Fun with Guns: Viligante DC Cop Dishes Draconian Martial Law for Snowball Fight (Video)

Gawker ^

[JLS]

Exactly, it was SNOWING in a place that does not have much snow. The kids whether at GW or in the ghetto were out having fun. They were also pushing cars that were getting stuck.

It was just a bunch of people having fun until an ego with a badge showed up. What a surprise.

[incredulous joe]

“I think the “ghetto kids” were from Geo Washington University.”

My daddy will buy your stupid police force and then he will fire you.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Why am I not surprised that this goon detective was an Obama supporter and the snow ballers were mostly white kids.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Those “ghetto kids” were mostly white, bub.

[Max_850]

Noted.

I agree with that.

During the news report I saw the criticism was being directed towards the uniformed policeman who arrived later.

Yes, the first cop, in plain clothes or off-duty, seemed out of line if he was waving a handgun around as reported. But then again, I was not there. Who knows what the situation really was. He was not waving it when the uniformed policeman showed up. Could be his coat was opened and someone saw it, then it was falsely reported that he was waving it around....

[eyeamok]

It is BOTH of THEM, anytime you pull a GUN on people you are GUILTY of BRANDISHING a FIREARM and ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON. Considering a Snowball fight is neither VIOLENT or CONFRONTING, Both of them NEED TO BE PROSECUTED. There is and was no Justification for this FELONY ASSAULT. Every person there should be at the DA’s office demanding CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. File the Complaints, force them to DEFEND their ILLEGAL ACTIONS just like everyone else would have to. Police are not ABOVE THE LAW, they should be treated just like everyone else. ONLY A JURY HAS THE RIGHT TO DECIDE IF HE IS NOT GUILTY.

[apastron]

The cops are clear. No one was assaulted or arrested or tazed. The snowball fight probably continued just fine. The kids will cry about it on TV for a week, then go back to smoking pot and tweeting about global warming.

[eyeamok]

you are correct, so you agree then that thes Thugs did willfully and Knowingly THREATEN A GROUP OF PRIVATE CITIZENS with a FIREARM for NO REASON. They belong in JAIL for ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON, Using a Firearm during the commission of a FELONY. Let them explain their actions to a JURY of Their Peers, just like you or I would have to in the exact same situation.

[theymakemesick]

Never bring snowballs to a gunfight /sheesh

[pepsionice]

The real question here....is there really a necessity for some police detective to drive around in a Hummer? Or are these guys just play-acting like Miami Vice? Who in the city hall and in the Police leadership signed off on this Hummer requirement? This is where tax revenue is going...and frankly, the Hummer does little except keep GM afloat.

[USNBandit]

The complaints were about the plain clothes detective who brandished his gun after his hummer got hit with snow balls.

[eyeamok]

JAIL is the only ANSWER

[apastron]

good grief no. there is no law against a cop unholstering his weapon. None. Zero. Nada.
he may even point his weapon at someone, even if he does not know for certain if that person is armed or not.
these things are judged legally from the viewpoint of the officer, at the time of the incident. not by some college kid with a video camera — not by two dudes on freerepublic.com... even if you use a bunch of capital letters.
some may be offended by the officer unholstering his weapon, but that is not being threatened or assualted... and there is no right to not be offended.

[Glenn]

but that is not being threatened

Thin thinking there. If a gun comes out, I'm feeling threatened. My heart rate goes up. Adrenaline kicks in. Fight or flight is fully operational.

Legally it may be okay, but that doesn't mean it is harmless.

[apastron]

I understand where you’re coming from. I’m just talking legally to address this talk of charging the officer with a crime. Your feeling threatened won’t put a cop in jail.
Yes, cops have more power than civilians in this regard. You don’t want to be in any big-city urban area where they don’t.

[lowbridge]

How does a cop afford a hummer?

[apastron]

I know a lot of single police, without a lot of bills, who drive more expensive cars than Hummers. Some of them were LOADED before they even become police. It’s not that uncommon.

[Gaffer]

Lemme put it this way. I grew up in the country in a rural area where cars didn't pass by on the road where I lived much. My cousins and me were messing around late one evening and yelling and throwing 'may-pops' at cars when they did come by. Well, one particular car came by and we threw some at him. His brakes screeched and he (we then came to find out was Leonard - a real nasty asshole) jumped out of the car - his date still in the car.

Leonard pulled out a pistol with him when he exited - a real big one. My cousins and me scrambled to a nearby field grown up with grass and lay down, quietly. Leonard was very pissed because we hit his car and kept him from where he was obviously heading with his date. He turned the car so the lights were on the field and popped off a few rounds (I think in the air, though). Regardless, Leonard then proceeded off to where he was headed, and me and my cousins never did that shit again.

[A Strict Constructionist]

“cops have more power than civilians in this regard”

You hit one of my hot buttons. Cops are civilians unless in the military. They are a civilian police force. They just have more responsibility and authority than other citizens.

I hate the move to militarizing the police. It is one of the reasons that crime is climbing instead of falling. It is the us against them attitude.

[markomalley]

I saw this on the news yesterday. Both cops WAY over-reacted.

By the way, 14th and U is not even close to the ghetto in DC:

Now these are ghetto in DC:

With the one above you will, of course, notice the grating on the windows of the liquor store and the concertina wire protecting the balcony. (They use grating because bars won't protect the windows from being smashed by thrown rocks as well)

And, of course, you will note the grating on the windows in this one. You will note the sheets being used as drapes in the apartment bldg behind it.

I really don't think you'd see a Twitter-organized snowball fight in either of the "ghetto" areas I highlighted above.