Cops Who Beat Citizens
The word "citizen" used to mean more than it does today. "Citizen" invokes so much imagery when you stop and think about it. To be a citizen carries responsibility: to vote, to pay taxes, to generally do the right thing. By the same token, being a citizen carries pride: of belonging to a great country, having all the protections afforded under a democratic republic. Things like respect and honor come to mind.
In a democratic republic, citizens are to presumed innocent until proven guilty of a crime. This has become a "whatever" kind of comment, given the evil nature of people who can create some truly ugly ways to harm their fellow humans, and our thirst to see justice dispensed with so said evil pays the price, and rightsbedamned. I'm someone who can follow along with that at times, too.
Police in our country are given a high place of consideration, and with just cause. Someone who will harm a police officer will do anything to anyone. I agree with that stance, and agree that crimes committed against officers are deserving of stiff penalties. However, the reverse should apply to police officers. Since they are given that consideration, then when they commit a crime, especially one of violence against a "citizen", they should face a stiffer penalty than if some schmo committed that crime. Law enforcement can't have it both ways. You either are held to a higher standard because of your higher standing, or you're not.
Friday night, Bill Maher had on the Chief of Police of Atlanta. He was discussing the recent video release of the 63 year old man being beaten bloody by New Orleans police officers. Earlier in the evening, Aaron Brown's Newsnight on CNN had the lawyer defending the police officers; the guy was just pulling comments out of his ass, saying things like, "that wasn't a kick, that officer was just putting his foot down." On the guy's head, maybe, but from my couch, it looked like a kick.
Regardless, officers who are caught on tape (think about what isn't caught on tape) beating a "citizen" to a pulp deserve to be removed from duty and charged with a felony (the guys in New Orleans have been charged with misdemeanors) and prosecuted. If they are innocent, reinstate them. If they are guilty, they should never, ever be allowed to carry a badge, not even for dog catcher. They should feel the stiffer penalties of the law, if they want the law to hold them uip higher than the rest of us "citizens."
In a democratic republic, citizens are to presumed innocent until proven guilty of a crime. This has become a "whatever" kind of comment, given the evil nature of people who can create some truly ugly ways to harm their fellow humans, and our thirst to see justice dispensed with so said evil pays the price, and rightsbedamned. I'm someone who can follow along with that at times, too.
Police in our country are given a high place of consideration, and with just cause. Someone who will harm a police officer will do anything to anyone. I agree with that stance, and agree that crimes committed against officers are deserving of stiff penalties. However, the reverse should apply to police officers. Since they are given that consideration, then when they commit a crime, especially one of violence against a "citizen", they should face a stiffer penalty than if some schmo committed that crime. Law enforcement can't have it both ways. You either are held to a higher standard because of your higher standing, or you're not.
Friday night, Bill Maher had on the Chief of Police of Atlanta. He was discussing the recent video release of the 63 year old man being beaten bloody by New Orleans police officers. Earlier in the evening, Aaron Brown's Newsnight on CNN had the lawyer defending the police officers; the guy was just pulling comments out of his ass, saying things like, "that wasn't a kick, that officer was just putting his foot down." On the guy's head, maybe, but from my couch, it looked like a kick.
Regardless, officers who are caught on tape (think about what isn't caught on tape) beating a "citizen" to a pulp deserve to be removed from duty and charged with a felony (the guys in New Orleans have been charged with misdemeanors) and prosecuted. If they are innocent, reinstate them. If they are guilty, they should never, ever be allowed to carry a badge, not even for dog catcher. They should feel the stiffer penalties of the law, if they want the law to hold them uip higher than the rest of us "citizens."
posted by NewsClues at Saturday, October 15, 2005
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