Yeah, and it's more specific:

Former South Carolina police officer Michael Slager was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for the 2015 deadly shooting of unarmed black man Walter Scott.

Not sure what's going on there.

eta: goddamnit ben

So, yay!

I'm glad jury nullification doesn't give cops a complete carte blanche to murder people. Though, who knows what would have happened if Slager refused to plead guilty.

Guy complies with all police orders, is literally crying. Still gets shot and killed.

https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/546983/

Should note that this was last year, and the case is ongoing.

As a response to the framing of the article, a relevant thread: https://twitter.com/greg_doucette/status/937359413257621506

Video has now been released. And Jesus, it's...disturbing doesn't begin to describe it. That officer needs to be fired and the whole department needs retraining on deescalation.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/939014159726870530

ETA: apparently video was released because the waste of skin got acquitted today.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa-breaking/2017/12/07/philip-brailsford-verdict-daniel-shaver-killing/927052001/

What is wrong with Maricopa County?

And in slightly lighter news: cop shoots dog, makes owner cut off its head to check for rabies (after dog bit someone).

http://www.13wmaz.com/mobile/article/amp/news/local/crawford-sheriff-investigator-shouldnt-have-told-man-to-behead-dead-dog/497063112

ETA: apparently video was released because the waste of skin got acquitted today.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa-breaking/2017/12/07/philip-brailsford-verdict-daniel-shaver-killing/927052001/

What is wrong with Maricopa County?

Jesus fucking christ. What is wrong with these people? And fuck that union cop who was whining about the emotional trial.

And in slightly lighter news: cop shoots dog, makes owner cut off its head to check for rabies (after dog bit someone).

http://www.13wmaz.com/mobile/article/amp/news/local/crawford-sheriff-investigator-shouldnt-have-told-man-to-behead-dead-dog/497063112

Oh my god are you fucking kidding me with this shit?

Aside from the absolute and utter horror of having someone do this to their own dog that you just fucking shot, this is insanity. You do not have some random fucking person cut off the dog's head. If the dog was potentially rabid, you need to take precautions before cutting the goddamn head off because coming into contact with nervous tissue puts you at risk for GETTING FUCKING RABIES which is one of the very many reasons why you have professionals handle this sort of thing when it needs to be done.

That's assuming it was the right decision to actually have the animal tested. That depends on factors that cops are too fucking dumb to even begin to understand.

eta

https://twitter.com/radleybalko/status/939212605029257216

http://wavy.com/2017/11/21/mom-charged-after-putting-recording-device-in-daughters-backpack/amp/

She tells 10 On Your Side her 9-year-old daughter was getting bullied at Ocean View Elementary.  She says repeated calls and emails to the school went un-returned.

...

She wanted to prove that nothing was being done to help her 4th grade daughter.  She put a digital recorder into her daughter's backpack in hopes of catching audio from inside the classroom.

...

The recorder was found.  The 9-year-old was moved to a new classroom and about a month later Sims was charged by police.

Bright side (and a story I missed): https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2017/11/28/she-sent-her-child-to-school-with-a-recorder-to-catch-bullies-and-was-charged-with-a-felony/

Prosecutors in Virginia have dropped criminal charges against a mother who sent her 9-year-old daughter to school with an audio recorder in her backpack to see if the child was being bullied.

On the other hand,

Shattuck also said they have yet to find out what's in the recorder and suspect it may have captured something important.

http://wavy.com/2017/11/21/mom-charged-after-putting-recording-device-in-daughters-backpack/amp/

She tells 10 On Your Side her 9-year-old daughter was getting bullied at Ocean View Elementary.  She says repeated calls and emails to the school went un-returned.

...

She wanted to prove that nothing was being done to help her 4th grade daughter.  She put a digital recorder into her daughter's backpack in hopes of catching audio from inside the classroom.

...

The recorder was found.  The 9-year-old was moved to a new classroom and about a month later Sims was charged by police.

