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Police abuse of power is a subject I’ve been passionate about for over a decade. Some people are just now waking up to it, so I'm here to help.
It's time for a (long) thread to explain why police are allowed to kill and abuse civilians with near-impunity in our country:
Police abuse of power is a subject I’ve been passionate about for over a decade. Some people are just now waking up to it, so I'm here to help.
It's time for a (long) thread to explain why police are allowed to kill and abuse civilians with near-impunity in our country:
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We don’t know the actual number of civilians killed by police because it’s not even tracked by the Department of Justice/FBI. They track civilian homicides, and officer homicides, but not when a cop kills one of us.
nbcnews.com/news/us-news/w…
We don’t know the actual number of civilians killed by police because it’s not even tracked by the Department of Justice/FBI. They track civilian homicides, and officer homicides, but not when a cop kills one of us.
nbcnews.com/news/us-news/w…
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Between 2015-2016, the FBI & Bureau of Justice Statistics actually extrapolated what they believed to be a realistic number. They found “*at least* 1900 Arrest-Related Deaths (ARD)” occur per year. That’s more than 36 every *week*.
Top of page 2 here:
bjs.gov/content/pub/pd…
Between 2015-2016, the FBI & Bureau of Justice Statistics actually extrapolated what they believed to be a realistic number. They found “*at least* 1900 Arrest-Related Deaths (ARD)” occur per year. That’s more than 36 every *week*.
Top of page 2 here:
bjs.gov/content/pub/pd…
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That 1900 includes things like suicide while in police custody, as the DOJ (correctly) considers those to be the responsibility of the arresting agency. But even only homicides? It’s still well over 100 homicides per *month* committed against civilians by police in the USA.
That 1900 includes things like suicide while in police custody, as the DOJ (correctly) considers those to be the responsibility of the arresting agency. But even only homicides? It’s still well over 100 homicides per *month* committed against civilians by police in the USA.
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On that chart, notice the number of deaths identified by media vs those reported (it’s voluntary, not required by the federal government) by police departments. Media identified almost 8 times as many deaths! And they weren't even there!
On that chart, notice the number of deaths identified by media vs those reported (it’s voluntary, not required by the federal government) by police departments. Media identified almost 8 times as many deaths! And they weren't even there!
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Police investigate themselves. That's a terrible idea.
For example, since 1885 in the state of Wisconsin, their “Police and Fire Commissions” have had the job of investigating wrongdoing by those agencies. And the investigators are elected by members of those agencies.
Police investigate themselves. That's a terrible idea.
For example, since 1885 in the state of Wisconsin, their “Police and Fire Commissions” have had the job of investigating wrongdoing by those agencies. And the investigators are elected by members of those agencies.
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In December of 2013, the state of Wisconsin admitted in court that there has *never* been an officer-involved shooting determined by the department, a Police and Fire Commission, or a coroner’s inquest that was deemed unjustified.
In December of 2013, the state of Wisconsin admitted in court that there has *never* been an officer-involved shooting determined by the department, a Police and Fire Commission, or a coroner’s inquest that was deemed unjustified.
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Apparently, for at least 130 years, Wisconsin police have a perfect record & always know when somebody needs some extrajudicial killing.
They think we’re stupid. But, in all seriousness, all of us—even you conservatives reading this—know this is BS, right? Of course we do.
Apparently, for at least 130 years, Wisconsin police have a perfect record & always know when somebody needs some extrajudicial killing.
They think we’re stupid. But, in all seriousness, all of us—even you conservatives reading this—know this is BS, right? Of course we do.
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But how can this be, you ask?
Because the “justice system” is set up by the justice system. In short, it’s designed to protect them, not us. Think of them as farmers and us as the crop. They almost always get away with murder because that’s how they want it. It’s that simple.
But how can this be, you ask?
Because the “justice system” is set up by the justice system. In short, it’s designed to protect them, not us. Think of them as farmers and us as the crop. They almost always get away with murder because that’s how they want it. It’s that simple.
