Regina Tasca is a "rogue cop" – and God bless her for it.
Tasca is in the middle of disciplinary hearings that may result in her termination from the Bogota, New Jersey Police Department. She stands accused of "bizarre and outlandish" behavior in two incidents a year ago during which she revealed herself to be "A danger to other police officers."
Her first supposed offense – which wasn't mentioned until after the second – was a failure to assist another officer who was "attacked" by a drunken woman who was roughly half his weight and barely five feet tall. Her second was was to intervene when a police officer from another jurisdiction viciously assaulted an emotionally troubled young man who was not suspected of a crime.
"I consider myself a peace officer," Tasca told Pro Libertate. "My thing is to help make sure that people are safe, and that they don’t have a reason to fear the police – that we treat them like human beings. The incident that started all of this was one in which I intervened to prevent excessive force against a kid who was the subject of a medical call, not a criminal suspect."
On April 29, 2011, Tasca was on patrol when she got a call for medical assistance. Former Bogota Council Member Tara Sharp, concerned about the erratic behavior of her 22-year-old son Kyle, called the police to take him to the hospital for a psychological evaluation. Requesting police intervention, particularly in cases of this kind, is never a good idea. Sharp was exceptionally fortunate that Officer Tasca was the first to respond: She has years of experience as an EMT and had just completed specialized training on situations involving psychologically disturbed people.
Once on the scene, Tasca acted quickly to calm down the distraught young man.
"When the call came, I heard that a couple of officers from Ridgefield Park were coming to provide backup, which I thought was OK, Tasca related to Pro Libertate. "Kyle had been shouting and swearing when I got there, but I got him calmed down." The young man’s mood changed abruptly when he saw the other officers arrive.
"He noticed them and asked me, `Why is there another police officer here from another town?’ Then he said that he was leaving, and he moved maybe two or three steps when one of the Ridgefield officers jumped him."
Sgt. Chris Thibault tackled Kyle, wrapped him in a bear hug, and attempted to handcuff him. Within an instant, Sgt. Joe Rella piled on and began to slug Kyle in the head while his horrified mother screamed at the officers to stop.
Tasca instinctively did what any legitimate peace officer would do: She intervened to protect the victim, pulling Rella off the helpless and battered young man. Eventually the Ridgefield officers handcuffed Kyle – then turned their fury on Tasca.
"One of them yelled at me, `We can’t have this!’" she recalled. "I said, we `can’t have’ what? There was no reason to take that kid to the ground and start slugging him. This was a medical assistance call, and the mother was sitting their screaming at them to stop beating on their son. I didn’t fail to aid another officer; I acted to stop a beatdown."
Two days later, Tasca was summoned by her captain, who informed her that she was being suspended pending a disciplinary hearing. She learned that in addition to "using force" to stop Rella’s assault on Kyle Sharp, Tasca was accused of failing to assist Bogota Officer Jerome Fowler when he was "assaulted" by an intoxicated woman on April 3.
"Nobody had said anything to me about the earlier case until after the incident with the Ridgefield officers," Tasca pointed out to me.
Tasca was on night patrol when she came across "this young girl walking in the middle of the street, crying, with one broken heel. She was very drunk, and the officer who had picked her up had just dropped her off at the apartment of somebody who was described as a `male friend’ – but practically nothing was known about this guy.
He just left her there without finding out anything about the situation at that apartment; she could have been assaulted, raped, or killed. Whoever it was, he just threw her back out on the street – which actually might have been the best outcome. So she was crying hysterically and very distraught when I found her. I radioed HQ that I would be assisting her, and the officer who had picked her up arrived, and we went to the hospital with me carrying her in the back seat of my police car."
The young woman was taken to the Emergency Room at Holy Name Medical Center.
"Once we got there, our job was done," Tasca continues. "I stuck around for a little while to make sure everything was OK. There were about a half-dozen hospital security personnel on the scene, as well as about four or five EMTs and nurses there. The girl walked over to the nurse’s station, then decided that she didn’t want to go to the hospital. When Jay [Officer Fowler] reached for her, she started flailing her arms, and hit his hand, opening up an old cut he had on one of his knuckles."
This was the "assault" that figures so prominently in the charges against Tasca. The officers who ganged up on Kyle Sharp have not been charged or subjected to administrative discipline – but Tasca’s refusal to help ground and pound a tiny, intoxicated woman who had made incidental contact with a fellow officer is being treated as a career-imperiling delinquency.
