Firefighter says he waved at police and

[avebury]

was handcuffed and threatened

A young black man on a bicycle waved at a cop who made an abrupt turn in front of him. The officer pulled over, stuck a taser 1-inch from his face and said, "Don't make me pull this trigger." He was handcuffed and thrown on the ground. The attitude of the police changed when they realized they were abusing a local firefighter and youth minister.



http://www.courierpress.com/news/2013/aug/14/police-herp/

[CBGLuthier]

1. and of course racism has noooootthhhing to do with it

move along

[valerief]

71. Heavens no! What would make you think that? America is post-racial,

haven't you heard?

[JustAnotherGen]

2. Not really young

He's 38, the father of four, a Fireman (profession) and a Youth Pastor in his church.

I wonder why that newspaper tried to paint him as the 'profiled' young black male? He's anything but. Back in the 1990's - weren't we all breathing a sigh of relief when our brothers, sons, nephews, etc. etc. all lived past the age of 25 (there were stats about our young men dying/in jail at 25)?

[tblue37]

14. Maybe he looks young for his age. Some people do.

Or maybe the headline writer is old enough that anyone under 40 seems young. (I will be 63 on Sunday--to me 38 is fairly young.)

On edit: He does look young!

[JustAnotherGen]

22. See post 20

Blue_Tires found the police report.

[jeff47]

38. Happy Birthday

Mine's Monday. And apparently I'll still be young! (But just barely)

[JustAnotherGen]

61. Hippo Birdie Two Ewes To You!

I'm 40 - aye - my life is but a fetus!

[Bryn]

120. Yes, 38 is young

and I will be 63 tomorrow! We're almost twins. Ha! I am also deaf.

[OnlinePoker]

53. My local paper does this all the time.

Today they reported on a "girl" that was punched on a local path. She was 19. To me, she is a woman, not a girl.

[Lucky Luciano]

67. I still have a hard time thinking of 19 as a woman.

I certainly don't think of a 19 year old guy as a "man." When I was that age I still referred to a 19 year old as in "yeah, that kid was blah blah blahing the other day..."

[lpbk2713]

3. Cycling while black.

That'll teach him.

[DJ13]

4. We need mandatory drug tests of all cops for steroid use

[Enthusiast]

100. Roid rage is a real phenomenon.

Seriously.

[okieinpain]

5. lordy, lordy, lordy, what is we going to do with this hate. lol. n/t.

[tk2kewl]

6. last paragraph

“I don’t want this man to lose his job or weeks of pay, but I have to look at it from the standpoint of I have a family to think about. I shouldn’t feel bad for standing up for my own rights,” he said. “The fact that I am a firefighter or preacher doesn’t make a difference. All anybody wants is to be treated like a human being.”

[peace13]

8. Well put!

Do it for the next man who isn't a firefighter and will get tazed.

[myrna minx]

23. Wonderfully said. n/t

[Lordquinton]

42. I don't think he should worry about that

If anything happens, the cop will just get a couple week paid vacation before being cleared of all wrongdoing, that's how it always goes.

[Chemisse]

116. It's the right thing to do.

Good for him for taking a stand on this. It's easier to just let it go.

[Dash87]

7. The police aren't your friend. Never do something to attract their attention.

Even if you're trying to be friendly, you're still putting yourself at risk.

[bobja]

9. I agree!

I don't even look at police when they're around.

[AsahinaKimi]

16. You are so right...its scary...

I am surprised they haven't turned on each other yet. They certainly seem to hate everyone else.

[sakabatou]

55. +1

[RedCappedBandit]

60. Agreed

Do my best to avoid them at all costs.

[Th1onein]

72. I'll wave at any goddamned body I want to wave at.

They got a problem with that? Come on, arrest me. They will rue the day that they do that.

We've got to stop cowing down to these people. Fuck them. They work for US, not vice versa.

[KentuckyWoman]

89. You are right BUT

it's a little difficult to get justice from the grave.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

94. Are you within driving distance of Evansville, Indiana? Go. And waive "hi" for the rest of us.

[Th1onein]

96. I drive all over this country, including in Indiana.

And I drive VERY badly. A BIG dually diesel. I've hit three cars, a truck, a pole, and a shopping cart. Believe me, I've dealt with my share of cops. And I'll waive at anybody I want to wave at, anytime, anywhere. And so should you.

Bullies are cowards. They never pick on someone who is likely to give as good as they get. That's how bullies are. You keep on being frightened of them, and they'll keep on threatening you. That's how they operate.

And, I'm a woman, and not a large person at all. I'm just not afraid, and they know it.

[JackInGreen]

103. I'm glad you've been lucky so far

I hope it lasts, but trust me, being unafraid is bait to some of these sacks of shit, and they'll go a long way to try to put the proper 'respect' into you.

[Th1onein]

118. I have and have not been "lucky."

I know my rights. I don't bullshit and start screaming, "Hey! I know my rights!" That's often a dead giveaway that you're an idiot who has heard something about their rights, from someone, somewhere, and can't back it up.

I'm not afraid of cops, and they sense that. Although I do not like them--they are leeches on the very society that they are supposed to serve.

[Sheldon Cooper]

107. First of all, please stay off the road.

Before you kill someone. Second, you can brag all you want but you are, presumably, a white woman. You have NO idea what it's like for POC just to get by safely in this world from one day to the next. Bragging that you'll wave to whomever you damn well please shows no acknowledgement of the daily lives of others who are not white.

[Th1onein]

119. Lol. Sorry, I'm NOT staying off of the road.

And, yes, you are right--I am not a person of color. I am fortunate not to have to put up with the shit that POC have to put up with, when encountering law enforcement. But I'm not bragging, either. To me, it is a RESPONSIBILITY to my fellow citizens, to NOT kowtow to these Nazis. It is all that I, personally, can do, on that level, so I must do it.

And, luckily, my accidents happen when I'm going backwards in my truck. I cannot back the stupid thing up without hitting things. Usually other cars in the parking lot. Until my insurance company cancels my policy, I will go on driving, although I might get a smaller vehicle, since that is what the problem seems to be, in the first place.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

122. Multiple accidents? Maybe it would help to keep both hands on the steering wheel.

[Th1onein]

125. Lol.........every time I've had an accident, both my hands are on the wheel.

Listen--I drive a big truck. It's a dually, with a long extended bed on it. I've driven these trucks for years because I travel constantly for my business and I use them to pull RVs to wherever I'm going.

But, there is no doubt, I cannot back them up. Just can't do it. And, so, I hit other vehicles in the parking lots. I have insurance; I pay for the damage, and I'm on my way. And, I've never hurt anyone.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

121. If you want to flirt with cops by waiving hi to them, no one is stopping you. But the fireman who

was riding his bicycle was just waiving a friendly hello.

[Th1onein]

128. You are mischaracterizing what I said.

But you know that.

[gtar100]

98. I wish what you are saying wasn't so true.

They either get jaded by the job or come into it already with a chip on their shoulder. We seriously do need police but it's getting to the point of wondering if we might actually be better off without them. Though I hate to imagine what people would be like around here if they had no fear of repercussions for breaking the law.

The people they have sworn to protect have become their enemies. That is of their own doing.

[gopiscrap]

129. No kidding I wouldn't ever talk to a cop

unless I had to!!!

[Stuart G]

10. Additional Info: Evansville Indiana..very southern Indiana. near to Indiana Kentucky border.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Evansville+Indiana&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x8871d5133156772d:0xb52e4939112ac99d,Evansville,+IN&gl=us&ei=WigNUvWyLfDeyAGKyYHoCQ&ved=0CKUBELYD

[madrchsod]

28. klan territory...

[Dr. Strange]

11. Need more information.

The article doesn't say, but he may have had skittles in his pocket.

[Stuart G]

13. I hope everyone in this country reads this one...38 years old..think about it...nt.

[Dr. Strange]

15. But don't stop there.

Think about it more, and ask...
Should it even matter?

If he was 17, would it have been any less wrong?

[lpbk2713]

18. He could have been wearing a hoodie.

And carrying Skittles and iced tea.

[Blue_Tires]

37. That's one of the sad unspoken ironies

is the benefit of the doubt he gets only for being a 38 y/o firefighter and family man...

If it was "21-year-old fast food employee or ditch digger", in the exact same scenario he'd be in jail now probably fighting some trumped up attempted aggrivated assault charge with no recourse and no publicity since the local news would have zero instincts to doubt the official police version of events...

[ejpoeta]

101. don't forget resisting arrest.

[heaven05]

111. no

but if he was 17 he would be dead now.

[Brigid]

12. Today's "bad cop" story.

Too bad they're so easy to come by.

[avaistheone1]

19. More often than not there is more than one

of these horrific police stories on a daily basis.

[Bake]

48. Now, come on, you know he's just a "bad apple" cop ...

And people wonder why the public doesn't trust the cops.

Bake

[Spitfire of ATJ]

17. It's like there's an effort to "let em know who's boss" since Obama.

[azurnoir]

47. Bingo [phone] n/t

[Snake Plissken]

83. Amen

The entire country has to suffer for the sin of electing a Black President especially the Black people in this country

Congress has made this their #1 priority, and local governments are following their lead.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

86. I'm old enough to remember when cops would be appauled to discover a sadistic torture chamber....

Since Bush, they have their own.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

95. Maybe if Holder knew, he would do something.

We're told that he is the Attorney General. And Black. And even a Democrat.

[rurallib]

88. spurred on by Fox Snooz and hate wing radio.

[KentuckyWoman]

90. ^^^ THIS ^^^

[heaven05]

112. yep

+1000. nail on the head! Falling into minority status in this country must really disturb a lot of people.

[Blue_Tires]

20. here's the "official" police account (lolz)

http://media.courierpress.com/media/static/Dispatch_Notes.pdf

So where is DU's racial profiling apologist brigade?? Shame they're never around when I want to chat with them...

[JustAnotherGen]

21. I heart

Blue_Tires! I'd like to have that convo with them too!

[tblue37]

26. Notice the warning the cops gave, that

making any sort of "gesture" (i.e., waving at them!) only "calls attention to himself," as though the mere fact that the cops have noticed you is sufficient reason for them to start brutalizing you!

[JustAnotherGen]

30. I think in this case

He could have held his hands at his side - and he still would have ended up on the ground.

And people wonder why we fear them so tremendously. . . Why we teach our children - especially boys - to avoid those people at all costs. They are not your friends - their sole intent is to continue slavery by any other name.

[Rozlee]

39. Not just boys, teach your girls too.

Poor pretty minority girls need to wear burkas around those assholes. I lost count of how many times my daughter came home upset because some cop stopped to chat her up at the bus stop or to and from it when she was taking classes. If she was lucky, all they'd do was chat. Or they'd ask for her number. One guy stalked her for ten damn years until she joined the Coast Guard and moved away. They use their badges to try and impress girls and they don't care if they're not interested. I was so glad when I got married and we moved away from that lousy place. I think I liked the drug dealers and junkies better than the damn cops in that neighborhood.

[whopis01]

106. If he had just kept his arms at his side

they probably would have said he was reaching for a gun and shot him.

[Th1onein]

73. From now on? I'm waving at every cop I see. We should all start doing it.

If you put up with this shit? You deserve to have this behavior repeated over and over again. Every time you stand up for your rights, you're standing up for everyone's who comes after you.

"Draw attention" to himself? Since when is there a law against that? Fuck the cops.

[gollygee]

80. So a firefighter waves at a cop, which seems fair enough

I mean at least where I live, the cops and the firefighters often know each other. How big is this city?

It sounds like he was trying to be friendly.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

93. That depends...

[dothemath]

102. waving at them?

How do they KNOW he was waving at them? I guess at certain times of the day, there are only 3 people on the streets of Evansville. 2 cops and one person on a bicycle. Evansville is a ghost town? Who knew ...................

