This is an example why people don't trust police in some cases and any justice for them

[Craig234]

Any decent person is outraged by this, and recognizes it as a needless and wrong act of violence by the police. An 'arbiter' was the process for justice, and he failed, saying the police 'had no choice'. They obviously did. This is an outrage and injustice IMO showing a need for reform on accountability and training.

Buffalo Cops Who Shoved 75-Year-Old Peace Activist to Ground Cleared of Wrongdoing

The arbitrator asserted that Martin Gugino was "definitely not an innocent bystander."

www.commondreams.org

 

[Emily L]

Even if the cop didn't do anything legally wrong, I think he was a jerk. He could have been a lot more gentle in moving the man out of the way, and he especially should have stopped long enough to check the man's condition after the fall. At least, that's what I think about it.

 

[Razoo]

Non violent protests are legal and patriotic. Any law enforcement officer(s) should be terminated for this action. Their action makes the taxpayers liable. In effect could be a reason for insurance coverage premium
to be increased = tax increase.

75-year-old Martin Gugino was not being aggressive toward law enforcement.

A lawsuit is still on the table. Law enforcement exhibited reckless behavior.

 

[Napoleon]

Any decent person is outraged by this, and recognizes it as a needless and wrong act of violence by the police. An 'arbiter' was the process for justice, and he failed, saying the police 'had no choice'. They obviously did. This is an outrage and injustice IMO showing a need for reform on accountability and training.

Buffalo Cops Who Shoved 75-Year-Old Peace Activist to Ground Cleared of Wrongdoing

The arbitrator asserted that Martin Gugino was "definitely not an innocent bystander."

www.commondreams.org

Arbitration was the only avenue left after a grand jury refused to indict them.

 

[Craig234]

Even if the cop didn't do anything legally wrong, I think he was a jerk. He could have been a lot more gentle in moving the man out of the way, and he especially should have stopped long enough to check the man's condition after the fall. At least, that's what I think about it.

I think he was a jerk, but more than that. Acting as an official, I think he was guilty of not doing his job legally, of unnecessarily taking a violent action that nearly killed a peaceful person, showing reckless disregard. You see one officer prevent another from stopping to help him as well. I find this not only immoral but criminal, and that the process for justice was inadequate if not corrupt.

 

[NatMorton]

Tough call, but ultimately just looking at the video the police are in the wrong there.

Gugino created the situation by approaching the advancing line of police and disobeying a lawful police order to back off. One can debate whether he was given enough time to obey that order, but no one in their right mind walks toward a phalanx of policemen in riot gear with any other intent but to impede them. Gugino had to know he was disobeying a police order as he approached.

That said, there is just no way Gugino presented a physical threat to a cop wearing battle gear, and police are obligated to use the minimum force necessary. Shoving an old man to the pavement was not the answer. Grabbing him and forcibly moving him backward would have been, and a well trained cop should have done something akin to that.

IMO, this was professional negligence.

 

[CLAX1911]

Any decent person is outraged by this, and recognizes it as a needless and wrong act of violence by the police. An 'arbiter' was the process for justice, and he failed, saying the police 'had no choice'. They obviously did. This is an outrage and injustice IMO showing a need for reform on accountability and training.

Buffalo Cops Who Shoved 75-Year-Old Peace Activist to Ground Cleared of Wrongdoing

The arbitrator asserted that Martin Gugino was "definitely not an innocent bystander."

www.commondreams.org

The police should be cleared of any wrongdoing they were probably following procedure. It's not their fault that procedure is incompetent they don't write it. It's the idiot politicians that are in charge of that create this problem.

They should be cleared of any wrongdoing charges should be pressed on the people that ordered this sweep and the people that trained them to react to that way.

You can see one officer in the video attempts to render aid and then the police officer next to him probably a higher ranking officer stops him from doing that that is policy.

 

[NatMorton]

It's also worth noting that holding this example up as a reason why "people don't trust the police" is intellectually no different than citing urban crime stats and holding them up as a reason why "people don't trust blacks."

Prejudice is prejudice.

 

[Craig234]

Here's another story. Have 99 pills? get charged with possession to sale. Police officer steal the same 99 pills to resell them? Charged with lesser crime with half the penalty.

Weatherford detective accused of stealing 99 Fentanyl pills faces lesser charges than man originally arrested with the pills

The man originally arrested with the pills faced drug trafficking charges while the officer faces larceny instead

www.koco.com

 

[Loulit01]

I distinctly remember watching the incident when it first hit the news. There was widespread outrage. But...

This occurred on June 4, 2020. It's now April 25, 2022. The incident is forgotten by most. The result of the officer's trial won't get nearly the same coverage the incident did.

I put it to you that a legal justice system that takes close to two years to get an incident caught on tape to trial is broken. These delaying tactics are a huge part of the problem.

 

[The Mark]

Any decent person is outraged by this, and recognizes it as a needless and wrong act of violence by the police. An 'arbiter' was the process for justice, and he failed, saying the police 'had no choice'. They obviously did. This is an outrage and injustice IMO showing a need for reform on accountability and training.

Buffalo Cops Who Shoved 75-Year-Old Peace Activist to Ground Cleared of Wrongdoing

The arbitrator asserted that Martin Gugino was "definitely not an innocent bystander."

www.commondreams.org

I personally think we need to end the practice of police operating under a different standard of behavior simply because they're police.
I don't know why we ever thought that was a good idea.