"Apparently, Jay believed I should have pushed all these people aside and help him subdue a tiny girl – she was about five foot one, and very skinny – who had given him a scratch," Tasca pointed out.
After being put on suspension, Tasca was subjected to a psychological evaluation by Dr. Matthew Geller, a psychiatrist who does contact work for New Jersey law enforcement agencies. Geller provided the diagnosis he had been paid for, ruling that Tasca was unfit for duty. At the same time, the Bogota PD’s internal affairs officer produced a report concluding that Tasca’s refusal to assist Officer Fowler in the April 3 incident demonstrated her unfitness.
The internal affairs review wasn’t exactly a model of investigative rigor, Tasca observes: "There were nearly a dozen other people who witnessed the incident – and the only one he interviewed was a 14-year-old Ambulance Corps volunteer who happened to be his niece!"
Tasca, an openly gay female police officer, believes that at least some of the problems she’s experienced are the product of a cultural clash with what she describes as "the Old Boys Club." More importantly, however, she has been targeted for the unforgiveable offense of "crossing the Blue Line" by taking the side of a Mundane being attacked by a member of the Brotherhood.
"I’ve been an officer here in Bogata for eleven years, and spent seven or eight years as a Class 2 Special Officer in Fairview, which is where I grew up," Tasca told Pro Libertate. "Until now, I’ve never had problems with anybody on the force, or anybody in the community. Oh, sure, when you work near people for ten or twelve hours every day, you’ll have disagreements and maybe say some things you shouldn’t, but that’s typical of just about any relationship, professional or otherwise. But never in my career had I been accused of unfitness for duty until after that incident a year ago.
As a veteran with nearly twenty years in law enforcement, Tasca has noticed a dramatic change in the institutional culture of law enforcement in recent years.
"I think what we’re seeing is a lot of kids who are given power and immediately begin to abuse it," Tasca observes. "Some of these guys are as young as 18 years old. You give them a uniform, and it goes right to their head. And even many of those that don’t do abusive things miss the point, which is that we’re supposed to be peace officers. They get a badge and a gun and they think they’re gods, or at least that they’re entitled to treat people like dirt. I see them as people, and insist on treating them like I’d want to be treated."
In contemporary law enforcement, commitment to the Golden Rule is a firing offense. Just ask Ramon Perez, whose experience is strikingly similar to that of Regina Tasca.
Perez, a probationary officer who had won the top leadership award at his police academy, was cashiered by the Austin, Texas Police Department as a result of his refusal to use a Taser on an elderly, non-violent man during a domestic disturbance in January 2005. The order was unconstitutional, illegal, a violation of the guidelines in the department’s handbook and, most importantly, immoral.
A few days after that incident, Perez was given a punitive transfer to the night shift. Two months later, Perez was told to report to APD psychologist Carol Logan to undergo what he was told would be a "communication" exercise. In fact, it was a disguised "fit-for-duty review" intended to ratify the pre-ordained decision to fire him.
Logan’s four page report focused entirely on Perez's moral and religious beliefs. Perez is a self-described non-denominational fundamentalist Christian, an ordained minister who home-schools his children. He is also firmly convinced that protection of civil liberties is the paramount duty of a peace officer – a duty he regarded, literally, as a sacred trust.
According to Logan, the depth of his commitment to his beliefs – beginning with that perennially unpopular tenet called the Golden Rule – produces an "impairment" of his ability to absorb new facts, to communicate with his superiors, and to deal with "feedback."
As was the case with Regina Tasca, Ramon Perez’s detractors dredged up a second incident of "misconduct" involving a refusal to use unnecessary force.
By twice displaying a peace officer’s preference for de-escalation, Perez had established himself as a repeat offender. He was purged from the APD, a department that has since done much to distinguish itself – in the face of fierce and plentiful competition – as one of the most abusive in the country.
A vast geographic and cultural gulf separates Ramon Perez, a Fundamentalist Evangelical from Texas, and Regina Tasca, an openly gay Roman Catholic from New Jersey. They have at least one critically important thing in common: Both of them intervened in defense of helpless citizens facing criminal violence from fellow cops, and learned that for people who have chosen a career in law enforcement, behaving like a peace officer is a firing offense.
Showing posts with label Filming Cops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Filming Cops. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
A Dozen + US Immigration Officers Taser & Murder Unarmed Man
A new video shows Anastacio Hernadez-Rojas lying on the ground in the fetal position, circled by at least a dozen federal agents as one repeatedly shocks him with an electric stun gun.
