Atlanta Police Chief resigns after Black Man shot

a reply to: TheRedneck

These are serious times, and those have a way of bringing out the best in some people. Maybe that's what's going on with him. He has had some fairly serious and scary encounters with this with people yelling at him in restaurants to people moving in on his family at their private residence.

originally posted by: yuppa

Ahem,all killings of a person to another person are HOMICIDES.

This nuance will be lost in all the media coverage, and it will be lost on purpose. They will report that it was ruled a homicide, as if that is some kind of proof it's a murder, to stir up more angst. The media wants as much violence and chaos as they can get.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard told CNN that three charges could apply against sacked police officer Garrett Rolfe: murder, felony murder and aggravated assault.

"But I believe in this instance, what we have to choose between, if there's a choice to be made, is between murder and felony murder," Mr Howard said.

BBC

a reply to: Gryphon66

This DA is showing what an absolute moron he is. He keeps talking about Brooks’ “demeanor” before he decided to fight. Yep, it was calm. Just like the officers’ demeanor was. He keeps talking about how the cop said “I got him” instead of something about his life being saved. Evidently there’s a script of approved comments to make after a shooting, now.

originally posted by: ketsuko
He has had some fairly serious and scary encounters with this with people yelling at him in restaurants to people moving in on his family at their private residence.

What are your thoughts here?

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: Gryphon66

This DA is showing what an absolute moron he is. He keeps talking about Brooks’ “demeanor” before he decided to fight. Yep, it was calm. Just like the officers’ demeanor was. He keeps talking about how the cop said “I got him” instead of something about his life being saved. Evidently there’s a script of approved comments to make after a shooting, now.

I hear you. I understand that it is the opinion of several here that the use of lethal force was justified. My point has been, in this circumstance that lethal force while justified was ill-considered. And that is my opinion, just as many of you are stating yours.

My political views are such that I am glad to see society begin to move away from what I consider a trend toward a militarized police state. However for those "peace officers" who take the Constitution and rule-of-law seriously and still risk their safety on a day-to-day basis, I have nothing but respect, and further, if we are going to have a police force, then we should damned well pay them commensurate with their experience and the risk they take.

As far as opinions about the DA ... I would guess he's going for aggravated assault, even though that goes counter to his statement. As opposed to what happened to Floyd, which I could believe was pre-meditated, this was obviously a reaction not a plan. What I can say that I see on Brooks' side is that folks do believe, correct or not, that police are out to kill Black men. I can see that causing a terror/survival reaction when they tried to cuff him, but to me, after seeing him punching the cops ... I have to say I don't know how the DA could get murder, in fact, that seems ludicrous.

a reply to: Gryphon66

I agree and compliment your first two paragraphs. Your statement in the third... well, I get struggling.( What drunk wouldn’t?) I just feel that the facts concerning race and police don’t meet the narrative.

originally posted by: Gryphon66

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard told CNN that three charges could apply against sacked police officer Garrett Rolfe: murder, felony murder and aggravated assault.

"But I believe in this instance, what we have to choose between, if there's a choice to be made, is between murder and felony murder," Mr Howard said.

BBC

If they charge him with any form of murder, there's gonna be more riots when he gets acquitted. This is what happens when a DA is more concerned about his political career than he is about serving his community.

originally posted by: Gryphon66
What I can say that I see on Brooks' side is that folks do believe, correct or not, that police are out to kill Black men. I can see that causing a terror/survival reaction when they tried to cuff him

This would make sense if he became violent and tried to get away as soon as they approached him. He didn't. He only freaked out when he realized he was going to jail and was probably going to serve prison time for violating his parole.

The "blacks are just scared of police" excuse isn't gonna fly here.

a reply to: Gryphon66

A use of force with bad optics is just that: a use of force with bad optics. It certainly doesn’t warrant running to the media talking about murder charges. I understand that’s not your position, I’m just expressing my bafflement with this guy. He reeks of a weak prosecutor dressed up like a weak politician. He’s simply all over the place with his interpretation of the law and his comments made. He’s very clearly trying to build a case through the media, and failing miserably at doing anything other than pandering.

originally posted by: ThouArtGod
a reply to: Gryphon66

I agree and compliment your first two paragraphs. Your statement in the third... well, I get struggling.( What drunk wouldn’t?) I just feel that the facts concerning race and police don’t meet the narrative.

If beliefs were always based on logic, I would agree with you.

Of course, beliefs aren't based on logic. Reducing a matter that affects so many Americans negatively to statistics in this case will never change the cycle we find ourselves in. (Police kill a Black man, protests and riots happen, police use excessive force against rioters, rinse and repeat.)

To me it doesn't matter that the statistics say Blacks aren't killed more often because that desperately tries to ignore the gross racism of 220+ years of American history which is still happening today. ETA: Racism is not always limited to White on Black. Plenty of Blacks are quite prejudiced against Whites and even against lighter/darker shades of skin in their own community. It's absurd all the way round, but it's still a concerning issue.

