Officer Brailsford Acquitted in Execution of Compliant Unarmed Man

[ThatRobGuy]

As I've said before, Americans just like killing each other.

There is some truth to that...

Another unfortunate truth is that people seem to be infatuated with this notion that "anyone who wrongs me is deserving of swift harsh punishment" and they project that mentality onto other cases.

For example, when there's a story about a kid who gets caught shoplifting and the cops beat him severely, people take the "well, he shouldn't have been shoplifting" stance, instead of actually considering what the penalty is for shoplifting, and realizing that the police are going way overboard in their harsh treatment.

 

[dgiharris]

There is some truth to that...

Another unfortunate truth is that people seem to be infatuated with this notion that "anyone who wrongs me is deserving of swift harsh punishment" and they project that mentality onto other cases.

For example, when there's a story about a kid who gets caught shoplifting and the cops beat him severely, people take the "well, he shouldn't have been shoplifting" stance, instead of actually considering what the penalty is for shoplifting, and realizing that the police are going way overboard in their harsh treatment.

For the life of me I just can't understand where our collective attitudes come from in regards to the dehumanization of someone who breaks the law. Somehow we've got it into our collective consciousness that if you break the law you are deserving of "whatever" happens to you.

It's like we have no sense of proportionality whatsoever.

You are selling loose cigarettes, you get choked out and killed, and people say, "Well, shouldn't have been selling loose cigarettes". Really? A $75 misdemeanor is worth a life?

I'm so tired of watching citizens getting beat, arrested or even killed over misdemeanor offenses while simultaneously we have this attitude of "Well shouldn't have broke the law."

So basically, America is a zero tolerance country where breaking the law, no matter how minor, is a capital offense???

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Your 40-50% number is basically a work of fiction. Even the WaPo admitted their 5% number might be a little high as it included cases that might still be cleared.

...and what would your logic be behind putting more stock in WaPo's report than the FBI's report?

I don't see how this changes the fact that 13% of the population is committing 50% of the murders though. If you want to blame that on gang culture, fine, but don't turn around and pretend that they're all just non-violent drug offenders in the next post.

You seem to be twisting some words here. The gang culture is largely responsible for the murder, however, in terms of imprisonment, the non-violent drug offenses are very much to blame in the prison population growing twelve times over in the past few decades.

Incarceration in the United States - Wikipedia


People desperately seem to want to make it a "black culture" thing...it's a poverty/mistreatment culture thing. Had any other race been through the same thing their community went through, they'd be struggling to this day as well.

Like I touched on in my other post, you want to reduce both the violent crime and the police use of force, you need to provide upward mobility for communities that were intentionally put at a disadvantage for decades.

It'd be like if for 100 years, my family abused your family, specifically passed laws that made it impossible for your family, kept your family relegated to "second class" status, and kept all of the good jobs (and the money that goes with it) to ourselves.

Then at the end of that hundred years we say "well, we realize that it was wrong, so we're not going to do those things anymore...clean slate" (but keep the money, houses, jobs, etc...), and then 20 years down the road, chastise you for not pulling yourself up to the level we're at and dismiss it as "Eh, must just be a culture problem"

Even if you eliminate all racist laws, hiring practices, etc... and "start from scratch", the group that's been mistreated is still starting in a hole that's going to be nearly impossible to dig themselves out of.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

It is all those violent video games and music lyrics.

 

[Almost there]

Was this bully making up the rules that allowed him to shoot the kid, or are they for real?

That video made me sick. It looks like the only response is to absolutely freeze. They certainly do not have justification to shoot you if you freeze, though they may rough you up a bit. People are not trained to absolutely precisely obey, TO THE LETTER, everything the cop tells them to do, and his yelling at the tip of his lungs, contradictory instructions, makes it only worse. The cop SHOULD BE TRAINED for such situations.

Regardless of what preceded this, the cop had no business discharging his weapon. If he was so darned scared, he should have had the guy crawl on his belly, leaving the hands always up front, until he was where the cop wanted him to be.

 

[Kenny'sID]

That video made me sick. It looks like the only response is to absolutely freeze. They certainly do not have justification to shoot you if you freeze, though they may rough you up a bit. People are not trained to absolutely precisely obey, TO THE LETTER, everything the cop tells them to do, and his yelling at the tip of his lungs, contradictory instructions, makes it only worse. The cop SHOULD BE TRAINED for such situations.

