I can’t get over those assholes that shot that man’s pets over a miniscule amount of pot (and more than likely based on faulty information from an informant with whom they cut a deal). I’ve only had Lily 11 months (today!), but I would be out for blood if someone shot her, cop or otherwise. I’d be a helluva lot less rational than that guy was. At the very least there would have been a tasing on that video or another shooting (of me) as I lost my shit all over the place.
And why don’t we get to see pictures of these brave servants to the community? Why aren’t pictures of cops who do this in every newspaper and on every nightly show when it happens? They are obviously tough guys, of course they would want the press! Here’s Butch McCraskin, local member of the SWAT team. He likes football, Nascar, reads Soldier of Fortune, loves no-knock raids, and has tazed a teen-ager and bagged three corgi’s. He drives a big Dodge Ram truck with an NRA sticker to compensate for his tiny penis. Can’t you smell the macho? I wonder what he has cooking?
I’m wondering at what point Americans are finally going to have enough of this shit. They cut pensions slightly to keep the nation from going completely broke in Greece, and they are fire-bombing shit in protest. Here, unless you are a member of the elite you are a third class citizen, subject to any number of abuses to your life, property, and dignity, and no one seems to care or is too preoccupied.
Is Dancing with the Stars on tonight?
*** Update ***
The pit bull these tough guys shot and killed was crated. The corgi they shot survived was loose, but could hardly be considered a threat. This isn’t about law enforcement or safety to officers, this is about terrorizing people.
soonergrunt
And three people were killed in an Athens firebombing yesterday according to NPR.
Surely there’s a middle ground.
Rosalita
DWTS was on last night. Pam Anderson got the boot.
Righteous post. Will you marry me?
The Grand Panjandrum
Yeah, they were right, weren’t they?
ETA: Forgot the most important part: FTP.
MattR
In semi-related news, the Philadephia Phillies have changed their policy so that their security people will be in charge of apprehending fans who run on the field and the security people will turn the fan over to the police. It was a police officer who tased the fan earlier this week and it sounds like the Phillies are not happy with that decision or the police department’s approval of it.
Chyron HR
Buh-buh-but mclaren said Balloon Juice loves fascist cops! If he/she/it was wrong about that, then how can I ever trust a shrieking halfwit again?
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
Show me where in the Constitution it says that dogs have the right not to get shot by adreneline-freaked door-kicking cops.
/originalist
Comrade Tank Hueco
Never. Because doing something about it takes work. Having to work means admitting there’s a problem. Admitting there’s a problem implies that we’re not the Bestest Most Perfect Country Ever. And if we’re not that, our self esteem implodes. And if there’s anything common to all Americans regardless of our differences, it’s an addiction to self esteem.
Redshirt
Only when enough people demand change, will things change. As it is – or has been – we all live in fear, no one speaks up, and the march of authoritarianism marches on.
DonkeyKong
And it’s Comrade Tank Hueco for the Win!
MattR
How is it possible you have had Lily for less than a year? That is mind blowing.
And if you don”t mind me asking, how big a yard did you get for her to play in? What size did you consider the minimum acceptable? I know that our real estate markets are a bit different, but I am looking for advice on lot size for a house for Ellie and me.
John Cole
@Chyron HR: McLaren’s a half-wit, and I’m probably being too generous by a half.
You can accuse this website of a lot of things, but being in favor of fascist cops is just unsupported from day one in the archives.
Litlebritdifrnt
If it is any comfort John, my boss, when appearing in court last year in Wilmington (NC not Delaware) said to me “who the fuck are these guys?” referring to the police officers in the courtroom, who looked liked Nazi Stormtroopers to be honest, so decked out they were with weapons, and tazers, and bullet proof vests. “When did this country become Nazi Germany?” he asked. I had no answer. He is a lawyer, and we have many wrongful arrest cases on the books. We do what we can.
Mike Kay
got a feelin’ the cops were hopped up on ‘roids and Ritalin.
superking
Dude, the cops in Columbia, MO ain’t got shit to do. It’s the home of the University of Missouri and mostly they just hassle college students. For what it’s worth, the CPD also owns an armored car. I saw it a few years ago and asked the guys showing it off when they ever had a chance to use it. They told me some random story about a hostage crisis at a bank–I’m pretty sure that didn’t happen.
stuckinred
I’m googling this like mad and some stories say only one dog died and others are saying the pit was in a cage. I am not trying to excuse anything, just wonderin what the real story is?
