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America’s Children: The Trials of Growing Up in a Police State
The Blaze ^ | Dec. 4, 2014 | John Whitehead - The Rutherford Institute

Posted on 12/09/2014 5:22:40 PM PST by Rabin

Cleveland killer officer shot to death 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was playing on a playground with a toy gun, no charges filed. Thirteen-year-old Andy Lopez Cruz was shot 7 times in 10 seconds by a California killer deputy early on a clear afternoon, he grand jury refused the case and the DA exonerated. Christopher Roupe, 17, was shot and killed after opening the door to a killer officer, mis-identified a remote control in Roupe’s hand' shot him in the chest with his Glock, at three ft. it exploded both the child's lungs.

(Excerpt) Read more at theblaze.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government
KEYWORDS: donutwatch; policestate
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And if if the unarmed victim happens to be black...

Rab.

1 posted on 12/09/2014 5:22:40 PM PST by Rabin
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To: Rabin
"Cleveland killer officer shot to death 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was playing on a playground with a toy gun"

This is intentionally deceptive. He wasn't "playing" in the normal sense - pointing it at imaginary bad guys, at friends who were also playing, or that sort of thing. According to the 911 call that brought the police there:

“There is a guy with a pistol . . . It’s probably fake, but he’s pointing it at everybody.” The "probably fake" comment was not relayed to the responding officers.

The gun looked real - real enough that even a professional would have trouble distinguishing it from a real gun. The kid tucked it into his waistband as the police drove up and then pulled it out when the police told him not to move. Even if you think the shooting was not appropriate, the kid's conduct was VERY different from "playing in the playground".

2 posted on 12/09/2014 5:36:36 PM PST by Pollster1 ("Shall not be infringed" is unambiguous.)
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Whitehead has been the subject of numerous newspaper, magazine and television profiles, ranging from Gentleman's Quarterly to CBS' 60 Minutes. Articles by Whitehead have been printed in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and USA Today, among others.

Whitehead gained international renown as a result of his role as co-counsel in Paula Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against President Clinton. Whitehead continues to speak out in defense of a woman's right to be free from sexual harassment and frequently comments on a variety of legal issues in the national media. He has been interviewed by the following national and international media (partial list): Crossfire, O’Reilly Factor, CNN Headline News, Larry King Live, Nightline, Dateline, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, CBS This Morning, This Week with Sam and Cokie, Rivera Live, Burden of Proof, Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, FOX News Sunday, Hardball, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, National Public Radio, BBC Newsnight, BBC Radio, British Sky "Tonight" and "Sunday," TF1 (French TV) and Greek national television.


That's the best list of right wing news outlets I've ever seen...  /s

Some is a darling gadfly on an awful lot of Left Wing propanda outlets.

LINK

3 posted on 12/09/2014 5:38:25 PM PST by DoughtyOne (GOP. GOPe. GOPeGads! GOPeWWWWWWWWWWWWW...)
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To: Pollster1

I saw that video. The cops didn’t just roll up and ask him to do anything. They charged in, practically ran the kid down with the car and came out of the car shooting. It was disgraceful.


4 posted on 12/09/2014 5:39:34 PM PST by DariusBane (Liberty and Risk. Flip sides of the same coin. So how much risk will YOU accept? Vive Deo et Vives)
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To: Rabin
Wow! Just Wow!

http://dailycaller.com/2014/03/06/unbelievable-cop-who-wrongly-killed-teen-had-history-of-blunders-was-fired-from-last-job-as-cop/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tamir-rice-shooting-mom-of-boy-shot-dead-by-cleveland-cop-looking-for-a-conviction/

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/deputy-who-killed-unarmed-teen-wont-face-charges

5 posted on 12/09/2014 5:40:50 PM PST by Chgogal (Obama "hung the SEALs out to dry, basically exposed them like a set of dog balls..." CMH)
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To: Rabin

This whole thing is being played up in an attempt to “natinoalize” the police. Barry’s well funded security force as it were.

This is their agenda...they want an national police, controlled from the White Hut not accountable to the sheriff who has to face the voters or to the mayor who has to face the voters or the governor who has to face the voters.

This bunch of maxrist malcontents is fanning the flames of hatred and racial strife to the very people who will be under the jack-boot of that nationalized police.


6 posted on 12/09/2014 5:40:59 PM PST by Ouderkirk (To the left, everything must evidence that this or that strand of leftist theory is true)
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To: Pollster1

True, but the police should take up a guarded defensive position, guns drawn and ready to RETURN fire if the kid discharged the weapon.

Good grief. If I had a bead on someone with a pistol in his wasteband, there is no doubt in my mind I could take that person out from thirty, fortey feet with no problem if the person pulled the weapon and aimed/fired.

Now, add two to three cops with a bead on the kid. Sorry, just don’t buy it. The cops didn’t have to kill this kid.

They are too damn trigger happy now dayz.


7 posted on 12/09/2014 5:45:18 PM PST by servantboy777
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To: DariusBane

I’m curious what you expect the police to do when they get a person with a gun call in an area like that?

Should they perhaps pull up thirty yards away? Should they allow the person to take a hostage? Should they perhaps let them get a few rounds off before they get serious?

Then what happens when someone dies? Why of course, the usual malcontents come by and slam the cops for being there and allowing it to happen.


