[Inflammable Slinky]

This is some seriously brutal shit. Don't watch if you're squeamish, or want to have a good day.

http://reason.com/blog/2012/05/08/th...illance-footag

the Orange County DA finally released security footage of the brutal beating death of 37-year-old Kelly Thomas, a homeless man from Fullerton, California. Two police officers, Manuel Ramos and Jay Cicinelli, are now on trial for the killing of Thomas, who suffered from schizophrenia. Cops used their fists and batons to beat Thomas. They Tasered him multiple times. Cause of death was apparently "mechanical suppression of the thorax."

Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU0Imk2Bstg&t=14m40s

At this point I feel sickeningly unsurprised whenever I hear about cop brutality. They obviously know that they are above the law, so why not kill someone for making your life inconvenient?

Fucking cops

[Parallax]

i saw this on the news last night. fucking disgusting.

[Izick]

So it's been 20 years since Rodney King, and police haven't learned shit.

[Suairyu]

At this point I feel sickeningly unsurprised whenever I hear about cop brutality. They obviously know that they are above the law, so why not kill someone for making your life inconvenient? Fucking cops

I'm not typically one to be very gung-ho about America's police tactics, but as they're on trial I can presume these two aren't "above the law" as you put it.

[polyh3dron]

protecting us from homeless people by beating them to death

gooooooooo cops

[Inflammable Slinky]

I'm not typically one to be very gung-ho about America's police tactics, but as they're on trial I can presume these two aren't "above the law" as you put it.

They don't have a conviction yet, so you'll have to forgive me for having little faith in any ability for justice to occur in the US.

[alphaNoid]

Right down the street from me :/

[DarkKyo]

Most police are akin to vicious animals with a misguided sense of authority over man.

I don't know whether it's a case of psychopaths being drawn to the profession or if it's that any human, given authority and power, is bound to abuse it.

[Foxy Fox 39]

I'm not typically one to be very gung-ho about America's police tactics, but as they're on trial I can presume these two aren't "above the law" as you put it.

Whether or not they are, many believe they are due to their position.

[shagg_187]

Saw it yesterday. When I cried for his father...

*sigh*

Fucking bullies.

[Talon]

Most police are akin to vicious animals with a misguided sense of authority over man.

These two cops are pieces of shit, but I don't see why the "Most" needs to come into play here.

[Ghost_Protocol]

Why?

[Darklord]

America seriously needs to fix this shit. Your cops are fucking scum. They'll probably get let off like the ones that murdered the black guy in his own home recently.

[Izick]

Cops are usually considered "above the law" because they're the ones who are supposedly enforcing the laws. But who enforces the law on the law enforcers? (Until they are caught, red-handed like this, that is.)

[Parallax]

i did not hear the conversations after the fact. all of these assholes need to be locked under the prison. they didnt ask his name prior? admitting to smashing his face to hell? these people are fucking ridiculous.

[Stet]

Ugh.

[Angry Grimace]

These two cops are pieces of shit, but I don't see why the "Most" needs to come into play here.

Most cops certainly are not "vicious animals," but I think the fact that the Police culture promotes an atmosphere where they close ranks and cover up crimes by the ones that really are animals doesn't say much for them as an organization. I just don't get why every time a police officer goes bad it always seems like the Police have done everything they can to pin the blame elsewhere and keep the cop in question on the streets.

[Jokab]

How fucking weak are these cops to not be able to overwhelm ONE guy when they're FIVE and they taser him multiple times? This makes me sick.

[Talon]

Cops are usually considered "above the law" because they're the ones who are supposedly enforcing the laws. But who enforces the law on the law enforcers? (Until they are caught, red-handed like this, that is.)

That would be called the judicial system.

[shinobi602]

Fuck this shit.

Authority will keep getting worse in this country. Mark my words, 100%.

[Izick]

That would be called the judicial system.

Read the tail-end of that post again. If they're not applying the laws to themselves, then crimes like this go unpunished, or worse, the homeless man in this video is likely charged with resisting arrest, and sometimes assaulting an officer, if they want to get creative and slap more charges on him.

[shadowsdarknes]

America seriously needs to fix this shit. Your cops are fucking scum. They'll probably get let off like the ones that murdered the black guy in his own home recently.

Ok stop.

[Ace Harding]

They even laugh at one point at the end. Disgusting. No remorse, no "oh my god." Just getting ready to go about their business and go home. And no real urgency to save this guy's life, although I don't know what could have been done at that point.

[Darklord]

Ok stop.

?? What did I say there that was wrong? American police are very aggressive, they get off with murder and you should fix that? You disagree?

[Stet]

I just can't even

[shinobi602]

Don't even think for a second this shit can't happen to you.

[daw840]

Most cops certainly are not "vicious animals," but I think the fact that the Police culture promotes an atmosphere where they close ranks and cover up crimes by the ones that really are animals doesn't say much for them as an organization. I just don't get why every time a police officer goes bad it always seems like the Police have done everything they can to pin the blame elsewhere and keep the cop in question on the streets.

I think that's probably because most people are always looking for any little thing to nail a police officer on, they constantly get falsely accused of things they didn't do, they are constantly dealing with the scum of society, etc. They need to know that their authority system has their back.

That said, this kind of thing is fucked and hopefully these officers rot with the prisoners they put in jail.

[Talon]

Read the tail-end of that post again. If they're not applying the laws to themselves, then crimes like this go unpunished, or worse, the homeless man in this video is likely charged with resisting arrest, and sometimes assaulting an officer, if they want to get creative and slap more charges on him.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, the ACLU, countless legal organizations, Law School clinics, etc.

The path to deal with injustice is the judiciary.

