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Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

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Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#33
Yeesh. I know I would react badly to having a weapon pointed at me by someone who is not in uniform. I hate hearing that this stuff is becoming more commonplace because I know if it happens to me I'll react badly and it will be my own fault when I end up dead or in jail. I guess now I have a super compelling reason to practice more mindfulness.

Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#34
post #15

> Unfortunately, you’ve got a lot of police misconduct, but I never thought it would be on this level. [...] You’re innocent until proven guilty. I was guilty until proven innocent. He was investigated, nothing was found, and he was released. He wasn't arrested, charged, taken to jail, let alone "guilty until proven innocent".

> He was investigated, nothing was found, and he was released. Let me guess: you're a white male, aren't you? When these things happen to others but don't happen to you, you can pass it off as "mistakes happen". But when these "mistakes" happen only to a certain section of society, it's a cause for concern. Why was he handcuffed and had a taser on his back?? Why was he treated like a criminal in front of everybody? Y…

>Let me guess: you're a white male, aren't you?

This is an extremely shitty and racist argument to make, particularly on the internet where you shouldn't make assumptions about who people are.

Were the cops wrong in being overzealous? Obviously. Is the poster automatically a "white male" because they consider an alternative perspective? No, they just have a different opinion than you.

Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#35
post #4

Pointing a taser at someones neck sounds like incredible lack of professionalism. How long are cops trained there?

It's not merely lack of professionalism, using a taser constitutes deadly force, like having a knife placed in your back. People have died from taser-induced heart attacks.

Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#36
post #15

> Unfortunately, you’ve got a lot of police misconduct, but I never thought it would be on this level. [...] You’re innocent until proven guilty. I was guilty until proven innocent. He was investigated, nothing was found, and he was released. He wasn't arrested, charged, taken to jail, let alone "guilty until proven innocent".

> He was investigated, nothing was found, and he was released. Let me guess: you're a white male, aren't you? When these things happen to others but don't happen to you, you can pass it off as "mistakes happen". But when these "mistakes" happen only to a certain section of society, it's a cause for concern. Why was he handcuffed and had a taser on his back?? Why was he treated like a criminal in front of everybody? Y…

> Why was he handcuffed and had a taser on his back?? Why was he treated like a criminal in front of everybody? You don't put handcuffs on someone unless you want to detain them.

Because he was suspected of handling stolen goods.

Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#37
post #4

Pointing a taser at someones neck sounds like incredible lack of professionalism. How long are cops trained there?

To further this: what happens if a Taser is shot close range? I assume the barbs could penetrate the spine. I don't know what would happen to the brain if shocked that close.

Most law enforcement Tasers have a "Drive Stun" mode, intended for direct contact.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser#Drive_Stun

Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#38
post #4

Pointing a taser at someones neck sounds like incredible lack of professionalism. How long are cops trained there?

This, to me, is the real problem. Not that they investigated an accusation of a crime, but that they immediately resorted to serious threats of violence.

Police officers are trained to do this. The level of fear they carry with them is massive, and so they have an absolute need for control. Watch some police training videos and you'll see, many of them follow the same template of "officer managing mundane situatGUNFIRE!!!", driving home that any suspect could attempt to murder the officer at any sudden snap moment. So the officers are trained to be paranoid and demand complete constant compliance. Every unchoreographed, unexpected movement by the suspect could be preparation to kill, so the police must demand control of every possible movement of every person involved. Imagine how terrifying it would be to be, for example, in a suspect's house with many uncontrolled people wandering around, with that mindset.

I understand that police are trained to control every situation, but the level of violence we read about constantly is disproportionate and ludicrous. It also colors every other interaction with the cops - even when an officer attempts to "control" the situation with the firm voice and glare that we've all seen, what should just be an attempt to project authority is instead an implied violent threat.

With that in mind, it's no wonder that spot-checking/carding programs are getting banned across many major cities. Many police forces have created the impression that it is simply not safe to even have the casual interest of an officer.

Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#39
post #30
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He was investigated, nothing was found, and he was released. That doesn't follow. Why did he need to be released?

He was detained. Thus he was released after.

I'd argue that detainment without probable cause is kind of the underlying message of "Innocent until proven guilty"
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