A new video shows Anastacio Hernadez-Rojas lying on the ground in the fetal position, circled by at least a dozen federal agents as one repeatedly shocks him with an electric stun gun.
The video was shot by a passer-by and was obtained by the lawyer for the Hernandez-Rojas family as they push on with their wrongful death suit against the US government.
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) aired the video and an interview with the woman who shot it as part of a new documentary. In May 2010, Seattle resident Ashley Young was crossing a bridge from Mexico to the United States. In the “Need to Know” report, Young said that she saw the man lying on the ground was handcuffed. She said she did not witness any evidence of Hernandez-Rojas lashing out at the agents, but they are clearly heard yelling in the video for him to stop resisting. He was then tasered five times while calling for help in Spanish.
She also said that a small crowd had gathered on the bridge and some yelled for the agents to stop. But the officers came along to tell the onlookers to keep walking. One officer demanded that witnesses hand over their cell phones or delete the video they had taken, she said, but she kept walking. Young told PBS she “felt like she watched someone be murdered.”
Anastacio Hernadez-Rojas’ death was ruled a ‘homicide’ by the San Diego medical examiner and was investigated by police, yet no border control agents were charged for their part in the incident.
This will undoubtedly create even more tension, as public outcry about the case has been gaining momentum for two years. It raised serious questions about border agents and what they can potentially do without facing the repercussions of their actions.
The PBS documentary was attempting to draw attention to whether border control has been using excessive force on illegal immigrants after eight people were killed along the border in the past two years.
A new video shows Anastacio Hernadez-Rojas lying on the ground in the fetal position, circled by at least a dozen federal agents as one repeatedly shocks him with an electric stun gun.
The video was shot by a passer-by and was obtained by the lawyer for the Hernandez-Rojas family as they push on with their wrongful death suit against the US government.
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) aired the video and an interview with the woman who shot it as part of a new documentary. In May 2010, Seattle resident Ashley Young was crossing a bridge from Mexico to the United States. In the “Need to Know” report, Young said that she saw the man lying on the ground was handcuffed. She said she did not witness any evidence of Hernandez-Rojas lashing out at the agents, but they are clearly heard yelling in the video for him to stop resisting. He was then tasered five times while calling for help in Spanish.
She also said that a small crowd had gathered on the bridge and some yelled for the agents to stop. But the officers came along to tell the onlookers to keep walking. One officer demanded that witnesses hand over their cell phones or delete the video they had taken, she said, but she kept walking. Young told PBS she “felt like she watched someone be murdered.”
Anastacio Hernadez-Rojas’ death was ruled a ‘homicide’ by the San Diego medical examiner and was investigated by police, yet no border control agents were charged for their part in the incident.
This will undoubtedly create even more tension, as public outcry about the case has been gaining momentum for two years. It raised serious questions about border agents and what they can potentially do without facing the repercussions of their actions.
The PBS documentary was attempting to draw attention to whether border control has been using excessive force on illegal immigrants after eight people were killed along the border in the past two years.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
UC Davis Pepper Spray Cop Going To Court
Nearly two-dozen students that were doused with military-grade pepper-spray while protesting at a California college last year are now taking their assailant to court.
The American Civil Liberties Union of North California is aiding in a just-filed lawsuit against employees of the University of California, Davis, where 19 students and alumni were sprayed by a campus cop during a protest last November.
Lieutenant John Pike achieved Internet infamy after he was photographed and videotaped delivering a heavy dose of pepper-spray to more than a dozen seated demonstrators outside a UC Davis building last year. Protesters had gathered at the school to demonstrate against rising tuition hikes and campaigned under the umbrella of the then-infant Occupy movement. As protesters sat peacefully, Pike attempted to disrupt their demonstration by debilitating participants with bursts of pepper-spray to the face. Unfortunately for Pike, the incident went viral online which, in turn, only strengthened the Occupy movement as more Americans became outraged by the establishment’s not-so-nice interpretation of the First Amendment.
Pike is now named in a lawsuit filed Wednesday, which is also aimed at the school’s chancellor, provost and other administration officials and campus police. The ACLU, representing the victims, charge the defendants with failing to properly train and supervise officers, which they say resulted in a “series of constitutional violations against the demonstrators. “
In a press release that accompanies Wednesday’s suit, the ACLU attests that “the University’s response to seated student protesters amounts to unacceptable and excessive force that violates state and federal constitutional protections, including the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”
By taking the matter to court, the ACLU hopes that institutions across America will think twice before allowing local law enforcement to follow in the footsteps of Pike.
