# Kelly Thomas died 5 days later



## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Here's what the cops did to him










Now watch the video


----------



## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

this is becoming much too common!


----------



## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

No video appears? But bloody hell, thats not a pretty picture.


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

Don't get me started on cops, I've nothing even remotely calm to say about them. Nothing more than armed tax collectors with authority complex'. I'm stopping here...they sicken me to no end. I wish I could be above the law when it suited me. Poor guy. I don't know what the story is, but no way could that be justified.


----------



## Lacumo (Aug 18, 2013)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Kelly_Thomas This isn't really news any more---it happened 2 1/2 years ago.

It is however reflective of the so-called "law enforcement" attitude that's still all too common in the US. We have far too many facist pig mentalities in the so-called "law enforcement" and so-called "corrections" areas who think they can--AND DO--get away with doing whatever they want to do, which frequently includes beating people for little or no valid reason and sometimes to the point of serious injury or death. Anybody who thinks the US isn't a police state is sadly uninformed and unaware. This incident and the subsequent legal treatment of the involved cops speaks for itself.

This kind of thing is thankfully a lot less common these days than it was in past decades, but the fact that it still happens at all illustrates that our so-called "law enforcement" and "corrections" systems are fatally flawed.


----------



## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

Positively sick.

I don't like to see any type of abuse but it is worth keeping in mind some don't represent the whole group.

Of course there are places where the corruption of the individuals and or the organization have varying degrees.


----------



## GoodShot (Dec 28, 2012)

In my area Cops are known as criminals with badges 
But not all are bad I guess 
Who am I kidding yes they are


----------



## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

That was brutal ... ouch.


----------



## GoodShot (Dec 28, 2012)

I wonder how they recruit these guys 
Do they look for certain type of personality?
Don't all the test they get weed out the good from the bad?


----------



## One Shot-Corey (Nov 17, 2012)

i have nothing nice to say about any cops be it in the u.s or australia were im from there nothing but thugs and criminals


----------



## TSM (Oct 8, 2013)

GoodShot said:


> I wonder how they recruit these guys
> Do they look for certain type of personality?
> Don't all the test they get weed out the good from the bad?


Yes, in fact, they do. But they keep the bad. I actually know a few people (guys I went to college with, anyway) that attempted to become police officers and were rejected because they scored too high on the test. Too smart to be cops?! Does that make any sense?!


----------



## TSM (Oct 8, 2013)

Raise up your pitchforks and torches, brothers and sisters. It's time for a revolution!


----------



## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

TSM said:


> Raise up your pitchforks and torches, brothers and sisters. It's time for a revolution!


with you there....I'm ready!! (preferably when this stinking flu/cold is over though!)


----------



## TSM (Oct 8, 2013)

ruthiexxxx said:


> TSM said:
> 
> 
> > Raise up your pitchforks and torches, brothers and sisters. It's time for a revolution!
> ...


get well soon...then raise up pitchforks, torches, and what-not.


----------



## Jaximus (Jun 1, 2013)

Yes, clearly these two men represent the entirety of the more than 1,000,000 law enforcement personnel in the US. Don't be ridiculous.

Let me tell you something, everyday these people risk their lives to uphold the law. On an hourly basis they deal with the absolute worst human beings society can produce. They're shot, stabbed, beaten, spit on, infected with HIV and apparently loathed by the citizens they're sworn to protect, all for significantly less than what your average pole dancer makes in a year.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of interactions between law enforcement officers and citizens that take place everyday. How many of those end in beatings? From the attitudes of most of the people here it would seem that all of them do. It takes a lot of balls to sit behind a keyboard and pass judgement on men and women just trying to make it home to their families while engaging in everyday activities that would have most of you pissing your pants. Shame on you all.


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

To stereotype a whole group and profession because of a few?


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Watching that video was down right disturbing.The police were wrong and hopefully justifiably punished.


----------



## Btoon84 (Nov 22, 2011)

Well, I think the relevance for this post is that the main cops involved with this somehow just got the big ole' "Not Guilty" (Jan13th)for the murder charges. Looks like everybody got away with murder on this one...