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Here’s how: The primary reason almost all police homicides go unpunished is a 1989 Supreme Court case: Graham v Connor. That case established the idea of “objectively reasonable standards” of violence used by police officers against us, as judged by an *officer* on the scene.
Here’s how: The primary reason almost all police homicides go unpunished is a 1989 Supreme Court case: Graham v Connor. That case established the idea of “objectively reasonable standards” of violence used by police officers against us, as judged by an *officer* on the scene.
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That case is the reason whenever you see video of a police officer mercilessly beating a suspect, they’re repeating “stop resisting” even if the person isn’t resisting. In court, their recitation of those words is used as evidence the suspect needed to be further subdued.
That case is the reason whenever you see video of a police officer mercilessly beating a suspect, they’re repeating “stop resisting” even if the person isn’t resisting. In court, their recitation of those words is used as evidence the suspect needed to be further subdued.
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That case is also why every time a police officer kills somebody they say “I feared for my life.” That’s setting the stage for the “objectively reasonable standard” that they had to murder the civilian for selling loose cigarettes or stealing cigarillos.
That case is also why every time a police officer kills somebody they say “I feared for my life.” That’s setting the stage for the “objectively reasonable standard” that they had to murder the civilian for selling loose cigarettes or stealing cigarillos.
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And there are a small number of very wealthy law offices whose entire job is to travel the country defending criminal police officers, paid very well by the police unions. It’s their *whole* job. It’s all they do. So even in the rare case that a DA wants to try an officer...
And there are a small number of very wealthy law offices whose entire job is to travel the country defending criminal police officers, paid very well by the police unions. It’s their *whole* job. It’s all they do. So even in the rare case that a DA wants to try an officer...
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And why is it so rare that DAs genuinely want to try police officers for crimes in the first place? Because prosecutors, DAs & Attorneys General *are* law enforcement. Why do you think Kamala Harris loved to call herself California’s “Top Cop” when she was Attorney General?
And why is it so rare that DAs genuinely want to try police officers for crimes in the first place? Because prosecutors, DAs & Attorneys General *are* law enforcement. Why do you think Kamala Harris loved to call herself California’s “Top Cop” when she was Attorney General?
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But there *are* rare cases when DAs and AGs are forced, through public pressure, to try a police officer for their crimes.
But remember, they think we’re stupid. And they’re helped along by the media to make sure we actually are stupid, because...
But there *are* rare cases when DAs and AGs are forced, through public pressure, to try a police officer for their crimes.
But remember, they think we’re stupid. And they’re helped along by the media to make sure we actually are stupid, because...
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Nationwide, our overall criminal-conviction rate is 93%. But when it comes to trying police officers? It’s about 30%. Isn’t that remarkable? It’s almost like the DAs don’t actually want to convict the officers...
But then why hold the trials, you ask?
Nationwide, our overall criminal-conviction rate is 93%. But when it comes to trying police officers? It’s about 30%. Isn’t that remarkable? It’s almost like the DAs don’t actually want to convict the officers...
But then why hold the trials, you ask?
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Theatre.
It’s for show!
It’s designed to make it *appear* as if justice has been served when it almost never is.
Between 2005 and 2016, 77 officers in total were tried for murder (remember, this is out of approximately *14,400* people killed by police during that time).
Theatre.
It’s for show!
It’s designed to make it *appear* as if justice has been served when it almost never is.
Between 2005 and 2016, 77 officers in total were tried for murder (remember, this is out of approximately *14,400* people killed by police during that time).
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With approximately 14,400 police killings and only 77 trials, that’s a trial rate of approximately 0.05%. That means they’d have us believe that in 99.95% of *all* police homicides, there was no possible crime committed by the police officer *who actually KILLED somebody*.
With approximately 14,400 police killings and only 77 trials, that’s a trial rate of approximately 0.05%. That means they’d have us believe that in 99.95% of *all* police homicides, there was no possible crime committed by the police officer *who actually KILLED somebody*.
