(BENTON HARBOR, Mich): Police Cleared in Death of Motorcyclist

[DUreader]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-2884972,00.html

short article




(AP) - Prosecutors have
cleared police of any wrongdoing in the case of a
black motorcyclist whose death during a police
chase led to two nights of rioting last month.

[DrGonzoLives]

1. You are fucking KIDDING me

I hope they're ready for big-time rioting...maybe, just once, the rioters will actually stop trashing their own neighborhoods as well.

[Sirius_on]

2. Well how else would you have it?

You run from the cops, you forfeit your own safety. Black, white, brown, yellow, skin color doesnt matter if you run, its your own safety at risk.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Statisticallly speaking, you may be wrong.

If black people & other minorities are constantly being stopped by the police -- and they are -- then maybe they have a reason to run. Remember that tape of the N.J. ex-cop that harrassed black motorists? Don't criticize until you've researched the situation.

[Sirius_on]

4. Considering I live in Michigan

I have heard allot about this particular issue. From what I heard the cops deserved to be cleared of possible charges. They did nothing wrong. Last I checked, fleeing the police was a felony.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. I don't question there are penalties for fleeing.

There are also steeper penalties for crack cocaine than powder cocaine. How exactly does that change the fact that cops regularly target more blacks than whites and there's evidence that they've harassed them as well?

[KamaAina]

6. Yes, but is it a capital felony, with the cops as judge, jury,

and in this case, executioner?

Cops are supposed to use deadly force to protect themselves. Are they in danger when a suspect is moving away from them? That's what happened in Cincinnati, too, and we all know how that turned out. :scared:

[Sirius_on]

7. Running is his own fault.

Define the deadly forced they used here. The fact they attempted to pull him over and he ran into a building trying to get away. Where did they condemn him to death? Do you run from the police? I sure as heck dont. I have 8 points on my licence for being pulled over 5 times in the past 2 years. I never even thought of running. If I had tried to run I would have signed my own death certificate. I choose the sane option and stoped.

Dont get me started on how lame it was for him to put many people in the way of danger by going 120 mph. I am sure if it was your kid getting run over by a crazed felon running from the police you would think differently.

[demdave]

8. Those horrible white Cincinnati police and the 15 innocent blacks

Like..On Feb. 1, 1995 Harvey Price killed a 15 year old girl -- his girlfriend’s daughter -- with an axe; he kept police at bay for hours; he refused to surrender; and he was ultimately shot and killed by a SWAT team member when Price began advancing on the officers with a raised knife.

OR...In an unprovoked attack, Mr. Williams shot Police Officer Kathleen Conway four times in the legs and abdomen with a .357 Magnum before she was able to return the fire. She fired twice, killing him. The bizarre incident began when Williams waved down Officer Conway’s cruiser. When she stopped he punched her in the face through the open window, then shot her four times.

Or maybe..Mr. Lowe was driving a stolen car and, in attempting to evade pursuing police, crashed. At that point Lowe jumped from the car and fired repeatedly at police officers until his gun ran out of bullets. The officers fired back, killing Lowe.

Don't forget..When police arrived on the scene, Randy Black ran. During the chase he threw a brick at police. But when cornered by the pursuing officer who attempted to place Mr. Black under arrest, Mr. Black grabbed a two-by-four with nails sticking out of the end and came at the officer with it. The officer shot him dead.


Almost missed..Mr. James King used a gun in robbing the Fifth Third Bank. He fired a warning shot in the bank to show he meant business, and employees handed over a bag of cash to him. Mr. King fled the scene in a car with police in close pursuit.When Mr. King reached a dead end, he jumped out of the car with the gun in his hand. Police ordered him to drop his weapon, which he refused to do. They shot and killed him.


Not to mention..12 year old Courtney Mathis left his parent’s home and stole a relative’s car. A police officer saw the boy in the car at a convenience store and asked to see his driver’s license.Courtney tried to flee by putting the car into reverse. The officer reached into the car and either tried to turn off the ignition or shift the car into neutral. The officer became caught in the steering wheel and was dragged 800 feet. Fearing for his life, the officer finally managed to shoot the boy in the chest. The police officer died almost instantly after becoming dislodged from the car and hitting his head

And who would forget..An officer responded to a drug complaint against Adam Wheeler on Jan. 31, 2001. When the officer arrived at Wheeler’s apartment Mr. Wheeler slammed the door in the officer’s face. Wheeler reportedly screamed "You want a war? You got a war!" and then fired six shots from his gun. During the ensuing battle, police shot and killed Mr. Wheeler. One officer received non-life threatening injuries during the incident.

[KamaAina]

9. Those weren't the cases that sparked the riots. Timothy Thomas' was.

He was fleeing police, and unarmed. He had no axe. He was not trying to run anyone down with a car. Yet he is just as dead as the others you mention.

[Sirius_on]

11. Please answer my previous question

Define the deadly forced they used here. If you want to perpetuate racial problems without facts you are doing quite a good job.

[KamaAina]

13. If you or I drove like that, and someone died, we'd be up on charges

such as vehicular manslaughter. Places that see lots of high-speed chases, notably L.A., now have policies in place to pull them back before they turn deadly.

True, this wasn't "deadly force" as it's usually defined. Trouble is, there's just so doggone many of these black-guy-meets-cop, black-guy-dies stories, I have trouble keeping all the details straight.

[Sirius_on]

14. So.....

"True, this wasn't "deadly force" as it's usually defined. Trouble is, there's just so doggone many of these black-guy-meets-cop, black-guy-dies stories, I have trouble keeping all the details straight."

So you make a claim like it is just to anger race relations basically? Do you make stuff like this out to be worse then what it is in the general public? Lets address facts and not assumtions. What happened was that a young man ran from the police over 120 MPH. Whats left to debate? 120 Mph....120 mph....120 mph...Doesnt logic dictate the reason why he is 6 feet down right now?

The sirens go on.....you pull over. Whats so hard about that.

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. You're missing the point completely.

The police are creating the problem because there is a pattern of targeting minorities and treating them far more harshly than whites. That is what statistics have shown. You and I won't think twice about stopping, but you're in NO position to judge how people who live in that neighborhood would react -- unless you can vouch for the police force. It wouldn't be the first time where a police precinct was found to be uncommonly "rough" with members of a minority community. And if that's the case, why is everyone surprised that the neighborhood is distrustful of police?

[Colin Ex]

10. Maybe I'm incorrect...

but didn't the cop in question run into the motorcyclist with his CAR?

What the fuck, man?

-C

[Sirius_on]

12. That never happened according to witnesses

That was made up. Along with claims that the cops were high fiving each other.