Fed Up: Florida Crowd Forms Human Shield to Protect Man Police Try to Arrest for Smoking Marijuana

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Source: AlterNet

December 31, 2014 | In addition to the mass protests nationwide against police brutality, incidents where ordinary citizens speak up, start recording and attempt to intervene when they see excessive and abusive cop behavior are being reported more frequently.

Earlier this month in New York City, a woman angrily denounced police who were beating an already restrained teenage boy as others made sure to film the incident to hold the plainclothes officer accountable. It is possible that the assembled and outraged crowd prevented further abuse, and with the help of the cellphone video, the cop faced at least some discipline from the department.

This past weekend in Delray Beach, Florida, dozens of people quickly organized to stop what they believed to be a petty and unnecessary arrest. That night, Delray Police entered a neighborhood after seeing a man walking down the street smoking. The officers thought the smoke smelled like marijuana, so they decided to pursue the man. When the man entered a home nearby, the police followed and tried to apprehend him. They were surprised when about 20 people came out of the home and surrounded the man to prevent the arrest from taking place.

“They formed this shield and started to get aggressive,” one of the officers said.

Read more: http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/fed-florida-crowd-forms-human-shield-protect-man-police-try-arrest-smoking

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They formed a shield and started to get aggressive, Officer McChicken? Aww!

[NutmegYankee]

1. I've often thought people should step in when police start getting abusive.

Let those fuckers try to arrest an entire crowd.

[GGJohn]

2. I'll bet this took the cops by surprise, they never figured that ordinary citizens

would step in to stop what they consider a worthless arrest for MJ use.
I think this is going to catch on like wild fire as more and more citizens step up to the plate and prevent over abuse by cops, I'm getting a sense that the citizens of this country have had enough of the over militarization of our police forces and are ready to do something about it.

[NBachers]

3. Brave hero citizens

[Downwinder]

4. They ride around with windows down to smell smoke?

[SunSeeker]

5. What kind of human being wants to arrest pot smokers for a living?

I can understand being a homicide detective, or going after rapists, but I have never understood how cops can live with themselves arresting a person for smoking a joint. The insane prohibition against pot has ruined so many lives, and disproportionately more African American lives.

[Scootaloo]

6. some people will grasp at any power they can have over others

[SunSeeker]

8. There should be a psychological test for recruits that screens those nuts out. nt

[olddad56]

9. It makes me wonder what type of people the job will attract 10 years from now.

[nikto]

7. America's stupid anti-cannabis laws...

Provide some of the flimsiest excuses available for the police to screw with non-violent citizens.






One gets the distinct idea that, for some cops, arresting mellow pot-smokers is
one of their favorite things.


I can just see the cops singing, Broadway-style, on the NYC streets...

♫
Hitting da' heads of flappy-haired smoka's...
kicking dose faces of hippi-fied joka's...
Searchin' for bud-bags, tied up with string...
'Dese are a few of my favorite things... ♫

[DeSwiss]

10. K&R

[mrmpa]

11. In the words of the Jets in West Side Story......

"Gee Officer Krupke. fuck you.

[tinymontgomery]

12. I think this is a key part of the article this is a key part of the article

The incident could foretell greater citizen intervention against what they perceive to be abusive and unnecessary policing and shows the urgency of reining in the over-criminalization of American life.

[malthaussen]

13. Some days seem like the climax of "V"

We need more crowds to remind the police who their bosses are.

-- Mal

[Johnny Rash]

14. That's what I call, "Stopping the NONSENSE in its tracks"!

Hats off to the people!

[RedSock]

15. amazing

A non-insane story to come out of Florida! What are the odds?