Cleveland cops shot boy, 12, just 2 seconds after arrival

[poncho]

WASHINGTON: The conflagration over the Ferguson shooting involving a white police office who gunned down a black teenager began to cool down over the Thanksgiving holiday but American cops continued to add to their trigger-happy reputation with yet another controversial kill: a black kid was shot dead last Saturday in Cleveland by police who responded to a 911 call from a bystander who thought he saw the boy waving a gun around in a park. It turned out to be a toy gun. The boy, Tamir Rice, was 12 years old. The boy was shot dead within two seconds of the police patrol car arriving on the scene.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/Cleveland-cops-shot-boy-12-just-2-seconds-after-arrival/articleshow/45302079.cms

 

[Revmitchell]

American cops do not have a trigger happy reputation.

 

[Crabtownboy]

American cops do not have a trigger happy reputation.

What a sheltered life you live. Try going to any European country and ask about the reputation of US police. Go to any Black community and ask about the reputation of US police.

Your reply would be funny if it were not so tragically blind.

 

[Rolfe]

It is easy to judge when not present at the event. Are those who respond supposed to wait until they are shot before responding to a threat? Of course not.

 

[Revmitchell]

What a sheltered life you live. Try going to any European country and ask about the reputation of US police.

How any European countries have you been too?

Go to any Black community and ask about the reputation of US police.

Just because a minority of people want to believe the worst about this does not justify painting all police with a broad brush.

Your reply would be funny if it were not so tragically blind.

Your attitude toward police is what is tragic.

 

[Crabtownboy]

How any European countries have you been too?

Let's see: [I have Baptist and Anabaptist friends in a majority of these countries and in several countries I have not been to.]

England
Scotland
France
Spain
Italy
Switzerland
Austria
Germany
Denmark
Norway
Lithuania
Latvia
Estonia
Russia
Poland
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Hungary
Slovenia
Croatia
Liechtenstein

I believe that is the total, but I may have forgotten one or two. God has greatly blessed me in the travel department.

I have yet to talk to a European who does not believe the US is crazy in the way we allow private citizens and policemen to blow away others with no repercussions. There are many policemen and policewomen who do much great good and I respect them for their good work. However, it is obvious that many are trigger happy, especially when it is a young black man.

 

[Sapper Woody]

I watched the video. They did shoot him quick. But they had no clue it wasn't a real gun. In fact, you can't even tell by looking at it. I saw a picture.

If anyone is responsible, it's whoever gave him the gun without reigning him in.

In an untold story, anyone happen to know how many officers have been killed in the last few weeks trying to detain suspects? It's in the dozens.

 

[Crabtownboy]

I watched the video. They did shoot him quick. But they had no clue it wasn't a real gun. In fact, you can't even tell by looking at it. I saw a picture.

We are a shoot first, ask questions later society.

If anyone is responsible, it's whoever gave him the gun without reigning him in.

You are correct ... assuming someone gave him the toy gun. He may have bought it himself.

In an untold story, anyone happen to know how many officers have been killed in the last few weeks trying to detain suspects? It's in the dozens.

Your point is taken, but you number is a bit high for the last few weeks. I have not found numbers for 2014, but for 2013 I found the following:

Line of Duty Deaths: 106
Assault: 2
Automobile accident: 24
Drowned: 1
Fire: 1
Gunfire: 43
Gunfire (Accidental): 2
Heart attack: 14
Motorcycle accident: 3
Struck by vehicle: 3
Vehicle pursuit: 3
Vehicular assault: 10

Read more: http://www.odmp.org/search/year#ixzz3KP7KHreK

 

[annsni]

Report of a person with a gun. They go and the person goes to pull his gun out of his waistband. It is heartbreaking that this happened but I have two questions:

* Why is a 12 year old in a park with an airsoft gun?

* Why is the orange tip removed from the gun?

My son has an airsoft rifle and there is no way he's leaving my property with that rifle unless we are going to an air soft range. He is CERTAINLY not bringing that thing to a public park where it may be misunderstood!!

I think the parents and/or the boy failed big time in this.

 

[Use of Time]

This is a tragic story. The kid was basically dead as soon as they got out of the car. For some reason it's got "operative" Rev. Mitch posting every police feel good story he can find to counterbalence this one. It' so weird.

 

[Revmitchell]

Let's see: [I have Baptist and Anabaptist friends in a majority of these countries and in several countries I have not been to.]

England
Scotland
France
Spain
Italy
Switzerland
Austria
Germany
Denmark
Norway
Lithuania
Latvia
Estonia
Russia
Poland
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Hungary
Slovenia
Croatia
Liechtenstein

I believe that is the total, but I may have forgotten one or two. God has greatly blessed me in the travel department.

I have yet to talk to a European who does not believe the US is crazy in the way we allow private citizens and policemen to blow away others with no repercussions. There are many policemen and policewomen who do much great good and I respect them for their good work. However, it is obvious that many are trigger happy, especially when it is a young black man.

Well I have been to a few and the only source for where they get their idea is on the news. They are not here and they do not see what all cops do in America from day to day.

The op like you bad mouth all cops in the same wrong and negative light.

That is the tragedy here. The misrepresentation of our men and women who do such wonderful work keeping people safe and protected in this country.

 

[poncho]

Easy cure for all that. Stop watching the news and start watching the cops.

