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UCLA tasering
2006-11-17

I'm sure most people have seen the news coverage and/or video, witness accounts etc.

The video isn't that good, more because the cameraman wasn't that close to the action then the actual quality of the cell phone video. The response from the police is very obvious "ass covering". The whole thing is kind of sick, especially if the guy was tasered multiple times after being cuffed, and even more so if the account on the above page is accurate.

Of course, the LA story points this as the third recent event of a video of "police brutality", and it also prompted a number of other events (even some years old) on reddit. Its interesting to sit and watch or record these things happening and all, but... shouldn't someone DO something, and what can they do? If I saw some random person threatening some other person, or tasering them for no reason, I'd certainly try to intervene. From the video, it certainly appeared that there were sufficient numbers of people to stop the police, for instance. I'm not one to immediately defer to the police in any situation, but it certainly seems like the law is on there side, even in cases like this. The whole concept of "interfering with a police officer" or "resisting arrest" being crimes seems odd to me. It assumes that the officers aren't abusing anything. Hell, you could be innocent of any crime, and guilty of those, for instance. What if the people watching the UCLA incident hadn't held back? What if they'd jumped the cop brandishing the taser, or even struck back with pepper spray or something? I'm pretty sure the law answer wouldn't be good for the person trying to help the victim in this case, and I'm sure the "blue line" would mean that the cops would gang up even if the original cop was in the wrong, but it must be painful to watch a guy get it and not be able to help.


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