Police pepperspray dancers after High school football game.

Police in a small Utah town are being accused of overreacting after using pepper spray to break up a group of Polynesian men and boys performing a traditional dance called the Haka after a high school football game.

So it seems that some relatives of a player who was playing his last game for that high school were performing a Haka for him and their reward was a facefull of pepper spray from police.

Spectators, coaches and players told police that everything was fine and they should let the men perform, Jessica Rasmussen said, but officers asked them to make room and started using pepper spray.

Full Story Here!

So what do ya'll think? Another display of police abusing power? or probable cause? oponions welcome but lets please keep things civil. negativity will be ignored. thanks in advance for your input

Thought this could be worth mentioning as well...

The police action came after a pair of officers unsuccessfully attempted to disperse the dozen or so performers who were blocking an exit after the Union-Uintah game

I do not say that the Police Officers reacted in the correct way to the situation, just the fact that the exit blocking explains a little bit more why they did what they did.


Here is what a Haka looks like.
I guess the Police Officers got scared.

yeah, I highly doubt they just pepper sprayed people doing a dance.................

haha id love to see the police try take them on without a badge, gun, baton or pepper spray after watching a haka.. they would be scared out of their blue uniforms too.

they just look silly doing that wee dance if you ask me

reply to post by LiberalSceptic


Apparently nobody there except the police had an issue with the dancers being in the way.

Personally? I'd like to see cities around the nation strip their police of all these "non lethal" weapons. Apparently there's the perception that the lack of lethality means it's okay to break them out as a "first warning" or something.

Somehow cops brought down the mafia without military hardware and license to assault civilians.

Originally posted by TheWalkingFox
reply to post by LiberalSceptic

 

Apparently nobody there except the police had an issue with the dancers being in the way.

Personally? I'd like to see cities around the nation strip their police of all these "non lethal" weapons. Apparently there's the perception that the lack of lethality means it's okay to break them out as a "first warning" or something.

Somehow cops brought down the mafia without military hardware and license to assault civilians.

I think "apparently" is the key word here, would not just rush to judgement yet..........

reply to post by blueorder


Yes, the police are always innocent and never found guilty. Even when they initiate the use of force with chemical weapons against someone's kids. Who were clearly deserving of having atomized capsicum introduced to their internal mucus membranes for, you know. loitering. Henous criminals, clearly the scum of our society, those #ing loiterers.

Here's an idea; wait. Yeah I know, it's goddamned ludicrous, right? "Game's over gotta get home and WATCH MAH SHOOOOOOOOWS! Gas the little bastards!" but really. it will demonstrably cause less harm to you for you to wait, than for your impatience to get someone filled with pepper spray.

Originally posted by TheWalkingFox
reply to post by blueorder

 

Yes, the police are always innocent and never found guilty. Even when they initiate the use of force with chemical weapons against someone's kids. Who were clearly deserving of having atomized capsicum introduced to their internal mucus membranes for, you know. loitering. Henous criminals, clearly the scum of our society, those #ing loiterers.

Here's an idea; wait. Yeah I know, it's goddamned ludicrous, right? "Game's over gotta get home and WATCH MAH SHOOOOOOOOWS! Gas the little bastards!" but really. it will demonstrably cause less harm to you for you to wait, than for your impatience to get someone filled with pepper spray.

edit on 23/10/2011 by TheWalkingFox because: (no reason given)

no, some policement do bad things and are guilty of criminal acts, do not put words in my mouth

reply to post by TheWalkingFox

Apparently nobody there except the police had an issue with the dancers being in the way.

Yes it seems like that. Also it seemed like everyone except the Police Officers had been informed that the Haka would take place.

Personally? I'd like to see cities around the nation strip their police of all these "non lethal" weapons. Apparently there's the perception that the lack of lethality means it's okay to break them out as a "first warning" or something.

I understand how you reason with this one, but if it would get to that, I think most of the Police Officers would resign. It is still a fact that allot of s**t happens and that they need to be able to defend themselves.
I say, put a taser-chip inside them, and have them monitored by AI. If they attack someone and it is not in their rights to do so, they will get tasered themselves.

Originally posted by blueorder
they just look silly doing that wee dance if you ask me

how about you say that to their face
thats their culture you ignorant, i dont know where your from but western nations look a lot more silly in their everyday life

Originally posted by ShortMemory
haha id love to see the police try take them on without a badge, gun, baton or pepper spray after watching a haka.. they would be scared out of their blue uniforms too.

I just watched several videos of rugby teams, specifically the All Blacks, performing pre-game hakas and it brought back memories of the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii. It certainly is a fearsome display.



