Police arrrest man who posted video of Alton Sterling's death

[JANFU]

Donna Watts is a perfect example to bring up here.

She should've got a bigger settlement. It's estimated over 250 cops from jurisdictions all over the county broke the law here (plus the original scofflaw cop).

To think she had to move for doing the people's work.

Who is she??

 

[JasperL]

Who is she??

I looked it up - she's a state trooper I think who arrested a local cop for speeding - doing over 100 for no reason other than he was late to his second job, ignored her sirens, etc. And a couple hundred police then proceeded to harass her, threaten her, stalking, etc. until she was forced to move, etc. at which point she sued.

http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/florida-trooper-arrested-a-cop/

 

[JANFU]

I looked it up - she's a state trooper I think who arrested a local cop for speeding - doing over 100 for no reason other than he was late to his second job, ignored her sirens, etc. And a couple hundred police then proceeded to harass her, threaten her, stalking, etc. until she was forced to move, etc. at which point she sued.

Florida trooper arrested a cop, then was stalked & harassed by the Thin Blue Line - Police State USA

Now I remember- she was screwed over royally by the thin Blue Line.

 

[Chomsky]

Cops will not go house to house looking for a guy with built up minor violations. They know that he will get pulled over soon enough.

That's exactly the point I'm making.

They went after this guy.

Few cops (around here) go chasing parking or traffic-fine scofflaws, unless they get a push from above.

 

[Beaudreaux]

As I stated above, the issue I see here is selective enforcement.

The guy goes years without pursuit or enforcement, he posts a video (possibly) against a cop's actions, and bam they're coming after him. This is the problem I see, and it may constrain other citizens with blemishes or worse from coming forward.

And remember, these infractions & warrants involved were (apparently) non-criminal traffic enforcement - not criminality (not that the level of warrant should matter for the thrust of my point). For all we know, he didn't have the money to pay his fines.

You're not seeing my point. He ran around under the radar for two years. We can't assume that the police didn't look for him during those two years. He brought his name and location to the attention of the police. It would have been no different had he been driving a car, and pulled over for a traffic stop, and then arrested for the outstanding warrants.

I refer you back to shat I said in my first post in this thread:

Looks like he actually did have outstanding warrants. He paid his fines, and was released.

Here's some advice for the future: If you have outstanding warrants for traffic tickets and driving with a revoked license, and you've been able to evade arrest so far, don't go on social media with a high profile video from a high profile event, and expect to continue to evade arrest. Warrants for your arrest will not lose their memory and forget about what you did when you broke the law way back when.

So - no conspiracy.

 

[Chomsky]

Who is she??

Hollywood settles suit with FHP trooper who said she was harassed - Sun Sentinel

 

[notquiteright]

So far, no one else is reporting this story, besides 2 very biased websites.
Let's wait until the facts come out.

I say that every time someone posts a story from brietbart or one of the copy cat right wingnut websites. Their retort is something along the line of the 'lamestream' media refuses to cover such things... :doh

And quite often the facts later prove to be quite a bit different than the breitbart article... eace

 

[Fearandloathing]

Police Arrest Man Who Posted Video of Alton Sterling's Death

The man who was instrumental to making the first released recording of the Alton Sterling shooting go viral was arrested less than 24 hours later on charges of “assault and battery,” a move that he says was an act of police retaliation

What about his First Amendment rights?

“It was just over some traffic tickets from a couple of years ago,” LeDay said. “They said my license was suspended.”

LeDay wound up being forced to spend 26 hours in a jail cell, only being released after paying $1,231 in traffic fines. He admitted to not paying the tickets and allowing his license to be suspended, because he did not have the money at the time and no longer drives.

Jail time for unpaid tickets?

Tell me again the US isn't a police state.

 

[truthatallcost]

I say that every time someone posts a story from brietbart or one of the copy cat right wingnut websites. Their retort is something along the line of the 'lamestream' media refuses to cover such things... :doh

And quite often the facts later prove to be quite a bit different than the breitbart article... eace

I usually only post stories from news sources that liberals can't immediately dismiss as being right-wing Amerikkka yada yada blah blah.

I usually use the NYT, AP, Washington Post, etc.

 

[tres borrachos]

This is nothing to do with 1A rights! :doh

The guy had outstanding warrants, for Crissakes!

No, but whether through systematic or personal response, the message is clear: Post a video of a cop, and if you have any blemishes or issues in your past they will be immediately brought forward.

The key point is:

"Would any other non-descript individual have been pursued in the same manner?"

If not, then this is selective law enforcement for law enforcement's personal motivations. And given that the tickets were not pursued earlier over the years, that would seem to be the case here.

Um, the message is clear. If you have outstanding warrants, don't do anything to bring attention to yourself.

The cops don't spend days running down people with outstanding warrants for parking and driving tickets. There aren't enough hours in the day to do it. They hope to catch those people the next time they commit a malfeasance. Did you seriously not already realize this? Have you ever read a police blotter and see how many people are arrested/pulled over for "x" violation or were even sitting in a car driven by someone else who had done something wrong and were ultimately arrested because of a bench warrant?

Like Beau said, there is no message, no conspiracy, no coincidence here. He wanted everyone to know who he was when he posted that video. He made himself available and he invited this.

 

[gdgyva]

Jail time for unpaid tickets?

Tell me again the US isn't a police state.

so a person who speeds all the time, and gets ticket after ticket....

what pray tell then is your message to them?

"no worries dude....keep right on speeding"

"maybe one fine day, you'll actually kill someone and then we can throw you in jail?"

tickets and fines are punitive....dont do the crime if you cant pay the fine

and if they cant pay, i have zero issue sending people with multiple infractions to jail for short stints

 

[Chomsky]

You're not seeing my point. He ran around under the radar for two years. We can't assume that the police didn't look for him during those two years. He brought his name and location to the attention of the police. It would have been no different had he been driving a car, and pulled over for a traffic stop, and then arrested for the outstanding warrants.

I refer you back to shat I said in my first post in this thread:

No, we don't know your assertions either-way (they may have been looking for him). And he didn't get stopped in the commission of an infraction and summarily run for warrants.

But the result is the same: No enforcement took place until he went against the police.

And let me ask you this one:

Do you think they said to themselves:

"Hey, that's the guy that didn't pay his ticket 5 years ago"?

Do you think they knew that? Likely not! They dug into him, when he came forward. I'd bet every dollar I got, and all of yours too!

And let me ask you one more: "Do you think if you or I post some non-police related facebook videos, they research us?" Of course not! You, I, and others may post non-police video all the time - but never become interests of the police.

So what is the variable that made this guy's video different than ours? And why did it get their interest?

Obviously, because it was video of one of theirs.

Once again, selective enforcement/selective investigation.

That's the problem here.

 

[JasperL]

You're not seeing my point. He ran around under the radar for two years. We can't assume that the police didn't look for him during those two years. He brought his name and location to the attention of the police. It would have been no different had he been driving a car, and pulled over for a traffic stop, and then arrested for the outstanding warrants.

I refer you back to shat I said in my first post in this thread:

Sure we can assume they didn't look for him for those years. He worked a job on the record - unless they are incompetent idiots, finding a person with a job takes, what, a minute for police with access to those records?

And driving and getting pulled over is fundamentally different. Either he was engaged in a violation of some sort, or it was a random stop. Either way they didn't target him AT WORK, and have the military police take him into custody, and if we believe the account, tell everyone who could listen AT work that the charge was assault.

Come on - we aren't that gullible here. I don't even mind him getting called to account for his fines - he should have paid them, not paying them is stupid and him getting caught is his own damn fault. But I don't have to be stupid and pretend the topic of his videos and his overall political activism didn't play a big role in the timing and method.

 

[Chomsky]

Um, the message is clear. If you have outstanding warrants, don't do anything to bring attention to yourself.

The cops don't spend days running down people with outstanding warrants for parking and driving tickets. There aren't enough hours in the day to do it. They hope to catch those people the next time they commit a malfeasance. Did you seriously not already realize this? Have you ever read a police blotter and see how many people are arrested/pulled over for "x" violation or were even sitting in a car driven by someone else who had done something wrong and were ultimately arrested because of a bench warrant?

Like Beau said, there is no message, no conspiracy, no coincidence here. He wanted everyone to know who he was when he posted that video. He made himself available and he invited this.

Why did they run him, Tres?

Do they run everyone posting Facebook videos? Do you think they're running you every time you post a video?

What makes his video different than mine or yours?

See my point?

 

[Gaius46]

It's more likely that they found him when he posted the video and it was shown (with his name printed in the corner of the video) on every news cast and every web site that had a story about the police shooting. He did the same as going to the police HQ, jumping up and down, and saying 'Hey look at me!!!'

I don't see a conspiracy or even coincidence. He made himself extremely visible in the public, and that's what got him tagged for his outstanding warrants. The only part the video played, was that he posted it under his real name, and took copyright credit for it, which let the police know where to find him. It had nothing to do with retribution.

Given the timing someone certainly ran his name because of his post. He wouldn't have gotten tagged had he kept his mouth shut. Whether that makes it retaliatory or not is in the eye of beholder. It is certain to make others think twice before posting something that calls cops into question and that is unacceptable.

 

[tres borrachos]

Why did they run him, Tres?

Do they run everyone posting Facebook videos? Do you think they're running you every time you post a video?

What makes his video different than mine or yours?

See my point?

My BIL told me he used to grab turnstile jumpers at the start of his shift. Not because it's a major crime, but because he hoped when he hauled him to the station that the jumper had outstanding warrants.

No, I doubt they "run" me when I post FB videos because I'm posting FB videos of my kids and dogs, not the PD. If I ran a video of a police man on FB, he'd be free to check me out. If I ran a video of my neighbor peeing in the bushes, he should have the right to check me out too. If they want to run me because of the videos of my dogs playing with toys, they should do that if they feel it's necessary, and I really won't care. Unlike this idiot, I don't have anything to hide.

They may have run him because someone recognized the name. Or maybe they ran him because they wanted to know who he was. Or maybe they hoped he wasn't a deranged maniac like the racist bastard who killed 5 of their brethren.

This cop paranoia is so out of hand. No wonder they're in fear of their lives.

No, I don't see your point.

 

[Gaius46]

Jail time for unpaid tickets?

Tell me again the US isn't a police state.

Happens more often that you'd guess. I'm just waiting for them to bring back debtor's prisons. Probably won't be long.

 

[truthatallcost]

Why did they run him, Tres?

Do they run everyone posting Facebook videos? Do you think they're running you every time you post a video?

What makes his video different than mine or yours?

See my point?

The guy who shot the Eric Garner video was arrested soon after that incident too.
Same story, people tried to say it was police retribution.
Never mind that he was leaving a notorious drug house at 2 in the morning which police investigators had been staking out for weeks.

 

[Chomsky]

The guy who shot the Eric Garner video was arrested soon after that incident too.
Same story, people tried to say it was police retribution.
Never mind that he was leaving a notorious drug house at 2 in the morning which police investigators had been staking out for weeks.

No one will deny the police should be bringing law-breakers to justice.

But the problem is: Are the police selectively placing attention on those they feel threaten them (even through just cause)?

I think it would be naive to believe that coming forth with criminal evidence against the police does not subject one to intense scrutiny at the least, and perhaps even worse.

But this does not happen if one does not come forward.

So it seems to me undebatable that this increased scrutiny is not selective on their part.

 

[Chomsky]

My BIL told me he used to grab turnstile jumpers at the start of his shift. Not because it's a major crime, but because he hoped when he hauled him to the station that the jumper had outstanding warrants.

No, I doubt they "run" me when I post FB videos because I'm posting FB videos of my kids and dogs, not the PD. If I ran a video of a police man on FB, he'd be free to check me out. If I ran a video of my neighbor peeing in the bushes, he should have the right to check me out too. If they want to run me because of the videos of my dogs playing with toys, they should do that if they feel it's necessary, and I really won't care. Unlike this idiot, I don't have anything to hide.

They may have run him because someone recognized the name. Or maybe they ran him because they wanted to know who he was. Or maybe they hoped he wasn't a deranged maniac like the racist bastard who killed 5 of their brethren.

This cop paranoia is so out of hand. No wonder they're in fear of their lives.

No, I don't see your point.

Yes, exactly! You don't see that as selective?

That's exactly what happened - He got run because it was a video providing possible evidence against a cop! Do you think he would be run if he provided video of the policemens' benevolent society?

And for reference, your neighbor is a civilian, not a sworn officer - he has no police power and as such is not the subject of selective enforcement. There's nothing he can enforce, nor is he the recipient of the public trust.

 

[tres borrachos]

Yes, exactly! You don't see that as selective?

That's exactly what happened - He got run because it was a video providing possible evidence against a cop! Do you think he would be run if he provided video of the policemens' benevolent society?

And for reference, your neighbor is a civilian, not a sworn officer - he has no police power and as such is not the subject of selective enforcement. There's nothing he can enforce, nor is he the recipient of the public trust.

I'm not sure what's confusing you so much here. The man posted a video that was derogatory towards PD. They checked his background. Why is that so surprising or offensive? If he has paid his tickets, like the rest of us do, this thread wouldn't exist.

I know my neighbor isn't a sworn officer. What does that change? If someone runs a derogatory video on you anywhere, you'd just ignore it? If you're a business owner, and someone writes a nasty letter to the Editor of your local paper about you....you ignore it? If someone writes a hideous Yelp review on you, you just ignore it? If someone says **** about your wife, you just ignore it?

If he provided negative video of the PBA, they would look into that too. Is this the first time you've ever heard of someone looking inside something derogatory being said/promoted about them?

 

[Beaudreaux]

LOL. There is no evidence he wasn't easy to find before the video - if he had a job on the books and he did, then I'm positive any police officer with a desire can find him with a couple of keystrokes.

And it defies belief that a normal person facing some traffic tickets just so happens to be taken into custody AT WORK and given a BS original charge for all those AT WORK watching him get arrested (if what the person claims is true and they told him when being arrested it was for an assault charge).

The police saw his name, ran his record, saw he had outstanding warrants, and arrested him in the way that would do him the most harm - at work by his employer's personnel. We can be adults here and admit it was a bit of cop retribution against someone they didn't care for much. I'll admit it's his own fault for throwing rocks at the police while you have a warrant, but we don't have to pretend that the police weren't engaged in some pretty clear retribution here.

He had outstanding warrants. No one "created" those so they could go after him. He brought this upon himself.

If you feel so sure there was retribution here, then file a civil rights complaint with the US DOJ.

 

[AliHajiSheik]

Yes, exactly! You don't see that as selective?

That's exactly what happened - He got run because it was a video providing possible evidence against a cop! Do you think he would be run if he provided video of the policemens' benevolent society?

And for reference, your neighbor is a civilian, not a sworn officer - he has no police power and as such is not the subject of selective enforcement. There's nothing he can enforce, nor is he the recipient of the public trust.

I'd say that it was selective and I don't see the issue. What is your objection, exactly?

 

[Chomsky]

I'm not sure what's confusing you so much here. The man posted a video that was derogatory towards PD. They checked his background. Why is that so surprising or offensive? If he has paid his tickets, like the rest of us do, this thread wouldn't exist.

Derogatory???

First let's make sure we have the same video.

If it's this one, there's no words spoken besides the crying & shock of the killing.

This video is exactly why the police came after him - it wasn't you or me - it was one of theirs:

I know my neighbor isn't a sworn officer. What does that change? If someone runs a derogatory video on you anywhere, you'd just ignore it? If you're a business owner, and someone writes a nasty letter to the Editor of your local paper about you....you ignore it? If someone writes a hideous Yelp review on you, you just ignore it? If someone says **** about your wife, you just ignore it?

The private citizens can do whatever they lawfully would like, but they can't use police powers or police systems to their ends (for obvious reasons - they're not cops).

But the police sure did here, and that's the issue.

If he provided negative video of the PBA, they would look into that too. Is this the first time you've ever heard of someone looking inside something derogatory being said/promoted about them?

Exactly!

If they're using their powers to investigate and pursue those otherwise exercising their 1A to the police's displeasure, and once again that's selective enforcement/selective investigation.

This is pretty basic stuff.

 

[Chomsky]

I'd say that it was selective and I don't see the issue. What is your objection, exactly?

Selective enforcement is wrong.