/how-to-actually-stop-police-brutality-according-to-science1

[Annie]

How to actually stop police brutality, according to science

Cities across the U.S. have been rocked by nightly protests against police brutality following the May 25 killing of a Black Minneapolis man named George Floyd by a White police officer.

www.foxnews.com

This article has what seem to me to be some good ideas about changes in how police departments work, as well as the interesting info that increasing “militarization” of a police force does indeed correlate with increased problems of violence.

 

[JanR]

We’ve had a most unfortunate incident of police using undue force in our own area.

It occurred when police raided an elderly couple’s home at 3 A.M., scaring the wits out of both, on a “hint” that they were growing Marijuana. They tore up the property searching for the Cannabis, and caused a great deal of very costly damage, only to find out that this elderly couple had been growing – wait for it –TOMATOES!

Apparently, the tip had been bogus, or they had gone to the wrong house, or had misunderstood – however it happened, they made a COLOSSAL MISTAKE.

Did they apologize to the couple? NOOOOOO!!!

Did they even admit wrongdoing? NOOOOOO!!!

Was the couple ever compensated for all the property damage? NOOOOO!!!

The incident was blown off, and the attitude toward the elderly couple was, “Tough luck.”

The only consolation for them was that the police had made asses of themselves, and when the story appeared in our local paper, folks were laughing that they couldn’t even tell the difference between Cannabis sativa plants and tomato vines. It really made them look foolish.

Not at all funny to the terrified couple, however!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Interesting that nobody cared when FBI knocked down Manafort’s door in the pre-dawn darkness and rousted him out of bed with submachine guns. It isn’t always black folks who get handled in appropriately by law enforcement.

 

[JanR]

All of that was done mainly for show, to demonstrate how tough and powerful some of our modern militarized police forces have become, whether it’s necessary or not. And in that case, totally UNnecessary! Certainly don’t need a SWAT team to roust a sleepy resident out of his bed in the darkness, groggy and stumbling!

 

[Boatswain2PA]

It occurred when police raided an elderly couple’s home at 3 A.M., scaring the wits out of both, on a “hint” that they were growing Marijuana. They tore up the property searching for the Cannabis, and caused a great deal of very costly damage, only to find out that this elderly couple had been growing – wait for it – TOMATOES !

Apparently, the tip had been bogus, or they had gone to the wrong house, or had misunderstood – however it happened, they made a COLOSSAL MISTAKE .

Did they apologize to the couple? NOOOOOO!!!

Did they even admit wrongdoing? NOOOOOO!!!

Was the couple ever compensated for all the property damage? NOOOOO!!!

And this is because of a legal precedence called “qualified immunity” where government workers are immune from CIVIL suits unless there is pre-established case law where a court has held a government worker responsible for THE EXACT SAME THING.

So, in this case, it’s not enough that a court has held PD responsible for raiding the wrong house (which I don’t know if this has EVER happened).

But, for this elderly couple to bring a CIVIL suit against the city or individuals involved, they would have to find a case where the police mistakenly raided the wrong house of an elderly couple at 3 am on the “hint” that they were growing marijuana only to find that they were growing tomatoes.

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US, from the KKK extremists to the Antifa extremists (but not necessarily the Russian Bots who keep us at each other’s throats) should understand what “Qualified Immunity” means, and how it prevents us from holding individuals in government responsible for their terrible decisions.

 

[Boatswain2PA]

Certainly don’t need a SWAT team to roust a sleepy resident out of his bed in the darkness, groggy and stumbling!

Made for great TV since CNN had cameras on scene and rolling already. Wonder how that happened…

 

[JanR]

Obviously, “Qualified Immunity” was intended to totally ignore the difference between right and wrong.