Gangsters in Blue

Kelly Thomas was murdered by 6 lowlife police officers last July (more here). As one would expect, they have not all been brought to justice. Only 2 officers have been charged. Manny Ramos has been charged with second degree murder, while Jay Cicinelli has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. This was only after the citizens of Fullerton protested outside the police station weekend after weekend. And of course, the fact Mr. Thomas’ father, Ron Thomas was former Sheriff’s Deputy didn’t hurt.

Keep in mind that if any other gang of 6 assholes had beaten a homeless, mentally ill man to death, they would have all been charged with murder, likely along with gang enhancements. If any other man had smashed a homeless man’s face in while saying, “You see these fists? … They are getting ready to fuck you up,” a first degree murder charge would have been a certainty.

I can also almost guarantee you that if my brother, father, or family member were murdered by police, I would not see an ounce of the justice Kelly Thomas’ family has seen, because I have no law enforcement in my family. If my father or brother had been beaten to a bloody pulp and died, I would have no credibility and would arouse no public sympathy. The public’s response would likely be, “well why did he disobey the officers?” as in the case of most victims of police murder.

This brings me to the irony of a former law enforcement officer being made to suffer the grief of having his son die at the hands of police. This is a man who, if he did his job all those years, presumably dedicated his life to, among other things, extorting people with tickets and fines. If he did his job, he spent a great deal of his time ruining peoples’ lives, causing them to lose their jobs, and breaking up their families through enforcement of drug laws. This is a man who spent his life supporting the Thin Blue Line and engaged in and supported abuse of ordinary people with a violent system that has now unfortunately come back to haunt him in the worst manner possible.

It seems that for many who previously worked in law enforcement, when tragedy strikes them (the hallowed class), it is written off as a recent development, a current trend in corruption, and a problem of badly trained young officers, whereas when they used to work in law enforcement, they did everything ethically, constitutionally, and properly. They rarely stop to consider that perhaps the system was just this bad all along, but they didn’t notice it before because they were the ones wielding power, commanding undeserved respect, and receiving the benefits and protections of the law.

Policing has always involved a monopoly on initiation of violence by a group of uniformed people who collected fines and enforced laws, whether just or not, under the guise of “protecting” others. It has been common knowledge for sometime now that forcible monopolies result in poor customer service and lack of accountability. Thus, when one group of people have an unqualified monopoly over guns, authority, and law enforcement, certain predictable results are bound to happen, and always have happened. Unjust detentions has always occurred. Racial profiling has always occurred. Marginalization and targeting of the poor and those with unfortunate skin tones has always occurred. Police have always enforced evil laws and opposed civil rights.

Qualified immunity for police officers is not a new concept that has developed only in recent years. Useless investigations by “Internal Affairs” is nothing new. Thus, the same system in which Ron Thomas proudly worked, and with which he proudly screwed civilians, is the same system he criticizes now. An interview with Ron Thomas reveals he is completely aware of the flaws in the system. Indeed, he explicitly criticizes the idea of “reasonable force” used by officers, and the manner in which this legal standard is manipulated and executed by law enforcement and the justice system.

So why does Ron Thomas have a problem with how the system deals with “reasonable force” now? His son was murdered essentially for “resisting” officers’ commands and violent subjugation. This happens to innocent people all the time. When the victims do not happen to be the son of a police officer, the public tells the victim’s family members that the victim should simply have followed commands, obeyed the law, or been more respectful in order to avoid being murdered.

One has to wonder whether Ron Thomas had a problem with it every other time a civilian’s family member was murdered in similarly senseless circumstances – for failing to hear an officer’s command, for giving an officer the finger, for defending themselves, or for being rowdy - and whether his perspective has changed in any manner since the death of his son. One has to wonder whether he, like most former police officers, still delusionally believes he was actually “protecting” people in the course of his former profession.

The irony of Kelly Thomas: his father was a cop is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This video was captured on May 19th at 10:55pm EST by Ustream user TRWBS (the revolution will be streamed).

It was shared with CopBlock.org via our submit tab.

Chicago police van rushes into crowd of protesters is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

The write-up below comes to us from Jack Slade. I can appreciate his sentiment but differ in the solution advocated. Jack points-out the lower standards for police today and the lack of transparency with which they operate.  Both exist only due to perverse incentives, a direct consequence that stems from many people, including Jack, continuing to grant authority to the one-size-fits-all model of policing today. Just imagine how things could be done better were you able to contract for the level of protection services you desire. Why leave such an important good/service to a group of people who first claim the “right” to steal your money to protect you? Such an institution is flawed from the start. – Pete

“In Fear for his life or that of others” was meant to be a “Real” and “Intelligent” view of a situation that others could easily identify. We have a problem now. There have been so many Police Murders now that research has been slowed down. Police are refusing now to give out any details, Police Officer’s Bills of Rights and decisions like Copely v. Superior Court of San Diego, claim that all information is a “personnel Record” and of course “Closed Grand Juries”.

