Yet another example of the NYPD being arbitrary dicks

Even if you don't want smaller government, we can all agree we want nicer, smarter, saner government, right?

The Marines might be on the way to help protect the protesters. (Unconfirmed at the moment.)

I have an odd mental relationship with the military.

But I have only one thing to say about that news clip: FUCK YEAH.

BenPanced said:

The Marines might be on the way to help protect the protesters. (Unconfirmed at the moment.)

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Reading that article, these aren't active-duty marines. They're veterans planning to show up in their uniforms to stand up to the police if necessary. It sounds like those Oathkeepers who were so roundly vilified a few months ago.

We all took an oath to uphold, protect and defend the constitution of this country. That’s what we will be doing.

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If I ever witnessed such a situation, I'd whip out my phone within earshot of the cop and call 911 and report that a crazy man with a gun is impersonating a police officer and harassing people with threats of arrest.

It'd be helpful if I had two accomplices: one to video tape me as I make the call and another to video tape the cop and capture his reaction to my call.



::ETA::

Don,

Hooray for Oathkeepers!




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Not only does that sound like clear, unprovoked bullying, but from the description of the officer's actions and words, he sounds just a teeny bit unhinged. Perhaps there should be not only a disciplinary review but a psych evaluation in that guy's near future.

Now, I should mention the caveat that we have only the woman's side of the story, and she gives no indication of what might have set the officer off. She says she doesn't know, and I'm happy to believe her on that score, but I wonder what a disinterested observer might say about it. It's possible that something might have occurred to make the officer think this woman was a problem.

But even so, if that is an accurate description of what he said and did, his behavior still sounds borderline scary -- and I don't mean scary in the cop way, but scary in the sketchy borderline way, if you know what I mean.

Regrettably, this observation could probably be applied to **PD, anywhere. Individual cops can be and often are fine people. Big city PDs, as organizations, often are reduced to lowest common denominator. New York has plenty of conspicuous rivals, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas . . .

caw

Major city police forces have a gazillion cops. Once in awhile, the wrong person gets in or a questionable event happens. Sometimes it's worse, and a department, or parts of it, gets corrupted. All true, and abuse of power shouldn't be tolerated. If that blog entry is correct, then that officer should be disciplined or fired. He is not there to harrass citizens.

Then again, people who have had run-ins with police don't always tell it accurately. Police officers do a dangerous, thankless job, for not nearly enough pay. I wouldn't do it, but I'm glad somebody else will. My overall feeling for the men and women in blue is gratitude.

blacbird said:

Regrettably, this observation could probably be applied to **PD, anywhere. Individual cops can be and often are fine people. Big city PDs, as organizations, often are reduced to lowest common denominator. New York has plenty of conspicuous rivals, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas . . .

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Do you mean to suggest the cops in, e.g., small-town Texas tend to be any better on average?

Well, rather than start a new thread, this seems an appropriate place for yet another NYPD PR disaster.

NYPD: Clothes make the rape victim

Note to women in the South Park Slope and surrounding Brooklyn: You might want to think twice before wearing shorts or skirts when you walk home alone at night.

That's the message some women say police officers are spreading as they step up patrols in the area in response to at least 10 unsolved sexual attacks that have taken place since March.

In a neighborhood with a reputation for liberal and feminist tendencies, the message is, as to be expected, not going over so well.
...
"He pointed at my outfit and said, 'Don't you think your shorts are a little short?'" she recalled. "He pointed at their dresses and said they were showing a lot of skin."

He said that such clothing could make the suspect think he had "easy access," said Lauren.

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Yeah, Don, I heard that on the radio...and my initial reaction, was, WTF?

Telling women how to dress is going to help, how? Talk about insulting on all kinds of levels.

Commissioner Kelly needs to do something w/ his rank and file. I'm thinking sensitivity training might be in order for all of them.

Jean Marie said:

Yeah, Don, I heard that on the radio...and my initial reaction, was, WTF?

Telling women how to dress is going to help, how? Talk about insulting on all kinds of levels.

Commissioner Kelly needs to do something w/ his rank and file. I'm thinking sensitivity training might be in order for all of them.

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Might I recommend that all the NYPD men expressing these opinions, starting with Kelly, shave their legs, don miniskirts and wigs, and stay on the street until this rapist grabs one of them?

Or would that be over the top?

Apparently, the NYPD managed to miss the whole Slut Walks news story and what that was about. Kinda mind-boggling. It's like each day dawns on a whole new world for some people.