Tampa cops pepper spray a guy to death

[Undertoad]

a horror show of torture and abuse and murder ... no charges brought

if you live in Florida... move

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/new...soner-12142011

[Gravdigr]

This is how people come to hate police officers.

[glatt]

There's not much to say about this picture. It's wrong on every level, and those responsible belong behind bars. They should not be protected by other police officers or by the DA.

I hope that the civil lawsuit payout is enormous and that the officers responsible are financially destroyed. Make an example of them.

[Griff]

Unbelievable. And yet, believable.

[Stormieweather]

Yeah, I read this earlier. It is terrible and horrific! I am completely disgusted. The people responsible should be punished severely.




FYI: It occurred in Lee County, not Tampa (which is in Hillsborough County). Tampa reported it.

[ZenGum]

WTF? WTFF?

[regular.joe]

God Fucking Damit!!!

Thank's all I have to say about that.

[richlevy]

This is one of the reasons that I oppose most of the proposals for tort reform. You will get cases where the government fails to properly investigate and punish the government or business. In these cases, having to justify themselves to civil jury is the last recourse.

This provides the disincentive to misbehave that the lack of criminal prosecution does not. Since one of the great fears is the unpredictability of the award, setting a cap would remove that.

Imagine if instead of having homicides charged with anywhere from manslaughter to capital murder with actual time served anywhere from a few months to death or life imprisonment, someone came up with a rule that said the sentence for all homicides would be capped at 24 months.

I still wonder if the Justice Department can get involved. The fact that the victim is from another state sort of argues for federal involvement.

[footfootfoot]

Just a note, this happened 2 1/2 years ago! and it still hasn't gone to trial.

http://www.care2.com/causes/florida-...by-police.html

[plthijinx]

i can't stand cops that abuse their job. there are those, unfortunately, that have forgotten what they swore to do. i lost almost 4 years of my life, not to mention my mother while away, to cops and DA's, who didn't give a rats ass about the truth.

[tw]

Originally Posted by plthijinx

i can't stand cops that abuse their job.

Many share the same disgust. But then I always cite the perfect example of civilians doing the exact same thing. One will either entertain their emotions or follow the facts. Mission Accomplished. Most are so easily manipulated by their feelings as to even know Saddam had WMDs. Cops may do same.

It is politically incorrect among extremists. But moderates learn why cops make these mistakes. Frontline on PBS demonstrated what happens when someone foolishly entertains instinct rather than make decisions only in facts. The Confessions shows how cops and prosecutors routinely entertained their emotions to keep accusing an increasing number of 'suspects' in a rape and killing. At least one was in a town nearby the Cellar (in PA) when cops in Norfolk VA were accusing even him of rape / murder.

When obvious that cops were illogical, still, the system refused to exonerate the accused. Seven people, completely unrelated and unknown to each other, just all decided to rape and murder one lady in her apartment?

Long time later, a repeat rapist was discovered to have done this all by his lonesome. How could cops be so corrupt as to jump to conclusions?

Like I said, if you knew Saddam had WMDS, then you too are just as easily deceived. Do not follow the facts. Also entertain your emotions.

At this point, many may have downloaded "The Confessions" long ago when originally discussed. It is not an isolated event. A problem especially worse in TX where prosecutors even admit the imprisoned are innocent. And still refuse to release the prisoner or expunge records. Emotion (also called a political agenda) is more important. Many cops entertain their emotions rather than deal with facts and reality. Because, well, how many also knew those Saddam WMDs were not justified by any facts? Welcome to a glass house.

We can blame people. Or we can address the actual problem. One similar example is the Tea Party. This problem goes far beyond cops.

[plthijinx]

Originally Posted by tw

snip.... We can blame people. Or we can address the actual problem. One similar example is the Tea Party. This problem goes far beyond cops.

sir, just saying, you have no clue. BUT you are correct. these days all the cops care about is arrests for their resume. DA's only care about convictions for their resumes. DA's don't give a hoot nanny about the truth. here in texas they don't care at all. nor do they do any research to find out if who they are prosecuting is innocent. they fucking suck. they don't care and they dont even deserve their paycheck imho.

[regular.joe]

Originally Posted by tw

Emotion (also called a political agenda) is more important.

Ummm....I'm not sure how to take that statement. For the benefit of the doubt, can you expand on that statement please? It's kind of like saying green grass ( also called a sand trap on a golf course) can be a problem.

[tw]

Originally Posted by regular.joe

It's kind of like saying green grass ( also called a sand trap on a golf course) can be a problem.

I don't understand how that paradigm is relevant.

An example: a light bulb. Someone switches on that light. The bulb blows. He knows powering on a light causes light bulbs to fail because he saw it happen. A classic example of a conclusion based only in emotion. He had no reason to make that conclusion. Only his feelings proved it was true.

What causes a bulb to fail? Without knowledge that basic, then he has only converted wild speculation into ‘fact’.

Now, a light bulb fails when its filament vaporizes. This long and slow process is determined by voltage (temperature) and hours of operation. Numbers. Once its filament is so thin, then anything (including power on) snaps the filament. He did not think logically - first learn facts. Instead, he entertained his feelings. Power cycling does not thin out a filament. He used wild speculation to immediately conclude something. As Chicken Little also did to know the sky was falling.

Many of us do that because we never learn a difference between emotional conclusions (ie racism which is only judging someone on a first impression) and logical conclusions (ie obtaining perspective using numbers). So many know the Chicken Little story and yet never learn the underlying lesson.

So, if a sand trap and grass are same, show me the numbers and other facts that say so. Many may see green sand from a distance. Then assume it is grass. Then say it is definitely grass. And then all others ‘know’ it is grass. Because someone said it was without also saying why. Did he say why he knew - with numbers? If not, he was only being emotional - declaring a ‘fact’ only from observation and wild speculation.

The 'political agenda' (or popular urban myth) said switching on light bulbs causes failure. So many blindly believe that only because an emotional conclusion said so. Without the always required reasons why. 'Junk science' defines conclusions based in emotion. That violate well proven principles necessary for logical thought.

Decisions proven only by a feeling are how a political agenda becomes more important than a reality. That was the case in "The Confessions" from PBS. And is also a case (on CBS's 48 Hours) in another murder conviction of a 15 year old who spent most of his twenties and thirties in life imprison because a cop was emotional - not logical. Because the cop had a classic political agenda.


It was not that the cop "did not give a shit". The problem was he cared so much emotionally as to ignore logical thought. To entertain his emotions. To let a political agenda subvert logic based in hard facts and numbers. In the 48 Hour case, that cop routinely suppressed or ignored facts to achieve that political agenda - because he was only emotional.

He cared so much as to subvert logical thought. He cared so much that his reasonings were based only in emotion. That means he was criminal. No adult has the right to let emotions dominate their thinking. Only children are permitted to do that. Conclusions based in emotions may even be a felony.

Its not a felony to say power on destroys light bulbs. But only emotion can make that conclusion.

[Flint]

Wait, why do lightbulbs always go out exactly when you are switching them on?

You're saying this is a coincidence?