Rosalita
sad thing is, too many people are so wrapped up in their own little existences, they don’t even know that this happened.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
Judge Flatt: Ollie, you know my feelings about arming morons: you arm one, you’ve got to arm them all, otherwise it wouldn’t be good sport.
Meanderthal
Because no one with any damn sense takes on the police in this country. Our military and pseudo-military castes have a privileged status, and you mess with them at your peril.
South of I-10
I watched the video earlier. I admit it, I cried. People think it will never happen to them. My elderly dog would get shot pretty quick, of course she would run at the door barking if someone broke it down. She would protect her family.
Napoleon
Karl Marx said it was the opiate of the masses, I think.
Martin
Some progress will come soon, I think. Apparently we have a high tolerance of shooting minorities, but as a nation we have a very low tolerance of shooting dogs. We’ve made progress since 1850, and yet not so much.
John Cole
@MattR: I got her last June 5th, so almost a year.
In dog years, that is seven, though, so maybe that is why it seems longer.
John O
John, I get that like totally.
Any story with an innocent dog getting shot, and I don’t care how aggressive the dog is if someone is busting down my door and being all in my shit just simultaneously rage and fear out, never any fun. Of course, I figure it can happen to anyone.
I would go 100% nuclear. Simply a bridge too far for me to stay off emotionally. Dweezil is the most popular dog in the ‘hood, because he’s just so nice to all Men and creatures. He wouldn’t hurt a thing ever.
I think you don’t see the names because The Man knows precisely how we feel, and it would certainly in all honesty cross my mind to try to find out what kind of pets he/they had. You know, out of curiosity.
And it is an outrage that more people both don’t hear about it, and can’t picture themselves in those shoes in a way that produces action.
Go, Blackhawks!!!!!!
Tonal Crow
The very least we can do is help those who push for change.
Mike in NC
Ain’t gonna happen. People will get jacked up and organize a protest march to ban abortions and queers, or against Obama confiscating their assault rifles, or damning government takeover of Medicaire. But protesting police brutality? That’s positively un-American!
John Cole
@stuckinred: The pit bull died, the corgie survived but was shot.
Which merely makes my point. What kind of pussy shoots a CORGI in self defense? If nothing else, he should be kicked off the force for being such a dainty bastard.
Mike Kay
erin andrews is hot, but the dancing is too goofy to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCLlHHXKSGw
General Egali Tarian Stuck
I could be convinced if they wore a teddy in black leather pumps with a whip/ But not a very big whip. I ain’t that brave.
Violet
No. It was on last night. But you can watch American Idol tonight! Opiate of the masses, indeed.
I think we’re lucky that we have laws at all. In the past, people really were third class citizens. If the King wanted you dead, you were dead. Now at least there are some protections. I just wish we were better at enforcing the laws we have. And better at punishing those who break them, even if they are “law enforcement officers.”
I don’t think Americans will “have enough of this shit.” They’ll keep going with the “well, he must have done something to deserve it” and “it won’t happen to me” lines of thought. And hope for the best.
On the other hand, helmet-cams might change things. They’re becoming more popular and common in police departments. Video to back things up, and show the truth, is always helpful.
stuckinred
@John Cole: And I would assume the pit was in the cage, fuckin punks.
SIA
Is it just me? Everthing seems very tenuous and its one effing catastrophe after another
This story about the cops shooting the family dogs made me feel physically ill.
Soon as I get off this GD plane going home and hiding in a hot bath. Then Dickens Nicholas Nickelby on DVD.
stuckinred
@Violet: The Atlanta Red Rod squad killed a 90 year old woman in her house a couple of years back.
Litlebritdifrnt
@South of I-10:
And for that exact reason I have not watched the video. I could not put myself through that. I know for a fact that my boxers would go nuts if someone kicked my door in. They would be dead now. I cannot stand to even think about it.
Comrade Kevin
Meth?
Mike Kay
@General Egali Tarian Stuck: TMI
General Egali Tarian Stuck
@Mike Kay:
Comedic license.