“Our goal in this lawsuit is to ensure the university makes a clear commitment to protect free speech on campus and prevent this from ever happening again,” Michael Risher, a staff attorney with American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California, explains to the Los Angeles Times.
In a statement of his own, Risher condemns last year’s assault, saying that “Using military-grade pepper spray and police violence against non-violent student protesters violates the constitution, and it’s just wrong. When the cost of speech is a shot of blinding, burning pepper spray in the face, speech is not free.”
After the incident initially occurred, Pike was temporarily suspended from the squad at UC Davis. Hacktivists allegedly aligned with the online group Anonymous also responded to the events by releasing private information, including the cell phone number and home address of Pike. In the aftermath, University Chancellor Linda Katehi openly apologized for Pike, amidst calls for her to resign from her position.
The American Civil Liberties Union of North California is aiding in a just-filed lawsuit against employees of the University of California, Davis, where 19 students and alumni were sprayed by a campus cop during a protest last November.
Lieutenant John Pike achieved Internet infamy after he was photographed and videotaped delivering a heavy dose of pepper-spray to more than a dozen seated demonstrators outside a UC Davis building last year. Protesters had gathered at the school to demonstrate against rising tuition hikes and campaigned under the umbrella of the then-infant Occupy movement. As protesters sat peacefully, Pike attempted to disrupt their demonstration by debilitating participants with bursts of pepper-spray to the face. Unfortunately for Pike, the incident went viral online which, in turn, only strengthened the Occupy movement as more Americans became outraged by the establishment’s not-so-nice interpretation of the First Amendment.
Pike is now named in a lawsuit filed Wednesday, which is also aimed at the school’s chancellor, provost and other administration officials and campus police. The ACLU, representing the victims, charge the defendants with failing to properly train and supervise officers, which they say resulted in a “series of constitutional violations against the demonstrators. “
In a press release that accompanies Wednesday’s suit, the ACLU attests that “the University’s response to seated student protesters amounts to unacceptable and excessive force that violates state and federal constitutional protections, including the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”
By taking the matter to court, the ACLU hopes that institutions across America will think twice before allowing local law enforcement to follow in the footsteps of Pike.
“Our goal in this lawsuit is to ensure the university makes a clear commitment to protect free speech on campus and prevent this from ever happening again,” Michael Risher, a staff attorney with American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California, explains to the Los Angeles Times.
In a statement of his own, Risher condemns last year’s assault, saying that “Using military-grade pepper spray and police violence against non-violent student protesters violates the constitution, and it’s just wrong. When the cost of speech is a shot of blinding, burning pepper spray in the face, speech is not free.”
After the incident initially occurred, Pike was temporarily suspended from the squad at UC Davis. Hacktivists allegedly aligned with the online group Anonymous also responded to the events by releasing private information, including the cell phone number and home address of Pike. In the aftermath, University Chancellor Linda Katehi openly apologized for Pike, amidst calls for her to resign from her position.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Police Caught On Dash Cam Brutally Beating/Kicking Man In Diabetic Coma
Police officer seen on dashcam video brutally kicking motorist suffering from diabetic shock in $158,000 lawsuit
A driver in diabetic shock was kicked in the head several times in a shocking display of police brutality that won him $158,000 in a lawsuit.
Adam Greene, of Las Vegas, was pulled over at about 4am on October 29, 2010 after a Nevada State Trooper spotted him weaving in traffic.
Mr Greene claimed he was driving that way because he had fallen into diabetic shock.
Police officer seen on dashcam video brutally kicking motorist suffering from diabetic shock in $158,000 lawsuit
A driver in diabetic shock was kicked in the head several times in a shocking display of police brutality that won him $158,000 in a lawsuit.
Adam Greene, of Las Vegas, was pulled over at about 4am on October 29, 2010 after a Nevada State Trooper spotted him weaving in traffic.
Mr Greene claimed he was driving that way because he had fallen into diabetic shock.
'Don't move!': Dashcam video shows a Nevada state trooper approaching Adam Greene's car with his gun drawn, demanding he put his hands up
'Don't move!': Dashcam video shows a Nevada state trooper approaching Adam Greene's car with his gun drawn, demanding he put his hands up
Traffic stop: Mr Greene did not immediately comply as the state trooper, seen kicking the side of the door, demanded he put his hands up
Traffic stop: Mr Greene did not immediately comply as the state trooper, seen kicking the side of the door, demanded he put his hands up
The dashcam video shows a Nevada state trooper approaching Mr Greene's car with his gun drawn, saying: ‘Don’t move! Hey driver, do not move! Hands up!’
