Oakland PD Takes Out Another Vet

[Gravekeeper]

I don't even know what to say anymore:

Second Iraq War Vet Injured By Police

Lacerated his spleen then let him suffer on the floor of a cell for 18 hours before calling an ambulance. What the fuck country is this?

Video

[Rapscallion]

That's only one side to the story, but quite frankly those police are getting like Hitler - if you told the average person that Hitler went seal clubbing on the weekends during WW2, then many people would believe it because of all the other shit he did. In short, I wouldn't be surprised to find this to be an accurate report.

Rapscallion

[Greenday]

It interests me how because these guys are vets, when the police uses force against them. it's a gazillion times worse all of a sudden. I respect their former jobs. Hell, they are one of the main reasons I'm out here. But being a vet doesn't give them special protest status as everyone seems to be giving them.

Maybe I should pull that "Where's the proof?" argument. After all, how do we KNOW the police really were the ones who did it? Could easily be a setup.

I wonder what the whole story is.

[SkullKing]

I think it may have to do with many people associating both LEOs and soldiers as "forces of order", and it is strange to them seeing one injuring the other.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I'll state for the record that due to the general behavior of the cops here where I live, when I see one, I get nervous.

I'm not seeing someone who makes me feel safe. I'm seeing a potential threat.

The only real difference between the average local cop and the average local thug is that:

1. I know the cop is armed.
2. I know if the cop decides to target me for bullying, I will have no recourse.

Do I think all cops are like this? No, I don't. Just like I don't think all stray dogs are rabid.

That I feel like this, and that I feel like I have REASON to feel like this makes me very, very sad. I wish I didn't. And I wish there wasn't. But I guess it is what it is.

[Rageaholic]

And they denied him medical treatment for 18 hours.

Some of these cops are out of control. I'm not gonna blame all of them because frankly, it sounds like some of the protesters were just as violent, but stuff like this is why so many people hate cops.

Fucking pigs.

[Gravekeeper]

Being a vet draws more attention too it because A) This is a guy that has served his country, likely in a more dangerous capacity then the people beating the crap out of him and B) It runs directly against the right wing narrative of "They're all just damn hippies!".

As for sides of the story, in the few minutes the news camera wasn't on him I highly doubt a war vet / local business owner went from peaceful to anything that would merit a beat down of that level. He's not moving at all, let alone resisting arrest, despite the massive dog pile on top of him. He's got 3 cops on him, 2 of which are using their entire bodyweight with their knees to force him flat against the pavement.

Even if he did manage to do something, there is zero excuse to deny medical treatment.

[Canarr]

Well, prove shouldn't be difficult in this case, should it? The police would have arrest logs, right? So, just check time of arrest vs. time of arrival at the hospital, and the facts should be clear.

I'm sure there is more than one Veterans' support group that would be interested in the case. And if someone wanted to bring charges against the PD for that, the arrest records should be made available to them, correct?

As to the question of a setup: what is more believable? That a police force that has already proven its willingness to use force in excess of their own regulations and policies did exactly that, one more time? Or that a man had a third party injure himself in the abdominal area, then get himself locked up for a longer period of time, just to stick it to the cops?

Also, I think Panacea mentioned in another thread that prison and jail actually aren't allowed to take in arrestees that appear injured or sick without prior clearance from an emergency room; does that apply to Oakland, too? If so, did they get him cleared by an ER? Or did they violate another policy?

[Gravekeeper]

Also, I think Panacea mentioned in another thread that prison and jail actually aren't allowed to take in arrestees that appear injured or sick without prior clearance from an emergency room; does that apply to Oakland, too? If so, did they get him cleared by an ER? Or did they violate another policy?

Apparently after several hours in a misery ball in his cell, the police let a nurse check him all she did was offer him a suppository ( ..... ) and leave. Then they called an ambulance several hours after that when I guess they started realising oh shit this might look bad ;p

[MadMike]

Maybe I should pull that "Where's the proof?" argument. After all, how do we KNOW the police really were the ones who did it? Could easily be a setup.

If this was an isolated incident, I would probably agree with you. But there seem to be a lot of stories lately about out of control, brutal cops.

[Gravekeeper]

If this was an isolated incident, I would probably agree with you. But there seem to be a lot of stories lately about out of control, brutal cops.

Yeah, not like this one is just a singular fluke. Also I don't think anyone is interested in emergency surgery for a set up ;p

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I don't think there's more of it. I just think we know more about it now because everyone's got a camera phone and when it happens, it's gone viral on the internet literally within minutes.

It's not that cops are worse, it's just now we know more about what's going on.

[Greenday]

If this was an isolated incident, I would probably agree with you. But there seem to be a lot of stories lately about out of control, brutal cops.

Unless it's the same cop every time, there's no proof of it being a habitual issue usable as proof.

[Canarr]

Multiple incidents of police brutality or abuse within the same area are indicative of a larger scale problem. If the PD of a city like, say, Oakland repeatedly violates their own policies - and the law, not to forget - then there is something structurally wrong within said department. Something in the environment is allowing such behavior to fester and grow.

There's a saying in Germany; don't know if the English language has an equivalent: Der Fisch stinkt immer zuerst am Kopf - loosely translated, the fish will always start stinking at the head.

[Andara Bledin]

Unless it's the same cop every time, there's no proof of it being a habitual issue usable as proof.

If it's the same cop every time, he should not have had the opportunity to continue. Following this fantastic scenario of a lone operator, that he is allowed to continue and his actions condoned, that is still a symptom of a diseased system.

^-.-^