Posted on 05/17/2011 5:08:12 AM PDT by marktwain
A story in today's Philadelphia Daily News shows why it's so important that citizens be allowed to videotape cops - it can be citizens' only way to fight back against police abuse of power.
This incident happened several weeks ago in Philadelphia to Mark Fiorino, a 25-year-old IT worker who carries a gun on his hip at all times for self defense. He got the gun after several friends were mugged.
But he didn't count on attacks by police:
On a mild February afternoon, Fiorino, 25, decided to walk to an AutoZone on Frankford Avenue in Northeast Philly with the .40-caliber Glock he legally owns holstered in plain view on his left hip. His stroll ended when someone called out from behind: "Yo, Junior, what are you doing?"
Fiorino wheeled and saw Sgt. Michael Dougherty aiming a handgun at him.
What happened next would be hard to believe, except that Fiorino audio-recorded all of it: a tense, profanity-laced, 40-minute encounter with cops who told him that what he was doing - openly carrying a gun on the city's streets - was against the law.
"Do you know you can't openly carry here in Philadelphia?" Dougherty asked, according to the YouTube clip.
"Yes, you can, if you have a license to carry firearms," Fiorino said. "It's Directive 137. It's your own internal directive."
Fiorino was right. It was perfectly legal to carry the gun. But that didn't matter to the cop:
Fiorino offered to show Dougherty his driver's and firearms licenses. The cop told him to get on his knees.
"Excuse me?" Fiorino said.
"Get down on your knees. Just obey what I'm saying," Dougherty said.
"Sir," Fiorino replied, "I'm more than happy to stand here -"
"If you make a move, I'm going to f------ shoot you," Dougherty snapped. "I'm telling you right now, you make a move, and you're going down!"
"Is this necessary?" Fiorino said.
It went on like that for a little while, until other officers responded to Dougherty's calls for backup.
Fiorino was forced to the ground and shouted at as he tried to explain that he had a firearms license and was legally allowed to openly carry his weapon.
"You f------ come here looking for f------ problems? Where do you live?" yelled one officer.
"I'm sorry, gentlemen," Fiorino said. "If I'm under arrest, I have nothing left to say."
"F------ a------, shut the f--- up!" the cop hollered.
The cops discovered his recorder as they searched his pockets, and unleashed another string of expletives.
Fiorino said he sat handcuffed in a police wagon while the officers made numerous phone calls to supervisors, trying to find out if they could lock him up.
When they learned that they were in the wrong, they let him go.
But only temporarily. Fiorino posted the audio recordings on youtube, and now they are harassing him again:
A new investigation was launched, and last month the District Attorney's Office decided to charge Fiorino with reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct because, a spokeswoman said, he refused to cooperate with police... He's scheduled for trial in July.
If one listens to the audiotapes, it's hard to imagine how a reasonable person could charge Fiorino (and not the cops) for disorderly conduct.
Then, they discover their mistake, and let him go.
Do they apoligize, change their training, put out a memo so that officers will not make the same mistake in the future?
No. After this goes public, they decide to charge him with disorderly conduct and reckless endangerment. It is hard not to believe that these charges are brought about as a means to intimidate and harass, and as bargaining chips in a possible lawsuit for deprivation of civil rights.
Perhaps the District Attorney needs to be included in that lawsuit.
Within moments, I expect to hear that Obama does not have the facts but is certain that the Philadelphia police acted stupidly . . . okay, maybe more than a few moments for this one, since the police really did act stupidly.
Yep, they did something similar to Don Adams - charging him with assaulting the fists of Teamsters with his face.
Perhaps the District Attorney needs to be included in that lawsuit.
It looks like Seth Williams is continuing Lynn Abraham's tradition of making up the law to intimidate the inconvenient.
I fear the police nowadays than I do the criminal. One can deal with the honest criminal and continue living. The criminals with badges are a horse of a different color. An incident with them usually results with you assuming room temperature and holding a daisy,or at best, a job with the State for 20 years.
Just this past Saturday, a friend was pulled over by South Carolina State Troopers into a parking lot on a busy street. They found that there was an old warrant for a non violent offense and placed him under arrest. Another friend and I went to the scene to ask if we could either take his vehicle to his home, or have it towed there, rather than to the police impound yard.
Our answer was to have them pull out their pump shotguns on us and tell us to leave.
And they have the nerve to whine that the public doesn't support them... HA!
The cop should do ten years for violation of the public trust.
ML/NJ
We need phone numbers, emails for mayor, DA, chief of police, chamber of commerce. They need a little remedial edumication.
“One of three Metro Police officers who shot and killed Erik Scott outside the Summerlin Costco last summer was indicted Friday on a charge of disposing a firearm to a prohibited person.
Thomas Rosco Mendiola was relieved of duty without pay in January pending the outcome of an investigation after he allegedly gave a firearm to a convicted felon as a gift for working on his car.
Mendiola, William Mosher and Joshua Stark shot and killed Scott on July 10 last year outside Costco after authorities say Scott pointed a gun at police. A Clark County coroner’s inquest jury ruled in September after six days of testimony the three officers were justified in the shooting.”
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/may/13/officer-involved-erik-scott-shooting-indicted-gun-/
I agree. In our desire for law and order, we have allowed the police too much power. Even here, in rural, upstate NY, the roads are crawling with state troopers and sheriffs deputies. I don't like it.
Philly Police Harass, Threaten to Shoot Man Legally Carrying Gun
By John Stossel
Created 05/16/2011 - 18:49
A story in today’s Philadelphia Daily News shows why it’s so important that citizens be allowed to videotape cops - it can be citizens’ only way to fight back against police abuse of power.
This incident happened several weeks ago in Philadelphia to Mark Fiorino, a 25-year-old IT worker who carries a gun on his hip at all times for self defense. He got the gun after several friends were mugged.
But he didn’t count on attacks by police:
Exactly. I am a 6'2" male, usually armed, and have at least a "there are easier prey to be found" vibe. So I am not particularly worried about random crime on my person.
Dealing with cops on the other hand, is something that you cannot get out of in certain circumstances, and at the very least its going to cost you money and time, or your dogs life, or maybe your own life.
.
Oh wait...
Never mind.
It's just a matter of time until they have a situation where they are in the wrong and they simply can't control the flow of information about it enough to protect themselves. At that point every questionable encounter will the public thinking “there they go again.”
Put yourself in the place of the cop. You walk into a 7-11 and see a guy with a weapon on his side. What do you feel at that moment? Do you feel threatened? Do you feel like your life might be on the line? So you stop the man and order him to get down on his knees so that you can control the situation and protect yourself - then sort things out.
Mark didn’t comply with the cops orders to get to his knees immediately. He argued with the officer - What do you hear the cop saying - “I don’t know who you are!” He is fearing for his life and trying to maintain control of the situation while his suspect is arguing with him.
IF Mark had complied completely with the officer’s orders - what might have happened? How might it have come down differently?
At the same time - the concept that you can’t record or video an officer performing their duties is equally offensive.
I agree that you have to protect your own civil rights - but there are TWO sides to a story.
King Samir Shabazz: "Hell has frozen over! I actually agree with this gun-toting cracker!"
Bullshit, if he is that afraid of his life, he should stay inside his house.If he is thatafraid, just let him put a bullet in the back of the head of eveeryone he comes in contact with. By your term “sort things out” you mean, so so that he can get the one on his knees to incriminate himself so that he can arrest him.Free men kneel only to God, not these little deimigods in uniforms that you appear to worship.
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