I think it's ignorant to argue the reasoning behind the officers decision because all you can actually conclude is why the man was shot. We are looking at these problems trying to use a specific incident to point to a problem when the truth is the problem doesn't lie in the incident itself. And in deciding to take a defiant stance this individual signified to the officers that they would oppose them no matter what.
Obama Offers New Standards on Police Gear in Wake of Ferguson Protests WASHINGTON — President Obama, grappling with how to respond to the racial unrest in Ferguson, Mo., and a wave of anger at law enforcement officials across the country, said Monday that he would tighten standards on the provision of military-style equipment to local police departments and provide funds for police officers to wear cameras. But Mr. Obama stopped short of curtailing the transfer of military-grade gear to local law enforcement authorities and continued to put off a visit to Ferguson. Instead, the White House tried to channel the rage over the fatal police shooting of a black teenager there into a national debate about how to restore trust between the police and the public. Administration officials said they concluded after a review that the vast majority of transfers of military-style equipment strengthened local policing, even after the police in Ferguson were criticized for heavy-handed use of such gear to quell protests last summer. But the officials said local authorities needed common standards in the types of hardware they requested and better training in how to use it. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/02/u...standards-on-police-use-of-military-gear.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Lifesize-Space-Marine-Armor-in-352-Terribly-/step15/Show-Off/ By Gawd - it's time to stop playing around!
I love this! Obama just did the "guns don't kill people, people kill people" argument. There isn't a problem with giving local police departments military grade equipment as along as they're trained not to use it as military grade equipment. I'm sure that will work.
There's no truer statement than "guns don't kill people, people kill people." I'm not even a NRA advocate or pro gun lobbyer.
Cops aren't being forced to be cops. He knew what he was getting into. cops killed in line of duty at 50 year low
No it's not. It's an oversimplification to a complex problem. And for the record I am pro gun. Obama's training solution is complete BS. I can train someone to use to chain saw to cut their fingernails. But that doesn't mean it's the correct and best tool for the job. We have the best trained and equipped military in the world. Should equipment that is designed to be used for kill and destroy objectives be used in local serve and project environments? I say no.
It's a way to identify that the problem is deeper than we assume but is by no way an over simplification. Have you ever seen a gun kill somebody without any human intervention? You can only argue that term if you answer yes to that question. The problem is that we don't understand ourselves well enough to have guns without using them to kill others.
It is getting difficult to back the cops watching this shit go down. I don't think the Cop in Ferguson should be put on trial, but that doesn't make the police procedures correct. Now those Cops in Staten Is are another matter. Damn this sucks to have that Grand jury let those guys off when they did indeed kill a guy for selling cigarettes but they would even bother with a guy peddling pot. Completely excessive force applied way too long. Now the Feds are going to step in and you know Holders is going to nail someone. I hate to see the Feds do it because it is not suppose to work that way. The grand jury in NY and or the Prosecutor failed to preform their rightful function and fuck, here comes Holder and the feds. Damn!!
Being a cop is a relatively safe job, much safer than the jobs all us Average Joes and Janes do everyday. I've worked 2 of the top 10 most dangerous occupations, and I bet most of you have worked at least one. http://www.metrojacksonville.com/ar...t-dangerous-jobs-in-the-us/page/#.VIAqW2eFmkw Funny none of us ever felt the need to choke an immobile obese man to death, or sneak up on a 12 year old playing in the park and blow him away. Go figure.
I have done a few of those myself. The logger, the farmer, the construction work. Not exactly my best roles, but then I don't think I should have been a police officer either, I suspect my temperament is not ideal, perhaps even the wrong character type. Just a gut feel. I have empathy for these guys doing what I don't want to do, but dang it does get out of control too often. There was a case here on the south coast a few years back where an officer in plain cloth with an unmarked police vehicle shot a man dead. The man had rush out of his house while the officer was inspecting the guys car. Apparently he frightened the cop enough to use his weapon. Turns out the officer was at the wrong address, the car nor the guy he shot had squat to do with what ever he was investigating. No charges or wrong doing was the finding in his case. uh bull shit! Nothing racist about it either, so the Holder would have no handle.
