Police kill 34, protest against them deemed unlawful

[Kyriakos]

Protesters took to the streets in the early afternoon and stayed out late Sunday after authorities declared an unlawful assembly. People are angry over Albuquerque police's involvement in 37 shootings, 23 of them fatal since 2010. Critics say that's far too many for a department serving a city of about 555,000.

The protesters repeatedly marched the 2 miles from downtown Albuquerque to the University of New Mexico, holding signs protesting recent police shootings and often snarling traffic. Motorists honked, and supporters took photos with smartphones. Activists called on various city officials to resign, yelling late Sunday for the police chief to resign.


Justin Elder, 24, followed the protest as a passenger in a car and held a sign that read, "APD: Dressed To Kill."

"That's what this police force is about," Elder said.

Albuquerque police in riot gear and New Mexico State Police followed the marchers, and protesters were seen shouting epithets at officers. At one point, a protester climbed a tall street sign on the city's historic Route 66 and unsuccessfully attempted to bring it down.

A different protester, Alexander Siderits, 23, said he was participating because he was "fed up" with how police treat citizens. "It has reached a boiling point," he said, "and people just can't take it anymore."

The U.S. Justice Department has been investigating the department for more than a year, looking into complaints of civil rights violations and allegations of excessive use of force.

The gathering came days after a YouTube video emerged threatening retaliation for a recent deadly police shooting.

The video, which bore the logo of the computer hacking collective Anonymous, warned of a cyberattack on city websites and called for the protest march. Albuquerque police said their site had been breached early Sunday afternoon, but it was visible late in the afternoon after being offline for hours.

Earlier Sunday, police spokesman Simon Drobik confirmed the disruption was due to a cyberattack and said investigators had not uncovered the source of the hack.

In the shooting on March 16 that led to the YouTube posting Tuesday, a homeless man was killed in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains on the east side of Albuquerque. The shooting was captured on video and followed a long standoff. The FBI has opened an investigation into the shooting.

Last week, Albuquerque police fatally shot a man at a public housing complex. Authorities said he shot at officers before they returned fire.

http://news.yahoo.com/albuquerque-po...003051416.html



It's going turkey down in albuquerque

*

What do you think of this "unlawful protest"? Should the police kill less people/year?
At least the White House is looking into it, so i am sure this phenomenon will be eclipsed soon. (By worse violence).

[Caelifer_1991]

My view from fair old England is that Albuquerque appears to be trying its very best, to replicate the police forces of Nazi Germany, and that it has achieved remarkable success at such mimicry.

[Strengelicher]

I would be interested to know whether the police force in question employs men only. Ever since we have mixed forces here in Germany, police are so much friendlier and certainly not less competent. Having female colleagues around seems to keep testosterone in check - both for police officers and civilians. Whenever I see police on patrol - a female and a male officer - it makes me feel good. They come across like couples doing their jobs, not like a gang of thugs.

[Sir Adrian]

And some people still claim that the US is not a quasi-police state.

[torongill]

And some people still claim that the US is not a quasi-police state.

What do you mean "quasi"?

[pannonian]

This thread is either related to the recent shooting in Albuquerque, in which case it could have been posted here. Or it is about policing in Albuquerque in general, in which case it belongs in the Political Academy. If the poster wishes to let me know which is the case, I'll know which to do.

- pannonian

[Exarch]

i confess when i read the title i thought i was reading about one of those third world countries or insane dictatorships like egypt, but no, it's only new mexico, but then i realised also that albuqueque fulfils all of the above

[Phier]

People, many wearing masks, block city streets, Europeans think its Nazi Germany all over again.

Keep staying level headed there TWC

[Caelifer_1991]

People, many wearing masks, block city streets, Europeans think its Nazi Germany all over again.

Keep staying level headed there TWC

To imply that my statement, or any others in this thread thus far, have limited the scope of their premise to recent demonstrations, would be a falsification; such statements, at least in my case, are a commentary of the long term record of the Albuquerque police force, of which current demonstrations are merely one small part. Additionally, drawing comparisons between that police force and Nazi Germany's, as regards their rather blatent disregard for the lives of the citizens whome they are supposed to protect, is clearly not unfounded. The holocaust is of course of no relevance here, as it was not Nazi Germany's police force that conducted such, but the SS; the comparison is solely between the police forces of both States, and in that regard the comparison seems not at all to be improper, albeit coming from an outside perspective as stated.

