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A professional cop, probably most cops, could have talked the women down and defused her anger, issued the ticked and sent her on her way. A lesson learned about signaling a lane change. He used every possible cue from her as a excuse to up his aggression.
I don't assume to know what happened in the jail but when they lock a person up they have some responsibility to see the they don't harm themselves.
There was no need to "talk her down". She was not "up". He deliberately pushed buttons that would get just about anyone angry. "You seem irritated"... I just gave you a warning, you should be asking for my number. I'm not sure what he expected when he asked her to put out the cigarette but he had already decided at that point to make something happen. When she refused, bam, he went into action. And most cops would have acted the same way. It's difficult to shop anywhere without the sales staff being all solicitous. Cashiers especially are mandated to ask you about your day, your plans for the weekend, etc. I have heard them on their cigarette breaks bitterly arguing about the fact that they are expected to do this for black people too. Some won't even at risk to their jobs.
The need to treat black people less than they treat other people is very powerful in some, and cops have it in spades because they also have power over life and death. It is the opposite of what you say, those cops that are polite, truly polite and fair, not sarcastic polite but transparent and professional towards black people. They are the exceptions. They don't follow black drivers and maneuver them into committing minor traffic infractions so they can pull them over. Does anyone think the stop was real? Does anyone think something was wrong with the taillights of Walter Scott's car? That is supposedly why he was pulled over. A bad taillight. He was killed because of a bad taillight! There was nothing wrong with the taillights of his car. There was nothing wrong with Sandra Bland's driving. The exact same thing has happened to me. Cop gets on my six and starts following me turn for turn and finally pulls me over. Uh... you made a stop before you turned at that yellow arrow... you don't have to do that... have you been drinking? I told him he was making me nervous following me for six miles up the Oregon Coast. I had my talisman in the passenger seat next to me. I wouldn't have tried that if I had been alone in the car.
I watched the entire video twice. He stopped her because she did not signal when she crossed the lane. She was likely already showing disrespect when he first got to her passenger side window because he asked her if anything was wrong.
I've heard a lot of blacks talk about being "disrespected." He showed no disrespect when he first approached her, but he sensed it from her because he asked her if anything was wrong. When he returned, he then was going to give her a warning, but said, "Are you OK? You seem irritated." The words she used were reasonable, but her tone was not respectful.
If you want respect, you have to give it. It goes both ways. We give, we receive. It is an exchange. We behave in the way in which we would like to be treated. She was already ticked off that he pulled her over, and that escalated because she was disrespectful to him.
It takes very little energy to just be civil to people.
I read yesterday that she had a suspended license, 10 stops and multiple arrests over the last 8 years for DUI and driving offenses, and over $10,000 in unpaid court costs. More than likely her license plate would show she had outstanding warrants in Chicago when ran.
The saddest thing of all is that no one in her family could bail her out in the 3 days she sat in jail needing $500.00.
How did a "simple traffic stop turn out like this?" That's easy. Because the driver didn't comply with the cop's order. It's the same old krapola that cops have to put up with--drivers with a whole lot of attitude who want to challenge a cop instead of "tell[ing] it to the judge."
Chuck the belligerent attitude, and comply. Period.
It's OK, then, for the police officer to order her to do unreasonable things (put out her cigarette in her own vehicle, as far as I know, it is not yet illegal to smoke tobacco in one's own car), then for the police officer to order her out of her vehicle for no good and no apparent reason, other than his own power tripping? Among other things. The police officer is supposed to be a professional, which this man was not, and a reminder, too, that the police are supposed to work for citizens.
That sounds dangerously like sheeple are OK with police states and fascism. I see these kind of responses, and I wonder if people have thought about the dangers of just handing over power to law enforcement, without limits and expectations.
It's OK, then, for the police officer to order her to do unreasonable things (put out her cigarette in her own vehicle, as far as I know, it is not yet illegal to smoke tobacco in one's own car), then for the police officer to order her out of her vehicle for no good and no apparent reason, other than his own power tripping? Among other things. The police officer is supposed to be a professional, which this man was not, and a reminder, too, that the police are supposed to work for citizens.
That sounds dangerously like sheeple are OK with police states and fascism. I see these kind of responses, and I wonder if people have thought about the dangers of just handing over power to law enforcement, without limits and expectations.
While doing your job would you want to be around some one smoking? I think asking for the cigarette to be put out is a perfectly reasonable request. Its not about legal vs illegal, its about respect.
I watched the entire video twice. He stopped her because she did not signal when she crossed the lane. She was likely already showing disrespect when he first got to her passenger side window because he asked her if anything was wrong.
I've heard a lot of blacks talk about being "disrespected." He showed no disrespect when he first approached her, but he sensed it from her because he asked her if anything was wrong. When he returned, he then was going to give her a warning, but said, "Are you OK? You seem irritated." The words she used were reasonable, but her tone was not respectful.
