Who knows how common that is.
I went to a meeting of the DSA with my daughter and they have a Mutual Aid group (kinda Anarchist - named explicitly for the awesome Kropotkin book on Mutual Aid) and they do a thing called Brakelights where anyone with broken/missing/burned out brake/taillights can just pull over and get them replaced. I haven’t done it yet, but I’m signed up for the next one.
FLA GOAT
This is why you don’t 
let cops search your car.
All the chodes who love to crow “if you’re innocent, what do you have to hide?” can shove it.
He’s currently in jail being held without bond. I hope that is every bit as pleasant for him as I imagine it to be, being held in jail as an ex-cop who was planting false evidence. Man, he’s gotta be real popular with his fellow inmates.
Also, pleasantly surprised that race wasn’t a factor in this.
Third, LOL at cops catching themselves on body cam planting evidence. When I lived in Baltimore there was a pretty high profile case of this, with one of the cops not realizing that it took the previous 30 seconds (or whatever) when you hit the button… So he walked down an alley, planted evidence where they had caught a guy, walked back, hit the button, then walked down and “found” it. LOL nice job buddy, you got it ALL recorded.
So this was major news for about a week, obviously. The cops were re-taught how to use the body cameras, and about two weeks later ANOTHER Baltimore cop got caught doing the same thing.
Yep, and this is a great thing to cite… I’ve never been put in that spot, but the line to use is…
“I do not consent to any searches.” and when pressed, “I’m sorry officer, I’m sure you’re just trying to do your job, but I do not consent to any searches.”
If asked why, you can say something like, “I know 99% of cops are good guys doing a great job, and I’m sure you’re one of them so thank you for your work officer… but I saw a video online of a cop planting stuff on people, and that’s why I’m just not going to consent to any searches.”
Of course, you’re under no obligation to say anything when asked why and could just repeat, “I’m sorry officer, I do not consent to any searches, am I being held here or am I free to go?”
I dunno. If I’m sure I have nothing to hide (barring a crooked cop) do I really want to deal with the fallout of a search refusal? Cops have plenty of legal ways to make your life hell if they want to. If nothing else they can keep you there all day out of spite.
I’d like to hear from people who’ve actually denied a search.
Never denied a search, but I did deny a field breathalyzer test once.
When I was 21 I was pulled over for suspicion of DUI after rolling a stop sign at 3am. Did the whole field sobriety thing, after which the cop said he was going to breathalyze me because he claimed I had failed one of the tests (I hadn’t, though they were definitely harder than they look). I pushed back on failing the test and refused the breathalyzer. I had a couple of beers a couple hours before and should have been well below the limit, if not at zero, but wasn’t going to risk it.
Once I asserted that I wasn’t going to take a breathalyzer, he informed me that he could bring me to the police station to test me, which I was aware of and was willing to do rather than get breathalyzed in the field. He then tried this weird logic, telling me “well, you could just take it now, just to find out what you would have blown so you know for next time” which would have made me laugh had I not been so afraid the entire time. I denied it again. I guess he figured it wasn’t worth the effort to take me into the station, since we both knew I was sober, but he refused to let me drive home, so he made me call a cab (by now, it’s 4am) to ride the 0.5 miles back to my house. The cabbie had to park my car in a nearby parking lot for me to retrieve the next morning.
Shrug. Not sure I handled that situation optimally (I wasn’t positive what the deny-a-breathalyzer laws are in my state–still aren’t, but I no longer drive) but standing my ground worked out.
Roadside gymnastic tests are voluntary. You didn’t need to do that nonsense either.
Pretty sure that they can make you wait a reasonable amount of time for a K9 unit (typically only long enough for them to write you a ticket, assuming they have something to write you a ticket for), and then they can have the K9 unit walk around your car and alert to give them probably cause to do a search… I don’t think you can refuse that since the dog is only walking around your car on public property.
Otherwise they can detain you if they have a reason to do so, or let you go. IANAL but according to the YouTubez of lawyers, the best strategy is to keep politely but firmly declining to consent to a search and then asking if you’re free to go or if you’re being detained. If they detain you without cause, that can cause problems later.
