[Clump]

This is why cite and release laws are good for petty offenses like this.
There was no reason for there to be a deadly force situation here.
Resisting arrest is not a capital punishment offense.
Cops need to learn how to be more judicious when confronting people for petty offenses.
There's just no reason to have a society where cops go up demanding full obedience and then dealing out death when orders aren't followed.
I think Wilson was doing his job and Brown gave him no choice but to use deadly force.
But here things could have been handled differently.
There does seem to be a significant disconnect around here about concern over the increasing police state and the idea that cops are always right in using deadly force.
Each case deserves its own examination.
Most people don't have a clue about police misconduct or excessive force until they are a victim of it.
As a prosecutor I saw countless instances of it. I saw very good cops and so,e really nasty ones.
They are, as a whole, generally a microcosm of the community they work in.
Since I never know which kind of cop I may come across I have to be of the mindset that he won't be a good one during an encounter. That's why I wouldn't consent to a search.
Similarly, if I were a cop I wouldn't assume that a person I encountered on the street is a good law abiding citizen. That doesn't mean I would treat them like a criminal or trash, just with caution.
Strangers are strangers, badge or not.
Lastly, I've seen a crap load of illegal arrests. Sometimes people are genuinely upset for being railroaded during an arrest.
I still advise them to shut up and comply.
Because at the end of the day we can win in court most of the time, but getting a non judicial road side death penalty imposed can't even be appealed.

[Yardstick]

When force is involved bad things can happen. The takedown may have been bad technique but the police didn’t intend to kill the guy.

You can greatly reduce the odds of this sort of thing happening to you by not getting yourself cited for selling cigarettes eight times in a row and then resisting arrest when they finally do arrest you.

[88keys]

"There does seem to be a significant disconnect around here about concern over the increasing police state and the idea that cops are always right in using deadly force." (emphasis mine)

There seems to be disagreement here as to whether actual "deadly force" was used. I wonder, if everything had happened exactly the same way, except the person resisting arrest had no medical issues, then would anyone have died?

It's terrible that this man died, and over a petty although oft-repeated offense. But the question is, did the police kill him by using unreasonably aggressive and deadly force, or did his own poor health and unwisely confrontational behavior result in internal trauma and unexpected death?

[moehoward]

"I still advise them to shut up and comply."

Absolutely. In that order.