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

Without citing case law, google it; the police have no, that's right NO constitutional duty to protect the public (well, aside from corporate citizens & politicians), & about the only thing you'll be "served" with is a citation at quota time -deserved or not, as the courts will most likely just dismiss it. It's a numbers game. True, they "have" to deal with the "worst" of humanity, but it sours them to the rest...soon EVERYONE is a criminal. Which is a good mentality for them to have, especially from their master's point of view...they have a VERY hungry prison system to feed! 
Back to this whole "serve" nonsense...when there are protests about anything, where do you see the police? Are they with their beloved "public" demand justice, or are they "protecting" that which remains unjust? Funny, you never see those clubs swinging, or rifles pointed the other way. 
Their whole reason for being is to keep a system in place & a population in check; look at their gear, look at their methods, look at...them; these aren't thinkers doing any thinking, this is a trained lot of a certain personality that can be polished into thinking their there for good no matter what bad they do, & anything to the contrary is criminal. Couple this with a fluidity of laws, ever changing...what was legal Monday gets you 10 years on Wednesday, & this is nothing shy of a police state to be sure.
I can go on & on & on, disproving, wether you want to accept it or not, your notion that these are "good people just trying to do their job", but I won't, as you can't see that THEIR JOB ISN'T GOOD, & if THEY were good, they wouldn't be doing it.


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

Oh, & with regards to my "sitting behind a keyboard"...where are we right now? Is a face to face even remotely feasible? I love it when people get SO mad about something they don't like that they think such an opinion MUST be generated from someone who's just so meaktthey've been just constantly abused their whole lives, & is taking it out on the only venue that's safe for them.

I can't help but see the irony that there was no police around for their entire life to protect them from such abuse, & serve them a reason to have a more positive outlook, but since the entire premise is bullsh¡t 99% of the time it's used, it's a hollow observation of irony, anyways.

But I will admit that in this ONE example, unless the settings were just (LoL, pun) right, I'd probably not say this much to their face, as they're a vengeful lot, armed, & above the law. They would no doubt abstain from limiting their vengeance on my friends & loved ones as well.

Besides, there REALLY isn't any hiding behind a keyboard anyway, right? If it makes you feel any better, I've probably been flagged & put on a list somewhere just for my rants on this site. Someday, your Gestapo buddies are sure to catch up with me, & we'll see how tough I am then, right?


----------



## Jaximus (Jun 1, 2013)

TT, I'm sorry, but that's just gibberish. What does the constitution have to do with anything? What's the motivation of the police to follow these corporate masters when they're ridiculously undermanned and underfunded? Why do we have cops driving around in 20 year old cruisers with 300,000 miles if they're servants of multi-billion dollar corporations? Think for a second about what it is that you're saying.

Also, serious question, how many cops do you know? How much time have you spent around police officers? It would have to be a lot, right? I mean, for you to say that all all those involved in law enforcement are bad people you'd have to have spent some serious quality time with at least a few of them.

I have good friends that are in law enforcement. I've trained with dozens of people in law enforcement. I've gone to barbeques at their houses, weddings, graduations. I can honestly say that I've never met a single one that I would consider a bad person. Then again, maybe I'm just in on the corporate conspiracy. What nonsense.


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

"what does it have to do with the constitution?"

With that, I'm walking away.


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

No, I'm not, because that'd be used against me. "Gibberish" is the 20 yo car w 300k...where is this?! Buffalo, the 3rd poores city in America, has as the oldest car in their fleet a 2011...much to the chagrin of the officers using them, as all that top-of-the-line new gear (license plate scanners, cameras, armor...yes, they cry about their armor) doesn't click perfectly into place.

I know personally 7 police officers; 5 are in my girl's family, 1 I grew up with, & 1 I went to school with. I didn't know her 5 before they were pigs, but the other 2 I did, & they were good people. The key word there is "were"...joining those gangs completely destroyed who they were. What's crazy is that the 5 obviously knew each other, & there's bound to be some familial traits, but the other two never met any of the others, but what's interesting, is that now THEY'RE ALL THE SAME..Robots, cynical, self-righteous (beyond anything I've ever seen elsewhere), & lost all ability to reason.

As far as motivations... A paycheck, right? Don't get me wrong, I (well I'd like to) think that non-police become police with the best of intentions, but then they've "got a job to do". What they're provided with has little to do with what work is expected of them.

Also, I never said anything about a corporate conspiracy; you said that in an attempt to discredit me. What I said was, they, along with politicians, are what they -quite demonstrably- protect, & nothing else, save themselves (remember Dorner? I've family in LA..they saw nothing of police when he was on the loose. Crime rates soared, but the bacon stayed safe in the freezer, shy the occasional bout in unmarked cars. Funny how that never made the news) . Have fun at those weddings & barbeques, & enjoy your status as in the official hero fanclub...bet you could even get out of a ticket if you tried. Just remember that I never said anything about "conspiracies", you did. We have the worlds largest percentage of our population behind bars...1/100 adults, & that's not counting the juvenile justice system. If you don't follow the money, in anything, you're a fool. Take a step back, & as uncomfortable as it may be, look. Really look.


----------



## Jaximus (Jun 1, 2013)

I thought you were walking away, TT? Whatever, I'm done. Agree to disagree. Later.


----------



## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

Fortunately there is a trend now to equip police officers with helmet cameras and microphones which record their actions.

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" has been answered to some extent at least !

It is not a good idea to overgeneralise about 'fine body of men' etc. Some will be. Some won't !


----------



## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

im with jaximus. ive been around and dealt with law enforcement, have family thats in law enforcement. just as with any occupation consensus, i dont let a rogue cop or two determine my outlook on all law enforcement as being rogue. the officer in the video was in the wrong, his whole attitude was wrong. whatever stress was bothering the officer, i feel the officer took it all out on kelly thomas . the officers in the case were not professional, dont let others like him make you prejudge all law enforcement cause of it. in all fairness, most of how a cop will react to you is determined as to how you interact with them, behave like an a-hole to them, they will be an a-hole to you- same as interacting with any other person, be it a store employee or a stranger in a park .


----------



## projector101 (Aug 19, 2013)

To everyone saying cops are all bad and thugs with badges, I know some cops and they're great people.Also, your life would be a whole lot worse if cops werent there.


----------



## TSM (Oct 8, 2013)

Imperial said:


> im with jaximus. ive been around and dealt with law enforcement, have family thats in law enforcement. just as with any occupation consensus, i dont let a rogue cop or two determine my outlook on all law enforcement as being rogue. the officer in the video was in the wrong, his whole attitude was wrong. whatever stress was bothering the officer, i feel the officer took it all out on kelly thomas . the officers in the case were not professional, dont let others like him make you prejudge all law enforcement cause of it. in all fairness, most of how a cop will react to you is determined as to how you interact with them, behave like an a-hole to them, they will be an a-hole to you- same as interacting with any other person, be it a store employee or a stranger in a park .


Honestly, I have to agree with you and Jaximus. Just because you're in law enforcement doesn't make you a bad person. I know that there are good people doing a tough job out there dealing with some of the worst people imaginable. However, as with all things, the good pay for the bad and it's the most negative story that makes headlines. When almost all you hear about a certain group of people is bad news, then it's understandable that people will associate that group with what they know, or think they know, about them. What I said about pitchforks, torches, and revolutions was partly tongue-in-cheek, but at the same time I do feel changes need to be made.


----------



## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

I agree that the police are out of control in this country. But let us remember .. there are still good officers out there.


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

.


----------



## BrotherDave (Oct 29, 2012)

I still think most cops are good guys doing a tough job. But I also believe they are increasingly becoming paramilitary forces used to control political dissent, on both the right and the left.

What's troubling is that most Americans aren't aware of the dramatic increase in US incarceration rates caused by the "war on drugs", mandatory sentencing, and for profit prisons:









Or how it compares to the rest of the world:


----------



## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

the fault in that prison graph is that the u.s. doesnt execute a lot of criminals like the other countries do. so they tend to sit around in a jail cell with their cable t.v., 3 meals a day, laundry service every week and 24/7/365 paid room - all courtesy of the american tax payer.


----------



## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=647070538673134I found this young woman's plea to the consciences of law enforcers very moving. And, of course, it applies to the police of any country.
Yes, there will always be those who will keep their noses deeply implanted in the nether regions of any authority figure...just as in Nazi Germany when Hitler rose to power.

We can only hope that some will say "NO!"...just like some of the brave riot policemen in Spain who took off their helmets to stand in solidarity with the demonstrating miners.


----------



## BrotherDave (Oct 29, 2012)

Imperial said:


> the fault in that prison graph is that the u.s. doesnt execute a lot of criminals like the other countries do. so they tend to sit around in a jail cell with their cable t.v., 3 meals a day, laundry service every week and 24/7/365 paid room - all courtesy of the american tax payer.


Yeah, we should strive to be more like the other death penalty countries (pictured in red).


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

Imperial said:


> the fault in that prison graph is that the u.s. doesnt execute a lot of criminals like the other countries do. so they tend to sit around in a jail cell with their cable t.v., 3 meals a day, laundry service every week and 24/7/365 paid room - all courtesy of the american tax payer.


...spoken like someone who's never witnessed, first hand, the horrors that occur on a daily basis behind bars (in the US, anyway). Granted, criminals deserve discipline, but there's two possible outcomes:
- A) These offenders are going to be released even more hardened, bitter, & fearless (& now with even MORE connections!) into a society in which they're now even further removed, or,
-2) they spend the rest of their lives in absolutely deplorable conditions, even if truly remorseful.

And that's assuming those behind bars are there justly (check out Project Innocents for some eye-opening facts & statistics); in this country, we have a bad habit of throwing the boon at some very low-level offenders. Again, this is another place where one must follow the money! It's no coincidence that those areas with the highest incarceration rates & stiffest legal penalties are also home to industrial, privately owned prisons. I'm looking at you in particular, commifornia, but you're FAR from alone..just a glowing example.


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

"The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons." 
--Dostoyevsky


----------



## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

TT im under the impression that you hate,distrust or have some sort of paranoia of anyone or anything that has a bigger bank account than you. im also under the impression that you might of had a very negative experience with law enforcement. ive been pulled over, searched, questioned, cuffed by police- but i dont hold it as a grudge against the entire police force, i only hold the grudge against the officer himself.


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

The bank accounts of others don't bother me; I do much better than the average, myself....what I DO have a problem with, is how the citizenry is nothing more than livestock, to be milked in any way shape & form. One aspect, which is worse than the rest, in my opinion, is the for profit prison system in place that has better than a full percent of our population in cages. Now there are lots of reasons for this, but the direct, affecting link between those (in any form; persons, corporate persons, government, etc) who reap financial/political/personal reward for this are...the police. Down to the individual cop, they may or may not be "good people", but the fact of the matter is they enforce laws that are written by those who are bought & sold by those who collect said profits. BrotherDave's charts aren't bullsh¡t, they're accurate & oft cited. What do YOU glean from them? You really want to see scary, check out the fbi's crime statistics, & then juxtapose that with the justice dept's info on probation & incarceration rates. What's nice about the both of them is that you can narrow the search down to race/economic status of the perpetrators & victim as a whole, & pinpoint specific case examples, if you're so inclined.
Now, if faced with an onslaught of hard evidence that the work I have chosen to do is really, in a nutshell, destroying or adversely effecting the lives of MILLIONS in my native land, would I be a "good person" by carrying on in that field? Only if I'm trained to believe so. It's akin to picking up a piece of litter on a walk (DWI, etc) & feeling happy & accomplished that I've done a good deed, & am on "the right side" of things, despite the fact that when I get home, I dump the week's rubbish in the river (ie; working to maintain the status quo).

That's without getting into the paramilitary aspects of civilian law enforcement now. Just out of curiosity...after the Boston Marathon bombing, what was your take on the police response? Mandatory door-to-door searches, curfews, restricted movements requiring documentation...for a 19 year old. Yes, "terrorist", but c'mon now...THAT'S where this is going, THAT'S what it's come to, THAT takes a certain kind of person to participate in, paycheck be [email protected], THAT'S who (more specifically what) I hate.


----------



## ghost0311/8541 (Jan 6, 2013)

I work a 80 inmate work crew every day lunch every day one bologna sandwich green meat one peanut butter sandwich no jelly and a cookie every day if they have 5 years every day you eat this not sticking up for inmates but some good people are in prison there are the ones that should be there too I see both sides.


----------



## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

I am tempted to believe Dan posts subjects like these for entertainment; waiting and watching who takes the bait and read the ensuing controversy (ies).


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

Rayshot said:


> I am tempted to believe Dan posts subjects like these for entertainment; waiting and watching who takes the bait and read the ensuing controversy (ies).


Oh, for sure...

"gr8 b8 m8, 8/8"

....but sometimes it's soo tasty that you don't mind the sting of the hook.


----------



## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Rayshot said:


> I am tempted to believe Dan posts subjects like these for entertainment; waiting and watching who takes the bait and read the ensuing controversy (ies).


No flies on you are there Ray


----------



## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

Hrawk said:


> Rayshot said:
> 
> 
> > I am tempted to believe Dan posts subjects like these for entertainment; waiting and watching who takes the bait and read the ensuing controversy (ies).
> ...


There was a running to battle, wasn't there. :battle: What kind of firestorm would there have been if someone used this emoticon &#8230; :angrymod: ?


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

LoL...is there a black bloc emoticon, too? LoLoL


----------



## JohnKrakatoa (Nov 28, 2013)

People get carried away so easily... we are beasts...the most vicious of them all. Sometimes I laugh when I hear the word humanly ...


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

...there was no being carried away on my end, friend; I showed great restraint, as I could very easily lose it on this particular topic.


----------



## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

Tentacle Toast said:


> ... as I could very easily lose it on this particular topic.


i recognized it, thats why i stopped .


----------



## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

Oh how the world needs this woman!!! (and not the conformist arselicks who perpetuate this nightmare society!)


----------

