Don't Shoot The Messenger

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-problem-is-im-black-video-of-christopher-lollie-arrested-and-tasered-in-front-of-his-children-sparks-outrage-9699506.html

[anotheoldgit]

[anotheoldgit]

The headline did not work so I have put it above, at this stage I make no comment on the story, only to ask who do you consider was in the right?

[AB Editor]

Can you make a suggestion for a title please AOG?

[agchristie]

The police gave him every chance. The guy was obstructive and failed to co-operate. He was warned he would be Tased and still didn't co-operate.

[anotheoldgit]

AB Editor

/// Can you make a suggestion for a title please AOG? ///

Knowing the reactions to some of my threads of which I have been forced to experience here on the news section recently ED, I was going to put "Don't Shoot The Messenger", but then came across the cartoon so I decided to put the link to that instead, which obviously didn't work.

I do hope that answers your request?

[AB Editor]

Just needed something to stop it looking rubbish AOG.

All the best,

Ed.

[Zacs-Master]

Ha ha ha. Love it.

[andy-hughes]

Having looked at the film, and heard the subsequent dialogue, my impressions are these -

Mr Lollie should have given his details to the female officer when asked, which he is required to do legally despite his protestations to the contrary.

The issue appears to escalate when the second officer appears and is instantly aggressive, provoking more protest from Mr Lollie, whoi already feels he is being unfairly treated.

Given that a third officer appears, and there is no obvious sign of any potential violence, it appears that tasering Mr Lollie is a ridiculous overeaction. As I understand it, tasers are only deployed by officers in fear of their own safety, or that of members of the public, which is clearly not the situation here.

The situation could have been handled far better by the femaile officer who was walking Mr Lollie out of the building - which would appear to be a desireable outcome to the incident.

The serious problems started when the second officer appeared and was immediately confrontational, overstepping his colleague's handling of the issue, which was at the discussion stage, until the second officer turned into a violent scuffle.

I do not believe Mt Lollie was necessarily singled out on the basis of his ethnicity, but he may have created an issue in the moments preceeding the arrival of the police.

It was extremely bad PR for the police, who spend a lot of time trying to advise the community at large that they are not heavy-handed and needlessly pgysical with ethnic minorities without provocation - and then proceed to be exactly that!

I am sure this man was released without charge - given that he was not formally arrested, Miranda-ised or advised of his rights before he was tastered, handcuffed and marched off to the police station.

[agchristie]

Not forgetting though Andy that there were other factors not known from the film. He would not have been tasered if he had co-operated.

[anneasquith]

all he had to do was answer the questions the police asked him initially, not difficult.

[anotheoldgit]

AB Editor

/// Just needed something to stop it looking rubbish AOG. ///

Pity you do not extend the same criticism towards some of your other members?

All the best

AOG

[Baldric]

//a man who had repeatedly refused requests to leave to leave a private "employees only" area in the First National Bank Building.//

Seems to be a carp video by a man who's main problem seems to be " Is it 'cause I's Black/" and won't leave a Private area when asked, quite reasonably to to so, and can't say he wasn't warned! again reasonably.

[agchristie]

The officers believed he 'may run off or fight with them' and the guy didn't respond to 'lawful' instructions. He has to take accountability for his own actions. He was quick enough to point out his ethnicity.

[Zacs-Master]

(was that a flounce...I think it was)

[Baldric]

not that many end up with ... showing as a title!

[ummmm]

It's def a huff :-)

[Baldric]

If that was a flounce then the Ed has flounced as well.

[naomi24]

He's a twit (the man in the video I mean).

[viv38]

Christ, nine paragraphs to answer something that takes others a line or two !!!

[vulcan42]

The thing that intrigues me is the statement by the Chief of Police, the "video does not show the totality of the circumstances" ( when did that replace "what happened"?). In other words we don't know the full story, well, he wasn't there either so he's relying on his officers telling the truth and of course they would'nt be biased would they?