Bright side (and a story I missed): https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2017/11/28/she-sent-her-child-to-school-with-a-recorder-to-catch-bullies-and-was-charged-with-a-felony/

Prosecutors in Virginia have dropped criminal charges against a mother who sent her 9-year-old daughter to school with an audio recorder in her backpack to see if the child was being bullied.

On the other hand,

Shattuck also said they have yet to find out what's in the recorder and suspect it may have captured something important.

Yeah, they need to get that tape back and if it's empty, have it analyzed for tampering and if there's been none, file suit for unlawful arrest. If there has been tampering, then then sue for tampering with evidence.

And if there is shit on the tape, full prosecution, including any officials involved including the apparent attempt at a cover up.

What I thought was really weird was the interviewing of the daughter without the knowledge of the mother much less her consent. I thought it was pretty much standard law that you can not interview minors without the consent of their parents/guardians or at least a court appointed monitor. A legacy of the great child abuse fake epidemic of the 80s.

Here's a classic: https://boingboing.net/2017/12/13/childing-while-black.html

12 officers with guns drawn are unable to distinguish between a 40 year old white woman and an 11 year old black girl. I mean, really, are they that incompetent? If I were the police chief I'd fire them all for simply being too stupid to be a police officer and then I'd offer my resignation in disgrace. If I were the Mayor, I'd demand the foregoing.

And this was not some long distance sighting, it was up close and personal enough to arrest and handcuff the girl and take her from her home. It's simply staggering.

Here's a classic: https://boingboing.net/2017/12/13/childing-while-black.html

12 officers with guns drawn are unable to distinguish between a 40 year old white woman and an 11 year old black girl. I mean, really, are they that incompetent? If I were the police chief I'd fire them all for simply being too stupid to be a police officer and then I'd offer my resignation in disgrace. If I were the Mayor, I'd demand the foregoing.

And this was not some long distance sighting, it was up close and personal enough to arrest and handcuff the girl and take her from her home. It's simply staggering.

I wonder if they did a poll of the citizens of Grand Rapids if they felt it was a good idea to issue guns and badges to a dozen men who individually and as a group were unable to tell the difference, even at close enough range to handcuff, between an 11 yo black girl and a 40 year old white woman, how it would turn out. Maybe the entire city is blighted.

Meanwhile, even though thankfully the girl was not killed or shot or tazed or beaten or raped, putting out the eyes of these clowns would obviously do no good, they can't see anyway.

Wasn't sure where to put this, and this thread seemed most relevant. Thread:

https://twitter.com/BrooklynWomble/status/941335914176970752

n interesting article: https://boingboing.net/2017/12/18/11341-abandoned-rape-kits-ide.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-charges-for-3-former-deputies-in-taser-death-of-man-who-sought-water/

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported in November that on a hot July evening, Martin had walked more than a dozen miles -- amid a 20-mile trek he had taken several times before to visit relatives -- when he stopped to ask a stranger for water. The stranger called 911, according to the newspaper.

Though Martin was never accused of a crime, the three responding deputies, Michael Howell, Henry Copeland, and Rhett Scott, surrounded Martin. They've since said what happened next was the result of an altercation.

A Taser was deployed, striking Martin. Cellphone video of the incident provided to WMAZ shows the man falling to the ground, his body appearing to convulse for several seconds. He can then be seen sitting up, before his back returns to the ground, his body once again convulsing.

http://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article192111974.html

"A male came to the front door," Livingston said. "As he came to the front door, one of our officers discharged his weapon."

Just, you know, coincidentally.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/unarmed-kan-man-killed-cops-victim-swatting-prank-article-1.3726171

"Due to the actions of a prankster we have an innocent victim," Wichita deputy police chief Troy Livingston said during a press conference Friday night.

The cop who pulled the trigger was actually an automaton with no control over its actions, so once the 911 call went through, there was no way to stop this from happening.

Barriss' unnerving 911 call set cops rushing to Finch's house, expecting an ongoing hostage situation. Instead, an unarmed and unsuspecting Finch came to the front door.

