This is Why Even Innocence and Compliance is No Guarantee of Your Safety During a Police Stop
Posted by Zenphamy 9 years, 9 months ago to Philosophy
I was reading this while watching Schindler's List. The similarities and progressions were frightening.
"Handcuffed and Helpless
There’s a naive idea floating around that an innocent person should never be afraid of cops
What you are about to read is not a philosophical argument. It’s a personal testimony. The aim of telling this story is neither to make a political statement, nor to score points for a particular ideology. For almost three years, I’ve mostly held it in. But it’s become clear to me that it’s time to give a more detailed account to a broader audience."
And: "Without asking to see my license or registration, the officer on my side told me to get out of the car. I immediately and respectfully complied without raising a single question or objection. And in case you’re wondering, I wasn’t dressed in gang colors, nor was I wearing a hoodie.
When I exited the car, he turned me around, handcuffed me, threw me against the side of my car, and did a complete body search on me. As he groped me, he said, “This is how we do it in LA.”"
Then: "Imagine what goes on inside of a man’s head when he’s handcuffed and helpless as he watches two men with guns get in his wife’s face. Imagine the complex blend of confusion, fear, irrational optimism, and rage that festers inside one’s soul as he watches one cop take his wife’s purse and pour all the contents out, while the other officer literally crawls around inside our car for several minutes."
Finally: "As I slowly walked back to our car, I said to one of the officers, “Sir, I’m not trying to be antagonistic or disrespectful, but is there a reason for why I was pulled over?”
“We just had to check you out.”"
Is it time that we all asked questions or is it already too late? How compliant do you have to be to end up in a Police State?
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Note: Since the author is a philosopher, I've categorized this post such.
"Handcuffed and Helpless
There’s a naive idea floating around that an innocent person should never be afraid of cops
What you are about to read is not a philosophical argument. It’s a personal testimony. The aim of telling this story is neither to make a political statement, nor to score points for a particular ideology. For almost three years, I’ve mostly held it in. But it’s become clear to me that it’s time to give a more detailed account to a broader audience."
And: "Without asking to see my license or registration, the officer on my side told me to get out of the car. I immediately and respectfully complied without raising a single question or objection. And in case you’re wondering, I wasn’t dressed in gang colors, nor was I wearing a hoodie.
When I exited the car, he turned me around, handcuffed me, threw me against the side of my car, and did a complete body search on me. As he groped me, he said, “This is how we do it in LA.”"
Then: "Imagine what goes on inside of a man’s head when he’s handcuffed and helpless as he watches two men with guns get in his wife’s face. Imagine the complex blend of confusion, fear, irrational optimism, and rage that festers inside one’s soul as he watches one cop take his wife’s purse and pour all the contents out, while the other officer literally crawls around inside our car for several minutes."
Finally: "As I slowly walked back to our car, I said to one of the officers, “Sir, I’m not trying to be antagonistic or disrespectful, but is there a reason for why I was pulled over?”
“We just had to check you out.”"
Is it time that we all asked questions or is it already too late? How compliant do you have to be to end up in a Police State?
-------------------------------------------------------
Note: Since the author is a philosopher, I've categorized this post such.
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I'm always wondering in cases like this, how commonplace these kind of stops are. Is there a racial component? If it wasn't LA would a similar event occur in say, Boise, Idaho or Salt Lake City?
Are there a few bad apples among the hundreds of thousands in America? Or course, as there would be when examining any large group. But, they're the remarkable exception and not the norm.
Ask the residents of Baltimore if they feel safer since the cops have been vilified.
That night, I was driving home from being out with friends, and I cut through the Osco lot on my way home. I knew it was illegal to cut through a lot to avoid multiple lights, but it saved about five minutes of time, and I never had a problem. Three squads pulled me over as I exited the lot - two marked and one unmarked. All had their guns drawn. I was told to throw my keys out of the vehicle, exit the vehicle and lay on the ground spread eagle. One of the cops came up to me, put his foot on one of my wrists, held a gun to my head with one hand and emptied my pockets with the other hand. While doing this, he repeatedly asked me, "Did you steal this truck?". After the third time, I stated, "For the third and last time, No...run the plate against the registration and my license.". He picked me up and pushed me against the hood of his SUV, and put all my stuff on the hood, telling me to keep my hands on the hood. They ran the plates, reg, and my license and came up with nothing, but kept telling me they could cite me for reckless driving because I "was speeding through the lot". After about thirty minutes of back and forth, I started putting all my stuff back in my pockets. The one cop asked me what I was doing. I told him, "You have harassed me for a half hour now...either charge me with something, or I'm leaving." The cop handed me my license back and then said, "But we know where you live." I left without a citation, warning, or arrest.
The cops in that town where known to harass teenagers and minorities. I was harassed that one time, but was present for at least three other times, when my friends were harassed. It really sets the stage for a person's respect for authority when cops do things like this to teenagers. As I got older, I realized that what I experienced was not the norm, but a few bad apples. That being said, I think cops should be held to a higher standard than regular folks. Yes, they are just regular folks, but they are taught to deescalate the situation, and try to avoid larger issues due to their attitudes (hopefully lack there-of). They should be reprimanded for stepping out of line, not high-fived, and the situations not ignored.
What are some real possible solutions to these issues? Would black cops policing black neighborhoods help provide a solution? I don't think standing down while rioters destroy other peoples property is the way to go either. How about designating certain areas of the country, or specific city limits as a "Free Crime Zone", and/or "Police Free Zone", areas where people can exercise their need to commit crimes. Certain parts of Detroit might be a good area to test such an idea. How about a "Free Kill Zone"? Actually something like that might work to secure our southern border, a strip between two single rail fences about a mile wide. Label it a "Free Kill Zone", and perhaps even set up booths to rent guns and buy ammo. The government wouldn't have to secure the border and could perhaps even make some money selling "Border Killing Permits". I'm sure it would eventually stop most of the illegal immigration.
I'm not necessarily proposing any of these ideas specifically, just bringing them to your attention. We've got to start thinking and acting out of the box, so to speak, before all the nut jobs rule this country, or is it too late?
I'm not saying the police are innocent, but I could hardly form any kind of personal opinion, based on this account, alone. Remember...Brian Williams was shot down by an RPG...oops!
Eventually, as the country is sliding towards a civil war, this attitude will not be of service to the uniformed thugs.
This idea is completely in conflict with a free country. Police should not be shielded by the law, they should have more responsibilities under the law because they are the only ones allowed to use force legally.
"We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were pikers, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them...you create a nation of lawbreakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden."