Jay-Z hired lawyer for Phoenix Ariz family in Barbie Doll arrest video

[Demovictory9]

https://www.xxlmag.com/news/2019/06/jay-z-lawyer-family-suing-police/

Jay-Z is reportedly stepping in to assist a Phoenix, Ariz. family with legal help after video recently surfaced of the police pulling guns on their child over a shoplifting incident.
The incident occurred in May. Dravon Ames, his fiancee Iesha Harper and their 4-year-old daughter were shopping at Family Dollar when the child lifted a Barbie doll unbeknownst to the parents. After leaving the store, they drove to an apartment complex when they say they were approached by an angry police officer who threatened to kill them.

"Our hands are up, we're just trying not to get shot, trying to stay calm," Ames said. "He had a gun drawn."

Video of the traumatizing incident, which has gone viral, shows officers with their guns drawn and yelling obscenities at the couple and their young daughter. According to a Fox News 10 report published on Saturday (June 15), the couple has filed a $10 million lawsuit and plan to pursue child neglect complaints against the officers who acted out of line. Hov has put one of his lawyers on the case. The billionaire rapper has reportedly hired Alex Spiro to join the family's legal team—pro-bono.

[safeinOhio]

1. Cops gone Wild...

It's not Spring Break....It's Today in America....

[Wellstone ruled]

2. This is a Reality of

the Desert Southwest. We get the Dreg's of the Eastern and Northern States.

[Blue_true]

20. There are a lot of good cops. The problem is the good ones tolerate the bad ones with

the thin blue line stuff.

[safeinOhio]

31. Here is what gets the good ones in trouble and

if a cop says these words, he or she is dirty. Professional Courtesy.

[Locrian]

40. it's not the bug - it's the feature

They're TAUGHT to be like this.

The training guarantees that they are hyper jacked up and AFRAID of anything.
Add in racism, jacked up etc and it's a recipe for disaster.

But the needs to be someone that SUES THE SYSTEM that is producing these types of cops. It's gone beyond a "few bad apples" to that's the way the apples are made.

[Blue_true]

47. You seem to have a point. The work seems to be the type that attracts authoritarian types.

Add in training that encourages aggression instead of calmer management of dangerous or stressful situations and the ingredients for problems are there. Add to that the excessive militarization of police departments and things start to go out of control, with no one in the criminal justice complex (judges, prosecutors, cops, politicians) being willing to step in and straighten things out, they all keep scratching eachother's backs.

[Locrian]

49. there's a gun range around here

that they do some kind of police training where they go thru a course and the "bad guys" are supposed to pop up etc.
And you're suppose to instantly shoot

Military style training - for cops dealing with the general population.
What could go wrong!?

[Blue_true]

50. The gun range training would be ok if the cops got penalized for shooting the wrong thing.

Like an old lady with a shopping bag that popped from behind a corner. Remember the Men in Black scene where Will Smith went through such a routine? Seriously, if they are penalized for not making the right eye-mind-trigger finger sequence, then the training can be highly useful. But if they only get credit for their quick shot hitting center-mass, then a lot of bad outcomes can come from the training.

[3Hotdogs]

45. Weekend sale on 'roids?

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. Good, god dammit! Fucking good.

Major applause for Mr. Carter.

Fucking nail that asshole cop to a god damned barn door!

Way too many cops are just simply out of control in this country.

Hit him with a sledge hammer.

[Ligyron]

4. Jay Z is a billionaire?

Must be more popular than I thought. But what do I know? I'm an old rocker

And good for him too! Ya gotta wonder how many AA folk could have stayed out of prison if they could have afforded a decent lawyer?

Wonder if the orange anus will have anything to say about this?

[Demovictory9]

6. yes he is. He and his wife, Beyonce, are very very wealthy

[Ligyron]

14. Dang, I didn't even realize the two were married.

OK, back into my shell now...

[Blue_true]

22. Yeah, you do seem to be out of touch, even uncool me knew that Beyonc is married to JayZ. nt

[Demovictory9]

29. lol. They are THE power couple

[IronLionZion]

36. They are both big Dem boosters

having hosted campaign events for Obama, advocated for opening relations with Cuba, and other good liberal stuff

[Ligyron]

41. Yes, I remember him with Obama.

Funny how all the talented people are Democrats. Along with scientists and anyone else with half a brain.