Our police forces need to be supported and at the same time held accountable for their actions and I think that a nationwide review of the use of lethal force should be mandatory. IMO

a reply to: face23785

Politicians are psychopaths.

2nd

Justified shooting.

You'd have to be a complete and total clown to think, shooting a criminal that had resisted arrest, assaulted police, stole a police taser, and shot the taser at the cop, it wasn't justified.

a reply to: face23785

I'm not making an excuse, because there's no need for an excuse.

Black Americans seem to hold a different opinion on the matter than you.

a reply to: Shamrock6

It's easy for me: I have a blanket belief that all politicians are psychopaths.

Unless there's some sort of information we haven't been shown, I'm not sure how he could get even aggravated assault.

However, whatever our opinions, it seems the DA is going ahead with charges of some sort.

originally posted by: Gryphon66
a reply to: face23785

I'm not making an excuse, because there's no need for an excuse.

Black Americans seem to hold a different opinion on the matter than you.

If the word "excuse" bothers you, we can call it a naive belief that he resisted and became violent because he's afraid of police. He obviously resisted and became violent because he didn't wanna go to jail.

I just watched a few minutes of the Brooks family's press conference. I'm gonna rant. Some people are not going to like what I am going to say, but at this point I do not care. Go scratch your mad spot, dammit!

I saw several people in tears... mourning for the death of their loved one. I've been there, many times. Dammit, it hurts! I can only imagine how much worse it hurts when it was senseless like it was this time. Mr. Brooks did not have to die. He could have been alive right here, today, and his whole family would not be in such pain.

If he just hadn't grabbed that taser. You don't grab a cop's weapon! How hard is that? Is that some sort of impossible challenge? Don't grab the cop's weapon!

As far as that goes, if you wanna get drunk, I don't have a problem with that... go home and get drunk! Go to a firend's house and get drunk! I did it when I was younger... it's not that hard. Don't go looking for trouble! Hell, I have pulled many friends to the side and said, "Hey, man, you look like you could use a few dozen drinks. Let's go to my house and try to drown ourselves." The next morning we wake up, hung over like hell, hair hurting every time a leaf falls, but we woke up!

Why did no one try to talk Brooks into doing that? Why? Was there no one who cared enough to try and keep him safe for one damn night?

No, it's not the cops' fault... he grabbed a weapon, then fired the weapon at them. That's how it freakin' works! Don't do that. But that doesn't mean I do not empathize with the family either... this was a tragedy. It didn't have to happen. My God, I hope they can somehow find a little peace.

Please, if anyone is with a friend tonight and you see they're passing that line between social drinking and watching the world spin around them, take them home! Take them to a motel room! DO SOMETHING BESIDES TRY TO BLAME EVERYONE ELSE AFTER THE FACT! It's not that hard. I promise you. It's just not that hard.

OK, rant over... everyone can scratch that mad spot now.

TheRedneck

If the cop tased him and he died the argument would be it wasn’t use of lethal force. The moment it was pointed at the officers it was considered lethal. Can have both. The officer had reasonable cause to cuff him while he was sleeping but was lazy. If you here him he said he didn’t want to deal with it so he called another officer. That one could have arrested him while he was seated. He screwed with him and made him do stupid human tricks to get him to provide information against himself. The taser wasn’t lethal for either in that instance. The cop nor the suspect.

Poor training. Poor character. Racists? No. Cops like power. They are the law, or so they always say. They hide behind a veil of invincibility and they become lazy assholes with god complexes. More need to be charged. More need to quit never to return. Many things need to be done to change the culture within law enforcement.

The guy was stupid enough to die. The cop that shot should be charged and the one that was lazy should be fired.

a reply to: Gryphon66

My hope is that no charges are placed, though I realize that seems incredibly unlikely.

Second to that, my hope is that he pursues something with aggravated assault because then we’ll get to witness him in one courtroom explaining how cops using tasers on protestors is aggravated assault, but brooks attempting to use a taser on cops is not aggravated assault, and therefor the lethal force was unlawful.

originally posted by: Snarl

originally posted by: ketsuko
He has had some fairly serious and scary encounters with this with people yelling at him in restaurants to people moving in on his family at their private residence.

What are your thoughts here?

It's a product of cancel culture.

If you say what certain factions don't like, they have no issues with giving you no peace in any way, up to and including trying to destroy your life by getting you fired and destroying your career.

This isn't the only list.

But in the latest push, these are people being hounded and sacrificed in some cases over the latest insanity. Some of them even agreed with what's going on ... but NOT ENOUGH to satisfy.

This is veering wildly out of control, and it ends up nowhere good if people don't start to put their feet down on it soon.