UNR Students for Liberty » police brutality

Oh Thank Goodness the Police Were There…

Barry Belmont — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:10:30 +0000

…to completely brutalize an innocent bystander. You know, there are just too many innocent bystanders these days. They walk around, thinking they own the joint, it’s good to know there are police out there who are willing to make the tough decisions to send a few of them to the hospital.

If you haven’t heard about this, this is John McKenna getting the unholy crap kicked out of him. The full story can be read here. It should also be noted that when the police were first asked to explain McKenna’s injuries they said he was kicked by a horse…

Law Enforcement Series: Kathryn Winkfein

John Russell — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:51:51 +0000

Who: Kathryn Winkfein – A 72-year-old great grandmother
What: She was pulled over for driving 15 MPH above the speed limit in a construction zone where she refused to oblige the officers orders, used abusive language, and became “violent”.
Where: Highway 71 and Bee Creek in Travis County, Texas
When: Incident occurred May 11, 2009, but the footage was released only a few days ago.
What Happened: Deputy Chris Bieze pulled over Kathryn Winkfein for going 60 MPH in a 45 MPH construction zone. During the stop, the women became belligerent and refused to sign the ticket. After becoming irritable the officer told her step out of the vehicle. During this critical time, it seemed the 72 year old grandmother became too hot to handle for the deputy where he then proceeded to tazer her to the ground in a fiery 50,000 volts of glory.
Granted, the women did not sign the ticket and became quite irritable, but do YOU think the actions of the officer is justified?
Footage:

Source:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/31202935/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8094023.stm

Law Enforcement Series: Michael Mineo

John Russell — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:02:58 +0000

Who: A 24-year-old man named Michael Mineo
What: The New York Police Department is being sued by Michael because officers are being accused of sexually assaulting him with a night stick after he fled the scene for smoking marijuana.
Where: Prospect Park Subway Station
When: October 15, 2008 is when the incident occurred. Filed a lawsuit for $220M on May 27, 2009

What resulted: Michale Mineo was sent to the hospital with a ruptured anus. Police are saying that his lawsuit “[is] not surprising,” said Richard Murray, Morales’ lawyer. “He hopes they’ll prevail and he’ll get a lot of money. But I’m confident that after trial, Officer Morales will be found not guilty of any criminal misconduct, and my belief is that there was no misconduct on behalf of any of the officers.” It should be noted that Mineo’s DNA was found on the officer’s night stick, and witnesses state seeing police officers pulling his pants down.
Do YOU think this was justified? If not, do you feel $200M+ in punitive damages is justified?
Source:

http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-nymineo2912815976may28,0,150782.story

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/05/28/2009-05-28_alleged_nypd_sodomy_victim_michael_mineo_unleashes_tirade_over_implications_laws.html

Law Enforcement Series: Christopher Harris

John Russell — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:53:54 +0000

As I have mentioned to some members within our organization already, I am planning to slowly compile a list of examples when police violate the law they are instituted to protect and make these available for view on these internets. The purpose of this series is not to slander, push aside, or belittle the many thousands of honorable examples that the police do on a daily basis, but to instead illustrate the inherent dangers of one possessing unchecked power over another. I have chosen law enforcement because I believe it is the easiest to see how unaccountable bureaucrats can exercise their power without consequences.

I will begin the series using a simple layout, and I hope that others will help compile this series. Be sure to include categories and tags as well.

Who: A 29-year-old man named Christopher Harris
What: King County Sheriff’s Deputy is shown slamming a man into a concrete wall after being falsely identified as a convenience store stabbing suspect when two witnesses mistakenly identified Harris.
Where: Seattle, Washington outside Seattle’s Cinerama Theater
When: May 10, 2009
What resulted: The police are claiming this was justified because he was fleeing from them. Witnesses are claiming that he was merely backing after the initial shock of a person charging him. It should be noted that he threw something from his pocket before the tackle. The policeman in question is on paid administrative leave following the investigation. Christopher Harris was sent to the hospital in critical condition, where he died later due to head trauma.
Do YOU think this was justified?

Footage:

Source:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009213641_arrest13m.html

Extra:
Here are some comments from a website frequently visited by officers. Many of these comments are policemen themselves:

tomo411 says:

Shouldnt have been running. END OF STORY!

If you comply with orders of police officers you dont get laid the f**k out!!!

mpd9418 says:

Moral here… DON’T RUN FROM THE POLICE! Nice collar.

thebronze says:

He shouldn’t have ran if he didn’t do anything wrong. He got what he deserved.

mtarte says:

I’ve done the same thing dozens of times. No excessive force here, but for political expediency, the officer will eventually be hung out to dry. Sorry, you run and an officer uses reasonable force to stop you, you suffer the consequences.

raymundo says:

Nothing done wrong means just that, you don’t run, you don’t get hurt. If this person was such a good person he would not have ran, besides what are we supposed to do. When they stop we say o.k. he says all is good then turn and walk away, NOT!!!! Its sad what happened but again don’t run, you won’t get hurt.