Regardless of what preceded this, the cop had no business discharging his weapon. If he was so darned scared, he should have had the guy crawl on his belly, leaving the hands always up front, until he was where the cop wanted him to be.

Agree, there had to be a better way, and those that trained him are supposedly experts at this. As I recall, this was reported as just something that "looked like a gun" or something to that affect. I thought they had to see a gun or even something that looked like one before firing..maybe not.

I wanted to look again but I have no desire to watch it a second time.

 

[Almost there]

Agree, there had to be a better way, and those that trained him are supposedly experts at this. As I recall, this was reported as just something that "looked like a gun" or something to that affect. I thought they had to see a gun or even something that looked like one before firing..maybe not.

I wanted to look again but I have no desire to watch it a second time.

I just thought of the perfect response when the cop starts yelling: "No habla englaze." And just keep saying it as he yells.

 

[Sistrin]

If he was so darned scared, he should have had the guy crawl on his belly, leaving the hands always up front, until he was where the cop wanted him to be.

Alternatively, as I stated earlier, they guys with the guns and body armor could have walked forward the few feet required and cuffed the guy while he was prostrate on the floor. It truly appears in this case the cop giving the instructions was driven more by ego than common sense.

 

[Almost there]

Alternatively, as I stated earlier, they guys with the guns and body armor could have walked forward the few feet required and cuffed the guy while he was prostrate on the floor. It truly appears in this case the cop giving the instructions was driven more by ego than common sense.

The cops were acting like there was some reason they were at risk for their lives if they entered the space which contained his prone body where he originally laid on the floor. Like he was laying on a grenade or something. I see no other explanation that is rational.

 

[Ygrene Imref]

I actually disagree. The reasons the acquittals happen are multi-fold...

...take all of the above and then throw in the Milgram Experiment

Incidentally, the above similar factors apply to political parties and why both sides of the isle are hellbent on supporting their political party no matter the hypocrisy and what their party does wrong...

I don't think you and I disagree. All of what you described is part of the existentialism of the dehumanized human. In order to be a lemming (especially a lemming [un]knowingly championing your oppressor) you must be indoctrinated in a way such that you believe the programming to be a natural fact of life.

This is why public incredulity is so important - it is necessary for the dehumanized human to be as the first line of defense against those who would threaten the actual "powers that be." As you have laid out, that takes at least a generation of indoctrination, with a decent probability this will be taught through generations. This built-in defense mechanism - the Stockholm Syndrome - affects both alleged learned lemmings, and unintelligent ones alike.

Racism, prejudice, and most all "isms" are products of successful programming that has been splintered to respective social and cultural groups - maximizing the effect and spread of programming. For example, the Southern US is the perfect geographical region to propagate certain racism, prejudice and bigotry. This way, when the country becomes more totalitarian, eventually no one there will notice it because their prejudice caused them to turn a blind eye to injustices that befell other humans - damning any support for when the "arm of justice" comes down on them. They would have allowed the lower level of undesirable humans to suffer injustices without necessarily feeling attacked - even justifying. Once the State reaches the people that "matter," no one will be around to defend them.

It is a psychosis, but it affects every single level of "humanity." How many times will this iteration repeat? There has to be a prime paradigm shift that establishes a psycho-social checkpoint representing a "locked in" culture.

Multiculturalism is making fools of those that bought into the indoctrination of yesteryear that included "isms" and prejudices as focal points. The global world is moving on without those hard-wired in the previous paradigms. That is why it takes nothing to agitate a population into violence: the world they knew - the world they were taught was real - is an ephemeral construct used to exploit the humanity in humans for the purposes of driving the world into order from chaos.

Same socio-political parlor tricks of Egypt, Babylon, Sumer, and Phoenicia, different age/day.

 

[Ygrene Imref]

I seriously have to ask, what is the point of cameras if this officer was acquitted???

