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Seems that LA-area cops are at it again.
Just a couple of things to point out. I saw a clip of this on TV - the kid getting slammed onto the hood of the car and then punched. Slamming him on the hood was uncalled for, but I don't think in and of itself it was that bad. Punching him was something else entirely, and the cop that did it should at least be fired, if not criminally prosecuted. I do think we should cut cops some slack in recognition of the job they do, but this is way beyond that.
Also, we are only seeing a portion of the tape. It may well be that this young man was fighting with the police just before the part of the tape we get to see. It doesn't justify the cops' treatment of him, but it might explain a bit of it and affect what should happen to the officer as a result.
"This is another Rodney King beating," said Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic Hope.
This was nothing like Rodney King. Not even close. A bit of rough treatment is not comparable to a beating.
proving that it was racially motivated.
One of the four officers was black, as was the teenager. Another officer was Hispanic. A racial motivation seems unlikely to me.
Posted by Robert at July 08, 2002 11:20 PM | TrackBackperhaps they thought he was trying to evade arrest, or something like that, he was after all, autistic. i can see how someone stupid would think this mental disorder was disobedience. But it sickens me. he must have been scared to death.
Posted by: Dianna on July 10, 2002 03:20 PMi may have seen a clip that was a bit longer than the one you viewed...
i saw one officer who was obviously bleeding, so that -might- justify getting the kid "under control" via whatever means. i felt that when the officer punched the kid in the head, he crossed the line into "excessive force".
regardless, diana makes a great point. provided the kid was indeed autistic, the sight of police officers alone could have set him off. i have a cousin who was autistic as a child, and he had very strange reactions to some sorts of stimuli.
and no, this was no "rodney king". i'll be digusted at whomever tries to play the race card in regards to this incident.
Posted by: anna on July 11, 2002 01:16 PM