[IronLionZion]

43. The liberal brain is more creative and optimistic

the conservative mind is crippled by fear and loathing

[LiberalLovinLug]

17. I sometimes wish that one of the rare more liberal billionaires would do something more

On the political front. Like buy newspapers, radio stations, TV networks. All I hear about is Clear Channel and Sinclair buying up all the media companies. Why doesn't a rich more liberal billionaire, Ted Turner was probably the last of them, try and help get back our voice in the media?

[JudyM]

38. We need this to happen. Also buying voting machine companies.

[Blue_true]

21. He has a lot more going on than music. He is into venture

capital and if I remember correctly, two or three of his venture capital investments are huge. He also owns a talent management agency that is very big.

[Ace Rothstein]

52. He made crazy money owning his own record label too.

[JonLP24]

53. He owns a record label & also a sports agent business

Roc Nation represents a lot of notable athletes such as Kyrie Irving. Players like their connections to the entertainment industry.

He also used to own a share of the Brooklyn Nets.

[malaise]

5. Great news

This was madness

[Demovictory9]

7. kudos to all the people who stealthy filmed from many angles.

[yellowdogintexas]

8. I heard this morning that the Mayor of Phoenix is expediting

acquisition of more cameras for the police dept.

[mfcorey1]

11. Expedite the lawsuit!

[rurallib]

9. $10 million seems almost too low for what that cop did.

And of course the cop won't pay a nickel. In the end it will come from the people of Phoenix.

I hope Phoenix citizens are lighting up the city phones demanding the cop be fired and the police chief and whoever his boss is resign.

It is sure a good thing that citizen caught the cops in the act.

[Blue_true]

25. From what I understand, their current police chief is pretty good.

The issue is civil service clauses that make getting rid of bad or dangerous cops very difficult after they have a number of years on the job. It is easier to fire 1 and 2 year cops than a really bad one with more years.

[StarfishSaver]

10. This video makes me sick to my stomach

Thank GOD for the people with the camera, and that they weren't too afraid to use it in light of the maniac with the gun and badge just a few feet away.

[demigoddess]

12. all I can say is OMG and thanks to JayZ.

[40RatRod]

13. If that was in Georgia...

...even if they fired them, they would be back with another police department within a week. They just recycle them when they get caught.

[Blue_true]

26. I read a long magazine article about that. Apparently there is no national database on bad cops.

Even if their current departments fire them for cause, they can get hired at a lot of departments that don't have the resources to check into their past, or that just ignore warning information from the department's that fired the cops.

[47of74]

44. Yeah we need one.

Also a Megan’s Law of sorts that requires bad cops convicted of crimes to be subject to the same things sexual offenders are. Along with any judges or prosecutors that cover for them. Such as having neighbors notified of their presence, restrictions on where they can live or where they can go (schools, libraries, etc). Make punishment for bad cops so god awful they’ll think twice about committing crimes.

[Blue_true]

46. They should be held to higher standards.

The average person does not have a badge and gun with the expectation that their commands be obeyed. Even good cops can have a bad incident if they get frustrated and don't remain calm, but I would bet that the bad one had a long pattern of bad behavior that said that they were wrong for police work to begin with.

When some police departments try to address issues, the police unions go nuts. So bad cops skate until they wrongfully assault, injure or kill someone.

[uponit7771]

35. This needs to happen (link)

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212194125#post18

[Bayard]

15. HOLY CRAP!!

And this woman was pregnant? Doesn't even tell the people their supposed crime. It looks like he was just looking for an excuse to shoot.

[Blue_true]

27. Looks that way. Either that or the Family Dollar employee lied about what had

gone down. Seems like just stopping the people and stating a claim was made about a stolen doll would have sufficed.

[LiberalLovinLug]

16. Cops seem jacked up on steriods and energy drinks.

What is with immediately going to full def con shouting violent aggressive behavior?

This may not relate, but I have been watching a lot of 'troubled' dog videos. But we are all animals, and we do share some traits. If you act aggressively, that includes shouting, hitting etc. the dog will act it back. If you act calm and assertive, and don't "play" back with aggressiveness, the dog will be calm and more likely to be trained and obey.

