Baltimore Cop vs Skater video

[Rageaholic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPEeCYPGjm0

This is a pretty popular video on youtube. This cop goes all apeshit because the kids called him dude when he confronted them about skateboarding. He starts threatening them and even tackles the one kid down for not listening to them. Last I heard he was suspended WITH pay.

Me? I think this cop is a major league asshole who has some serious issues. While no one may have been injured in this confrontation, he did use excessive force imo. He acted like nothing more than a tough guy thug over kids skateboarding. People like this give good cops a bad name.

[Amanita]

I remember seeing one like this in San Francisco, near Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge. I went down there to take some photos, and observed some kids skateboarding nearby. I passed them by without a second thought. On my way back, I noticed that they had been caught by a cop/ranger/somebody with a badge. And oh my goddess, he was screaming at them. I didn't have a skateboard, but he even managed to make me nervous. I was thinking "I do not want to get on this guy's radar. Let's see- lady in unusual long black and red robes underneath a national landmark, armed with a camera..yeah, if skateboarders piss him off this badly, I don't want him to even notice me". Needless to say, I slunk out of there in a manner that would have done a ninja proud.

After all- if an officer completely loses their shit on skateboarding kids, what else are they liable to flip out over? I hear excuses like "Cops are under a lot of stress". I don't buy it. There's lots of healthy ways to de-stress, that don't involve abuse of power. And with all the power and authority we grant to the police, perhaps they should be held to higher standards than the average joe on the street, at least when they are on the job. I know that if I lost my shit like that on the job, I would be severely disciplined or fired. And I'm just a security guard.

[Hobbs]

I remember seeing one like this in San Francisco, near Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge. I went down there to take some photos, and observed some kids skateboarding nearby. I passed them by without a second thought. On my way back, I noticed that they had been caught by a cop/ranger/somebody with a badge. And oh my goddess, he was screaming at them. I didn't have a skateboard, but he even managed to make me nervous. I was thinking "I do not want to get on this guy's radar. Let's see- lady in unusual long black and red robes underneath a national landmark, armed with a camera..yeah, if skateboarders piss him off this badly, I don't want him to even notice me". Needless to say, I slunk out of there in a manner that would have done a ninja proud.

After all- if an officer completely loses their shit on skateboarding kids, what else are they liable to flip out over? I hear excuses like "Cops are under a lot of stress". I don't buy it. There's lots of healthy ways to de-stress, that don't involve abuse of power. And with all the power and authority we grant to the police, perhaps they should be held to higher standards than the average joe on the street, at least when they are on the job. I know that if I lost my shit like that on the job, I would be severely disciplined or fired. And I'm just a security guard.

He probably wasn't screaming. He was probably speaking in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. That way, everyone can learn from their mistake.

[Amanita]

No, he was yelling. Aside from me, there was nobody else in the vicinity to hear. And the tone he was using was very agressive and nasty. Believe me, I've heard enough of both yelling and loud speech.

[Fryk]

Perhaps, Hobbs, but in the Baltimore video, this cop was WAY out of line. "Don't get defensive with me, son, or you'll be spending some time in juvie!" Really? There's a "no defensiveness" law in Baltimore now? And violation of it brings imprisonment? And he can take someone's legal property for no reason and throw someone on the ground for calling him "dude"?

So many questions...

[Rageaholic]

Perhaps, Hobbs, but in the Baltimore video, this cop was WAY out of line. "Don't get defensive with me, son, or you'll be spending some time in juvie!" Really? There's a "no defensiveness" law in Baltimore now? And violation of it brings imprisonment? And he can take someone's legal property for no reason and throw someone on the ground for calling him "dude"?

So many questions...

I love when he goes "Obviously you're parents don't put a foot in your butt quite enough". What a jerk!

[Fryk]

Raise your hand if you're proud that your parents never put anything in your butt!