

Your're right it looks bad, but it looks so bad that things aren't exactly adding up.

They are police and have sworn to uphold the law. This does not give them cart blanche to brutalise another individual. It shouldn't matter how they were provoked... I do think that the police do receive a lot of unfair criticism much of the time, but my sympathy for them wains when I see videos such as this.

[Atheist Peace]

well honestly we only got a snap shot of what actually happened. How long had this incident been gong on if the media had enough time to get there and start filming. Even the producers were obviously there.

Again, don't rush to judgement, it's one thing for a cop to lose his cool from time to time on the beat, but it's a whole other thing to start accusing them of brutality on some guy who's doing absolutely nothing, no matter his color. Just wait til we find more facts and then make a desicison.

Your're right it looks bad, but it looks so bad that things aren't exactly adding up.

If you watched the video, then you can see it was unprovoked and almost certainly planned before hand. Did you see the horse move in front of the camera? Did you see multiple cops holding the guy back while one of them repeatedly punched him in the head, again and again and again? Did you see him lying in a large pool of his own blood, trying to turn over when he couldn't?

I assume you didn't, it's the only logical conclusion from your post.

[bigfootedfred]

hmm

reminds of certain south park episode
where cartman gets physic powers

"He put up a hell of a fight, but WE GOT HIM!!"

exclaims 12 armed police dragging away a horrbily beaten old man out of his house....

[Atheist Peace]

hmm

reminds of certain south park episode
where cartman gets physic powers

"He put up a hell of a fight, but WE GOT HIM!!"

exclaims 12 armed police dragging away a horrbily beaten old man out of his house....

Very rarely does a South Park episode not have a political or social commentary, that's what makes it a great show, along with Cartman.

This is off-topic though, so nevermind. :wink:

[JP226]

So the producers provoked the policemen? Is this what you are saying might have happened? The man was drunk, he was 64 years old - not in the prime of his life - and surrounded by policemen

no i didn't say that. I said this is just a snap shot of what actually happened. Obviously the incident had been going on for some time if the media was able to get there.

This is the problem - the message it sends out is 'racist police, again.'

the message of racist police comes out when those who are caught doing things they aren't suppose to. They claim it's not their fault. They try to change the issue of what they did from right or wrong to, it's the police's fault, he's racist. In the end this hurts everyone. The real racist cops ignored thanks to the "boy who cried wolf" scenario. At the same time the cops who are doing thier jobs are given unfair critcism, and prejudice.

If you were a minority, and your minority was picked on more frequently than say, the majority

I am a minority. A very rare minority nowadays.

They are police and have sworn to uphold the law. This does not give them cart blanche to brutalise another individual.

This i agree with. Being a cop does not give you free reign to brutalize.

I'll say this again since some of you aren't reading carefully.

Those cops were wrong to go over board. They should be punished. We don't know the whole story however, the guy was obviously doing soemthing wrong causing such problems to warrant treatment like that. He does not deserve a free pass either. COPS DO NOT, OUT OF THE BLUE SIT THERE AND PLAN TO BEAT SOMEONE SENSELESS FOR THE HELL OF IT. Something that guy did ****** them off. What did he do? DOn't tell me he was just drunk. This is New Orleans, the capital of drunks. These cops deal with drunks all day everyday. Something had to happen. Before you through all of your eggs in one basket, just wait until the whole story comes out. If it even comes out at all.

[Atheist Peace]

Those cops were wrong to go over board. They should be punished. We don't know the whole story however, the guy was obviously doing soemthing wrong causing such problems to warrant treatment like that. He does not deserve a free pass either. COPS DO NOT, OUT OF THE BLUE SIT THERE AND PLAN TO BEAT SOMEONE SENSELESS FOR THE HELL OF IT. Something that guy did ****** them off. What did he do? DOn't tell me he was just drunk. This is New Orleans, the capital of drunks. These cops deal with drunks all day everyday. Something had to happen. Before you through all of your eggs in one basket, just wait until the whole story comes out. If it even comes out at all.

Please enlighten me as to what the 64 year old man could have done to warrant treatment like that.

[JP226]

My great grandfather killed 7 men in one day when he was 68.

I just want to know what happened completely before I jump to a conclusion. I apologize if I don't have a prejudice towards cops. I apologize for giving people who do risk their necks for us day in and day out the benefit of the doubt. Maybe i'm not close minded enough. This was white cops though and a black man...

[Atheist Peace]

My great grandfather killed 7 men in one day when he was 68.

I just want to know what happened completely before I jump to a conclusion. I apologize if I don't have a prejudice towards cops. I apologize for giving people who do risk their necks for us day in and day out the benefit of the doubt. Maybe i'm not close minded enough. This was white cops though and a black man...

Apparently you horribly missed the point of my post. I was asking what a man could have done to warrant being beaten like that by cops, since you previously said he might've done something to warrant it. So, what could he have done to warrant that beating?

[Marshal Qin]

Apparently you horribly missed the point of my post. I was asking what a man could have done to warrant being beaten like that by cops, since you previously said he might've done something to warrant it. So, what could he have done to warrant that beating?

Paedophiles deserve this treatment and more...
Drug lord getting off on a technicality and taunting the cops about it
Someone who abducts homeless or kids and cuts them up to sell the organs
Some people really deserve it. Nothing is as black and white as it seems

[Bwaho]

I read in newspapers here that the 68 year old man told his version, here is a summary of what I read:

He was in New Orleans to check on his house. While he was in the french quarters he went to buy some cigarettes and on the way he met a cop. He asked the cop when the curfew (I think it's called curfew) started, while he was talking to the cop another cop came and interupted their conversation. The 68 year old man told the cop that he shouldn't interupt him while he is talking. After that the police jumped him.

Paedophiles deserve this treatment and more

Couldn't agree more...