[we.are.the.armada]

Think of all of the people being killed off camera. Out of sight, out of mind, I suppose.

This sort of shit is happening all over the world whether we see it or not.

Also, for the record, how do you think good cops feel when they see this shit?

[thetrin]

Cops are usually considered "above the law" because they're the ones who are supposedly enforcing the laws. But who enforces the law on the law enforcers? (Until they are caught, red-handed like this, that is.)

Internal Affairs. It exists for a reason.

[Juancho9]

Yup, fuck cops.

I fear for the day my father gets interrogated or asked to do something by a cop. He's incredibly stubborn, so I can see him getting tazed and beaten :(

[Mammoth Jones]

And this isn't isolated. This is just one incident out of hundreds per year. They just happened to have video proof of it. Other times they'll just lie and say "Suspect then resisted arrest and attempted to assault an officer."

[SMT]

Which is why the judicial and penal systems must receive modifications to prevent this injustice from happening. Police officers tend to abuse their power until they are lost in a haze of uncontrollable aggression. There's something à la Zimbardo about this whole fiasco.

There's only a 'few good men' out there, and this saying only applies to cops.

We can also see the chameleon effect taking place, where as soon as the other units arrive, they unleash their lust for violence on the hopeless victim, even though he was immobilized long before that.
You never know if the city officials put out a hit for all the homeless people who are mentally ill. It's a corrupt world we live in.

Sickening.

[Mudkips]

So it's been 20 years since Rodney King, and police haven't learned shit.

They've learned how to get away with it 99 times out of 100.

[paul187]

I saw this shit yesterday. Makes me sick.

[usea]

This is one of the most sickening videos I've ever watched. I'm so upset watching it.

[Rebel Leader]

Right down the street from me :/

Seriously? holy crap.

[Baconsammy]

I'm not typically one to be very gung-ho about America's police tactics, but as they're on trial I can presume these two aren't "above the law" as you put it.

And I wouldnt assume that they aren't given the fact that the guys who beat Rodney King walked.

[DarthWoo]

?? What did I say there that was wrong? American police are very aggressive, they get off with murder and you should fix that? You disagree?

I think that maybe he actually meant "/thread" and mistyped it as stop, like "stop, nothing more needs to be said."

[The Janitor]

"Put your hands around your back!"

How the hell is he supposed to do that when you're sitting on him

[Rebel Leader]

"Put your hands around your back!" How the hell is he supposed to do that when you're sitting on him

I would like to know

[WickedCobra03]

I just wonder why no one wants to have a "watchers" of the "current watchers" since the "current watchers" for years have been spiraling out of control.. I feel like people who go into these positions of power should have penalties 2-3 times as worse as an average citizen, but then I suppose cover ups would get much worse as well.

Or would just a looser set of current restrictions for the general public force the "current watchers" (aka police) to give up some of their power in basically apprehending anyone for whatever reason and tag it with some random reason at a later point that fits their story?

...I dunno what the answer is.

[Mammoth Jones]

There's only a 'few good men' out there, and this saying only applies to cops..

As long as the Blue Wall of Silence exists there are no good cops out there, imo. Sorry.

[dark10x]

The people who took part in that are sick fucks. What the hell could possibly have pushed them to go that far? Really tough to watch. Feel horrible for the man that murdered. :(

So it's been 20 years since Rodney King, and police haven't learned shit.

Kind of a blanket statement, don't you think? The two asshole responsible for this do not represent the police force at large. They were two shitty individuals and they deserve to be punished harshly.

[zomaha]

They've learned how to get away with it 99 times out of 100.

Exactly. Unless you get lucky by having your beating recorded on video, you're pretty much at their mercy.

[SUPREME1]

The people who took part in that are sick fucks. What the hell could possibly have pushed them to go that far? Really tough to watch. Feel horrible for the man that murdered. :( Kind of a blanket statement, don't you think? The two asshole responsible for this do not represent the police force at large. They were two shitty individuals and they deserve to be punished harshly.

Except it's not just two cops.

This shit happens all the time to varyng degrees.

[James Woods]

As a schizophrenic I am fucking terrified of shit like that happening to me. While I am not dangerous it isn't hard for one of us to become so and I always feel terrible whenever something like this happens.

[SuperAndroid17]

"Fullerton police officer Manuel Ramos was charged with second-degree murder in Thomas' death, and Cpl. Jay Cicinelli faces involuntary manslaughter and excessive use of force charges."

They're not above the law , they're going to get trialed like someone who committed a criminal act. They're fucked with the video evidence .

Enough with this baseless bullshit about all cops are bad. That logic is so awful

[Dreams-Visions]

Yes officers, that was excessive.

"Fullerton police officer Manuel Ramos was charged with second-degree murder in Thomas' death, and Cpl. Jay Cicinelli faces involuntary manslaughter and excessive use of force charges."

good. but...

They're not above the law , they're going to get trialed like someone who committed a criminal act. They're fucked with the video evidence . Enough with this baseless bullshit about all cops are bad. That logic is so awful

...all too often, they ARE above the law.

Without the video evidence here, these sommbitches cover for each other and justice is never served. In most cases of officer misconduct/abuse, there is no direct evidence like this. No, all cops aren't bad, but all too often they get away with "above the law" conduct. Let's not lose sight of that reality.

[Angry Fork]

Kind of a blanket statement, don't you think? The two asshole responsible for this do not represent the police force at large. They were two shitty individuals and they deserve to be punished harshly.

Any supposedly good officer that stays silent in the face of corruption and crime should be held just as responsible imo. There is no doubt in my mind every effort was taken to conceal what these officers did until evidence came to the contrary, protests were made etc. and they couldn't ignore it any longer. That's how it goes most of the time in this country.