As five cops restrain the man on the ground, a Henderson police officer walks into the shot and kicks Mr Greene in the head five times.
A driver in diabetic shock was kicked in the head several times in a shocking display of police brutality that won him $158,000 in a lawsuit.
Adam Greene, of Las Vegas, was pulled over at about 4am on October 29, 2010 after a Nevada State Trooper spotted him weaving in traffic.
Mr Greene claimed he was driving that way because he had fallen into diabetic shock.
Police officer seen on dashcam video brutally kicking motorist suffering from diabetic shock in $158,000 lawsuit
A driver in diabetic shock was kicked in the head several times in a shocking display of police brutality that won him $158,000 in a lawsuit.
Adam Greene, of Las Vegas, was pulled over at about 4am on October 29, 2010 after a Nevada State Trooper spotted him weaving in traffic.
Mr Greene claimed he was driving that way because he had fallen into diabetic shock.
'Don't move!': Dashcam video shows a Nevada state trooper approaching Adam Greene's car with his gun drawn, demanding he put his hands up
'Don't move!': Dashcam video shows a Nevada state trooper approaching Adam Greene's car with his gun drawn, demanding he put his hands up
Traffic stop: Mr Greene did not immediately comply as the state trooper, seen kicking the side of the door, demanded he put his hands up
Traffic stop: Mr Greene did not immediately comply as the state trooper, seen kicking the side of the door, demanded he put his hands up
The dashcam video shows a Nevada state trooper approaching Mr Greene's car with his gun drawn, saying: ‘Don’t move! Hey driver, do not move! Hands up!’
As five cops restrain the man on the ground, a Henderson police officer walks into the shot and kicks Mr Greene in the head five times.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
2 ABQ Cops Beat & Kick Man, Celebrate Afterward
uspect Nicholas Blume had only been stopped for a traffic violation at the time in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when he was beaten up.
Officers John Doyle and Robert Woolever have now been fired from New Mexico’s police force, which has recently been criticised over its high number of police shootings.
A special prosecutor is also reviewing the February 13 incident and will decide if the two will face criminal charges.
More...
Savage beating of subway passenger caught on tape, as police hunt down suspects
Who let the dog out! Terrier on the run leads police on frantic OJ Simpson-style highway chase WITH VIDEO
The footage disgusted Albuquerque's mayor Richard Berry who said he 'expects some answers'.
The video was taken in the parking garage in the Barcelona Hotel in Albuquerque and shows Blume lying on the floor being punched in the head by Woolever, who is straddling his body.
Doyle then appears and kicks Blume repeatedly in the head as he lies pinned down on the floor, unable to defend himself.
Go to above link for video of uniforms beating unarmed man
Officers John Doyle and Robert Woolever have now been fired from New Mexico’s police force, which has recently been criticised over its high number of police shootings.
A special prosecutor is also reviewing the February 13 incident and will decide if the two will face criminal charges.
More...
Savage beating of subway passenger caught on tape, as police hunt down suspects
Who let the dog out! Terrier on the run leads police on frantic OJ Simpson-style highway chase WITH VIDEO
The footage disgusted Albuquerque's mayor Richard Berry who said he 'expects some answers'.
The video was taken in the parking garage in the Barcelona Hotel in Albuquerque and shows Blume lying on the floor being punched in the head by Woolever, who is straddling his body.
Doyle then appears and kicks Blume repeatedly in the head as he lies pinned down on the floor, unable to defend himself.
Go to above link for video of uniforms beating unarmed man
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Ex LAPD Message To All Police Who Brutalize Occupy & Others
A Message to All Police Officers From Occupy Wall Street from CollapseNet.com on Vimeo.
NOTE: We need All US Sheriffs to wake up, that's 3,000+ US Sheriff depts. Small offices have 15 men, LAPD has 16,400. They will bring us freedom or tyranny.
Proud Seattle PD Pepper Spray 84 Year Old Woman
Seattle photographer Joshua Trujillo captured what may become the defining image of this week of Occupy unrest — an elderly woman being led away from the mayhem, her face covered with pepper spray. A pregnant woman and a priest were also hit with pepper spray during a march on Tuesday night. You see more photos of the confrontation at SeattlePI.com. (More photos here as well.)
The Seattle branch of the Occupy movement, which has been camped out near Seattle Central Community College, held the march in support of the New York camp, which faced a day long eviction battle with the city yesterday. On Monday, Occupy Oakland was the scene of another attempt by police to drive campers out of a city park.