Police are sealing off crime scenes, and detaining anyone in the area and confiscating cell phone camera memory chips and video cameras. People are claiming to be held for forced debriefings to help police generate an uncontestable defense story. District attorneys are waiting for months to quietly exonerate the Officers after Cities reach Sealed Wrongful Death settlements.

We have many totally unqualified, poorly educated and poorly trained police officers all over the country. Thirty years of this kind of poor quality and upward mobility of poor quality candidates has filled our departments with the largest number of alcoholics, drug abusers, child molesters, and spousal killers in history.

There are intelligent degenerates in society, but when they move in mass into law enforcement we have the problem we have now. You can’t say that the public is bad mouthing the police. These people are not police officers, they are people who have gamed the system and reached a position of committing crimes and getting away with it. The foundation of their protection is the need for politicians to keep things quiet, hide settlements and hope to complete their terms.

All of you police officers are going to chime in but you don’t have the statistics that we have in our hands. We await challenges for that reason. It used to be 80% good cops and 20% unstables, now that is reversed.

DA’s like Jeff Rosen in Santa Clara County, CA ran on a justice ticket saying the souls of his holocaust family victims would never let him protect killers. Well he has exonerated some of the most bizarre police murderers that we have seen and he has another 10 that occurred in a six week period. He had to run around the county to police department briefings begging them to stop and they laughed him out of the buildings. Strangely one of his best DA friends ends up arrested for DUI. They tracked him and racked him one night.

After 9/11 all policemen became heroes, and that was the start of the problem. The only real heroes were the ones there who died. Then the economy went in the toilet and crime has risen. Now with people who have the same intelligence and morals as circus workers and frightened DA’s and Politicians, we have the inmates running the prison.

Jack Slade
40 years in Law Enforcement, no shootings and no IA Jacket before retirement.

Target Corruption via The Justice Program compiles every Police shooting throughout the Country with daily reports. Todays update is so large for 2012 that we just got the Chicago update: The rise in “Poor Judgement Killings is rising rapidly.

TARGET CORRUPTION
POLICE KILLINGS and PROSECUTIONS
State by State and City by City Report for Jan. 2012 to Date will follow Monday.

There have been so many that research has been slowed down. Police are refusing now to give out any details, are sealing off crime scenes, and detaining anyone in the area and confiscating Cell Phone Camera memory chips and video cameras. People are claiming to be held for forced debriefings to help Police generate an uncontestable defense story. District attorneys are waiting for months to quietly exonerate the Officers after Cities reach Sealed Wrongful Death settlements.

Police Shootings Will Begin To Be Watched More Closely is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This video comes to CopBlock.org from Joey Boots and his YouTube channel YosefBootski. It really does cut through the lies and show why the lamestream media – which never questions the Statist Quo – is making itself extinct. -Pete

I Watch Sean Hannity on Fox News For The Lies and Comedy is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This post was submitted by a CopBlock.org visitor who choose to remain anonymous. S/he did leave some words of encouragement: “Keep up the good work of exposing corrupt cops. G-d willing America will remain the home of the Free and the Brave.” If we each stop being scared and stand on our conscience, the institutionalized violence done by those who claim to “protect and serve” will cease. – Pete

Corrupt sheriff gets taken down by a 20-year-old is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This information comes to CopBlock.org via an individual who goes by “Brutalized by Washington DC Police Department”

Why does the New York City police department have such a history of killing unarmed Blacks. Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo and Eleanor Bumpurs are just three.

Now come the tragic killing of Ramarley Graham in his own bathroom. The person who fired the single bullet that took his life was Richard Haste.

Haste and colleagues with the 47th Precinct Street Narcotics Enforcement Unit broke into Graham’s apartment and Haste confronted Graham in the bathroom, supposedly operating on incorrect information – which their own colleagues had confirmed to a supervisor as factual – that Graham had a gun in his waistband.

No gun was found on or around Graham. A grand jury is deciding whether charges against Haste are appropriate.

What is clear is that the actions Haste and his colleagues had observed had no victim.

Graham first came to the attention of NYPD employees because he had existed a storefront where they believed drug sales occurred. Where’s the victim? If an interaction is consensual what right does any other individual have to step between that with coercion?

