Big Easy Cops Deny Using Excessive Force

[jayfish]

Big Easy Cops Deny Using Excessive Force

An attorney for the officers, Frank DeSalvo, said police were only trying to subdue Davis, and that their actions were justified because of Davis' resistance. Davis had stumbled into a police horse, had slurred speech and had been belligerent toward officers before his arrest, DeSalvo said.

"I see an incident of a man trying to be brought under control who doesn't want to be brought under control," DeSalvo said.

Davis says he had not been drinking before he was beaten by two police officers in a weekend confrontation taped by an Associated Press Television News crew. Those officers and a third accused of grabbing and shoving an APTN producer have pleaded not guilty to battery charges.

DeSalvo said the APTN producer grabbed one of the accused officers, S.M. Smith, and spun him around before the officer responded by pushing the producer away from the arrest.

What a load. That's it thugs, stick with your pathetic story to the end. And to think, some people were sypathizing with you because you were sooooooooooo stressed out.:nopity:

Jay

[chelsea0011]

1. That guy kept throwing his head into my fist

[okieinpain]

2. yep, that's their lie and they are sticking with it. funny isn't it.

[SammyBlue]

3. Proof that cops are a necessary evil.

If any cops are DUers, I apologize for the following broad, generalized comment:

"Cops are worse than criminals. They always use the badge to hide behind when faced with the breaking the laws they are supposed to enforce and feel above." Like clock work, every single fucking time it happens.

I hope these badge wearing nazis go down.

[sasquatch]

4. Was any of the Officers named "Coon" by chance?

I'm remembering the Bill Hicks joke about the LAPD cops who beat the shit out of Rodney King. One of them was named Officer Coon.

[lateo]

12. Coon...

He brought his balls into the court room in a wheel barrow.

That is probably my most favorite Bill Hick's joke.

[zanne]

5. Haven't you heard?

A bunch of white cops would never beat on a black man. Especially not in the south.

[harrison]

6. I work with cops. There is nothing better than a good cop. Boy

you really appreciate them and what they do. On the other hand, there is nothing worse than a bad cop.

[soothsayer]

7. jackbooted thugs, those ones.

[Enraged_Ape]

8. I, for one, am sick to death of "cop bashers"

And that means people who bash cops.

Try living in a world without police. I'm sure you'd love it. It's called the "wild frontier". Hope you have plenty of guns and ammo, because you're gonna need them. You will be defending yourself every single day.

I have friends who are cops who also, AMAZINGLY, are decent people. Some of them are even (GASP) Republicans. They also are not racists and will give their own lives to defend any innocent civilian-- regardless of skin color, class, or whatever. It's why they chose that line of work.

The cops that did this are horrible people and absolutely must be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law. There ARE horrible cops, just like there are horrible firefighters and truckers and CEOs of major corporations. Just like there are horrible black people and white people and Hispanic people. Just like there are horrible people in general (and more now, it seems, than ever before). But let's not make a blanket statement about people who, for the most part, go into that line of work to SERVE the community, not to torment others.

[Porcupine]

9. Horrible firefighters don't shoot people on their front porches

or beat them up for no damn good reason. For years people would report that they had been beaten by police and the police would claim "resisting arrest" or some such shit. Now we have video cameras all over we find out that it's true.

If cops cannot hold themselves to a higher standard and enforce it within the ranks they will be seen as occupying forces and gangsters by those they police.

As long as cops close ranks around this shit they will be associated with it.

[lateo]

15. Yep, remember...

Amadou Diallo?

Cops fired at this unarmed, black man 41 times.

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/13/springsteen.02/

[MisterP]

11. who's bashing?

[lateo]

13. "Cop basher" is a nebulous term....

meant to inflame and incite an argument. Do a Google search on "police brutality" and see how many hits come up.

As the saying goes...a few bad apples spoil the bunch.

Yet, this sort of brutality that you see on this film, unfortunately, ISN'T uncommon.

We are conditioned from a young age, in America, to believe in "Officer Friendly". Well, "Officer Friendly" is a lot like Santa Claus...a myth.

[nonconformist]

14. Who is making broad-brush bashing statements? nt

[Beaverhausen]

10. Did anyone check on Davis' blood alcohol level?

[KamaAina]

16. Apparently not

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051012/ap_on_re_us/new_orleans_taped_beating

Davis has described himself as a recovering substance abuser who has not had a drink in 25 years. His lawyer asked prosecutors to dismiss charges, but his trial was set for Jan. 18....

Police union officials described Davis as so intoxicated that he staggered down the street, stumbled into a police horse and became belligerent when officers intervened....

No tests for intoxication were administered following the arrest. In such cases, judges typically rely on officers' observations, said police spokesman Marlon Defillo.

I have also heard that Davis has Parkinson's, which would appear to the untrained -- or poorly trained -- eye to be similar to intoxication.

[HuffleClaw]

17. they COULD have administered the breathalyser and

they'd have simply fallen back on the 'contempt of cop' claim. while a vast majority of cops are professionals who perform a service under the most stressful of circumstances, its the 'thin blue line' thing that sours it for the REAL pros out there. why do these bullies with badges ALWAYS get full support in these instances? if their BOSSES ordered 'em to take the high road and admit their disconduct stuff like this would happen far less often. so, imho, the problem is two-fold, a few 'bullies with badges' AND a system that condones their actions through inaction.