There were reports that both Occupy San Francisco and Occupy Cal (on the Berkeley campus of the University of California) are being raided on Wednesday morning. The week of police crackdown comes amid reports that the federal government and is coordinating with multiple on legal strategies that can shut down the Occupy protests.
The woman in the picture is not just any elderly woman, however, as she is well known to Seattle residents. Dorli Rainey is a former school teacher who has been active in local politics since the 1960s. In 2009, she ran for mayor, but eventually dropped out by saying, "I am old and should learn to be old, stay home, watch TV and sit still." We guess she didn't learn.
Rainey emailed The Stranger, Seattle's alternative paper, to say she stopped by the march to see what was happening when her group got pinned in by police and nearly trampled in the chaos.
The Seattle branch of the Occupy movement, which has been camped out near Seattle Central Community College, held the march in support of the New York camp, which faced a day long eviction battle with the city yesterday. On Monday, Occupy Oakland was the scene of another attempt by police to drive campers out of a city park.
There were reports that both Occupy San Francisco and Occupy Cal (on the Berkeley campus of the University of California) are being raided on Wednesday morning. The week of police crackdown comes amid reports that the federal government and is coordinating with multiple on legal strategies that can shut down the Occupy protests.
The woman in the picture is not just any elderly woman, however, as she is well known to Seattle residents. Dorli Rainey is a former school teacher who has been active in local politics since the 1960s. In 2009, she ran for mayor, but eventually dropped out by saying, "I am old and should learn to be old, stay home, watch TV and sit still." We guess she didn't learn.
Rainey emailed The Stranger, Seattle's alternative paper, to say she stopped by the march to see what was happening when her group got pinned in by police and nearly trampled in the chaos.
NYPD# Assault Woman Showing Court Order Allowing Park Access
NOTE: These rented uniforms feel quite confident violating a court order, which makes you ask who are they taking orders from? Notice they haven't any problem turning on their fellow citizens.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Armored Police Venicles In Ventura Ca
So why on earth is our local police using armored vehicles instead of regular police cruisers? Do they think Americans are going to shoot them, blow them up, or something? I thought America was a peaceful country where protests are peaceful. Military is not allowed in the United States due to Posse Comitatus Act. Maybe the militarization of our police force is a way to circumvent the Posse Comitatus Act since technically and legally the police aren’t the army.
“The military vehicle was seen downtown Ventura, California, yesterday around 1:30pm. I was parked when it pulled onto the street ahead. It made a left hand turn and left. In the brief moment I managed to take one picture. What caught my eye was that the military vehicle was marked ‘Ventura Police’, Hope it goes viral!.” Mr. Remington told reporter Mr. Brian D. Hill reporter of USWGO Alternative News, FederalJack, We Are Change, and Before It’s News.
In fact later Mr. Remington got more photos of the vehicle inside and outside and sent it to Mr. Hill to send to the three alternative media outlets he works for.
“The military vehicle was seen downtown Ventura, California, yesterday around 1:30pm. I was parked when it pulled onto the street ahead. It made a left hand turn and left. In the brief moment I managed to take one picture. What caught my eye was that the military vehicle was marked ‘Ventura Police’, Hope it goes viral!.” Mr. Remington told reporter Mr. Brian D. Hill reporter of USWGO Alternative News, FederalJack, We Are Change, and Before It’s News.
In fact later Mr. Remington got more photos of the vehicle inside and outside and sent it to Mr. Hill to send to the three alternative media outlets he works for.
You Have The Right To Resist Unlawful Arrest
It is every citizen’s duty to resist false arrest
There is no such crime as “resisting arrest.” This is a fictitious crime dreamed up by law enforcement to accuse a citizen of a crime when they refuse to surrender to the illegal demands of the police.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on numerous occasions that resisting a false arrest is not merely a citizen’s right, but his duty! In fact, the Supreme Court has gone so far as to rule that if a law enforcement officer is killed as a result of actions stemming from a citizen’s attempts to defend themselves against a false arrest, it is the fault of the officer, not the citizen.
Here’s a short collection of relevant court rulings on false arrest and resisting arrest:
“When a person, being without fault, is in a place where he has a right to be, is violently assaulted, he may, without retreating, repel by force, and if, in the reasonable exercise of his right of self defense, his assailant is killed, he is justified.” Runyan v. State, 57 Ind. 80; Miller v. State, 74 Ind. 1.