[CrispyQ]

24. Unfuckingbeleivable.

"Mr. Madison then raised his right arm in an apparent aggravated manor at officers."

He was waving at you, you authoritarian, oppressive fucks. He was waving.

The police view the People as the enemy & it's getting worse.

[Brigid]

31. And the cop can't even spell.

It's "manner," not "manor."

[Dash87]

81. Law Enforcement is the only career I can think of where an IQ test is given to disqualify those

who do too well.

[Divine Discontent]

126. wow. yeah, that's pretty damned bad! n/t

[Marr]

44. I don't care if he was flipping the cop the bird.

That's not against the law. It really seems like we've turned into a bully culture.

[hueymahl]

109. I flipped a cop the bird once when I was 16

Of course, I'm white, so I did not get arrested. But I did get charged with disorderly conduct and had to do 8 hours of community service.

My guess if had been black, I would have spent the night in jail, at least.

[sulphurdunn]

45. Uban police strategy is to keep

poor and minority people they are sworn to serve and protect terrified of them. They are beginning to employ the same strategy in rural areas and small towns with middle class, white residents.

[theHandpuppet]

33. Oh I'm sure they'll be here soon

Doing their "gaslight" routine with our heads.

[mockmonkey]

40. Who wrote this? Eddie Haskell?

While enjoying a lovely ride in the city we came to a full stop at a 4 way stop. I turned on my directionals for a left turn, looked left, center and right and then left again and proceeded to make the turn.

A man on a bicycle violently ran the stop sign causing me to swerve and Officer Rutherford to drop his dough nut on the floor of the squad car.

The man, obviously not from this neighborhood, proceeded to give what looked like a gang sign.

We turned the squad car around and stopped the citizen.

I tried to explain to Mr. Madison why we had stopped him. Mr. Madison rudely interrupted me by trying to use his cell phone.

I asked Mr. Madison to put away his cell phone because it was bad manners to talk on the phone when your friendly Police Officer is asking you a question.

Mr. Madison asked to see my taser and said it looked "nifty".

I asked Mr. Madison to kindly lay on the ground as he appeared to be a bit tipsy and I thought he might fall and hurt himself.

Officer Rutherford gently put the handcuffs on Mr. Madison for his own protection.

We explained to Mr. Madison about following all the traffic laws for operating a bicycle on the street.

I told Mr. Madison that gangs were bad and that he might think about joining the Police Department's Basketball League.

We released Mr. Madison.

Officer Rutherford found his dough nut and we continued on our lovely ride. And that is how it happened, Mr. Cleaver.

[reusrename]

105. snort!

[SunSeeker]

51. Geez, even if the cops' version of the story was true, you don't handcuff someone...

...just for running a stop sign on a bike and "throwing up" his hands. Give him a ticket and move on.

Sounds like what really pissed them off was that he was not being adequately deferential and using his cell phone as they were trying to berate him. But hey, aren't you allowed one phone call when getting arrested?

Seems like they just wanted to humiliate him. They never even issued the ticket. They completely backed off once they realized he was a firefighter and knew the police chief (doh!).

[tblue37]

117. He admitted that he intended to run the stop sign,

but the story doesn't say that he actually did so before being assaulted by the cop.

Maybe he did, but this story--which badly written, as news articles so often are--never makes clear whether he did or not, so as far as we know he wasn't even guilty of that, but only of waving at the cops.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

62. How does one raise a hand ...

... "in an apparent aggressive manor?"
Geez ...

[RedCappedBandit]

63. Outrageous.

[niyad]

66. this officer cannot write, cannot spell--a total embarrassment. are officers not required to be

educated these days? to be able to write a coherent, CORRECT report?

[liberalhistorian]

85. Hubby's an attorney whose experience

criminal justice work, and I've previously been in the legal field, and you would NOT believe how common that is. The vast majority of police reports that we've seen, and we've seen a lot, looked as if they were written by a third-grader in remedial reading. And this includes officers in higher-up positions, and it doesn't seem to matter which police department. It's really disgusting and embarrassing. But it appears to always be tolerated. I guess as long as they're tasering and terrorizing adequate numbers of minority and/or lower-income people then they're considered okay.

