Unarmed Marlon Horton Shooting by police.

[Brakeman]

Completely disgusting. No ones life was at risk accept the idiot who got shot. Yes he was an idiot, no he did not deserve to die. A taser would have done a fine job, or automatically arresting him for public urination instead of standing around arguing would have made sense.

A slow advance and then one quick step is not a charge and not a reason to kill someone. Having competent police officers with more common sense and respect for the lives of others would be really nice.

Interesting.. For the sake of discussion, if you, Losty, had switched bodies with the cop after in the middle of this altercation as it happened, ( no tasers that they didn't have and such) what would you have done differently? Assume that you did have officer training that taught you to protect your weapon as a commandment because perps that attack and steal a weapon from a cop will often use it to kill the cop and his fellow officers. Further assume that you feed your family with pay given to you with the expectation that you will be effective in enforcing the law.

[Losty]

I would have immediately placed him under arrest for public urination. I would have assessed his behavior when I removed him from the building and been prepared for how he would react.
If all else failed and I truly feared for my life or my weapon (meaning my life and other people's lives), I may have shot him in the leg, or I may have just walked away and quit my job because I obviously have not been properly trained to take down an unarmed homeless person without shooting him and so I would be ashamed to call myself a police officer.

[Minimalist]

Why did he feel compelled to pull his fucking gun out in the first place? What you are missing here Brakes is that cops reach for the fucking guns at the drop of a hat.

Horton left, but the guards argued with him when they saw him urinating on a truck outside

The security guard's involvement was over...assuming she wasn't also supposed to be guarding the street. These two heroes re-engaged and escalated the situation. And..we only have their word for it that he said he was a cop. I didn't see him produce a badge and wave it around.

[Losty]

Seems strange that some officers can take down armed robbers without shooting them and others can't seem to take down unarmed people without killing them.

[Minimalist]

I'm still waiting for a response to the old white guy who was refusing the cop's orders....and didn't get an ass full of lead.

Tick...tock....tick....tock.....

[Brakeman]

Funny. I didn't hear any audio track at all. This seems to be another example of what one judge recently called " We said. He's dead."
So the man is dead for pissing on a truck? I guess you think that is a capital crime?


Take a few moments to study this video tape. Answer honestly what you think would have happened if it was a black guy holding the gun.

Honestly, now.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/31...tail=email


As the follow-up story notes:

Joseph Houseman, 63, was eventually persuaded to hand over the gun, which was returned to him the next day. Police considered but ultimately decided against seeking a misdemeanor charge of brandishing a firearm.

Do you think that would have happened either?

Ok, honestly I think a black man would have had pretty much the same fate to the point of not getting shot as the man never pointed or threatened anyone and eventually complied. The man never struck or advanced on a cop, which is the HUGE difference from Michal Brown, Marlon Horton, and the other guy that got shot in Ferguson carrying a knife.

I think there would be a difference on whether he would have walked if he were black, but I would base that off of context. Kalamazoo Michigan is home to tons of Tea Party type gun nuts trying to push carry everything everywhere laws. I think he got a break because the DA didn't want to tie up his courts with a bunch of NRA crap. I don't think he would believe that a black man there would likely be supported by the Tea Party/ NRA crowd so he would have probably spent time in the pokey.

---

Why did he feel compelled to pull his fucking gun out in the first place? What you are missing here Brakes is that cops reach for the fucking guns at the drop of a hat.

Horton left, but the guards argued with him when they saw him urinating on a truck outside

The security guard's involvement was over...assuming she wasn't also supposed to be guarding the street. These two heroes re-engaged and escalated the situation. And..we only have their word for it that he said he was a cop. I didn't see him produce a badge and wave it around.

{addressing both you and Losty}

I'm a bit confused as to why both of you seem to think that the cops' arguing is a sticky point. I would think that cops normally do try to talk perps into better behavior and try to avoid an arrest and a fight to subdue.
I don't think you guys are being clear with that point. { I am sitting here crippled with pain with a tooth ache from a broken off at the gumline tooth. so I'm not at my best. I'm lucky I can still read..}

Your point that the cops shouldn't attempt to enforce laws outside of their initial contact area or when off duty seems a bit odd to me too. Why would a police force want their police officers to ignore infractions that are seen at times that are off the duty schedule, when being a cop and sworn to uphold the law is a titled position and not a schedule?

I am so happy that both you and Losty have such compassion for your fellow man even when that man is not a great person. Your levels of empathy are very admirable. I would say that having too much empathy for your fellow man is a much much better thing than erring by having too little.
I have definitely had too little in my early years. It has been a struggle to have compassion once I deemed a person "an enemy of society." I must learn to have more.

Arhhrhrhrh! I'm going to have to stop and take a brake (break!)