I can't help but think if this officer had just come up to the car and calmly asked the woman to step out. Maybe offered to have another officer hold the baby for her etc..and then questioned her in a calm manner, they could have gotten to the bottom of the situation quite easliy. But increasing the tension and fear, it only makes the citizen more indignant and angry back. Which escalates everything, sometimes fatally.

If I know that, how is it that police officers not educated about how to deal with these situations?

[Aristus]

24. Back before he turned to the dark side, Dennis Miller said he was getting sick and tired

of the first words out of the mouths of cops being: "Freeze, motherfucker!"

Do these roid-raging assholes think they're in a movie?

[Crunchy Frog]

18. That cop belongs in a locked mental facility.

Those are the sorts of people that will be terrorizing us in the camps if Dump gets his glorious second term.

[uponit7771]

34. +1, and most likely this is not the only time he's been a hot head. The insurance companies who ...

... insure these PD's need to hold the PD's accountable and if they don't then shareholders should hold the insurance companies responsible for letting the PD's hire these hot heads.

Then tie their pensions to claims if they lie ... screw this.

Money talks

[ck4829]

19. K&R

[WhiskeyGrinder]

23. I'm pleased for the family. It's also important to remember that if it weren't for Jay-Z this couple

wouldn't have a chance at justice, if it weren't for cell phones we would have only the cops' side of the story (which includes "imminent danger" and "fear of death" from an unarmed woman holding a baby), and that the carceral state must be dismantled.

[Blue_true]

28. Cellphone cameras have definitely changed the dynamic.

Also, body cameras and cruiser-cam video has gotten cops fired for bad or dangerous behavior.

[Rhiannon12866]

30. The young Dad was on with the Rev Al today

From everything we've seen and heard, they have a very strong case - and he's lucky he wasn't shot.

[Kind of Blue]

32. Thanks for that! I want to see that interview.

[Rhiannon12866]

54. Here you go. His interview starts at 24:20 into this video of the show:

Politics Nation With Al Sharpton 6/16/19 | MSNBC News Weekend June 16, 2019

[uponit7771]

33. WOW !! The cops need to be told by bystanders to "calm down"

[Justice]

37. Good.

[BonnieJW]

39. When my oldest daughter was 4,

I took her with me to CVS. I went in and picked up what I needed and browsed a bit before going to the cashier. My daughter was right on my heels, never wandering away. I paid for my items and as I took my bag and prepared to leave the store, the cashier asked, "Do you want those items as well?" I looked at him, very puzzled, and saw he was pointing behind me. I turned to look and there was my daughter with her arms loaded with stuff. A bag or marshmallows, a magazine, a box of candy, etc. I was shocked because she never left me the whole time I was in the store. She just picked up anything at floor level as we walked along. It's VERY possible for this family's little daughter to have picked up the Barbie without the parents knowing. What started out as an incident could have very well turned into a monumental tragedy.

[PatSeg]

42. Over a Barbie doll???

I cannot even begin to imagine the traumatic effect that all of this has had on that poor child. Drawing their guns and yelling obscenities? Yes, it does appear that too many cops are way out of control and it does not seem to be getting any better.

[Blue_true]

48. In the same week that I read stories about cops buying cash strapped families

food with the cops' own money, something like this happens where a cop clearly was doing dangerous actions.

Like you, I am at a loss on how problems can be solved. Is it looking for better educated, calmer candidates for the police academies? Is it giving cops paid time off (several months where they can do any other activity besides police work or security details, farm, paint, coach, stay at home and do nothing, doesn't matter, just no police or security related work) to do other things besides police work after a certain number of years of service? Is it requiring that every cop make a regular sit down with a trained psychologist who won't just reenforce their developing issues? I don't know. I believe teachers should undergo the same type of restructuring.

[PatSeg]

51. I think it begins, of course

with the recruiting and hiring procedures. What kind of people are they hiring in the first place? After that, an overhaul of police training. Too often what we see and hear shows very poor training. Then training must be ongoing, with regular routine evaluations, preferably as you say with a psychologist.

Also, I would say that police must be held to a higher standard than the citizens they serve and consequences for violations of laws and procedures should be severe and consistent.

I've known some cops who were really great people, some were even family members, but I've also known guys who got an attitude when they put on a uniform and a gun, ready to throw their weight around.