Litlebritdifrnt
@Martin: Martin I know this sounds trite but the IRA had a HUGE following and fundraising in the USA even while they were bombing boy scouts and marine bandsmen, they had that following right up until the time that they bombed the horseguards, the sight of all those dead horses was enough to convince most American supporters that these people were murdering fucking bastards. They never recovered from that. You can kill all the people and kids you want, but kill a bunch of “innocent” horses and you are toast politically. The fundraising in this country dried up and they were toast.
scav
@General Egali Tarian Stuck: Bother. I was about to ask your considered opinion about eyeliner on same.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
@scav: I’m liberal, the natural look is always best,
Xenos
@ThatLeftTurnInABQ:
If the Redcoats had busted in John Hancock or John Adams’ door and shot their pets you can be damn sure it would have been noted in the Declaration of Independence.
Sovereign Immunity, bitches! We don’t have a sovereign, but local despots still get the immunity.
Violet
@stuckinred:
And that’s horrible and illegal (I would guess). I don’t know the particulars, but it sounds wrong a multitude of ways. I hope the guys who did it were punished.
My point was that we are better off than we were and hopefully things will keep improving. Three hundred years ago you could be conscripted into the military and the titled landowners or their thugs could do anything they wanted to you or your family. Two hundred years ago slavery was no big deal and you could do anything you wanted to slaves. A hundred years ago women had very few rights and men could do pretty much anything they wanted to women. Things do improve.
We do have laws and these guys should be prosecuted for what they did. Hopefully they will be. A hundred years ago there would have been no video and there would be no way the guy whose door was kicked in and dogs were shot would have the slightest bit of recourse.
Midnight Marauder
Just once, I want to read about some asshole with a badge pulling a bullshit stunt like this, and then read a follow-up story a few months later discussing the harsh sentence he received and the utter dismay of his fellow officers that one of their own could ever be convicted of such a heinous crime.
Just once.
John Cole
@Litlebritdifrnt: Ask Peter King about funding the IRA.
scav
@General Egali Tarian Stuck: OK, got it, and filed for future reference and experimentation. Must admit, my species of liberal is drawn immediately toward the slightly twisted and deviant.
Redshirt
@Tonal Crow: Amen. I signed up with the ACLU a few weeks back, and got my card in the mail a few days ago. So yes, I AM a card carrying member of the ACLU. And damn proud of it – I think it might be one of the only groups left defending the actual ideals and principles of America.
stuckinred
@Violet: Three went to the joint but not for as long as they should have.
freelancer
Cops too stupid to memorize Miranda. A Corgi?! If that fucker had shot my parents’ Scottie and I was there, I’d be spitting in his face until my mouth was bone dry. My mom’s a 51 year old registered nurse who occasionally smokes pot. This video fucked me up, I don’t mind saying.
Assholes.
Billy K
Don’t worry John, Reason is on the case! I’m sure Nick will help us.
Litlebritdifrnt
@John Cole:
Yeah I’ve heard about that cocksucker. Tells you alot about this country that he could be elected to anything.
zhak
A democracy cannot survive, much less flourish, if its people pay no attention to it.
I can tell you when my family’s tipping point was, fwiw, the moment when my parents came to the conclusion that “they’re all crooked” and “they’re all the same” with regard to our elected officials: it was when Nixon was pardoned.
Later on, I paid attention in an un-partisan way, trying to carefully weigh any vote based on the sum total of information, and nothing to do with a D or an R. I didn’t like what was happening: Carter was ineffective but well-meaning & in hindsight his malaise speech is a thing of brilliance. Reagan I liked as a person but I hated his politics: I hated his educational “reforms” that have really helped bring the stupid to this country, I hated the way he raised taxes while claiming it wasn’t a tax increase, I hated the core lack of legality of his presidency (Iran Contra & all it entailed) and I hated his “the government IS the problem” which has become a self-fulfilling prophecy to every Republican in office since.
George W. Bush, whom I always felt was dangerously stupid and incompetent from the first time I saw one of his soundbites, I could never have voted for, and ultimately it was he who turned me into a registered Democrat.
But you know, my parents were mostly right: neither party cares so much about the individual. Lip service is occasionally paid, but it’s all about power, money, connections. It’s not about doing what’s right anymore, and it hasn’t been for a long time (since Truman, I would say … and look how popular he ended up). It’s true that there is a distinct difference between Republicans & Democrats, in that there is literally no reason whatsoever to vote for a Republican. But Democrats are merely the lesser of two evils. I would love to see true Democrats who stand up for what is right, who are unafraid to say what is right and why, but I can’t think of a single national-stage politician that would qualify. It’s all about massaging a message, it’s all about words without meaning.
It’s all very bad now.
