75 year old man seriously injured by police

[backtrack]

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-us-canada-52932611

I feel truly sick at the world we live in today. I don’t know what the answer is. The police are wrong to act with brutality, the protesters are wrong to act with violence, to loot and destroy property. This is not positive.

[Please note, title edited as it originally stated that the man had died]*

[Lordfrontpaw]

Pardon that - there was a local one (and 7 people were shot). But no international outrage. Are women - and I find this case increasingly distressing - not as worthy as a mans murder caught on camera?

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.voanews.com/usa/7-people-shot-kentucky-protest-against-police-shooting-black-woman%3famp

[qweryuiop]

@anyfucker @square
I'm pretty sure that the man was pushed away from the victim because he was the one that pushed him. The officer who pushed him away also instructed others to "get those two". While there are clearly systemic issues in us policing, and many officers who use excessive force, there are also some good eggs.

It's incomprehensible to me that people resigned in support of these two. Utterly unnecessary use of force. They didn't even try to communicate with the man.

[Lordfrontpaw]

I how he makes a recovery - yes - but when I see things like that in the states I think it how he has decent medical insurance’. I also expect he will sue.

[Ughmaybenot]

I think the added shock factor of it all being caught on camera has an effect @lordfrontpaw but I agree with you. What happened to Breonna was horrific, and she deserves justice.

[sashh]

The entire 'Emergency Response Team' have resigned, to show solidarity with the officers who are suspended. I know it was mentioned up thread that 57 had resigned, but I think it being the team makes a difference, aslo I don't think they have resigned as police officers, just this particular roll.

[TwoTaggySits]

What I found even more disturbing than the push was how none of them when to help him when he was clearly badly injured. One who looked like he was going to was prevented by his colleagues. Totally shameful!

[Lordfrontpaw]

I guess the story is changing - it was a few, then 57 then they ‘entire unit’. Either way - no one seems to have spoken out ‘against the team’ have they?

One of the officers (4th shift on the job) who was with the one who killed George Ford did voice his concerns at the time about the hold and he was told it was ok, nothing wrong, procedure etc.

So now he is being charged too - so the culture is ‘stick together, don’t snitch, then a blind eye...’?

[EvilPea]

Every officer who walked past and refused to help needs charging with something and if they were just ‘following orders’, that person needs charging too.

[Thisisworsethananticpated]

We had a BLM home school tutorial yesterday
Rather than read what the school gave (poems !) I maybe unwisely showed my son videos of recent police brutality
For a sensitive 12 year old it was traumatising , he actually couldn’t believe his eyes . It was like I was showing him a horror movie but it’s real life

Unfortunately his guy resistance meant I had to turn it off

But that was an eye opener for me , that I can’t even SHOW my kid what’s going on

As of today all we can do is be braver , and if white step right out our comfort zone and confront what we see in day to day life

[FAQs]

@TheFencePainter UK Police are trained to peacefully stand back at protests and only intervene if it gets out of control.

This link shows a good example, the officers takes with preventing protesters gaining access to Downing Street were told to wear little protection, for example no helmets so they wore soft caps to not aggravate or intimidate the crowds, unfortunately this also meant they also had no protection when bottles and objects were thrown at them. On another link if I can find it, two officers were chased and one pushed to the ground by a demonstrator to cheers and delight of the ground.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2020/06/04/least-13-arrested-london-protests-blm-demonstrators-clash-police-12802863/amp/

[Lordfrontpaw]

Occasionally we see heavy handed policing in the U.K. (poll tax riots, miners strikes...) but nothing along the line of this. Yet our police here (who people was falling over themselves to thank for ‘keeping us safe’ not all that long ago) are receiving the same tarnish as the US forces.

I suspect there’s a lot of pent up anger, frustration, boredom even. Before this kicked off I noticed a lot more larger groups of young adults meeting in the park with drinks /smokes, chatting up girls (some only kids). The odd fight and a couple of stabbings. People were definitely getting restless.

[FAQs]

A few videos on here re the Police in the UK.
m.facebook.com/crimewatchuk.tv/

What happened to George Floyd, regardless of his criminal history was truly awful, and I hope justice is served. This is part of a bigger issue in the USA, time for change.

[TheFencePainter]

@FAQs thank you. I've seen the videos. It's very hard to balance it, isn't it. Don't wear too much to aggravate, but wear enough to protect. Maybe a new design of protective gear could come in. Protective for the police yet not unnecessarily intimidating to the protestors.

Yet our police here (who people was falling over themselves to thank for ‘keeping us safe’ not all that long ago) are receiving the same tarnish as the US forces.
Yes. There are some bad apples, like everywhere, but majority of police officers I've met and dealt with were reasonable and community minded. There are issues, but imho nowhere near US issues...

Do they have volunteers in US like we have special constables? And also do they have like PCSOs? I can't see it anywhere.

