Do citizens have any rights to protect themselves or others if they see a murder in progress ???

[SamKnause]

I ask this question because of the video of police officers murdering a man in Minneapolis.

They stopped his air flow and he died.

There were people filming the murder.

Do we not have any rights to stop the police from murdering people ???

I am a 67 year old white female.

I am sick of this shit !!!!!!!!!

Why are black people thrown to the ground and handcuffed but white people are cuffed while standing ???

This country is a disgrace.

This country is an embarrassment.

I am ashamed of the evil this country allows.

[Laelth]

1. Yes. People have the right not to be killed by the police.

That said, this right won’t do you any good if you are dead.



-Laelth

[SamKnause]

3. I was referring to the on lookers.

Do they have any rights to stop a murder in progress ???

[Laelth]

5. Not if the police are committing the murder.

That said, I might try. If I am breaking the law and exceeding my authority, so be it. I will sleep well knowing that I did the right thing, even if I am sleeping in jail.



-Laelth

[JackintheGreen]

2. No. The state has a monopoly on use of force

Moral or immoral (if they’re using it it’s legal until determined otherwise), preventing the state from utilizing its privilege to use of force is not one of our rights.

[hack89]

4. Not against a policeman. Against a non-LEO yes.

The laws are pretty clear cut. LEO have an automatic presumption of legality - if you were to intervene you are gambling that the legal system will see it your way. If you guess wrong then you are going to prison.

In every state you the the legal right to intervene to prevent someone else from being murdered as long as the "assailant" is not a LEO.

[Jamastiene]

6. And taken to Burger King after murdering nine black people in a church too.

Not only do they arrest white people while standing, but they also coddle their asses even after they just killed nine black people.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article24952345.html

We SHOULD have rights to protect ourselves and others, but until more people wake up to the problem of lots of bigotry in police forces all over, and find ways to acknowledge that they act worse when they are dealing with black people and outright kill black people like it is no big deal, nothing but filming and documenting it seems to be available to us right now.

Filming and documenting it is invaluable though. In the future, when future generations look back at our overall still VERY racist society, they can use the footage to show just how bad it was and use the footage to maybe find solutions when police finally have to stop doing this shit, because citizens finally get fed up and try to stop them. I'm not sure how far into the future that is. I don't have any hope of seeing it in my lifetime. Right now, all people can do is document and film it. It is beyond frustrating.

[uponit7771]

7. Black folk can't get a fuckin break during the plague !!! Just shit

[lillypaddle]

8. Why are they killing Americans?

I hate these motherfuckers!!! I hope to god that someone stands on this pig's neck until he dies.

I'm sick of this shit, too. Murdered while black.

[wendyb-NC]

9. I hear you, I am sick of it ,too. It has to stop.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. FTP.

[cbdo2007]

11. Most people wouldn't intervene for their own safety.

Also, we don't know the backstory of the person or the situation.

The safest thing to do is to film it so that hopefully there is justice brought against the cops if the situation was one where they were in the wrong.

[LiberalArkie]

12. If a citizen even said "Excuse me officer" that person could be arrested and probably convicted

for "interfering with a police officer in performance of their duties".

[lostnfound]

13. We need a way for videophones to go live on TV

If the video was broadcast live, the media would be riveted and the issue would get the attention it needs.
Ideally the police would be shamed into change.

[KWR65]

14. I'm not batman. I don't get involved in violent affairs.

Now if someone came in my home to harm my family then I would use enough force to stop the threat. If you get involved in a violent incident that doesn't affect you directly then you are asking for civil and criminal liability. This could destroy your livelihood and put you in prison. I used to work as a security guard many moons ago and I learned about civil and criminal laws to know that trying to be batman leads to a whole lot of trouble.