8 posted on 12/09/2014 5:45:57 PM PST by DoughtyOne (GOP. GOPe. GOPeGads! GOPeWWWWWWWWWWWWW...)
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To: servantboy777

And what would you do if he hid behind another person once you’ve hesitated and you can’t get off a clear shot?

And what if he does open fire and kills someone? What then?

You would be right back here trashing the cops for being on the scene for three minutes and no preventing it from happening.


9 posted on 12/09/2014 5:47:58 PM PST by DoughtyOne (GOP. GOPe. GOPeGads! GOPeWWWWWWWWWWWWW...)
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To: DoughtyOne

Usual mal-contents. So believing in small government, limited powers and demanding accountability from government makes somebody a mal-content. You should start your own forum. Call it EnslavedPublic.com. I don’t know that FreeRepublic.com is the right place for you.

Have you watched the video in question? We can talk after you have.


10 posted on 12/09/2014 5:49:40 PM PST by DariusBane (Liberty and Risk. Flip sides of the same coin. So how much risk will YOU accept? Vive Deo et Vives)
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To: Pollster1
The gun looked real - real enough that even a professional would have trouble distinguishing it from a real gun. The kid tucked it into his waistband as the police drove up and then pulled it out when the police told him not to move. Even if you think the shooting was not appropriate, the kid's conduct was VERY different from "playing in the playground".

They drove straight up to him, said "don't move" and shot him in the same time it took to read that sentence. If it was taken seriously as possibly a real gun, they should never have driven right up to him, but stopped at a distance and taken cover behind the car. If they thought it was a toy gun and drove right up to him, then they voluntarily reduced their right to self-defense, multiplied by the fact they knew he was a kid and might react irrationally, fearfully or oddly and so needed time to figure out they saw him as a threat - time which they could have given him if they parked at a distance and took cover.

Nope, this was a bullsh*t shooting, tantamount to murder. And it's not a matter of demanding that cops risk their lives - it's precisely because they DIDN'T take proper safety precautions for themselves, then panicked and made the wrong decision because they realized they were within killing distance if they were wrong about it being a toy.

11 posted on 12/09/2014 5:50:42 PM PST by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: Rabin

Read the article folks.

While he includes two, who clearly shouldn’t be used to make his case, the story is solid.


12 posted on 12/09/2014 5:52:53 PM PST by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously-you won't live through it anyway-Enjoy Yourself ala Louis Prima)
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To: DoughtyOne
I’m curious what you expect the police to do when they get a person with a gun call in an area like that?

Approach with caution. They're supposed to regard the safety of everyone - not just themselves.

Should they perhaps pull up thirty yards away?

Yes.

Should they allow the person to take a hostage?

Didn't happen and wasn't going to happen.

Should they perhaps let them get a few rounds off before they get serious?

Depends. When a cop shoots first and then asks questions he's a "hero". When a civilian does it he goes straight to jail.

13 posted on 12/09/2014 5:53:40 PM PST by raybbr (Obamacare needs a death panel.)
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To: DoughtyOne
I’m curious what you expect the police to do when they get a person with a gun call in an area like that? Should they perhaps pull up thirty yards away? Should they allow the person to take a hostage? Should they perhaps let them get a few rounds off before they get serious?

With an argument like that, I'm curious why you hate cops so much that you would send them to investigate potentially dangerous situations at all? Why shouldn't we just use Predator drones and missiles to be sure? What if someone does something dangerous? Would you want that on your head when the whole issue - whatever it is, doesn't matter - could easily be reduced to a fine red mist from the comfort and safety of a computer terminal in the basement of the police station?

14 posted on 12/09/2014 5:53:56 PM PST by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: Ouderkirk

Thank you. That is the point.


15 posted on 12/09/2014 5:55:35 PM PST by Nifster
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To: DariusBane

The police were called because this kid was waving what looked like a weapon at a playground.

The officers pull up to confront the kid and he pulls the gun from the waistband (from what folks are saying).

What part of this are you having a heard time grasping?

The kid pulls what appears to be a weapon, and the officers open fire. Who knew pulling what looked like a weapon would result in a deadly situation?

You didn’t right? Is that about it?


16 posted on 12/09/2014 6:02:40 PM PST by DoughtyOne (GOP. GOPe. GOPeGads! GOPeWWWWWWWWWWWWW...)
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To: Talisker

When you have an adult point to make, I’ll respond to it.


17 posted on 12/09/2014 6:03:38 PM PST by DoughtyOne (GOP. GOPe. GOPeGads! GOPeWWWWWWWWWWWWW...)
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To: DoughtyOne
Should they perhaps let them get a few rounds off before they get serious?

Yes. Cops should not open fire because the situation is ambiguous. They should return fire when it becomes obvious they need to.

I, as a civilian, am not allowed to shoot somebody because I think he might be a danger. Cops should be held to a higher, not lower, standard. They volunteered to be in a job where they are supposed to put the protection of innocent life above their own.

Don't like that requirement? Don't become a cop.

18 posted on 12/09/2014 6:04:27 PM PST by Sherman Logan
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To: Rabin

What perfect timing for Zero’s Citizen Security Force.


19 posted on 12/09/2014 6:11:49 PM PST by Sasparilla
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To: DariusBane
read post 6 and take a breath....lol...you have the “vapors”
20 posted on 12/09/2014 6:12:42 PM PST by M-cubed
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