It was later claimed that two witnesses communicated to NYPD employees that they saw a gun on Graham’s person. The claim that Graham had a gun was then confirmed by two NYPD employees to their supervisor Scott Morris. That flimsy “evidence,” which sounds more from a bad game of telephone than professional police work (is there such a thing?) – was the rationale given by Haste for him taking the life of another person. Even if Graham had a handgun, where’s the victim? Are the double-standards so great that only those wearing badges have the right to have access to tools to defend themselves?

But even before the fatal shot was fired, why were Haste and his colleagues in Graham’s apartment in the first place? What reason did they – strangers to Graham – have to break into this residence? None.

Seems like Haste wanted to do his namesake true and be hasty in his actions. I wonder if any of his colleagues will have the integrity break the thin blue line’s code of silence and actually speak up for what they know is right. Regardless of the internal cover-up and omission that’s sure to happen, those who rallied in support of justice for Graham should internalize the fact that the only way to arrive at a place where badges don’t grant immunity is to cease buying into that bad idea in the first place. Why pay the salaries of those who you know initiate force? Why give them any allegiance?

NYPD war on Blacks? is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

A story that demonstrates double-standards claimed by those with badges submitted by “Accountability.” As s/he noted, “There is are laws…one for police and one for you.” That view will change only when each of us sees that man-made legislation does not equal law. Note how, when an individual officer does wrong and is called-out for it, his colleagues do damage control to protect the image of their violent institution by stating that he “acted independently.” -Pete

Amazing to see Minnesota Police goons on video tape dealing free dope after picking up Minnesota Occupy protesters and driving them to an airport, doping the protestors and then asking them questions and trying to get the protestors to rat on other protestors.

Supposedly done for evaluations for police to be able to pick up people under the influence.

You just have to see the 35 minute video yourself. One dope dealing officer stupidly tells the person who is videotaping him to shut of the camera because he has a wife and kids and does not want any problems.

From the video description:

Video documentation by local activists and independent media shows that police officers and county deputies from across Minnesota have been picking up young people near Peavey Plaza for a training program to recognize drug-impaired drivers. Multiple participants say officers gave them illicit drugs and provided other incentives to take the drugs. The Occupy movement, present at Peavey Plaza since April 7th, appears to be targeted as impaired people are dropped off at the Plaza, and others say they’ve been rewarded for offering to snitch on the movement.

Around the 5-min mark an individual identified as a Filmore County Sheriff deputy has a conversation:

“In this category we’re just doing eval’s. We don’t want people’s names, we don’t want to get anybody in trouble. We’re here to admit you to eval for us. . . If you smoke weed or something like that, we don’t care. We really don’t. . . What we want then is take you for about 45-minutes of testing. Cause we gotta go down to the airport. . . then, after 45-minutes of testing, we bring you right back, drop you right back off. So, that’s what we’re doing. And like I said, we’re, like, I’m not even from here. I’m from Fillmore County. So I’m way south of Rochester.”

This story was picked-up by The Guardian, which noted in part:

Public safety officials in Minnesota have launched a criminal investigation following multiple claims that law enforcement officers got Occupy protesters high on drugs in a program examining the effects of street marijuana.

A state trooper has been placed on leave in connection with the allegations and the program has been suspended. One participant in the program said police got him “high as fuck”.

The story was broken by independent journalists based in Minnesota who began recording officers picking up and returning protesters to a local park where the demonstrators have been camped out. Individuals repeatedly claimed that the police would provide them with marijuana, watch them smoke it, then observe their behavior.

Dan Feidt, an independent journalist with the Occupy movement, says he began noticing the activity two weeks ago. Feidt joined with other independent media outlets – including Rogue Media, Communities United Against Police Brutality, and Twin Cities IndyMedia – in documenting what was going on at the park.

The 35-minute video compiled by the group shows law enforcement officers from nearly a half dozen departments transporting people to and from the park. Numerous anonymous individuals interviewed in the video claim that officers had a practice of picking up people off the street who were under the influence of illegal substances, transporting them to a building at a local airport, then observing their behavior and administering evaluations as part of study.

Minnesota is among 48 states – as well as the District of Columbia and Canada – that participate in a so-called Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE) program, aimed at helping officers learn how to spot impairment and troublesome drivers. The program began in Minnesota in 1991 and requires officers to perform evaluations on volunteers, generally recruited from the community, who are high.