This of course opens the way for an interested or knowledgeable individual to refute such a statement if they choose to...

[Papay]

23 killings in 4 years? Wtf. This record reminds third world countries

[Markas]

Looking at crime stats from 2012 it seems most Criminal Acts are almost double the national average in Albuquerque across the board. People up top want results for political purposes and don't care if excessive force is the result. That can easily be sold as being 'Tough on crime'. It's not surprising people are sick of it.

Additionally, the City was name after this guy, who looks pure evil.

[Kyriakos]

Looking at crime stats from 2012 it seems most Criminal Acts are almost double the national average in Albuquerque across the board. People up top want results for political purposes and don't care if excessive force is the result. That can easily be sold as being 'Tough on crime'. It's not surprising people are sick of it.

Additionally, the City was name after this guy, who looks pure evil.

Wow, he does look quite sinister indeed.

[Kyriakos]

Uh...Just saw the YT YT (youtube youngturks) video of the final straw (an execution of a drunk or mentally ill camper by a sniper of the police).

(edit, although it seems the video was posted here before- or just discussed?- i suppose it is better to err on the safe side and take the link to the youngturk show down now).

What
The
Hell?

They even shot him again when they saw he was moving the edge of his leg.

What exactly is this? (don't mind the dub, not sure what that is either).

[Love Mountain]

Uh...Just saw the YT YT (youtube youngturks) video of the final straw (an execution of a drunk or mentally ill camper by a sniper of the police).



What
The
Hell?

They even shot him again when they saw he was moving the edge of his leg.

What exactly is this? (don't mind the dub, not sure what that is either).

Who knows. Youtube videos hardly ever tell the whole story.

[Roma_Victrix]

Uh...Just saw the YT YT (youtube youngturks) video of the final straw (an execution of a drunk or mentally ill camper by a sniper of the police).



What
The
Hell?

They even shot him again when they saw he was moving the edge of his leg.

What exactly is this? (don't mind the dub, not sure what that is either).

You're a wee bit late to the party; this video has been already been discussed ad nauseum here in this forum. That being said, TYT's own brand of commentary has not been included yet until you arrived here to share with us.

I think the Albuquerque Police Department has no one but themselves to blame for this protest march. Their march is illegal? Well guess what, you ing crybabies, so is undue excessive force.

That being said, you can't have idiots tearing down street signs along the highway, so appropriate force is needed there to restrain that particular protester. Knowing Albuquerque, though, they'll probably just shoot the next one who does that.

I thought cops in my state of Virginia were a bunch of fascists. NO WAY. Not compared to the whack jobs they apparently have out there in New Mexico.

[Kyriakos]

Who knows. Youtube videos hardly ever tell the whole story.

^I agree that in some other footage the homeless camper might have morphed back to a Reptilian and was ready to maim those police snipers, but other than that it looks like a standard execution :\

@Roma: sorry, indeed i was not aware that the video was discussed before :\

[Roma_Victrix]

@Roma: sorry, indeed i was not aware that the video was discussed before :\

It's cool, bro.

God, what is it about their police department? It's New Mexico, not Mexico. I think a quote from Medieval II, with the Southern European general talking trash about the Egyptian army is relevant here (read it in a very heavy Spanish or Italian accent ):

The sun of their homeland has baked their brains for many generations...producing...a tendency to dark cunning in all Egyptian [err...New Mexican] progeny. Beware of their trickery.

[Love Mountain]

^I agree that in some other footage the homeless camper might have morphed back to a Reptilian and was ready to maim those police snipers, but other than that it looks like a standard execution :\

@Roma: sorry, indeed i was not aware that the video was discussed before :\

Your refusal to hear the other side of the story is disturbing.

[Gaidin]

So have we only managed to single out one as 'bad'? Does that mean the others are 'acceptable'? Can we move on or would you guys like to do individual analysis of killings instead of throwing the number 34 around and lumping every officer together and labelling them all as EVUULL!!!

Just checking before I go further.