To make an illusion of a fair, transparent justice system. This feeds the programming/indoctrination you were talking about, and allows the "programmed" to justify blatantly unjust actions. The US Law allows officers to do this: it is legal. That is another reason why none of these cops - not even in the case of injustice against "more desirable humans" - will ever see prosecution. The laws are allegedly already on the books; they aren't enforced. This campaign of dehumanization was to slowly get people used to the legality of situations as the OP so that when the transition actually happens it will be smooth.

I submit we need to change the law. If a cop kills someone who is unarmed in situations like these, the cop should go to jail for manslaughter. We need to seriously raise the threshold for cops killing civilians

That will never happen unless they need to offer a "sacrifice" for the purposes of calming down suspicions of allowed and directed injustice within the population. Every once in a while it is necessary to deliver a patsy to the people so that they see an image of "justice" for the people, by the people (e.g. Madoff.) It's theater.

 

[Ygrene Imref]

What you guys need to do is introduce "surviving the police" on your school's curriculum. Best start in elementary school. Drum it into the children from an early age to freeze up on command, never reach towards their waists or make other movements that might scare a policeman. Learn how to adress a policeman to soothe his pride and make him not want to kill you.

Such behaviours really should be instinctual, especially for people of color.

It is instinctual for people of color, unfortunately, and they still get pumped full of bullets. The case of the OP has been happening to people of color for decades - and they are usually told they are liars, embellishing or they don't really understand what happened. Now, it is happening to higher echelons of desirable humanity - but by now it is too late.


Technically, the guy in the OP likely survived much longer than a "person of color" would have in the States. At least he wasn't shot in front of his kids. But in the States it seems only time (as a major parameter) is the difference in how cops handle citizens, respectively; anyone can be murdered by police in the States.

 

[Ana the Ist]

...and what would your logic be behind putting more stock in WaPo's report than the FBI's report?

Because if you follow the link provided for that graph in "references"...you'll see from the FBI's own website that they haven't collected the data from all jurisdictions, just "participating" ones. They've even got a handy 1-2 page pdf disclaimer expressing how not to interpret their data.

So your 40-50% figure is utter nonsense.

You seem to be twisting some words here. The gang culture is largely responsible for the murder, however, in terms of imprisonment, the non-violent drug offenses are very much to blame in the prison population growing twelve times over in the past few decades.

Incarceration in the United States - Wikipedia


People desperately seem to want to make it a "black culture" thing...it's a poverty/mistreatment culture thing. Had any other race been through the same thing their community went through, they'd be struggling to this day as well.

Ok...

We're talking about this being a disproportionate threat to the black community. Prison incarceration rates have zero to do with that. The fact that 13% of the population commits 50% of the violent crime has a lot to do with it.

Most of the recent studies I've read show that no...a black man is no more likely to be shot by police than a white man once all things are considered.

To suggest these incidents are "racial" in some way is dishonest.

Like I touched on in my other post, you want to reduce both the violent crime and the police use of force, you need to provide upward mobility for communities that were intentionally put at a disadvantage for decades.

It'd be like if for 100 years, my family abused your family, specifically passed laws that made it impossible for your family, kept your family relegated to "second class" status, and kept all of the good jobs (and the money that goes with it) to ourselves.

Then at the end of that hundred years we say "well, we realize that it was wrong, so we're not going to do those things anymore...clean slate" (but keep the money, houses, jobs, etc...), and then 20 years down the road, chastise you for not pulling yourself up to the level we're at and dismiss it as "Eh, must just be a culture problem"

Even if you eliminate all racist laws, hiring practices, etc... and "start from scratch", the group that's been mistreated is still starting in a hole that's going to be nearly impossible to dig themselves out of.

Nearly impossible except for all the successful black people all across the nation. It's true, not everyone starts on the same footing. Some people come here with more resources than others. Some people come here with more skills than others. Some people simply try harder than others...it's not even, it's not fair, some people succeed and some don't.

That's really a different topic though.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Most of the recent studies I've read show that no...a black man is no more likely to be shot by police than a white man once all things are considered.

To suggest these incidents are "racial" in some way is dishonest.

Sources please.

 

[LoAmmi]

The cops were acting like there was some reason they were at risk for their lives if they entered the space which contained his prone body where he originally laid on the floor. Like he was laying on a grenade or something. I see no other explanation that is rational.

There's always the chance the person is some kind of meta-human with heat vision. Can't be too careful.