The program does not permit officers to provide drugs to subjects, but that’s exactly what Feidt’s video suggests they did.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota State Patrol claims that there was “no evidence” to support the allegations made in the video but on Wednesday the Minnesota department of public safety issued a press release announcing that it had launched a criminal investigation into claims that a Hutchinson police officer provided marijuana to subject in the drug program. The allegation was made by an officer from another law enforcement agency. The DPS also announced that it was suspending the program.

Feidt says the program is consistent with police behavior he’s observed at Occupy camps around the country and told The Guardian:

What we saw happen in many, many different cities was they would take people that had chemical dependency issues, they would take people that had mental illness issues and that kind of thing and they would basically drop them off at the Occupy site

He hopes the video will call attention to the war on drugs. “For me, the cruel and dehumanizing nature of the war on drugs has been a major issue for a long time,” Feidt said. “There’s public debate about this program that never really happened, so I’m really hoping that we can have a constructive debate and finally wind down this incredibly destructive system.”

Minnesota Cops Smoke-up Occupy Protesters, Then Lie is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

In 1993, I watched the Waco, “Standoff” live on the NBC Nightly News as a young man while eating meatloaf in front of the TV with my family. What exactly is a, “Standoff?” In my early years, I understood a standoff  as an incident which one party was wrong and the State comes in to correct or murder them.  I had a hard time comprehending why the military blazed in with tanks and burned a bunch of kids alive but understood that if the government takes such action, it must be justified. I also vaguely remember, “Ruby Ridge.”

My old man is a Navy Veteran. He served 4 years during the War In Vietnam.  He worked on the ship’s engines to insure plenty of Vietnamese were killed by artillery from the Destroyer he occupied.  He was just under ten when the last known US Civil War Veteran passed. He grew up in a time when government mandated reefer madness prevailed and The US Public Health Service was busy secretly infecting impoverished Black Americans with syphilis. We kept a flag flying on the front porch to show our unwavering support for our government, almost without question.

I’ve attempted to expose my father to the idea that just because this government is ours doesn’t mean it has our best interests in mind, to little avail. I believe he’s too conditioned to understand the idea of True Liberty.

I guess this is why I wasn’t overly surprised when he told me about a standoff a few blocks from his and my mother’s home in Janesville WI. He had told me that the previous evening they were walking the dog when the neighborhood erupted with screeching tires, sirens, and heavily armed men. He of course wasn’t able to walk up the street he’s lived near for almost 40 years because some twenty-something cop said he couldn’t.

We try not to talk about political issues due to our differences but I couldn’t help but notice that after 4 days with nothing in the paper he seemed concerned with what may have happened.  I suggested he call the PD but after a week he hadn’t so I stepped in.

I contacted JPD about the incident in Oct. 2011 on Forest Park Blvd. Robin picked up the phone and I posed my question. She didn’t object to glancing at the log and dismissed it as a potential gun call where no gun was found.  I persisted with questions and she stated that a twelve year old had been taking out the garbage around dusk and saw a person in a car with a gun. He ran back into his home and told his mom who called it in.

In WI concealed carry is legal. Open carry is also legal and it isn’t uncommon to see people on the side of  the State Highways standing around with their shotguns or rifles heading into the fields to hunt wild game.  People occasionally walk the grocery store isles with a sidearm on their hip and there usually aren’t problems.

I continued to question Robin at the PD despite her increasing reluctance to answer my questions.  What’s the big secret? She reiterated that no gun was found and nobody was arrested so it wasn’t a big deal. I asked if the gun, “Suspect” was pulled out at gunpoint or searched. She stated she didn’t know. I asked if the dispatch actually vetted this child personally, again, no apparent answer. She stated I wouldn’t be able to obtain the police reports because none exist. Just a brief dispatch log.

It turned out that the gun was actually a cell phone.  And the two alleged “gunmen” were 17 year old-ish boyfriend and girlfriend stopping by the house quick.  My Dad said the cops were yelling but he couldn’t hear exactly what was being said. I’m guessing this is an experience these young people will never forget. It may seem like a funny story in hindsight but on the other hand, I’ve never had multiple guns pointed at my torso.  I have been inadvertently swept by a live firearms and it really pisses me off.

Waukesha Standoff Society

On a regular basis the Waukesha Police play soldier in our neighborhoods. They call in the county tank and halt our outdoor activities by the sounds of cops yelling on a PA system.  I’ve done several videos of these standoff when I happen upon them. I don’t use a scanner but every month and a half or so I can usually find one by just cruising.

They bring the shields and AR’s but overwhelmingly just hang out and soak up the overtime. I don’t often see anything in the news other than the fact that one of these occurred.  It seems that if the police call these incidents, “Medicals” they can get away without scrutiny or further information.  I’ve taken video of three in the last year or so.

