Beyond Gates arrest, a growth of police power
Arrests of those who challenge police authority are not uncommon, say civil libertarians.
By Patrik Jonsson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
In Mr. Gates's case, police described his behavior as "tumultuous," but he broke no discernible laws. The Cambridge Police Department conceded as much when it dropped the charges, calling the incident "regrettable." The local police union backs the arresting officer, who said he did nothing wrong.
"What I see as more significant [than race] is the phenomenon of persons being arrested who challenge the authority of police," says David Rudovsky, a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia. "It's street punishment."
Nearly all police jurisdictions have so-called "cover charges" such as "disturbing the peace" or "disorderly conduct," which are intended to protect police officers from threat of violence. The extent to which prosecutors and booking officers accept arrests under such charges – which are often defined vaguely – varies widely across the country. Some civil liberties advocates say that these arrests can be subjective, and sometimes a response to back talk.
"To put cuffs on somebody is a grave matter, and it has to be for more than an officer just having a bad day," says George Kirkham, a former cop who's now a criminology professor at Florida State University in Tallahassee. As employers and others increasingly use background checks, even a trivial arrest can be potentially damaging.
And subjective arrests of people who challenge an officer's authority also undermine community trust needed to catch and investigate real criminals, says Radley Balko, a senior editor at Reason Magazine.
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yep...but Uppity for Black folks just means
self respect and self-awareness...unwillingness to bow and scrape. in essence, daring to believe that you should be treated with basic human dignity=UPPITY for Black folk.
some title or other
rkyrh wld b th vry frst n t ply th Thnd Nwtn rl n Crsh t....,
Here's the thing, cop busy thuggin err'day.
Cop legally entitled to thug err'day.
Cop wearing a tactical belt packing a 9mm, a taser, pepper spray, a collapsible steel baton, and perhaps other nastiness beyond that.
Moderately proficient cop practices thuggin err'day.
Now what even faintly conscious human being, unprepared to instantaneously execute such a tactically advantaged thug, would be STUPID enough to talk shit?
Seriously?
What white collar professional negro is practicing tactical thuggery on a daily basis so as to be able to have tactical options when dealing with a tactically proficient, thuggish cop, for whom the law serves as a presumptive stacked deck?
Even armchair Al Sharptons ought to have something vaguely resembling a clue before they squander days on end talking irredeemably stupid shit....,
What white collar
Why you would, of course.
nah...,
cops in this more heavily armed neck of the woods tend not to harass citizens for their personal amusement.....,
personally, I remain fanatically devoted to having a whole range of options. thus, cordiality and civility come easy because there's a presumption of objective equality - or even in some circumstances - overwhelming tactical advantage.