“These principles apply as well to an officer attempting to make an arrest, who abuses his authority and transcends the bounds thereof by the use of unnecessary force and violence, as they do to a private individual who unlawfully uses such force and violence.” Jones v. State, 26 Tex. App. I; Beaverts v. State, 4 Tex. App. 1 75; Skidmore v. State, 43 Tex. 93, 903.
“An illegal arrest is an assault and battery. The person so attempted to be restrained of his liberty has the same right to use force in defending himself as he would in repelling any other assault and battery.” (State v. Robinson, 145 ME. 77, 72 ATL. 260).
“Each person has the right to resist an unlawful arrest. In such a case, the person attempting the arrest stands in the position of a wrongdoer and may be resisted by the use of force, as in self- defense.” (State v. Mobley, 240 N.C. 476, 83 S.E. 2d 100).
Do individuals have the right to come to the aid of another citizens being falsely arrested? You bet they do. As another court case ruled:
“One may come to the aid of another being unlawfully arrested, just as he may where one is being assaulted, molested, raped or kidnapped. Thus it is not an offense to liberate one from the unlawful custody of an officer, even though he may have submitted to such custody, without resistance.” (Adams v. State, 121 Ga. 16, 48 S.E. 910).
And on the issue of actually killing an arresting officer in self defense:
“Citizens may resist unlawful arrest to the point of taking an arresting officer’s life if necessary.” Plummer v. State, 136 Ind. 306. This premise was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in the case: John Bad Elk v. U.S., 177 U.S. 529.
I believe that violence discredits the entire protest movement. I therefore hope that the protesters remain peaceful, even when confronted with unlawful arrests. However, as David points out, the police have no right to make unlawful arrests in the first place.
There is no such crime as “resisting arrest.” This is a fictitious crime dreamed up by law enforcement to accuse a citizen of a crime when they refuse to surrender to the illegal demands of the police.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on numerous occasions that resisting a false arrest is not merely a citizen’s right, but his duty! In fact, the Supreme Court has gone so far as to rule that if a law enforcement officer is killed as a result of actions stemming from a citizen’s attempts to defend themselves against a false arrest, it is the fault of the officer, not the citizen.
Here’s a short collection of relevant court rulings on false arrest and resisting arrest:
“When a person, being without fault, is in a place where he has a right to be, is violently assaulted, he may, without retreating, repel by force, and if, in the reasonable exercise of his right of self defense, his assailant is killed, he is justified.” Runyan v. State, 57 Ind. 80; Miller v. State, 74 Ind. 1.
“These principles apply as well to an officer attempting to make an arrest, who abuses his authority and transcends the bounds thereof by the use of unnecessary force and violence, as they do to a private individual who unlawfully uses such force and violence.” Jones v. State, 26 Tex. App. I; Beaverts v. State, 4 Tex. App. 1 75; Skidmore v. State, 43 Tex. 93, 903.
“An illegal arrest is an assault and battery. The person so attempted to be restrained of his liberty has the same right to use force in defending himself as he would in repelling any other assault and battery.” (State v. Robinson, 145 ME. 77, 72 ATL. 260).
“Each person has the right to resist an unlawful arrest. In such a case, the person attempting the arrest stands in the position of a wrongdoer and may be resisted by the use of force, as in self- defense.” (State v. Mobley, 240 N.C. 476, 83 S.E. 2d 100).
Do individuals have the right to come to the aid of another citizens being falsely arrested? You bet they do. As another court case ruled:
“One may come to the aid of another being unlawfully arrested, just as he may where one is being assaulted, molested, raped or kidnapped. Thus it is not an offense to liberate one from the unlawful custody of an officer, even though he may have submitted to such custody, without resistance.” (Adams v. State, 121 Ga. 16, 48 S.E. 910).
And on the issue of actually killing an arresting officer in self defense:
“Citizens may resist unlawful arrest to the point of taking an arresting officer’s life if necessary.” Plummer v. State, 136 Ind. 306. This premise was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in the case: John Bad Elk v. U.S., 177 U.S. 529.
I believe that violence discredits the entire protest movement. I therefore hope that the protesters remain peaceful, even when confronted with unlawful arrests. However, as David points out, the police have no right to make unlawful arrests in the first place.
Police Brutality Is Big US Problem
The OWS protests continue across the US and as the police continue to crackdown on protesters after violent clashes and arrests over the weekend, some activists believe that police have gone too far in their reliance on excessive force.
Activist Timothy Frawls told RT that the problem has a lot to do with the militarization of police, which was ramped up in the aftermath of 9/11.
“Police brutality is a big problem in the United States and the Wall Street protests are showing that,” Frawls said. “That is one issue that a lot of people are organizing around.”