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And it gets worse:
Of those 77 officers who were tried, only *26* were convicted. Of those convicted, 13 pled guilty, and 13 pled innocent and were convicted by juries. And here’s where it gets interesting:
And it gets worse:
Of those 77 officers who were tried, only *26* were convicted. Of those convicted, 13 pled guilty, and 13 pled innocent and were convicted by juries. And here’s where it gets interesting:
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100% of the officers who were allowed to choose a bench trial (meaning there was no jury, just a judge) were acquitted. All of them. Not every state allows that (for good reason). But you see? Let civilians in (jurors) and you get (more) convictions.
cnn.com/2016/09/23/us/…
100% of the officers who were allowed to choose a bench trial (meaning there was no jury, just a judge) were acquitted. All of them. Not every state allows that (for good reason). But you see? Let civilians in (jurors) and you get (more) convictions.
cnn.com/2016/09/23/us/…
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That’s the first tactic for preventing officers from being convicted of crimes, but remember; the whole system is on their side, not ours. That's true when they’re tried *and* when you're tried.
If it’s your word against a police officer’s... You lose by default.
That’s the first tactic for preventing officers from being convicted of crimes, but remember; the whole system is on their side, not ours. That's true when they’re tried *and* when you're tried.
If it’s your word against a police officer’s... You lose by default.
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Grand Jury Trials are the next strategy for preventing criminal accountability for police.
Here’s how a Grand Jury Trial normally works:
Prosecutor comes in, gives evidence against the defendant, and the Grand Jury simply decides if there’s enough evidence for a trial.
Grand Jury Trials are the next strategy for preventing criminal accountability for police.
Here’s how a Grand Jury Trial normally works:
Prosecutor comes in, gives evidence against the defendant, and the Grand Jury simply decides if there’s enough evidence for a trial.
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Sounds simple, right?
It normally is. There are prosecutors who conduct a half-dozen Grand Jury Trials in a single day. There’s no defense necessary or allowed because it’s simply, “Here’s the evidence. Good enough to give it a shot? Okay.”
That's it!
Sounds simple, right?
It normally is. There are prosecutors who conduct a half-dozen Grand Jury Trials in a single day. There’s no defense necessary or allowed because it’s simply, “Here’s the evidence. Good enough to give it a shot? Okay.”
That's it!
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But when police get Grand Jury Trials, they often last for days or weeks because the DA/Prosecutor ends up acting as the defense for the officer. This happens all the time. For one high-profile example, the Grand Jury Trial of Darren Wilson, who killed Mike Brown in Ferguson:
But when police get Grand Jury Trials, they often last for days or weeks because the DA/Prosecutor ends up acting as the defense for the officer. This happens all the time. For one high-profile example, the Grand Jury Trial of Darren Wilson, who killed Mike Brown in Ferguson:
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In that case, prosecutor Robert McCulloch had witnesses testify in Wilson's defense in court even though he *knew* they weren't there. The story about how Brown “lowered his head & charged” at Wilson? Total BS & he knew it.
#HandsUpDontShoot was true!
huffpost.com/entry/witnesse…
In that case, prosecutor Robert McCulloch had witnesses testify in Wilson's defense in court even though he *knew* they weren't there. The story about how Brown “lowered his head & charged” at Wilson? Total BS & he knew it.
#HandsUpDontShoot was true!
huffpost.com/entry/witnesse…
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But in the end, Wilson got away with murder and that was that.
“Sorry, we tried! But the Grand Jury just didn’t want to try him. It’s out of our hands!”
Total bullshit. But that’s how the system "works".
But in the end, Wilson got away with murder and that was that.
“Sorry, we tried! But the Grand Jury just didn’t want to try him. It’s out of our hands!”
Total bullshit. But that’s how the system "works".
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Another tactic for preventing police criminal accountability is simply charging the officer with the wrong crime. This is one of the newer tactics, often (but not always) for trials by jury, if the officer is forced to have one of those.
Another tactic for preventing police criminal accountability is simply charging the officer with the wrong crime. This is one of the newer tactics, often (but not always) for trials by jury, if the officer is forced to have one of those.