If you want respect, you have to give it. It goes both ways. We give, we receive. It is an exchange. We behave in the way in which we would like to be treated. She was already ticked off that he pulled her over, and that escalated because she was disrespectful to him.
It takes very little energy to just be civil to people.
Oh, come on, he asked her if something was wrong to rankle her. I am going to take a wild guess right here that 100% of people who are pulled over are annoyed.
The officer is supposed to know how to deal with these situations, he did nothing to deescalate it, just the opposite, he passive-aggressively asserted his dominance, he did not like that she was not immediately submissive and all yes sir no sir (nope. not ever going to call a police office "sir").
Look, I get it that she was pissy, however, there should be a higher level of expectation from a law enforcement officer. He did not meet that expectation, and he did not like it that she did not comply with his unreasonable demand, and then he is pulling her out of the car and throwing her to the ground. He kept escalating the situation until he got what he wanted, a full blown confrontation where he could "put her in her place".
Both were wrong, he was more wrong because he is supposed to be a professional, and he was not.
There was no need to "talk her down". She was not "up". He deliberately pushed buttons that would get just about anyone angry. "You seem irritated"... I just gave you a warning, you should be asking for my number. I'm not sure what he expected when he asked her to put out the cigarette but he had already decided at that point to make something happen. When she refused, bam, he went into action. And most cops would have acted the same way. It's difficult to shop anywhere without the sales staff being all solicitous. Cashiers especially are mandated to ask you about your day, your plans for the weekend, etc. I have heard them on their cigarette breaks bitterly arguing about the fact that they are expected to do this for black people too. Some won't even at risk to their jobs.
The need to treat black people less than they treat other people is very powerful in some, and cops have it in spades because they also have power over life and death. It is the opposite of what you say, those cops that are polite, truly polite and fair, not sarcastic polite but transparent and professional towards black people. They are the exceptions. They don't follow black drivers and maneuver them into committing minor traffic infractions so they can pull them over. Does anyone think the stop was real? Does anyone think something was wrong with the taillights of Walter Scott's car? That is supposedly why he was pulled over. A bad taillight. He was killed because of a bad taillight! There was nothing wrong with the taillights of his car. There was nothing wrong with Sandra Bland's driving. The exact same thing has happened to me. Cop gets on my six and starts following me turn for turn and finally pulls me over. Uh... you made a stop before you turned at that yellow arrow... you don't have to do that... have you been drinking? I told him he was making me nervous following me for six miles up the Oregon Coast. I had my talisman in the passenger seat next to me. I wouldn't have tried that if I had been alone in the car.
I can see you have a victim mentality. I don't believe for a second you happened upon a conversation like the one I just outlined. Once again, both the driver and the police officer were at fault. What happened after the arrest that caused her death is in question.
While doing your job would you want to be around some one smoking? I think asking for the cigarette to be put out is a perfectly reasonable request. Its not about legal vs illegal, its about respect.
No, it isn't. There was no good reason for him to demand that it be done. He asked her to do it, she said no, that should have been the end of it. IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO SMOKE IN ONE'S OWN CAR. The only reason he did it was to assert his control, she did not comply, he got what he wanted, which was an imaginary good reason to say that she did not comply with him.
No, it isn't. There was no good reason for him to demand that it be done. He asked her to do it, she said no, that should have been the end of it. IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO SMOKE IN ONE'S OWN CAR. The only reason he did it was to assert his control, she did not comply, he got what he wanted, which was an imaginary good reason to say that she did not comply with him.
No one ever said it was. It is about RESPECT. If you give it, you get it. You act like a jerk, you get treated like one. You never answered my question either. Would you want to be around some one smoking while you are trying to to your job?
No one ever said it was. It is about RESPECT. If you give it, you get it. You act like a jerk, you get treated like one. You never answered my question either. Would you want to be around some one smoking while you are trying to to your job?
He has no right to demand or expect that she would put out her cigarette, and this is what caused him to pull her out of her car. He made an unreasonable demand, I am of the opinion that he did so to escalate the situation. Do you not understand that she did not break the law when not putting out her cigarette? Yet somehow, that caused him to pull her out of her car, to threaten to "light her up" with the taser, to put her into cuffs? All of that for doing something which was perfectly legal? And you are OK with that? Since when is fascism OK? that is not what the founding fathers of this country fought to establish.
I am a non smoker, but I don't see why he thinks that he has any right to make that a requirement. He asked her to do it, she said no. She has every right to say no when she is in her own car. It is not against the law to smoke in your car.
Seriously, I don't give a flying eff about respecting a police officer, respect for them is not and should not be automatic. It is his job, it is his duty and it is his requirement that he follow certain guidelines insofar as how he handles situations, and he failed. He should automatically be held to a higher standard. He power-tripped all over this.
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