“When there has been violence it is when there are dozens upon dozens of riot police in full gear," he added. “It is almost like the police looking for a fight. And with that kind of an attitude you are going to get one.”
Timothy Frawls says that ‘stop and frisk’ policy is a perfect example of New York police overusing their authority on a regular basis.
“I observed a march two weeks ago in Harlem that was against the NYPD’s policy of what they call ‘stop and frisk,’ which is they just stop people on the street and frisk them for some suspicion of wrongdoing,” he said. “But 90 per cent of the people who are stopped and frisked – and there are hundreds of thousands of them every year – go free, they are not even issued citations.”
However, Frawls admits there are differences in how the police departments around the US treat local protesters.
“Depending on what community you are in there is going to be a different police response because of the different cultures in those police departments.”
Being one of the protesters, Timothy Frawls, would like to see a more open political system in the US. And he says that the protesters have already succeeded to some degree.
Activist Timothy Frawls told RT that the problem has a lot to do with the militarization of police, which was ramped up in the aftermath of 9/11.
“Police brutality is a big problem in the United States and the Wall Street protests are showing that,” Frawls said. “That is one issue that a lot of people are organizing around.”
“When there has been violence it is when there are dozens upon dozens of riot police in full gear," he added. “It is almost like the police looking for a fight. And with that kind of an attitude you are going to get one.”
Timothy Frawls says that ‘stop and frisk’ policy is a perfect example of New York police overusing their authority on a regular basis.
“I observed a march two weeks ago in Harlem that was against the NYPD’s policy of what they call ‘stop and frisk,’ which is they just stop people on the street and frisk them for some suspicion of wrongdoing,” he said. “But 90 per cent of the people who are stopped and frisked – and there are hundreds of thousands of them every year – go free, they are not even issued citations.”
However, Frawls admits there are differences in how the police departments around the US treat local protesters.
“Depending on what community you are in there is going to be a different police response because of the different cultures in those police departments.”
Being one of the protesters, Timothy Frawls, would like to see a more open political system in the US. And he says that the protesters have already succeeded to some degree.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
#Oakland Police Seriously Injure 2nd Vet
Kayvan Sabehgi in intensive care with a lacerated spleen after protests in Oakland, a week after Scott Olsen was hurt. He says police beat him with batons
A second Iraq war veteran has suffered serious injuries after clashes between police and Occupy movement protesters in Oakland.
Kayvan Sabehgi, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is in intensive care with a lacerated spleen. He says he was beaten by police close to the Occupy Oakland camp, but despite suffering agonising pain, did not reach hospital until 18 hours later.
Sabehgi, 32, is the second Iraq war veteran to be hospitalised following involvement in Oakland protests. Another protester, Scott Olsen, suffered a fractured skull on 25 October.
On Wednesday night, police used teargas and non-lethal projectiles to drive back protesters following an attempt by the Occupy supporters to shut down the city of Oakland.
Sabehgi told the Guardian from hospital he was walking alone along 14th Street in central Oakland – away from the main area of clashes – when he was injured.
"There was a group of police in front of me," he told the Guardian from his hospital bed. "They told me to move, but I was like: 'Move to where?' There was nowhere to move.
"Then they lined up in front of me. I was talking to one of them, saying 'Why are you doing this?' when one moved forward and hit me in my arm and legs and back with his baton. Then three or four cops tackled me and arrested me."
A second Iraq war veteran has suffered serious injuries after clashes between police and Occupy movement protesters in Oakland.
Kayvan Sabehgi, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is in intensive care with a lacerated spleen. He says he was beaten by police close to the Occupy Oakland camp, but despite suffering agonising pain, did not reach hospital until 18 hours later.
Sabehgi, 32, is the second Iraq war veteran to be hospitalised following involvement in Oakland protests. Another protester, Scott Olsen, suffered a fractured skull on 25 October.
On Wednesday night, police used teargas and non-lethal projectiles to drive back protesters following an attempt by the Occupy supporters to shut down the city of Oakland.
Sabehgi told the Guardian from hospital he was walking alone along 14th Street in central Oakland – away from the main area of clashes – when he was injured.
"There was a group of police in front of me," he told the Guardian from his hospital bed. "They told me to move, but I was like: 'Move to where?' There was nowhere to move.
"Then they lined up in front of me. I was talking to one of them, saying 'Why are you doing this?' when one moved forward and hit me in my arm and legs and back with his baton. Then three or four cops tackled me and arrested me."
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