I think the big key is the politely part. If you show a great deal of respect for their authority, they’re less likely to want to fuck you over and more likely to interpret proceeding to harass you as a colossal waste of their own time. So lots of “sir” or “officer” thrown in there with apologies for exercising your constitutional rights.
The people in that video were white, but they presented as lower class. I never call the police “sir” or anything like that, but I’m nice and polite enough and no cop has ever asked to search my vehicle.
I cant think that would go over well in a small town like mine where you are bound to encounter the same cops a lot.
If you’re black and piss off a cop, they can turn off their body camera, kill you, and have a 99% chance of getting off scot free.
Not sure where else this should go and I’m not creating “another cop shoots someone” thread
But I’d like to hear this crowd’s opinion on the sentencing of Amber Guyger. 10 years, probably out in 5, for “accidentally” walking into the wrong apartment and shooting to death a dude eating ice cream while watching football. Oh, and btw he was black and she was a white cop
I’m pretty outraged. Turn the situation around and have Botham walk into an apartment he mistakenly thought was his and shoot HER dead and he probably gets the needle. Minimum life sentence. But hey… She’s a cop trained to always be aware of her surroundings. Was even holding her 1st aid kit in her non shooting hand. Except that she didn’t notice the red welcome mat at the front door that her apartment didn’t have. I guess she didn’t notice the furniture was different either because it was rather dark. Naturally she was afraid for her life after startling someone by walking into their apartment, so she of course, shoots and kills
She was off duty too, so technically it was a civilian murder. But she was a cop nevertheless, and cops live by a different set of standards than everyone else. 10 years for needlessly snuffing out the life of a 26 year old
I, too, have my doubts that this was an accident/negligence/recklessness. There are too many things don’t make sense. I haven’t studied the case in depth though.
I was ok with the sentence and quite pleased and surprised that she was found guilty.
I’m well aware that if Botham had shot her instead in a reverse scenario that he would likely be facing a much harsher sentence. To me that doesn’t mean she should face harsher punishment, it means that systemic racism is yuge problem.
I guess, without the death penalty, how do you punish her “appropriately?” 10 years doesn’t equal a human life? I agree. 20 does? 30 does? 80?
Cop kills unarmed black man, found guilty of murder.
White woman kills black man and claims SYG self defense, found guilty of murder in Texas.
Pretty damn remarkable so far.
White woman with no previous criminal record receives relatively light sentence.
This part is pretty standard in the good ole USA.
I believe 20 years would’ve been a more appropriate sentence.
Oh, you must be talkin’ bout Jason Van Dyke, the white cop who unloaded a 16 round clip into a black teen’s back seconds after arriving on the scene and received a whopping 6 year sentence while everyone else in the cover up got acquitted
Yeah, what’s pretty damn fucking remarkable is that we’re all shocked she was even found guilty at all. There are people doing more than 10 years for dealing WEED ignorant fuck
You are delusional when it comes to this topic. So I will cut you a little slack and not call you a miserable fucking ■■■■■ I’m dealing with reality here not whatever fucking fantasy you wish existed in the United States.
Cops in the US get more legal protections than your average citizen. Literally, state laws are written specifically to protect cops from prosecution. Cops are not held to a higher standard by the public. In fact, a majority of the population goes out of their way to excuse police violence. White people get less time for the same crime than everyone else. Women get less time for the same crime than men.
That this female cop was convicted in Texas of killing a black man is great. It’s also a bit shocking. That she received a light sentence is pretty much expected. Now as to the 10 years. That is actually about correct for 2nd degree murder. The only unfortunate thing is 2nd degree murder doesn’t have a max of say 15 years in the USA. She got off light because she is a white woman, but what she got is actually in line with what everyone should get. It is a case everyone else should be punished less, not she should be punished more.
First, she was off duty, so she wasn’t even an acting cop. She was a civilian
Second, I don’t know how you can say 10 years (of which she’ll serve half, if that) is about right for walking into a guy’s home while he’s chilling watching a football game and killing him in cold blood
Lastly, we have people locked up for MUCH longer for MUCH less! If you don’t see something wrong with that type of justice system then I don’t know what to tell ya