Officers screamed at Finch to put his hands in the air, but Livingston said the 28-year-old father of two young boys moved a hand toward his waistband. An officer, fearing Finch was reaching for a gun, fired a single shot. Finch died minutes later.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/12/29/a-police-officer-fatally-shot-a-man-while-responding-to-an-emergency-call-now-called-a-swatting-prank/

The officers did not find anyone who had been taken hostage at the location, nor any deceased victims.

The family members were handcuffed and taken in police cruisers to be interviewed by officers at a station, the Eagle reported.

"The police said, 'Come out with your hands up,' " Lisa Finch told the Eagle. "[The officer] took me, my roommate and my granddaughter, who witnessed the shooting and had to step over her dying uncle's body."

PROTECT AND SERVE.

I'm totally okay knowing that the cops could bust down my door at any minute and shoot me and my family and my dog all dead for no fucking reason and absolutely get away with it because why not.

http://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article192111974.html

"A male came to the front door," Livingston said. "As he came to the front door, one of our officers discharged his weapon."

Just, you know, coincidentally.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/unarmed-kan-man-killed-cops-victim-swatting-prank-article-1.3726171

"Due to the actions of a prankster we have an innocent victim," Wichita deputy police chief Troy Livingston said during a press conference Friday night.

The cop who pulled the trigger was actually an automaton with no control over its actions, so once the 911 call went through, there was no way to stop this from happening.

Barriss' unnerving 911 call set cops rushing to Finch's house, expecting an ongoing hostage situation. Instead, an unarmed and unsuspecting Finch came to the front door.

Officers screamed at Finch to put his hands in the air, but Livingston said the 28-year-old father of two young boys moved a hand toward his waistband. An officer, fearing Finch was reaching for a gun, fired a single shot. Finch died minutes later.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/12/29/a-police-officer-fatally-shot-a-man-while-responding-to-an-emergency-call-now-called-a-swatting-prank/

The officers did not find anyone who had been taken hostage at the location, nor any deceased victims.

The family members were handcuffed and taken in police cruisers to be interviewed by officers at a station, the Eagle reported.

"The police said, 'Come out with your hands up,' " Lisa Finch told the Eagle. "[The officer] took me, my roommate and my granddaughter, who witnessed the shooting and had to step over her dying uncle's body."

PROTECT AND SERVE.

I'm totally okay knowing that the cops could bust down my door at any minute and shoot me and my family and my dog all dead for no fucking reason and absolutely get away with it because why not.

#putouttheireyes

https://twitter.com/radleybalko/status/947514817828487170

https://twitter.com/TyishaWSB/status/948279662576271365

this is the most compelling argument for legalizing marijuana.

https://twitter.com/TyishaWSB/status/948279662576271365

at least the officers went home safe to their families

Full article came out here: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/ten-of-the-at-least-70-people-arrested-during-21st-birthday-party/674439253

Six of the attendees arrested remain in jail.

http://amp.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article192560879.html

If choking your dog doesn't work, call the cops so they can try to shoot it and have a bullet fragment hit your 9 year old's forehead instead.

eta in the modern version of the Wizard of Oz, the mean witch neighbor calls the Kansas cops, and they bust down Auntie Em's door and shoot Toto for "charging."

http://amp.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article192560879.html

If choking your dog doesn't work, call the cops so they can try to shoot it and have a bullet fragment hit your 9 year old's forehead instead.

eta in the modern version of the Wizard of Oz, the mean witch neighbor calls the Kansas cops, and they bust down Auntie Em's door and shoot Toto for "charging," miss, and kill Hunk.

Thread.

https://twitter.com/TheHipsterRebbe/status/948629792290729985

This whole piece is deeply disturbing:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/johnstanton/from-gunshots-to-alleged-rapes-a-toxic-legacy-of-police

This whole piece is deeply disturbing:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/johnstanton/from-gunshots-to-alleged-rapes-a-toxic-legacy-of-police

at least the prison guard shot himself. But fuuuck. The problem with cops is so bad. It's hard to have any empathy for any of them when you consider the thin blue line phenomenon.