[thenamesarealltaken]

While I agree that this is terrible - I saw it on the news yesterday, we are not an extension of America, and we don't have the details. Remember, this is during a Covid-19 crisis and you don't know what the older guy said. He might have threatened the police, saying he has the virus, etc. Plus the police might have been strictly told to observe social distancing and that an ambulance will be called for anyone who gets hurt. They might have evdb been told to watch out for a guy approaching police, threatening them; they have ear pieces in to communicate. I'm not on anyone's side until I get the facts. But at present we're guessing. I feel sad at the whole situation, the mess countries are in, especially seeing parts of the US self destructing. But, I also reflect and try to think of all sides. Imagine if you were told to strictly queue and walk in a certain direction, and a guy walked straight over to people in the queue before you, then came to you. Imagine if they said something about having the virus or another threat, you might push them to get them away from you. If they fell as they lost balance, would you then run over to help them, knowing the security guard would call for an ambulance? Would you put your family at risk to help someone who had been doing that? Remember there are people spitting at the police, security guards and transport workers, etc. Its just an example guys, I'm not defending pushing and hurting people, then leaving them bleeding on the ground - he wasn't actually left as he was taken to hospital. But, yes it looked bad on phone video and I'm thinking of different reasons why that might have happened, not just becoming enraged... we dont know all of the details. I feel sad that everything seems to be a mess, but then I look outside my window, I walk to my local shop and I realise, that it's ok. I'm waiting for the facts.

[Lordfrontpaw]

There are 2 videos (at least). The police originally said he tripped - fast to say that weren’t they? If footage wasn’t available they would have stuck to that story.

[Nottherealslimshady]

The police are just like a street gang, its sick. They're sick.

[Ughmaybenot]

Are you for real @thenamesarealltaken you think trained police officers, there to protect and to serve, didn’t have any other choice than to violently push an elderly man to the ground? And then to have the audacity to claim he tripped just adds insult to injury (literally), they’d have stuck with that line if there was no footage.
I’m don’t believe all policemen are awful people at all but get a fucking grip. This cannot and should not be excused.

[Lordfrontpaw]

I guess I’m anger because he was a bit like my dad - I could imagine him wandering over to speak to them - he was the least aggressive or confrontational man you would ever meet but very curious. Would he have been whacked too?

[backtrack]

I think that’s what got to me about that video too, when he falls one cop steps around and looks at him clearly sees the blood and that he is unconscious. Then looks away and keeps moving as if it’s someone else’s problem and he can’t be arsed to deal with it.

I hope this is over soon, and some positive changes are made at the end of this for the black community and for the police force as a whole.

What kind of stumps me a little is how the UK can instantly boot up and protest for issues that are largely in the states when we have things going on here that are abhorrent. There is so much child sex trafficking in this country and it’s never covered in the media, why are we not up in arms more about issues close to home especially that involve children. Not instead of, but as well as.

[AlexTheLittleCat]

It's horrifying. I was so upset about George Floyd too. I hadn't seen the Breonna Taylor case before but that is horrifying. When will it end?

[SmallChickBilly]

Whilst I agree Trump is a,terrible President ,I don't think he's responsible for police brutality ,it s been around for years .

The militarisation of the police has been directly linked to police violence and shootings. Obama tried to limit the scope of the programme that provides military equipment to the police to ensure that they were not given access to inappropriate gear but Trump overturned it. So he's hardly blameless as he has actively worked against measures to reduce the problem.

www.livescience.com/evidence-police-brutality-reform.html

[OrangeGinLemonFanta]

The link posted on page 1 shows how Trump is actively fanning the flames and providing an environment in which police brutality in the US can flourish by demonising minority communities and removing accountability and oversight that was put in place by previous administrations. Read it, its depressingly fascinating.

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/chauvin-did-what-trump-asked-him-do/612574/

[JacobReesMogadishu]

@Lordfrontpaw

I guess the story is changing - it was a few, then 57 then they ‘entire unit’. Either way - no one seems to have spoken out ‘against the team’ have they?

One of the officers (4th shift on the job) who was with the one who killed George Ford did voice his concerns at the time about the hold and he was told it was ok, nothing wrong, procedure etc.

So now he is being charged too - so the culture is ‘stick together, don’t snitch, then a blind eye...’?

I have to admit I feel a bit sorry for the officer who on his 4th day on the job ended up in this situation. Especially if it’s true he voiced his concerns. I can see how in that situation you might believe someone with 20 years experience on the job, or find it hard to carry on arguing with them. Though I’d like to think if I or anyone else realised a bloke was dying you would carry on arguing. I can only assume the rookie officer didn’t realise this and believed the more experienced one that he knew what he was doing. I know bystanders were shouting out that he couldn’t breath but maybe as a new officer you would just think that this is what bystanders to in an attempt to help the suspect get away? I don’t know but it seems a bit shit to end up on a murder charge on your 4th day on the job.

[qweryuiop]

@thenamesarealltaken you would push someone if they said they had coronavirus? That is disgusting.

These officers have even less excuse. They have riot shields. They have pepper spray if actually necessary. They did not take time to even talk to him. Whatever the man was saying, pushing him was unnecessary.