I’d learned, a long time ago, when Civics classes were mandatory, that democracy required attention paid to it. But it’s hard to feel any sort of positive vibe when you have one party that is incapable of standing up for what should be its core values, and one party that apparently believes that the documents upon which our nation was founded (& whose Founding Fathers they’ve co-opted as their own, despite no evidence in favor & much against) are optional.
FormerSwingVoter
It’s really starting to get to a point where, if police knock down the door of your house, you might actually be better off resisting as violently as possible.
Edwin
These stories have become so commonplace, it’s like part of your daily risk. Your loved ones may be killed at any time on the highway, in a thunderstorm, or by a SWAT team.
TruculentandUnreliable
@John Cole: “If nothing else, he should be kicked off the force for being such a dainty bastard.”
Oh, thanks for making me laugh.
If it makes anyone feel any better, this has been pretty much universally condemned here in Columbia. The paper has a hotline you can call to bitch about things that are bothering you, and they’ll print what people say once a week. Normally, people call in and complain about hippies on bikes and traffic, but even the old cranks who call in were upset about this.
South of I-10
@Litlebritdifrnt: The child is crying too. It is horrible. That poor kid is going to need therapy.
Joel
The only way something gets done is for people to keep ratcheting up the pressure.
So keep it up, don’t stop.
Bnut
Having kicked in a few doors in my day, I’ve seen waaaaayyyy worse things than a caged pit not draw fire. Then again, Iraqi citizen seems to have more rights these days than Americans do. I hope that doesn’t come out wrong…
I’ll never get over Ice-T playing a Republican cop on tv.
The Moar You Know
I live in what is probably the nation’s capital of unjustified police shootings, San Diego. Our cops shoot everyone and everything; perps, handcuffed suspects, NFL players (two so far in the last decade, I’ll give you three guesses as their ethnicity and the first two don’t count), street performers, random passersby, and citizens from all walks of life.
Since I moved back here 10 years ago:
Convictions for inappropriate use of force: 0
Charges bought by DA against cops for inappropriate use of force: 0
Civil suits won by those who were shot who shouldn’t have been: 0
Out-of-court settlements for excessive use of force: 3
The vast majority of citizens here seem to approve, because we get the same DAs and police chiefs re-elected every goddamn year.
Irony: the people who are treated the worst and have the most to fear from the local cops are upper-class whites. The hispanics and blacks know to shut the fuck up if they interact with the local
SAcops, whereas whitey keeps laboring under the illusion that they have some sort of “rights”.NWA was indeed right. Fuck the police.
trollhattan
@Redshirt:
They, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, are doing what they can to help keep the good ship America upright. There are days I think it’s hopeless.
Fergus Wooster
@Edwin:
Fuck. FTW, for what it’s worth.
I’m switching from beer to whisky. This has really fucked me up.
Kudos to John for flagging it, and a rare kudos to Sully for catching it early.
But seriously, I’m going to get drunk now and pet my dog.
Tsulagi
Going to feel lame for knowing this, but DWS is on Mondays and Tuesdays. SO never misses it, or she watches it later from the DVR to blow past commercials. For most latinas like my SO dancing on their priority list generally comes right after breathing. I normally pass watching, but have to say a few of those pro female dancers are fairly hot. Edyta (sp?) is my fave.
On the SWAT team shit, about a month ago our local area news reported about a SWAT no-knock on the wrong house. Mentioned it wasn’t the first time. One of these days those guys are going to bust into the really, really wrong house.
Florida Cynic
I saw the video this morning while reading Radley’s blog. I have a hard time describing the level of anger and frustration it brought out to actually see the raid in progress rather than just read about it. It certainly bumped up my already high level of outrage. Radley makes the point that there are 100-150 of these raids every day in this country, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. And shooting any dogs in the house seems to be SOP, although the cops deny it.
Leisureguy
Maybe the terrorists, who hate us for our freedoms, won’t hate us so much now. (Result of determined search for a silver lining.)
freelancer
Look at these Delta Force motherfuckers man!
The Moar You Know
@Tsulagi: It’s happened more than once. In the only instance that I can recall the homeowner surviving, he was charged with murder of a police officer.
Fergus Wooster
@The Moar You Know:
And got the death penalty, IIRC.
b-psycho
@Bnut:
Who said Detective Tutuola was a Republican?