I'd like to see a platoon of Marines learn this and haka their way down Wall Street. I'd laugh my ass off as the cops turned tail and ran like little girls.

reply to post by JROCK2527


Here is what I think.

Those people were having a lovely time, then someone dances.

Then some dumb cop sprays them.


That cop should be charged with hurting someone right now.

Originally posted by ShortMemory

Originally posted by blueorder
they just look silly doing that wee dance if you ask me

how about you say that to their face
thats their culture you ignorant, i dont know where your from but western nations look a lot more silly in their everyday life

It is not "their culture", their "culture" involves more than grown men pulling faces at other people you ignoramus.

Yeah, I'll say it to their face, some of them would beat me and I would be able to beat some of them, is that what you want, me and them fighting? No bother big man.

As for your "western nations" comment, it actually makes no sense, and I am not a "western nation"- yeah, you getting that now!

reply to post by blueorder


Well, sorry. I didn't mean to put words in your mouth

It's just that the usual MO around ATS seems to be "cops are always justified, no matter what." And there's always someone seeing the story, and the followups, and then going "Now let's not be hasty... i'm sure that eventually we'll find out how absolutely justified the police were for bludgeoning that person into a coma..."

My perception is thus. I work in a nursing home. if a resident, family member, or even another employee comes up and says "Hey, I saw The Walking Fox abusing a resident" know what happens? I am immediately suspended without pay while an investigation takes place to confirm or refute the accusation. And I really don't mind that this possibility is there. There's some potential for abuse, sure. But at the end of the day it's about the safety of the residents under our care.

Police should be held to the same standard, if not higher. I can't imagine that i'm alone in thinking that the dudes carrying weapons, trained in combat, and authorized with law enforcement should be held to a razor-thin tolerance for error.

Originally posted by TheWalkingFox
reply to post by blueorder

 

Well, sorry. I didn't mean to put words in your mouth

It's just that the usual MO around ATS seems to be "cops are always justified, no matter what." And there's always someone seeing the story, and the followups, and then going "Now let's not be hasty... i'm sure that eventually we'll find out how absolutely justified the police were for bludgeoning that person into a coma..."

My perception is thus. I work in a nursing home. if a resident, family member, or even another employee comes up and says "Hey, I saw The Walking Fox abusing a resident" know what happens? I am immediately suspended without pay while an investigation takes place to confirm or refute the accusation. And I really don't mind that this possibility is there. There's some potential for abuse, sure. But at the end of the day it's about the safety of the residents under our care.

Police should be held to the same standard, if not higher. I can't imagine that i'm alone in thinking that the dudes carrying weapons, trained in combat, and authorized with law enforcement should be held to a razor-thin tolerance for error.

I actually agree with that brother

We are at the end of the World Rugby Cup right now, here in New Zealand.

The game started with the haka.

We are going to win.

That is great - we are a small country, but we are soooooooo strong. And, by the way, the haka belongs to NZ.COPYWRIGHT.

reply to post by blueorder

It is not "their culture", their "culture" involves more than grown men pulling faces at other people you ignoramus. Yeah, I'll say it to their face, some of them would beat me and I would be able to beat some of them, is that what you want, me and them fighting? No bother big man. As for your "western nations" comment, it actually makes no sense, and I am not a "western nation"- yeah, you getting that now!

its a big part of their culture theyve been doing it for hundreds of years.
haha i think they would beat the crap out of you, doubt youd have much chance against a maori..they are fierce.
how does it not make sense, you say they look like idiots and im saying western nations look like idiots..so your part of a western nation?
leave your racist crap out of the public domain

Originally posted by ShortMemory
reply to post by blueorder

 

It is not "their culture", their "culture" involves more than grown men pulling faces at other people you ignoramus. Yeah, I'll say it to their face, some of them would beat me and I would be able to beat some of them, is that what you want, me and them fighting? No bother big man. As for your "western nations" comment, it actually makes no sense, and I am not a "western nation"- yeah, you getting that now!

its a big part of their culture theyve been doing it for hundreds of years.
haha i think they would beat the crap out of you, doubt youd have much chance against a maori..they are fierce.
how does it not make sense, you say they look like idiots and im saying western nations look like idiots..so your part of a western nation?
leave your racist crap out of the public domain

It is not "their" culture, just one part of it, don't be so racist.

Don't be so racist by saying that Maoris could automatically beat me just because, you assume, I am a white guy.

Stop stereotyping everyone with your "western nations" bs


I am allowed an opinion on what I think is stupid, stop being racist because I am not a Maori and denying me that right.


See, SEE WHAT I DID THERE


YOU THINK ON THERE KID!

If I was there and that happened. I would lodge a complaint. And make sure those officers involved were reprimanded of taken this too far. Seems to me your not even allowed to dance nowadays. Completely disgusting.