[niyad]

97. that is just thoroughly depressing. is it too much to ask that those who "serve and protect", or

whatever line they are handing out these days, be educated, literate even?

[Fawke Em]

114. "Officers initially seen Mr. Madison..."???

Officers seen?



In addition to an obviously racist bent, the officer doesn't know basic English, either.

[Number23]

124. "aggravated manor" ???

Is that like the Maison Derriere?

[mockmonkey]

25. I've noticed a pattern in these stories

The Police act out of control while throwing multiple questions at their victims that the Police have no interest in the answers. And they definitely don't want to hear the victim mention their rights.

Angrily threatening the victim with harm and when the Police find out they fucked up they ask the victim if "they" are calmed down now.

It's delusional. I think they need regular mental health screenings. Too much stress and too much power over people.

[tblue37]

27. And so many of them are on steroids! nt

[theHandpuppet]

36. I also think a lot of them need to be tested for steroids

If we expect it from athletes we should be demanding it for law enforcement.

[Matariki]

50. Yes to regular mental health screenings

And screen out the racists as well.

[Neoma]

68. I don't see why a mental illness should blockade you from a job.

Please be specific which type of mental illness that they need to be tested for. Otherwise you're condemning a whole lot of people who are actually perfectly capable.

[mockmonkey]

76. Being a cop...

provides a lot of stress. I think they should be expected as part of their job to have regular psychological/ job evaluations to determine if they might be abusing their power because of the stress.

Cops might not be mentally fit due to stress and if a cop is self medicating that is going to add to the problem. All this will cost money and nobody wants to hear about that. At some point the cost of lawsuits is going to overwhelm the system and then maybe someone will care.

I'm not talking about mental illness, but mental health. Not everyone should be a cop or at least that is how it should be.

[Neoma]

87. That's true.

But I can't help but wince everytime someone generalizes it in such a broad range like that. When it comes to mental health, it is always on a case by case basis. Too much stigma otherwise implied.

[ryan_cats]

113. Stop resisting!

Stop resisting! Stop resisting!

Every time I see the Geheime Staatspolizei on tape apprehending a citizen, there's always three of them on one guy and all three are screaming STOP RESISTING while they're practically breaking the guy's arm and the guy has usually been tazed or maced or
both.
Welcome to the police state.

[blackspade]

29. WTF!?

[theHandpuppet]

32. Should we take a poll on whether this was racism?

Seems the thing to do around here these days.

[Boom Sound 416]

59. ...

[gollygee]

77. +1

I'm sure we'd hear some excuses for why this would happen. "I've waved at cops and been threatened with a taser, and I'm white!" Someone will claim that and it will supposedly prove that this had nothing to do with race.

[MrScorpio]

34. Harassing and then gaslighting a firefighter for bicycling while black

Yay, Cops! They're the best!

[Brigid]

52. You forgot something.

He waved.

[Buns_of_Fire]

56. Ah, but it was "in an apparent aggravated manor"!

Remember, Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Ball!

How do you wave at someone in an apparent aggravated manor?

[Brigid]

58. And the stupid cop couldn't even spell.

It's "manner," not "manor."

[Sentath]

70. Well...

Look at the size of the palps and mandibles on that thing!

or

(read with attitude) You'd better not step off that sidewalk at me!

And what about

With it's curious mix of subdued coloring, and spiky display in both foliage and the little architectural details in it's trim?

Don't mean to threadjack or detract from the awfulness. It's just so far outside my experience to be accosted or to accost that I'm not sure how to react.

[gollygee]

79. That's like the story about the kid with the puppy on the beach

What did the police officer in that say about him? He looked at him in a menacing manner or something? While holding a little puppy!

[Brigid]

84. Something about a "dehumanizing stare," as I recall.

[KG]

35. yay cops!

this message brought to you by: the daily isolated incident.

[Skeeter Barnes]

41. I'm sure things like this rarely ever happen and hey, they have a tough job!

[tofuandbeer]

43. So ridiculous: who did he think he was to be waving to a policeman?

[Boom Sound 416]

46. Guns and hoses?

Oy vey

[MindPilot]

110. try "Cops & Rodders"

http://fox5sandiego.com/2013/07/05/preview-of-cops-and-rodders-car-show/#axzz2c99dlc2A

[Boom Sound 416]

115. That's cool

In my home town the cops took and old Malibu police car and converted it to a dragster. On certain dates folks could try their luck against it on a closed airport runway.

[Matariki]

49. Waving while black?

1) Tasers need to be outlawed and certainly taken away from the police.
2) Police departments need to screen out psychopaths and racists.
3) Police in ALL communities seriously need better training.

Because stuff like this can't be allowed to continue. It's shameful.

[DeSwiss]

54. Land Of The Free, Home Of The Brave

K&R

Update added:

Madison said the officer explained to him that for all he knew Madison could have been trying to call others to the scene. Madison said he tried to explain his perspective as a young, black male.

“It is experiences like these that people hold onto,” Madison said. “I refuse to allow a bad experience that I have with one person or officer to change my perception. I just refuse to allow this experience to make me feel any different.”

But Madison said he also believes he can’t ignore what happened, and that the officers should be held accountable.

“I don’t want this man to lose his job or weeks of pay, but I have to look at it from the standpoint of I have a family to think about. I shouldn’t feel bad for standing up for my own rights,” he said. “The fact that I am a firefighter or preacher doesn’t make a difference. All anybody wants is to be treated like a human being.”

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2013/aug/14/police-herp/

[frylock]

57. oh, sorry. we thought you were just another black man..

fuck tha police.

[RedCappedBandit]

64. I'm sure the same shit would happen to a rich white dude in a rich white neighborhood.

[Logical]

65. But they delivered milk last week so all is OK! n-t

[freshwest]

69. For biking while black, huh? This country needs to grow up. I hope he sues them.

[mstinamotorcity2]

74. jackasses with a badge

they have long been out of order. they get no love except from their families and fellow officers. all from the same stripe. a skid mark in your underwear.

[Liberal_in_LA]

75. kick

[baldguy]

78. Why should it matter that he's a firefighter & a youth minister?

If he was an atheist plumber would this harassment have been OK?

[Snake Plissken]

82. Let's look past racism for a moment

Since there in no point in event entertaining the idea that this incident was not racially motivated.

Either this police officer is too stupid to be allowed to carry a firearm, or a culture of intimidation and harassment is so deeply ingrained into this police force that acting like a piece of sh!t is standard operating procedure for this officer, either way, he should not be allowed to wear a badge.

[TomClash]

91. Guilty!

Bicycling while black!

[Blue Idaho]

92. High fives from all his cop buddies

Back at the Klan HQ.

[blkmusclmachine]

99. .

[Iggo]

104. Yay, Cops!

They're the best!

[L0oniX]

108. Most cops are repukes and all that comes with being that.

authoritarian, racists, bigots, prejudiced, hypocrites, hate the poor, persecute the homeless, anti constitutional, anti bill of rights, anti equal rights, sociopathic bullies fresh from the military, liars, thieves, adulterers ect

Basically anything that a non law enforcement person can do ...a law enforcement person can also be caught doing. Don't hold them above everyone else like they have some extra moral strength and or integrity above everyone else. They don't.

[Divine Discontent]

127. yes, the worst people from my high school became one. what more needs said? obviously, there's good

people who become them, but they're in the minority I would strongly guess.

I love the Michael Moore episode from the late 90's where he has that smart dude who tries to get a job in some Northeastern town, and he does too well on their wonderlic test, so the city PD refuses to hire him. LOL.... that's just so many levels of wrong.

[mtnester]

123. I think it would go a LONG way if the two of them sat down for a long afternoon

somewhere neutral, and the officer should LISTEN to the stories, and wisdom, this man has to impart. Sometimes, it just takes that human interaction to change mindsets.