Citizen Alan
@Litlebritdifrnt:
The saddest thing of all about this episode is that the dogs are really the only thing made it memorable. If the SWAT guys had shot the homeowner dead and left the dogs alone, this wouldn’t have even been a story, not even if they’d had the wrong address and killed a completely innocent man. There is a man on death row in Mississippi right now for killing a police officer who kicked down his door unannounced in the middle of the night when the perp he was looking for was in a different apartment.
Corner Stone
And with a 7 yr old there you’d do the same thing any parent here would do. Realize you ain’t winning that altercation and could possibly get your child in a worse situation.
The Italians have a lot of problems but one thing they get right – it’s better served cold.
Quiddity
Life is easier once you surrender.
Elisabeth
I’m pissed off that a neighbors’ nasty ass cat went after mine while she was on a leash eating grass. I’m squirting that nasty ass cat whenever I see him (with water ’cause I don’t hate cats). I cannot imagine what I’d do if someone came into my home for any reason and shot Fran or Sam. I’m pretty sure I’d be in jail, the hospital, or the morgue ’cause I’d be violent.
jake the snake
@b-psycho:
He has said on the show several times, that he is a Republican.
The Moar You Know
@Citizen Alan: Cory Maye. You’ll be happy to know that his sentence has been downgraded to life in prison, no parole.
Radley Balko has written a lot about the case. To say it is outrageous is an understatement.
It is, among other things, a cautionary tale about picking a good lawyer. Mr. Maye’s family made a fatal mistake in that regard that may leave him in prison for the rest of his life.
sputnikgayle
My 3 house dogs and 4 outside dogs are exceedingly well-trained and well-behaved–they are extensions of my will. They are working dogs first but are also beloved pets. I owe them my peace of mind out here in the rather isolated forest. They remember privileged guests and greet them accordingly. However, if they don’t know you, you would never enter either the farm’s fence line, much less our yard, absent a command from me. I would have to assume ill intent if someone, even uniformed law enforcement, managed to make it to my front door without the dogs’ alerts.
I think I have mentioned here before that I take care of a chronically ill spouse. The only reason I can maintain my strength for that is because I can sleep soundly knowing that my dogs are monitoring the area. I hope this all doesn’t sound too macho or paranoid–I’ve just had lots of time to think about how and where I want to live my life.
Really, I’d have to agree with Mr. Cole that there are loyalties worth fighting for.
Corner Stone
For those of you mau mau ing bout how crazy you’d work it if something similar happened – please stop.
You love your pets, and that’s good.
But when someone actually starts squeezing off a few rounds with intent in close proximity to you and/or loved ones your brain makes different calculations.
kommrade reproductive vigor
@Midnight Marauder: The shits who killed the Mayor of Berywn Heights’ labs are still on the wrong side of the prison fence so don’t hold your breath.
Xenos
@The Moar You Know:
The best civil disobedience might be to buy a house, fill it with mirrors, flashing lights, speakers set to produce gunfire sound effects. Then get the local narc to tell the cops that people are dealing coke out of the house and there are bags of gold coins in the basement. Then wait for the cops to bust in and then set off the flashing lights and sound effects (remotely, of course).
They will still blame you for setting up the SWAT team for shooting itself a few dozen times, but it might be worth it.
Disclaimer: This is not legal advice!
guhm61
Undisciplined,dangerous police are far to common.
Elisabeth
@Corner Stone:
No one really knows how they’d react in such a situation but I guarantee you I’d get violent and loud at some point. And, I’m serious as a heart attack.
scav
@Corner Stone: you gotta admit it’s kinda cute that you assume the brain will make “intelligent” (however defined) decisions under those circs.
b-psycho
@jake the snake: Really? Don’t recall, and I watch SVU fairly regularly. Must’ve been the early ones.
Corner Stone
@scav: Mmmm, never said “intelligent”. Just said that lots of people have an idealized view of their righteous anger and outcomes from it. But the body is controlled by a lower set of “brainpan” controllers, if you will, and somehow most people not on the Darwin List make the survivable choice. More often than not.
People would be upset, hysterical, all that. But given something else left to lose it’s my opinion that a significant portion would choose to not lose it.
Litlebritdifrnt
@Elisabeth: DH (a former marine) has said that he would be in one of two places if this happened here and they shot Cueball and Judy, a) jail b) the morgue. There is no other option in his mind. You kick down my door my DH is gonna get all former marine on your ass and take some action, you shoot my dogs? Your M-F ass is going down, one way or another. Luckily I know a rather good lawyer, who will take you on in a heartbeat if this happened to me. I would own the County, lock stock and smoking tazer.
