OT: Police shoot unarmed 12-year old

[fa_jing]

Originally posted by red5angel
It sucks that you get shot when you probably didn't deserve it, but hey, sometimes you have to take your medicine.

?? Some medicine.

[red5angel]

comment fa_jing?

[Water Dragon]

So red, were you upset when the dog was killed?

[fa_jing]

Originally posted by red5angel
comment fa_jing?

yours spoke for itself. Perhaps this boy has been "cured" of breathing?

[Ford Prefect]

red5angel,

No cop is going to go against another cop in a situation like this unless you are close family or close friends. Get real. I have an idea; why don't you email George Bush Sr and ask if he thinks GW is having an excellent presidency...

As for the psychology of the situation, the cop didn't think his partner had fired. He thought his partner had been shot. That just shows that he was extremely confused in the situation, and wasn't thinking clearly.

[fa_jing]

well, I agree that the law is a tricky business. Many times cops have to break the laws, just to enforce the laws, or at least that's the way they perceive the situation. But tell me you've never seen a cop run a red light for no reason? Have you never had a PO treat you disrespectfully? Power corrupts, and not only that, certain types of people are attracted to law enforcement, and it's not restricted to those who want to better their community.

[red5angel]

WD - I am not sure exactly what you are talking about, but people have a funny way of looking at things. I sat and watched a movie with some people one night a while back, a freind of mine turned around and said "I would rather see all the humans on the earth whiped out then see animals hurt." That was the closest I ever came to hitting a woman, and I liked to thinkk of it more as hitting stupid.


Fa_jing, sorry I am not a bleeding heart, and although I consider it sad that this happened, and I won't necessarily say he had it coming, he was doing something he shouldn't have been doing, and so has to suffer the consequences. At the very least he is as responsible as these policemen for his death.
I also know many cops who are good people just trying to do good things and I grow tired of people so readily blaming the police. Not only does power corrupt, but it causes fear....

Ford - My cop friends are pretty honest in situations like this and they know I don't buy crap so they will be pretty honest with me. I will let you know what they think, as for the class, I don't know any of them personally but will let you know the responses I get.

"That just shows that he was extremely confused in the situation, and wasn't thinking clearly."

Thats exaclty what I was saying. I was attached to a United Nations Armored Column carrying supplies in Somlia when it came under sniper fire. The first shot pinged off the APC in front of us and we heard it over the engines. My first thought was back fire. The second shot caught my buddy in the calve and he fell off the APC we were riding. I hit the deck but still didn't know what was going on. I realized my safety was off and I was warming the trigger before I "knew" what was happening.
In a high stress situation you just react, and hopefully your training carries you through, but it isn't a guarentee because the human psyche is a funny thing.

[Water Dragon]

Red, it's quite simple where I'm coming from.

A dog is killed in TN. The killing is considered justified. The nation is in an uproar.

A child is killed in PA. The killing is considered justified. Nobody seems to give a flying f***

Let me try to state this in a different way:

THEY KILLED A 12 YEAR OLD CHILD WHILE HE WAS RUNNING. IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT THEY HEARD A SHOT. IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT HE STOLE A CAR. THEY KILLED A BABY AND NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE!!!!

[red5angel]

Waterdragon, uh ok, who says no one cares? We are debating the very issue at this moment, which shows atleast two people care. I imagine his relatives, friends care. I am sure there are more people out there that care this happened as well. However, I don't like to see misdirected anger, and directing it at the cops without having been there is misdirected.
People get shot all the time. Why doesn't anyone care that he was stealing a car in the first place? Whats the greater tragedy here? That the cops have to worry about being shot at by a 12 year old boy who is stealing cars, or that the 12 year old boy was shot?
You can cry me a fucking river over it but it happens all the time and I am not sure people really understand the issues.

How about the millions of children starving all over the world? how about the millions of people dying of aids everyday? Why should I be concerned about some ******* brat who decided ot take his life into his own hands when he chose to steal a car and run from the cops? why don't you explain that to me?

[fa_jing]

Red - but haven't you noticed the disturbing trend of police officers shooting unarmed suspects?

Also, when the police are corrupt, it makes you question their existence. Well I believe that police exist to protect the government first, and the citizens second. But that's just me and my unpopular political theories....


Let me tell you a story from my wild youth - I'm in my friend Chris' car while he goes to pick up a pound of weed in Southwest Philadelphia. We are getting ready to turn down the street where his friend has a house - and there's a police car there, sitting in front of the home. I say to Chris, sh1t, we'd better go, but my friend is wiser than this. He pulls up behind the squad car - at this point we just have money in the car, no contraband - and goes inside the house. Soon, he is at the door, chatting with his friend, and the policeman appears too. As we leave, he informs me that the cop was inside his friends house, and was a friend of this friend - in fact, the cop was advising Chris as to which stash to choose from. Of course Chris left with the weed after a transaction supervised by this PO. IMO, this is a good use of a police officer, but most people would be amazed at the level of corruption within the force.

Then you have articles like the following:

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20030128_405.html

These are the people that some trust to use deadly force.

And yes, I'll be kissing any PO's boots that saves my mother or my sister or my wife from a violent crime. Didn't say they were all bad, but the system is very flawed.

[red5angel]

Fa_jing, I understand your point, but cops are human beings too and I just get sick of the villification. I was a skater in my youth, got into all sorts of trouble with the cops, nothing I didn't deserve though.
The point is that it isn't always the cops fault things go bad.

trust me brother, I am with you, but I can't blame the cops for everything that happens with them involved. They deal with dirty individuals everyday, and some who aren't.

[Water Dragon]

So stealing a car justifies the death penalty without a trial?

[fa_jing]

Red5 - regarding "millions," etc. -- I think you should be concerned about those kids too. I think it is a bit ridiculous to value one human being over another just because of what country they are born in.

You should be concerned about police misconduct here, because the same might happen to your son or cousin, or you might find yourself in the middle of a riot one day.

[red5angel]

WD - not what I am saying. I am saying that once you take breaking the law into your own hands you enter a realm of responsibility that changes. You run form the cops an dthat makes your situation even worse. Of course you don't deserve to be shot, but you have accpeted the idea that that may be the end result, no matte rhow small a chance it might be.

Fa_jing, if it could be proved to be police misconduct, then I would be all for punishing these officers. I just think people are way too quick to blame the cops for these kinds of things and most of those people don't really understand it.

[dezhen2001]

thats terrible and we wonder why the world is going to sh|t

dawood