Mercedes hits 2 Occupy Oakland protesters

Originally posted by peck420
reply to post by My.mind.is.mine

 

Incorrect.

There were no barricades and the light was green in the drivers direction. It is perfectly acceptable (by law) to proceed slowly through.

Cops really should have been managing this better so no traffic could get near protestors. It should have been diverted.

Originally posted by JohnySeagull

Originally posted by peck420
reply to post by My.mind.is.mine

 

Incorrect.

There were no barricades and the light was green in the drivers direction. It is perfectly acceptable (by law) to proceed slowly through.

Cops really should have been managing this better so no traffic could get near protestors. It should have been diverted.

Do you really think that traffic should of been diverted???

Should the police cook the protestors dinner too and do their laundry???

reply to post by steveknows

i've never heard of the word 'sook' before, but I shall now confiscate it for my own nefarious purposes.

I've seen the Roar tactic at festivals and sports events in Cincy, where some hothead revs his engine at people on the crosswalk. I'm not saying this happened, but roaring at a walking crowd does nothing to get you home any faster. knocking down people doesn't get you home at all.
The vicinity of the Ocupiers has been allover the news, there were no other roads leading home?

reply to post by OutKast Searcher


That is a valid statement.

The police know full well about the protest. It is their duty to protect all citizens, whether they agree with them or not. Traffic control during a protest is protection for both motorists and protesters.

Complete police fail in my honest opinion.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher

Do you really think that traffic should of been diverted??? Should the police cook the protestors dinner too and do their laundry???

dinner? Laundry? No. but protecting the citizens of the united states is their job, regardless if those people are protesting or going to work, it's their job. that said, they can't be everywhere at once and I don't think you can honestly blame the cops for this.

This is entirely on the shoulders of the person driving the vehicle.

P.S.

Does it matter if the make of the car was reported or not? What bearing does that have on anything? none, merely a sly attempt to slander the OWsers yet again.

Originally posted by phishyblankwaters
reply to post by OutKast Searcher

 

Do you really think that traffic should of been diverted??? Should the police cook the protestors dinner too and do their laundry???

dinner? Laundry? No. but protecting the citizens of the united states is their job, regardless if those people are protesting or going to work, it's their job. that said, they can't be everywhere at once and I don't think you can honestly blame the cops for this.

This is entirely on the shoulders of the person driving the vehicle.

P.S.

Does it matter if the make of the car was reported or not? What bearing does that have on anything? none, merely a sly attempt to slander the OWsers yet again.

Its far from being entirely on his shoulders. Making a claim like that when we don't even know what was being said in the video is absurd. So if the protesters had made a threat towards the driver would he still be as at fault? If you honestly think so I have nothing left to say......

reply to post by phishyblankwaters


If you are calling for the police to "protect" citzens...they do that by upholding the law. In that case...all the jaywalkers should be cited and/or arrested for blocking traffic.


And where did I say anything about the make of the car??? WTF are you talking about?

reply to post by peck420


It's pretty difficult to protect some folks that don't wish to be protected, especially when they hate the police as much the wall baggers do.
For all we know, these people may have intentionally thrown themselves at the wheels of the moving Benz.
They want nothing more than a full scale riot and they want a full head start when the looting begins.

In their eyes, thats the best way to get the good deals.

reply to post by MCJustJ

So if the protesters had made a threat towards the driver would he still be as at fault? If you honestly think so I have nothing left to say......

the reports state nothing of the sort. the protestors weren't the ones behind the wheel of a vehicle that ran over people.

I'm willing to consider the possibility that these protesters might have dived into the car on purpose, that does happen all the time, but nothing of the sort was mentioned in the report.

Go ask a cop who's at fault when a person gets run over by a car, 99% of the time it's the driver as they are behind the wheel and are supposed to be aware of their surroundings and driving in such a manner that they can avoid accidents just like this.

But you are right, unless we get some footage it's eye witness only.

Personally if a group of people start pounding on my car in a protest/riot I would have done the same.


At least in my state. We do not have a duty to retreat from attackers, and yes pounding on my vehicle while I am inside it is an attack.

Louisiana Revised Statutes Annotated §14:20.

§20. Justifiable homicide
(3) When committed against a person whom one reasonably believes to be likely to use any unlawful force against a person present in a dwelling or a place of business, or when committed against a person whom one reasonably believes is attempting to use any unlawful force against a person present in a motor vehicle as defined in R.S. 32:1(40), while committing or attempting to commit a burglary or robbery of such dwelling, business, or motor vehicle.