Elisabeth
@Litlebritdifrnt:
I would lose my freakin’ mind is all I know. Whether that happens before, during, or after the shooting I can’t say but someone will pay and I’ll deal with the consequences later. My cats are my kids and you f*ck them you’ve just bought yourself a whole lot of angry, kinda Southern, old white woman.
scav
@Corner Stone: yeah, but having participated in a few evacuations in front of forest fires (when you actually have a little time to think), I’ve seen some really stupid decisions. And people have run into burning buildings for pets. There’s a lot more slop and biological wastage in evolutionary theory than people care to think about and then there’s the brain adding a whole lotta mess on top of it. You added the out clause of “loved ones” and some people cognitively may include certain non-humans in the same class.
Corner Stone
@Litlebritdifrnt: And leave you alone, without him?
I find this a curious decision. But to each their own I guess.
Excuse the personal question, but didn’t your DH recently have medical issues? And serious ones? He’d leave you for making his point?
Maybe I’m way off base on this. But if there was a choice between surviving the episode to fight this another day, and doing something that may get me killed/shots fired near my child/loved one – I can’t imagine pushing this confrontation further when they’ve proven they have the means to end it.
Corner Stone
@scav: Sure. There’s no accounting for folks.
Hey, I’m not claiming to be matoko chan and telling everyone they’re inferior!
Just saying IMO it’s misplaced fear and anger over a real-deal scenario and outcome.
Litlebritdifrnt
@Corner Stone:
Actually I would disagree, I would be so in control you would not believe. I would say to the Police officers first “do you know who I am” after that polite introduction they would shit themselves and document everything they could cause they would know that they are in a boat load of hurt. Not because of who I am but because of who I work for, the finest constitutional attorney in four counties. The City nor the County mess with him, they will not win. Trust me. The City/County attorney would be calling my boss the next morning wanting to settle the case.
Litlebritdifrnt
@Corner Stone:
See my response below it would never get to that point, they mess with me at their peril.
Alice Blue
Happy 11 month anniversary to you and Lily, John!
MattR
@Litlebritdifrnt: I hope you are right, but a small part of me would always be worried that if the police crossed a line and knew that I would and could call them on it then they might be willing to cross an even greater line to cover their tracks.
Here is a quote from the Washington Post story about the Berwyn heights mayor.
Ecks
The really crazy thing to me, is that this happened IN THE TOWN I’M LIVING IN.
Extra freaky weird.
JenJen
Thank you for perfectly capturing my rage over this story, Cole. I needed that. I think a lot of us did.
ReggieH
I’m still looking through the links to see where it says the dog was crated. I double-checked the vid and couldn’t find it there. I would really like to confirm that the pitbull was crated. can anybody help me with this?
Litlebritdifrnt
@Alice Blue:
Ditto on that, John has done an incredible job with Lily, she is possibly the happiest dog on the planet, after being the most miserable. The most recent shot of her chewing a chew toy made my heart soar, it was a joy to behold. John is a good man. Nuff said.
JR
Ditto Reggie: what’s the sourcing on the dog being crated?
Corner Stone
@Litlebritdifrnt: They shiver. Shiver with dread. As do I.
Jager
I know if my home was “attacked” by these para-military shitheads in the middle of the night our German Shepards would go absolutely bugshit and be shot. Later (revenge served cold) I would personally track each swat team member down and one by one they would suffer, i wouldn’t give a damn if it took me years. I just made that pledge to Straka and Ava.
ksmiami
You know – in other countries – even friggin China, the police mix in the crowds and wear normal clothes +. They are not decked out in full SWAT regalia. The root of all this is the drug war plus the toxic bush fear-mongering after 911. Rather than tell people the truth; that life is unfair and competitive, often dangerous and unpleasant even in America, our so called leaders have built up this idea that Americans are somehow uniquely protected from pain. We are not. We have better infrastructure than certain nations, true, and decent access to food and water, but beyond that, there are no guarantees and certainly no entitlements to more wealth than others. We want superman to be able to save us and we have projected these myths onto cops, military men and women and even corporate raiders, but bad stuff happens and you can’t arm yourself against everything.
Sorry for the rant, but I actually have a hard time breathing when I think about how over the course of my 40 ish year life span, we really have amped up the police state to a point where it is about to overtake us.
