Pixiq

Well, here we go again. Yet one more time we see an unprovoked attack by one of the boys in blue. What can we do but to drop our jaws and stare in wonderment?

qik [ http://qik.com/ ], USTREAM [ http://www.ustream.tv/ ] and similar offerings should be consider De rigueur by those videoing the police.

The Porcupine Picayune will be recommending qik to entrants in our “Capture A Cop & Win Dead Presidents!” Still & Video Photography Contest when entry rules are finalized and published in the coming days.
Porcupine Picayune´s last blog ..Boise Police Officer J. Schiffler : The Good…

“not all the cops policing the bike ride were assholes.”

Yet they’re just as guilty standing by doing nothing, while their asshole counter parts had their fun.

Time, once again, for the videographer and cyclists to get paid at taxpayer expense.

Ten years ago, I would have relished a cop advancing on me like this, though it would have been HIS face in the asphalt, not mine. Obviously it would have invited several of his buddies over to kick my teeth out, but I’d probably still be smiling… Thank god I’m not young and stupid like that anymore…

http://www.gazette.net/stories/03042009/prinnew164515_32532.shtml

Here is another link to the corruption within Maryland law enforcement.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Prince George’s state’s attorney investigates possible charges against county police officers

The first cop assaulted the rider. The other cops assaulted the videographer. Both need to be charged.

yea Jay. And we also need to get the DNA from the mosquitos that get trapped in amber and clone dinosaurs. There’s no way these cops will be charged. They couldn’t even convict the thug cop who attacked the cyclist on video. They got him on filing a false police report.
Michael Garcia´s last blog ..Made the Move Interview: Jason Talley

@Michael: I’m not under any illusion they will be charged, I’m saying they should be.

They’ll probably give him a 30 day suspension, with pay.

I left the United States six years ago and one of the biggest reasons was that I had become afraid of the police.

It is refreshing that this problem only exists in a few countries. Most countries I have lived in since leaving the U.S. have very friendly police who still shake your hand and would never dream of abusing the public.

Of course, most countries still have a public who wouldn’t put up with police abuse. Maybe that is the real problem… a majority of the American public just doesn’t care anymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8plvhEr2Npg
Please help me get this video out and about
My name is Christian lestat Bussiere I am a cop watcher in Erie Pa for SpotLight Tv
I also have a Local Erie Pa cable show that I use my copWatch videos on .
youtube.com/ErieParties
Facebook.com/ChristianLestat
Myspace.com/LestatBussiere
Twitter.com/SpotLightTv
SpotLightTv.blogspot.com
ErieLestat@yahoo.com

What is the point of critical mass again? There is no point. Enough with critical mass rides; they only piss everyone off and create these situations. I’m a cyclist, and the few times I’ve gotten trapped by zillions of stupid fucking hipsters, I’d have loved to get out and kick as many of them as I possibly could.

Now imagine having a job where you bottle up rage all day long. It’s a recipe for this type of shit, so don’t act surprised.

Well shit, lets just make excuses for the cops who can’t maintain their professionalism why don’t we?

I’m not making an excuse, though it sounds like it. I would just like to point out that critical mass rides solve nothing and only serve to piss people off, even ones sympathetic to cyclists. It’s just a group jackoff session.

Yet, as I understand it, it is still a constitutional right to make a jackass of oneself. Point or no point, they have a right to assemble and ride where they please without fascist, criminal cops kicking them off their bikes, and stomping the crap out of them.

Yes of course they do, that was never in question, though I am sure you feel good reasserting the right and telling your friends that you did.

Oh wow! You got me there! /sarcasm

Lay down and die Rance, that was a straight shot to the gizzard!!

I’m bleeding out as we speak.

Exactly. Here in Adelaide, Australia, we’ve had a few critical mass-style demonstrations (against global warming, and trying to encourage people to use less petrol). After the first one where only a single policeman on a bike was present, the police sent several officers to ensure we followed proper road laws (since we don’t apply to get the road shut down). Before the event the police were chatting with us demonstraters. The worst that happened was a guy who rode on the footpath was given a fine. A few of his friends tried to start a chant of “Fuck the police” but they were booed down since they were just protecting pedestrians and people don’t have much resentment to the police down here.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

After watching that video I’m having a rough time figuring out which of the two of you is the bigger ass clown.

Why do you feel the need to edit the hell out of it? Next time, try less stupid commentary and show more of your interaction with the cops. What happened after he made his threat? Did you continue to film? Did you turn the camera off? If you didn’t turn your camera off, what was his reaction?

What did he do that’s illegal? It’s just as legal for me to say I’m the king of all Londinium as it is for him to threaten to take away your camera. Actually seizing it would be a different story (and there are plenty of circumstances where even that is legal).

I’m inclined to agree with William and Rusty here. To echo William here, why exactly did you edit so much of it? In your video you’re pretty vocal about it, and seem to want to come across as a tough guy, yet where was that “tough guy” when the cop was threatening to take your camera? Sounds like a bunch of hot air to me. Pfft.

Carlos:

It occurs to me that you could make a very good living positioning yourself as an expert consultant to police departments. I bet there is not a single chief of police that doesn’t have a screaming snit fit every time one of his officers ends up being videotaped doing something stupid. You’ve got the chops and the material to do mandatory two-hour “how to not end up on youtube” courses. Set up a company, get yourself a good public relations outfit expert at shaking the local branches and go for it.

That’d be an interesting career choice for him.

@SUFAQ.com:

I wouldn’t say the American public just doesn’t care anymore, I’d say it’s more that people choose to be blind to it.

There are some people who still think that the one area where the U.S.A. ought to never waver is in punishing people as severely as possible for every single thing. As a result, abuses like this are overlooked, or simply swept under the carpet as “part of the job”.

It’s like we’re addicted to punishment or something.

That would be the end of his credibility.
mepsipax´s last blog ..There is no end to the stupidity

There’s definitely some truth to that.

As a cyclist I have to agree with chiefhiawatha, critical mass demos are a waste of time that make the cycling community look like a bunch of assholes. Critical Manners are necessary to survive the stress of dancing with vehicles that weigh tons to my pounds. As much as I support the right to protest (without parade permits or litigation) bicycle protests that follow traffic regulations may convince people to ride a bike instead of just pissing off pedestrians.

With that being said, the Hollywood cops are pretty dumb to re-enact the NYPD fiasco, I guess Hollywood can afford to pay out the nose when the law suits come around.

FWIW, On Sunday I fired off a complaint letter to the LAPD Deputy Chief for that area of LA. I received a response back about 15 minutes later.

As much as I question whether “a full scale investigation” will really do much good, I do believe that if every time something like this happens, the command chain receives an outpouring of respectful disdain from the community, they’ll improve so that they don’t have to deal with it.

We’ll have to see what happens, but it’s nice to know that at least one member of the top brass was spending Sunday of Memorial Day weekend trying to clean up the mess.

I’m a part-time cyclist and not a fan of Critical Mass either. But that doesn’t excuse an officer trying to trip someone on a bike for riding in it. I am a fan of videography, and there is no excuse for arresting someone for videotaping.

Thats a damn good idea.

I like that idea

Um, mepsipax, why do you think that?

To be fair to the LAPD, and I’m a bicyclist myself,( being the first biker to climb Ewing, Baxter and Fargo on a beach cruiser back in 1974), some of these bicyclists are real ass-holes. A while back I saw them clog an intersection in Echo Park, and as a family in a van tried to slowly and carefully make its way through, they were attacked by 20 or 30 of the bicyclists, who kicked and punched the van and windows. The folks inside, and their children, were of course terrified. And its no secret these mass bike rides are rolling beer-guzzling parties.

In that case they were certainly in the wrong but in the case of the video under discussion the cop was clearly in the wrong. When the CM people break the law they need to be dealt with according to the law. That’s not what the video is about.

EITHER WAY, assholes or not, it sitll doesn’t excuse cops abusing their power. Bottom line. Folks who disagree more than likely have never been harassed by police or seen anyone harassed by police. Your time will come and you’ll say “bonecrusher! you were right! cops suck!”

And I’ll say “duh!”

Actually it’s not really that crazy of an idea! A prior consultation with the command structure and a promise of anonymous work for the department as to weeding out those LEO’s who wish to bend the letter of the law they are sown to uphold might work for some of these areas you target. Not so crazy at all…

But that said, it’s interesting to see some of the comments here. Yeah, the absoluteness of authority in the recent police state is almost complete as the sheep continue to allow the wolves to patrol it’s domain. A badge is NOT absolution from the law, no more than ignorance is!

You must be going to some much better CM rides than I’ve seen.
Michaelk42´s last blog ..LAPD learned nothing from Patrick Pogan, I guess