If there is a problem think of ways to solve it instead of ways to cover it up, gloss it over or deny it may exist.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Well I have been to a few and the only source for where they get their idea is on the news. They are not here and they do not see what all cops do in America from day to day.

You might be surprised how many have visited the States.

The op like you bad mouth all cops in the same wrong and negative light.

Guess you did not read my reply where I talked about what a tough job being a policemen/woman is and how they do a lot of good. Had a good friend some years ago who was a retired policeman and though he would not talk much he filled me in on some of the emotional wear and tear the job inflicts on them. I liked him very much, but he was a fellow you did not want to anger.

That is the tragedy here. The misrepresentation of our men and women who do such wonderful work keeping people safe and protected in this country.

Tell that to your Black friends and if they are honest they will tell you how they feel when white policemen are around. They also will tell you when they have been helped and when they have been harassed. My only point is that with young black men too many of the police are too fast on shooting first and discovering later. Policemen have a very tough job. Unfortunately they have to deal with not nice people all the time and this has to be very tough emotionally over a long period of time.

There was an excellent segment on The News Hour this evening ... and interesting comments by Marks and Shields.

 

[Sapper Woody]

Easy cure for all that. Stop watching the news and start watching the cops.

If there is a problem think of ways to solve it instead of ways to cover it up, gloss it over or deny it may exist.

^ This. Although i don't think this one incident is indicative of a problem, I believe that there are trigger happy police officers out there.

I do not think of it as quite the problem you do, but I will admit that it does happen. The question then becomes how do we assure these things don't happen without tying our officers hands and/or punishing the good officers?

 

[Sapper Woody]

Tell that to your Black friends and if they are honest they will tell you how they feel when white policemen are around.

This statement is actually super ironic if you think about it. If black people feel that way about white officers, then either their fears are unfounded, as they claim white people's fears are when they are around black people, or they are admitting that white people are not racist but have genuine fears because of the black stereotype. This is a "Can't have you're cake and eat it, too" situation.

 

[poncho]

^ This. Although i don't think this one incident is indicative of a problem, I believe that there are trigger happy police officers out there.

I do not think of it as quite the problem you do, but I will admit that it does happen. The question then becomes how do we assure these things don't happen without tying our officers hands and/or punishing the good officers?

Maybe it would be more credible coming from an ex cop?

The former NYPD cop says 'Today the combination of an excess of deadly force and near-total lack of accountability is more dangerous than ever: Most cops today can pull out their weapons and fire without fear that anything will happen to them, even if they shoot someone wrongfully. All a police officer has to say is that he believes his life was in danger, and he’s typically absolved.

What do you think that does to their psychology as they patrol the streets—this sense of invulnerability? The famous old saying still applies: Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.'

He also dismisses the idea that police officers should use certain types of equipment while on the job.

'The automatic weapons and bulletproof vest may protect the officer, but they also insulate him from the very society he’s sworn to protect,' he asserts. 'All that firepower and armor puts an even greater wall between the police and society, and solidifies that "us-versus-them" feeling.'

Serpico says in the years following his testimony before the Knapp Commission 'politicians who wanted to make a difference didn't' - and uses President Bill Clinton and Mayor Michael Bloomberg as examples.

'As for Barack Obama and his attorney general, Eric Holder, they’re giving speeches now, after Ferguson,' he writes. 'But it’s 20 years too late.'

At the end of his essay for POLITICO Magazine, Serpico offers a six-point solution, which he says includes police using better methods to find new police officers, offering 'examples-based training and simulations,' making sure cops understand their communities and are active in them, holding police accountable when they do something illegal, rewarding and recognizing honest police officers, and also making sure police are monitored externally.


Continue . . . http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-face-1971-slams-control-police-violence.html

Six points here . . . http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-police-are-still-out-of-control-112160_Page4.html#.VHkeTjHF-So Scroll down page.

The size of the problem isn't the problem, the problem is that the problem exists. If a problem exists the time to solve it is before it becomes a big problem.

Would you agree with that?

I watched the video. They did shoot him quick. But they had no clue it wasn't a real gun. In fact, you can't even tell by looking at it. I saw a picture.

If anyone is responsible, it's whoever gave him the gun without reigning him in.

In an untold story, anyone happen to know how many officers have been killed in the last few weeks trying to detain suspects? It's in the dozens.

What does the number of police officers killed in the last few weeks have to do with this story?

 

[carpro]

We could use the Barack Obama rules of engagement...

The suspect has to fire first. A few cops would get killed, but they're not any more important than our troops. Are they? That should satisy even Serpico enough that he wouldn't complain about their body armor.

 

[poncho]

Are cops lives more important than citizens lives?

Are Frank's six points unreasonable?

 

[carpro]

Are cops lives more important than citizens lives?

Are Frank's six points unreasonable?

Six points? Way too complicated.

Hiring more minority cops will fix everything. They wouldn't need training at all. heck, just Put 'em on the street with one order...don't shoot any minorities. If one of them gets stomped by a 6'4" 300 pound gentle giant who happens to be a minority, well, that's just the price they have to pay be a cop.

Everybody's happy. Except for the cop recovering in the hospital who gets fired for bruising the gentle giant's fist with his face.

 

[Revmitchell]

I think it is time for someone to grow up.