Church Lady
Watching the video almost made me ill. I cann’t imagine how I would handle something like that happening. Maybe it was the rawness of losing Lola on Monday (pics coming John, I promise), but hearing the yelps of the dogs made me tear up.
Not too long ago here, we had a dog shooting by the MPD that outraged the community. Two policemen were chasing a suspect through a Mid-town neighborhood and the suspect jumped a fence. The police followed, finding the homeowners’ two dogs (a Golden and a Lab, as I recall) in the fenced back yard. Of course, as dogs are wont to do, they started barking at the policemen. Both dogs were shot and killed by the police. In their own backyard. Can you imagine? Goldens and Labs have got to be two of the friendliest breeds known. Mine might bark, but would then lay down for belly rubs. I don’t think the two policemen were even disciplined. Sickening.
jh
This, folks is what America has been like for its poor, its black and its latino citizens for a long, long, long, long time.
If you are the wrong color or don’t live in a sufficiently posh zip code, the police can do anything they want to you, make any number of severe mistakes, use any amount of excessive force, take the life of anyone or anything they choose and 99 times out of 100, they will suffer no consequences for their actions.
They are a protected caste, given license to use nearly unlimited force in our names, the subtext being, “do whatever it takes to protect us from the marauding (minority) hordes”.
Every so often, this policy bleeds over into the lives of one of the favored castes. Then and only then, does it become a problem worthy of our attention and outrage.
Welcome to the real America everyone.
Now can we go about the business of fixing what’s wrong with our law enforcement, starting with the culture of cavalier sadism that pervades it?
Kyle
And the “freedumb”, “take my country back” Tealiban assholes screaming that Obama is Hitler don’t give a shit (that is, when they aren’t cheering it on) so long as it is happening to people they don’t like. I would feel some empathy with them if they actually had some libertarian principles and stood up against authoritarian shit like this, but all they have is angry-baby selfish ranting tactics. They’d be happy in a totalitarian police state so long as their circle of friends were ‘insiders’.
RandomDude
@ksmiami:
Calm down, please. Nothing is about to overtake us. The city will be sued blind over this (who the fuck shoots a corgi with an MP5???).
What’s unfortunate is that the detective who got the warrant can’t be sued. A SWAT raid in the middle of the night for misdemeanor pot possession? Yikes. The City Attorney is either working or drinking his ass off tonight.
Jrod, Slayer of Phoenix
@Kyle: Exactly. I’d take the teabaggers seriously if they ever spoke out against our out of control police who can kill anyone or anything they please with impunity, but no. Their eyes are on the big picture, which is that the tyrant Obama raised their taxes (even though he didn’t) and wants to run government death panels (which are currently run by insurers).
You’d think the teabaggers would be all about drug legalization too, what with their love of freedom. Funny. How many of the people defending this raid do you think attended the last tea party? My money is on a whole lot.
@Church Lady: Church Lady says something I can agree with? Pardon me, I have to go make sure I didn’t accidentally eat a whole bunch of acid.
Oh, and:
Fuck tha police
Comin straight from the plebiscite
Young smoker got it bad though he’s white
They’re never stopped so police think
They have the authority to kill a corgi
edmund dantes
Let’s be clear. Cops awhile back shot a dog that was leashed, on the other side of a fenced yard, that wasn’t even part of an investigation (the Cops were cutting through the area to get to another house).
And it was investigated and found to be a proper use of force. It’s fucking insane.
Also it’s always interesting that the Cops use as a defense (when they do get charged in these raids) that it’s a high pressure, frenetic situation, and they can’t be held accountable for their actions during that time.
However, the raidee if he shoots a cop or fights back and claims “I didn’t know they are cops” is never allowed that defense. Prosecutors and Cops say “he should have known it was the police.” despite the fact that the raidee is not trained in those situations, is more likely to be disoriented and confused, etc (especially since the justification for these raids is that they need to be this way to catch the hardened criminals off guard and disorient them).
jharp
“I can’t get over those assholes that shot that man’s pets over a miniscule amount of pot”
Neither can I.
And I once had the state police knock on my door asking to search my house as they had a tip that I was growing marijuana. It still pisses me off to this day. And now it makes me wonder how close I was to suffering through the same shit the poor bastard in Missouri did.
I was on the golf course and they threatened my wife telling her they could search the house now quietly or next time it wouldn’t be so easy.
Fucking cocksuckers. And no. I wasn’t, don’t, and never have grown marijuana.