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How I Ended Up In Solitary After Calling 911 For Help

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Re: How I Ended Up In Solitary After Calling 911 For Help

#261
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? Who has pleasant experiences with cops besides other cops? Honest question.

Me. Last night, actually, and it wasn't the first time. Here's another honest question: do you actually believe that nobody has pleasant experiences with police?

Well, for the most part they're like lawyers: you only need them around for shitty situations, so that's what they're remembered for.

I'm not saying all cops are bad people (though almost all police forces are bad institutions), but why would you just hang out and have a good time with a cop, in his cop role? I'm sure they have friends, but they're not being cops when they're watching the game with their friends.

My comment was more about the fact that police don't walk the beat and help old ladies with their groceries anymore. When cops are around, shit's going down. So even if they are doing their job professionally, it isn't a pleasant experience. And if they're doing their job poorly, it's a nightmare.

Re: How I Ended Up In Solitary After Calling 911 For Help

#262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can both blame the author for not shutting up and the police for not responding reasonably to someone who was nothing more dangerous than a smartass.

I would argue that the police deserve somewhere in the neighborhood of one million times more blame for false imprisonment and beating than a civilian deserves for, gasp, talking when they people they pay to protect them didnt want them to talk.

No problem, thanks for providing an example of the naiveté that underscores way too many HN comments.

First off, I never said that there isn't a problem with the way the police treated OP. In fact, I'm encouraging him to sue both the police department and the officers personally for the way they treated him, which was clearly unacceptable behavior. Translation: I want to see him get justice.

But I also am able to see nuance in a situation, which clearly you're lacking. He might be a victim, but he's not blameless, insofar as: • Refused to pipe down and leave the accident when ordered to by a police officer. • Continued to instigate police officers who were securing the scene. • Yelled like a crazy person while in a holding cell.

or, as I said in the parent comment: OP COMPLETELY FAILED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HIS RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT AND AVOID AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE POLICE.

His behavior was unacceptable, and holding him to account for that as someone who enjoys their constitutional rights and insists upon defending them in NO WAY MAKES ME A POLICE APOLOGIST. Police aren't the only one who can trample upon rights, those who fail to understand or abuse them are culpable as well. The fact you don't understand that makes me wonder if our free society held together by liberty and a respect for the rule of law has any chance any more, yet I'll remain an optimist.

Re: How I Ended Up In Solitary After Calling 911 For Help

#263
post #201
post #27

I remember, once, a very cynical person telling me not to call the cops, in any circumstance, unless mine or someone else's survival or long-term well being is completely dependent on it. If you see someone shot dead in the street, for example, don't call the cops; leave. You're the first suspect if you do anything else, and you'll be treated like one. I was very put out by this attitude. I'm starting to wonder if it…

I had two incidents within a year involving members of my family that make me keep cops at a huge distance. First was my father, he was a farmer at the time, late 50s. He found a crop of marijuana on the farm and turned it into the police. The planters of the crop decided that what happened was that my sisters boyfriend must of stolen it to sell. So they drove to my fathers house at dinner time, four of them, and sta…

> During the proceedings evidence came forward that the police had received the crop, and instead of filing paper work just disposed of it being lazy (the same cop that arrested my father).

I hate to break this to you, but I don't think the crop was 'disposed of' in the way you were thinking of, and it wasn't motivated by laziness.

Re: How I Ended Up In Solitary After Calling 911 For Help

#264
post #46

After reading the first paragraph I already knew where this was headed. White America welcome to black America. You'll be arrested for nothing at all. The first time it happens you'll be really upset and threaten to sue, and file a police report. And when you do there will be some sort of roadblock, they won't have the forms, the officer in question wasn't on shift that night, the detective is quite hostile to you, t…

I'm glad it wasn't just me who felt like that. I'm white, middle class, and grew up in Britain as a native. But as a member of multiple minority groups, I've seen hints of this world, and it is not pretty :( The worst part of all this? First thing I did was check the author's gender and skin colour. And then I read the article. I normally work hard to be free of the prejudice of this society we are forced to live in,…

Interestingly, I assumed the author was female until well into the story. But speaking of privilege, I can't imagine even the most obnoxious cops treating middle-class white women that way.

Re: How I Ended Up In Solitary After Calling 911 For Help

#265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"White America welcome to black America." Pretty much. I was honestly dumbstruck by the naiveté expressed as soon as the action starts. "She turned to me and abruptly said that I was not needed as a witness and should leave immediately. I told her we were headed home, just across the way, when my friend and I encountered the accident; and that I’d recently broken my elbow in a similar bike accident here and deeply c…

Basic rules like "have no compassion" and "respect people with guns?"

Respect != fear.

Watching your mouth because you fear the authorities with guns is quite the opposite of respect.

Re: How I Ended Up In Solitary After Calling 911 For Help

#266
post #240

Back in November, I was arrested in Brooklyn for running a red light on my bike while on my way to work in Manhattan. Normally you're given a ticket and let go, but in this instance, the officers took issue with the fact that I was not carrying ID. Both officers told me that I "could be arrested for not having ID." For clarification, I asked if it was a city, state, or national law, and the officers adamantly maintai…

Out of curiosity where did they get you for running the red light specifically?

Re: How I Ended Up In Solitary After Calling 911 For Help

#267
post #135

Get a lawyer and sue. Make those fuckers pay, and make sure the fucks who arrested you are fired. But she for sure!

If there is a video of Officer Kaur stomping on his fingers, she might have to take some time off. In no case would I expect her to be fired.

Re: How I Ended Up In Solitary After Calling 911 For Help

#268
post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This will force you to become very intimate with the local prison guard population however.

He means "move", not "evade taxes while living there".

Does he? Because I read it as the latter, and with the amount of internet bravado that surrounds any talk about the police, I'd be unsurprised if it was meant as the latter.

Re: How I Ended Up In Solitary After Calling 911 For Help

#269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All of this is some sort of thinly veiled attack on our public servants and what seems to be public government infrastructure in general. I'm all for calling bullshit on general unfounded anti-government rhetoric in general. But law enforcement are not your friends. They're trained that the citizen is an untrustworthy crook, why should we treat them any better?

Dude, this is about someone getting in to a bike accident. Please, for fuck's sake, if you see someone hit by a car or otherwise bleeding on the street, do the sane thing and call 911. I can't believe we're having this conversation...

I didn't say don't call the cops. I was speaking to a single line of your post, the one I quoted.

Re: How I Ended Up In Solitary After Calling 911 For Help

#270
post #240

Back in November, I was arrested in Brooklyn for running a red light on my bike while on my way to work in Manhattan. Normally you're given a ticket and let go, but in this instance, the officers took issue with the fact that I was not carrying ID. Both officers told me that I "could be arrested for not having ID." For clarification, I asked if it was a city, state, or national law, and the officers adamantly maintai…

In NY it is a "violation" of the law for most traffic offenses. Technically you can be arrested for any traffic infraction but in practice they give you a ticket. Upon conviction you can be imprisoned for up to 15 days.

With violations the officer has 100% discretion about what to do. They can decide not to write a ticket/arrest someone for any reason. This officer was obviously a bad officer that is on a power trip but the OP has not much recourse for what was done. It is sad. I guess it could have been worse. The officer could have made up just about anything and made it worse (like saying you swung at them or threatened them)

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