 

[LoAmmi]

I have come to a different conclusion after reviewing the facts. Because the officer that fired was not the one barking orders, I am now inclined to say that I would not have found him guilty. The guy barking contradicting orders, making the guy try to keep his hands up and crawl while having his feet crossed, and who kept saying that the guy was going to be shot if he "made a mistake" should spend the rest of his life looking at three walls and some bars. There is no reason to do that to someone who is appearing to be attempting to comply with every order given but is clearly confused at several points.

Unfortunately THAT guy quit the force and left the country.

 

[Ygrene Imref]

For the life of me I just can't understand where our collective attitudes come from in regards to the dehumanization of someone who breaks the law. Somehow we've got it into our collective consciousness that if you break the law you are deserving of "whatever" happens to you.

It's like we have no sense of proportionality whatsoever.

You are selling loose cigarettes, you get choked out and killed, and people say, "Well, shouldn't have been selling loose cigarettes". Really? A $75 misdemeanor is worth a life?

I'm so tired of watching citizens getting beat, arrested or even killed over misdemeanor offenses while simultaneously we have this attitude of "Well shouldn't have broke the law."

So basically, America is a zero tolerance country where breaking the law, no matter how minor, is a capital offense???

Don't you see the justifications for this? Americans care about people that matter according to their status quo. But, most all Americans don't even know their own law passed in their country, so I wouldn't worry about the ability to interpret law they don't know exist.

We are, for the most part, dealing with the human race; we do best disappointing each other, and living nowhere close to expectations. The dehumanization campaign was inevitable, and categorically easy to implement in the West - a region known for denial and "forgetfulness" of the degree of imperialist past. Bunch of frogs in gradually heated pots of water.

Whenever you can get people to believe in statistics that are blatantly skewed (e.g. asking 1000 people a question, and extrapolating it over a population,) you control the collective consciousness. You can put up a statistic that all Latino males are either in jail or illegal, and people will abandon all personal anthropological insight, cultural experience or acknowledgement of their ignorance of a culture ultimately replace these with ignorance, prejudices and pigeonholes. That is because it is easier to give let an "authority" tell you what you should believe.

If a human is comfortable being called a consumer, there is problem with the collective consciousness. I once said everyone was a genius, they just have to discover their "trade," but I was eviscerated for it. It is my experience that all humans are fantastically insightful, but simply don't believe it. They have believed a lie about themselves. Many humans are comfortable being exploited, and are psychological weak enough to give into controlled, manufactured "isms" and phobias.

This isn't an insult; this is a reality of humanity. If people don't think more of themselves besides what they are told to believe, then they have no real identity. It follows, then, that a complex system of psycho-social destruction must remain over a population in order to finely tune the control thereof.

 

[Ygrene Imref]

There's always the chance the person is some kind of meta-human with heat vision. Can't be too careful.

When you train police like you train H.Y.D.R.A., and you program them to believe certain persons are INHUMAN/MUTANTS (in more fundamental ways than the "special, desired/powered" way,) then you get exactly this. And, this OP is an example of the baby version of what is to come.

Art imitates life. Stan Lee & Jack Kirby weren't prescient; they were students of history.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Sources please.

Sure, here's an old one...

Surprising New Evidence Shows Bias in Police Use of Force but Not in Shootings

There's others if you're inclined to investigate your own claims.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Sure, here's an old one...

Surprising New Evidence Shows Bias in Police Use of Force but Not in Shootings

There's others if you're inclined to investigate your own claims.

They had to do some pretty creative math and finagling to draw those conclusions.

Here are the actual numbers:

Any “analysis” of police killings will of course show that in absolute numbers, more white people are killed in police shootings than black people, because (non-Hispanic) whites comprise a roughly five times greater share of the U.S. population (62% vs. 13%). So any “analysis” that is based on nothing more than absolute numbers and does not take demographics into account is inaccurate and misleading.

A total of 1,388 people were killed by police in 2015, 318 (23%) of them black, and 560 (40%) of them white. So roughly 23 percent of those killed by any police interaction in 2015 were black and just over 40 percent were white. According to those statistics (adjusted for racial demographics), black people had a 2.7 higher likelihood of being killed by police than whites.