I don’t need to ask what precipitates a standoff. Pretty much anything in this area. Perhaps a neighbor hears an argument and you choose not to answer the door for the cops? Maybe you’ve had a few drinks and throw on your favorite Metallica CD. As we all know the police have no legal duty to, “Protect us.”  What if an, “Emotionally disturbed person who is potentially armed” is greeted by the mom or brother instead of a heavily fortified militarized sect of the police. Perhaps a well known,  friendly, willing,  neighbor would produce better results than flash bang grenades and sub-machine guns.

As is common,  in the video above, no gun, according to local YouTube friends, and no real threat by the female suspect. I’d love to tell you the whole story but it seems to be a secret.

It appears standoffs will be entrenched in Waukesha culture for the time being.

John Freeman – Milwaukee area Copblock

Wisconsin Standoff Society is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Last week a judge for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago said that eavesdropping legislation, long used by police and their allies to target those who attempted to document their actions, “likely violates” the First Amendment and ordered that authorities be banned from enforcing it.

As Harvey Grossman, legal director of the ACLU noted:

In order to make the rights of free expression and petition effective, individuals and organizations must be able to freely gather and record information about the conduct of government and their agents – especially the police

This ruling couldn’t be more-timely, considering the upcoming NATO summit in Chicago and the recent passing of Chris Drew, who, along with Michael Allison and Tiawanda Moore, was among the most vocal of individuals pushing back against the unjust legislation.

That doesn’t mean those who film police in Illinois (ranked one of the least-free states) will be free from harassment – as readers of CopBlock know it’s not uncommon for someone wearing a badge to levy ridiculous threats on another person in an attempt to deter them from pointing-out claimed double-standards. But the ruling does mean that the implicit threat of being caged for years simply for filming no longer exists. And that’s a step in the right direction.

The ruling in Illinois is part of a larger trend is toward greater transparency.

Massachussets
In August of 2011 the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals overturned draconian wiretapping legislation that had targeted people like Simon Glik and myself and colleague Ademo Freeman. That ruling essentially communicated that public officials (including police) have no expectation of privacy in the course of their duties.

Maryland
In September of 2010 a judge threw-out a felony wiretapping charge against Anthony Graber, noting thatrecording public events is protected under the First Amendment. Graber had been targeted after posting to YouTube a video of his interaction with Maryland State Police employee Joseph D. Uhler.

For more, check out CopBlock’s War on Cameras Map & the related links above

Illinois Gets With the Times – Lifts Threat of Jail for Filming Police is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Guest post

We were stopped for no known reason by two officers and they asked to search my car. I told the officer that he couldn’t search. Then the officer told us that if we didnt let them search the car they were going to call the k9 dog. At that point I asked if we were free to go.

The officer told us we were not free go and called the k9 dog. I asked the officer if I could have my cell phone back with intentions of recording. The officer replied with a no and told us we would wait on the k9 dog. The officer said he could not give me my phone back for his own safety.

Thirty minutes later the k9 arrived. I was searched by one of the officers. Also, my passenger was asked to exit the car. The k9 dog came out from another officer’s car. The officer walked the dog to the front right side of our car. The new officer on the traffic stop tapped his fingers and motioned toward the car.

At that moment the dog began to walk down the right side and than jumps up on the side. The dog then had permission to move away from the car, while receiving a treat from the officer. The k9 searched for about three minutes and the dog also put a few scratches down the side of my black BMW.

The officers then tried to say that was “probable cause” to search the k9 ”indicated” there were drugs inside. Two officers than began to search everything in the car or involving it. A woman was in the car also (my passenger). Since she was a female there was an female officer called to the scene.

At this point there were now five officers involved. I had a little extra money in the car, due to seeing my lawyer earlier that day in Asheville, NC. One of the searching officers placed the money on the trunk of the patrol car while asking me where the money came from and why was it rolled and placed the way I had it. He then returned to the car and helped the second officer. Within minutes the same officer came out of the car with an object in his hand.

He insist that he found drugs on the inside. “We got you,” said the officer. A female officer searched the woman riding with me. While proceeding with their search we than were placed in handcuffs. We were read our rights and both taken into custody. At the first of the stop I was asked if it was my car and if I were responsible for everything in the car. I answered him with a yes. We both were charged with possession and illeg al drugs. Our bond totaled $30,000 each. If anyone has any advice for us on our case it would be greatly appreciated.

Small town corruption is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights