Why I Oppose the Police as an Authority.

This is a repost, from another blog. I do know the people in question, or have known them in my past. I do know that what is being said about certain police departments is true, beyond a shadow of a doubt. This is one of many reasons I oppose the police force being used as a social authority, or that police officers should be obeyed beyond all common sense and reason, and why I oppose the system that is used to protect abusive police officers. I do understand that not all officers behave this way, and I applaud the ones who don't allow the power they have to corrupt their humanitarian compassion.

The story:



True Story

Just was wondering what everyone thought of this. It's a true story published on a kids personal page. I was absolutely shocked when I read this and horrified at the response of the court systems. YES, we live in a authoritarian dictatorship.
Gotta love the police state!


TRUE STORY!
Names changed to protect the innocent.
It was Friday night, October 6th in the year 2000. A group of nine teenagers were hanging out at a common meeting place, Howard T. Brown Park, in downtown Norwich, CT USA. They were meeting up with two friends of theirs who drove up from New York City so they could see their friends band, Suiciety, play the El-n-Gee Club in New London on Saturday night.

A police cruiser pulled in to the parking lot. It drove all the way to the end of the parking lot, did a circle then drove back towards the teens, coming to a stop in the no parking zone. More cruisers began pulling into the lot.

The officer in cruiser 1, James Curtis, got out of his car and approached Patrick P., age 18, of Norwich. The officer yelled at the teen, telling him to take his hands out of his jacket pockets. The teen did as he was told when suddenly the officer grabbed him by the arm, put him in a restraining hold, demanded identification, then cuffed him. Mr. P. was quickly whisked away and placed in the back of the cruiser.

Officers Gomes and Dye got out of cruiser 2 and approached Andrew L., age 18, from Bozrah, from behind. He asked the officers what was Mr. P. being detained for. Officer Curtis walked over and punched him directly in the face while Gomes and Dye held him down and hog tied him. The three officers beat and pepper sprayed him, but the teen refused to fight back.

Mike A., age 14, from Norwich, witnessed his friend getting beat by the officers and tried to get them to stop. He was immediately clubbed over the head, handcuffed, then thrown into another cruiser, followed by another shot of pepper spray.

From inside the first cruiser 1, Mr. P. watched in horror as he saw the cops pulverize his friend. Mr. P. kicked out the passenger side window and yelled in vain to the rest of the group to call for help.

April V., age 16, of Norwich ran to the pay phones and dialed 911. She told the dispatcher, "the cops are beating my friends!". The dispatcher told her that if the cops are already there, then there is no problem, and if she called back she would be arrested. The dispatcher then hung up on her.

Mr. L. was dragged through the shards of broken glass and sprayed once again with the pepper spray, this time point blank.

By this time, the parking lot was full with eight cruisers, one SUV, and one van, plus all the cops driving them. Mr. P. was taken from the cruiser 1 and placed into a new one.

When they arrived at the station, Mr. A. was brought to the juvenile area and the other two were brought to regular booking. They were all searched.

The only thing of interest were two crumpled photocopied fliers that both Mr. P. and Mr. A. had in their possession. These fliers were for the October 22nd Protest Against Police Brutality, taking place on the NFA/Chelsea Parade Green.

The officers in the station thought it was quite amusing and quickly photocopied the papers and hung them on the wall.

Mr. A. was released to his mother's possession not long after he was booked.

The other two were locked up. Within 24 hours they were both bailed out.

A few days later in The Norwich Bulletin, there was an article entitled,

'Teens Organize Protest After Arrests'

They article claimed the teens were self-proclaimed anarchists. Another man that had been arrested that night, Christopher C. age 27, was also thrown into the article although he had nothing to do with the incident. The newspaper failed to mention how the police officers beat a couple of local teenagers to a bloody pulp.

The court process went like this:

Mr. L.3 counts of assaulting an officer were thrown out of court, but he was also barred from taking any legal action against the Police. To this day, Mr. L. is still paying for his court costs.

Mr. P. was ordered to pay $2,026.89 for the cruiser window, door, decals, and Officer Curtis' medical bill. Curtis claimed it was from the broken glass from the cruiser window, but it was really for his hand that he hurt from punching Mr. L. in the teeth. Mr. P. also received minimal probation with 144 hours of community service and was ordered to write an apology letter to the Norwich Police Department. The first written letter was rejected by both the police and by probation, and another, more 'sincere' apology was ordered.

Mr. Arsenault got 50 hours community service.

The officers involved are still on the force.

It should be mentioned that at this same time in Norwich history, the NPD were taking topless pictures of three 18 year old girls in an underage drinking sting, and also drank with them while on the clock in their police van.

All of the teens knew each other, having grown up together in the small town of Norwich, CT.

Coincidence?

Related links:
Blind Obedience