4)(a) When committed by a person lawfully inside a dwelling, a place of business, or a motor vehicle as defined in R.S. 32:1(40), against a person who is attempting to make an unlawful entry into the dwelling, place of business, or motor vehicle, or who has made an unlawful entry into the dwelling, place of business, or motor vehicle, and the person committing the homicide reasonably believes that the use of deadly force is necessary to prevent the entry or to compel the intruder to leave the premises or motor vehicle.

Originally posted by phishyblankwaters
reply to post by MCJustJ

 

So if the protesters had made a threat towards the driver would he still be as at fault? If you honestly think so I have nothing left to say......

the reports state nothing of the sort. the protestors weren't the ones behind the wheel of a vehicle that ran over people.

I'm willing to consider the possibility that these protesters might have dived into the car on purpose, that does happen all the time, but nothing of the sort was mentioned in the report.

Go ask a cop who's at fault when a person gets run over by a car, 99% of the time it's the driver as they are behind the wheel and are supposed to be aware of their surroundings and driving in such a manner that they can avoid accidents just like this.

But you are right, unless we get some footage it's eye witness only.

Well I don't really think a flat out threat was said, but I think its possible. His actions were threatening though. In the video he clearly has time to get out of the way, but he stays in front of the car, waving his hands and then slamming on the hood of the car before he gets run over.

Oakland also isn't the safest neighborhood. I've only heard of one situation of violence breaking out during these Occupy Protests(Have there been more?) and you know where it was? Oakland California.

Do you think no cop would be on the side of the drive in thinking that maybe he panicked? Thats not to say he isn't at fault for something still, as a driver is suppose to be able to remain composure behind the wheel.

But hypothetically speaking, you're in that drivers situation, and you honestly felt you may be in danger, there was an entire mob of people around you, many of them putting attention on you, one of them directly in front of your car preventing you from moving through a green light. The only thing on your mind is getting out of there. Would you honestly feel you're as responsible as someone who simply runs over a pedestrian?

I think there is a lot more to this video than it seems, I really don't think that driver is nearly as guilty as people would like to think.

reply to post by phishyblankwaters



the footage is on page 3.

Originally posted by OutKast Searcher

Originally posted by JohnySeagull

Originally posted by peck420
reply to post by My.mind.is.mine

 

Incorrect.

There were no barricades and the light was green in the drivers direction. It is perfectly acceptable (by law) to proceed slowly through.

Cops really should have been managing this better so no traffic could get near protestors. It should have been diverted.

Do you really think that traffic should of been diverted???

Should the police cook the protestors dinner too and do their laundry???

Yes.

The cops are responsible for controlling this situation. If they cannopt keep the protesters marshalled then they need to keep the traffic away.

Just to note I am not blaming the cops for what happened. I am just saying they don't seem to be managing this very well.

Everybody is on edge at the moment. Many people are struggling and getting more and more angry. These small incidents are a warning sign of whats coming.

And as much as many of the ows want to be peaceful so many people are looking for a fight right now.

reply to post by Alxandro


I completely understand, and that is one of the reasons why I could never be a LEO.

It doesn't change the fact that it is their duty to protect citizens, and during protests most minor violations get tossed to protect the citizens right to protest.

Not that this is ideal, just the way it was until OWS.

here the vid
www.liveleak.com...

wpw.
some crazy over the top responses, here.
so.... pedestrian holds up car for literally less than ten seconds and bangs hood once....
clearly he deserves to be ploughed into the ground as hard as possible, right?

i know that there is a lot of context we are missing here
and i understand that the driver could potentially have been afraid/triggerhappy/rushing his grandmother to hospital
problem is
the driver was in control of his vehicle and used it in a way that could easily have taken a life
and only didn't through luck.
that is what is known as WRONG. endcase.

reply to post by decepticonLaura


he thought his own life was under threat.

reply to post by JohnySeagull


Good lord.

First there is too much police activity...now there isn't enough.


No pleasing some people.

Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
reply to post by JohnySeagull

 

Good lord.

First there is too much police activity...now there isn't enough.


No pleasing some people.

Depends on the situation, OKS. There may very well be too much policing for the most part and not enough some of the time.

Just because the police are arresting tons of protestors and shooting vets with tear gas canisters in Oakland, doesn't mean that in NYC they have enough traffic cops.

The two are not mutually exclusive, sir.



And, yes, the irony is amazing.


"I say, Rupert, did you run into one of those street rats? I believe you may have damaged the car."

"Oh no, not the car."

It's wrong and misguided to beat up this poor driver here. We clearly don't have all of the facts. Besides, I'm sure he is already devastated by the events. A little blood will rinse off but dents cause permanent damage. Scratches are another matter, they can go completely through the clear coat and paint potentially exposing bare metal to possible rust. Imagine how you would feel if you were in his shoes.