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Offering settlements is common in the judicial system. It's a payment to avoid going to trial. Such settlements typically do not admit fault and oftentimes there is a confidentiality agreement involved. Sometimes, it is just cheaper than going to trial, as you noted. Other times, as in Kelly Thomas's case, obviously it was done to avoid the glare of publicity.
Not saying those involved didn't try or want to cover this up, they failed, but I'm missing your point where there was a local and national news blackout. I don't think there was.
The officers were deliberately misrepresenting what happened, and were withholding information. The officers clearly lied about what happened, and given your last link it's a pervasive problem with this PD.
"The Fullerton Police department needs to be cleaned up." I couldn't agree with you more.
Just horrible.
"A graphic recording causes some spectators to leave the courtroom during a preliminary hearing for two Fullerton, CA officers in the beating of homeless man Kelly Thomas who screamed, 'Dad they are killing me!' http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,5787840.story
Don't be suprised if this ends up with no conviction. Very rarely do police beating end up with convictions, even when it's videotaped and obvious like this one. Juries, for some reason, just do not like to second guess authority figures. Or it must be some collective group effect of a jury turning into mindless idiots. It's sad, but it seems criminal trials for police abuses are ineffective.
Regardless, you will see some huge lawsuits out of this later on.
Very, very sad....from men who are supposedly hear to serve and protect....and cops wonder why people are afraid of them....look at his face...those cops should be put in public stocks...let the people really show them what they think.......Kelly Thomas beating video | rants and observations
This man died. I have yet to see this on the news. Yet...Rodney King....who is still alive....that beating was on tv constantly.
There is a missing component involved that makes it not newsworthy. See if one can guess. Lets just say you won't have Al Sharpton, MSNBC, or Jesse Jackson running off to this one.
That's a tough one!
You kinda have to put yourself in law enforcement shoes on this one
Law enforcement has to deal with,the mental impaired/Pcp drug addicts daliy.
That dude was resiting an awful lot.
That's a tough one!
You kinda have to put yourself in law enforcement shoes on this one
Law enforcement has to deal with,the mental impaired/Pcp drug addicts daliy.
That dude was resiting an awful lot.
To call it "resisting" is to give that term a very generous broad definition. It appeared that the police were having difficulty handcuffing him due to some motor cognitive difficulties, probably due to his mental illness. Police are focused on one thing at this point - getting those handcuffs on, not him fighting or breaking the law, and they will do anything, including beating a person to death, just to complete the physical act of puting those hands behind the back in such a way to put the cuffs on. Clearly, from his pleas, he was surrendering, he wan't fighting, just his body couldn't obey his mind.
Law enforcement isn't known for hiring professionals in the mental health field, or even for hiring particularly intellegent staff, but they should be trained in handling someone with mental difficulaties. There are other options to securing a suspect, even one on drugs or mentally ill, other than beating a person to death to simply get two appendages loose, believe it or not.
I asume that will be the defense however - "he was resisting and this is our policy". Sadly, juries actually fall for it many times. What should be said is - policy and training must change and the entire methodology of police nationwide should change. It's an institutional problem.
That's a tough one!
You kinda have to put yourself in law enforcement shoes on this one
Law enforcement has to deal with,the mental impaired/Pcp drug addicts daliy.
That dude was resiting an awful lot.
I don't know how you could say that after watching the video...it's not tough at all....the man was murdered....plain and simple
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