Surveillance cameras and handheld camcorders are fast proving to be as important against a tyrannical government in their own way as firearms. Without this surveillance footage, this man would have been all but guaranteed to be just another faceless victim of police brutality:
I'm afraid that only violence against the police in situations like this will have any chance of changing their behavior. The police review boards around the country routinely see cases like this and find some half-cocked reason why the officer involved was justified. Politicians won't change the laws to allow people to resist arrest or to allow onlookers to intervene between the police and their targets when it becomes apparent that the cops are stepping well over the line of legality. The system has no checks and balances except lawsuits, and other than possible demotion or suspension with pay, the individual officers won't feel any pain from their department getting sued over their conduct. The solution is for private citizens, in cases like this, to come to the defense of their fellow citizens.
Surveillance video shows a Passaic, New Jersey, police officer beating a 49-year-old man standing idly on a street corner.Watch the video. Even fighting words would not justify the sort of beating that the officer gave him. If this were one private citizen taunting another (and Holloway claims he didn't even say anything to the male officer), it would still be felony assault and battery on the part of the citizen that jumped him. The officer should, but likely won't, be charged in a similar fashion because the video shows him continuing to beat Holloway after he had subdued him. Far from showing any restraint, he continued to pummel the guy after taking him down.
Surveillance tape from Lawrence's Grill and Bar in Passaic on May 29 shows a police car pull up to Ronnie Holloway, who is standing still on the curb outside the restaurant. After a few moments Holloway zips up his sweatshirt -- because the female officer in the car instructed him to do so, Holloway said.
At that point, the other officer in the vehicle, Joseph R. Rios III, exits the car, grabs Holloway and slams him onto the hood of the police car. He then pummels Holloway with his fist and baton.
Holloway said he had exchanged no words with the officer before he pounced on him.
I'm afraid that only violence against the police in situations like this will have any chance of changing their behavior. The police review boards around the country routinely see cases like this and find some half-cocked reason why the officer involved was justified. Politicians won't change the laws to allow people to resist arrest or to allow onlookers to intervene between the police and their targets when it becomes apparent that the cops are stepping well over the line of legality. The system has no checks and balances except lawsuits, and other than possible demotion or suspension with pay, the individual officers won't feel any pain from their department getting sued over their conduct. The solution is for private citizens, in cases like this, to come to the defense of their fellow citizens.
"zip up his sweatshirt"? What are they the fashion police? It looks like they are just driving around beating on people for making eye contact.
It will be interesting to see where this goes.
Yes. The excuse that the police review board makes for them ought to be quite interesting.
"I'm afraid that only violence against the police in situations like this will have any chance of changing their behavior."
I agree. My father was a police ifficer, and I do tend to trust cops, but instances like these demand swift justice, if not retribution. If they don't fear you, they won't respect you. It's that simple.
I am starting to think that it is every citizen's responsibility to carry a video camera of some sort at all times. However, I wonder when "concealed carry" laws will come into effect for cameras?
Schools have already started cracking down on camera phones for the same reason. The technology makes it too easy to document teacher and staff misconduct and they have no clue how to deal reasonably with new technology other than to ban it. Almost every student now carries a camera/voice recorder/phone all the time, where once it was a novelty.