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Here’s an example of how that works:
An officer shoots a man 5 times, is charged w/something like “involuntary manslaughter” & is found “not guilty” of *that* crime because aiming his gun & pulling the trigger is an intentional act. It's not "involuntary". Quite the opposite!
Here’s an example of how that works:
An officer shoots a man 5 times, is charged w/something like “involuntary manslaughter” & is found “not guilty” of *that* crime because aiming his gun & pulling the trigger is an intentional act. It's not "involuntary". Quite the opposite!
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So, the prosecutors charge the officer with the wrong crime and the jury literally finds him not guilty of that crime.
Because he isn’t guilty of *that* crime.
Following me?
So, the prosecutors charge the officer with the wrong crime and the jury literally finds him not guilty of that crime.
Because he isn’t guilty of *that* crime.
Following me?
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This happens all the time. It’s *designed* to keep police officers out of prison and away from public accountability. Make no mistake about that.
But if “public servants” aren’t accountable to the public, what happens then?
This happens all the time. It’s *designed* to keep police officers out of prison and away from public accountability. Make no mistake about that.
But if “public servants” aren’t accountable to the public, what happens then?
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And this barely scratches the surface. There are a ton of other issues here, including police use of civil asset forfeiture resulting in more money being taken from Americans every year than all burglaries combined, charging you with "resisting arrest" but no other crime...
And this barely scratches the surface. There are a ton of other issues here, including police use of civil asset forfeiture resulting in more money being taken from Americans every year than all burglaries combined, charging you with "resisting arrest" but no other crime...
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The system is wholly corrupt. It preys on poor people, which are often people of color, and people of color who grow up in inner cities see their friends, family, and neighbors abused by police from an early age with no justice *ever* coming their way.
This is "normal".
The system is wholly corrupt. It preys on poor people, which are often people of color, and people of color who grow up in inner cities see their friends, family, and neighbors abused by police from an early age with no justice *ever* coming their way.
This is "normal".
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Then, when they’re older, it’s ingrained in them that police are not there to help. (And, by the way, they aren’t! See link below.)
So POC often don’t “cooperate” because they’re scared.
With good reason!
pjmedia.com/blog/mike-mcda…
Then, when they’re older, it’s ingrained in them that police are not there to help. (And, by the way, they aren’t! See link below.)
So POC often don’t “cooperate” because they’re scared.
With good reason!
pjmedia.com/blog/mike-mcda…
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So now we live in a society where trained police officers are allowed to use “I feared for my life” to kill *any* of us with near impunity while we’re told we must “stay calm” to prevent them from killing us despite our justifiable fear of them!
WTF?!
This is backward!
So now we live in a society where trained police officers are allowed to use “I feared for my life” to kill *any* of us with near impunity while we’re told we must “stay calm” to prevent them from killing us despite our justifiable fear of them!
WTF?!
This is backward!
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We *must* start holding police officers criminally responsible for the crimes they commit, which is why I propose the creation of a special federal investigator/prosecutor specifically for prosecuting criminal police officers around the country for their crimes.
No DAs.
We *must* start holding police officers criminally responsible for the crimes they commit, which is why I propose the creation of a special federal investigator/prosecutor specifically for prosecuting criminal police officers around the country for their crimes.
No DAs.
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They won’t like this, but as they always say: If they didn’t do anything wrong, they’ll have nothing to worry about!
I'll also introduce legislation to tie federal funds for municipalities to their commitments to pay *all* abuse settlements directly out of department payroll
They won’t like this, but as they always say: If they didn’t do anything wrong, they’ll have nothing to worry about!
I'll also introduce legislation to tie federal funds for municipalities to their commitments to pay *all* abuse settlements directly out of department payroll
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We can't, and *shouldn't*, have civil society on these terms. Justice is only justice if it applies equally to absolutely everybody.
It's long past time for the government to fear the people again, instead of vice versa.
Know justice, know peace.
No justice, no peace!
We can't, and *shouldn't*, have civil society on these terms. Justice is only justice if it applies equally to absolutely everybody.
It's long past time for the government to fear the people again, instead of vice versa.
Know justice, know peace.
No justice, no peace!
