Homeland Security Officer Charged in Tourist Beating

[liveoaktx]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB5Q7W21XD.html
<snip>
A Homeland Security inspector who forcibly subdued a Chinese tourist he mistakenly believed was involved in marijuana smuggling was charged Friday with violating her civil rights, officials said.
The incident occurred late Wednesday at the U.S.-Canadian border in Niagara Falls, after Customs and Border Protection officers confiscated marijuana from a male pedestrian.

Officer Robert Rhodes, mistakenly believing the woman standing nearby was involved, allegedly sprayed her with pepper spray, threw her against a wall, kneed her in the head as she knelt on the ground and struck her head on the ground while holding her hair, according to witnesses.

The woman, whose name was not released, was treated at a hospital and released.

</snip>
I thought the whole idea of Homeland Security was looking out for terrorists, not marijuana users.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

1. We've had several incidents involving Homeland Security thugs....

...on the Canadian border. Unless someone is actually physically assaulting another person these kinds of tactics are completely out of line.

This guy has seen one too many cop shows. I hope they nail his ass to the wall.

[atreides1]

40. Gestapo

Maybe the guy is trying to earn his SS runes to wear on his uniform collar, I guess right now he's only allowed to wear the Death's Head insignia.

[Fridays Child]

2. Asked to comment, Bush said, "Mr. Rhodes is doing a superb job."

Funny how this is so consistent with the tone set by our current leaders.

[maggrwaggr]

3. another "proud to be an American" moment brought to you by

our uniformed thugs.

Wonder how much they'll end up paying this woman in the lawsuit. I read in another account she was a Chinese woman and her face was completely swelled up where this guy had beat her.

[yardwork]

4. I hope she sues his ass from here to kingdom come.

In fact, I hope that China makes an international issue out of it, that's how angry I am.

[Th1onein]

24. But, OMG! She'd have to hire one of those nasty trial lawyers for that!

eom

[mom cat]

39. Thank God for the trial lawyers.We need them to protect us against

the assholes who kneed us.
Sarcasn on most of the time!


:dem:

[thebigidea]

5. did you miss the commercials linking marijuana to terrorism?

Cheech and Chong hate freedom, and have hated it for DECADES.

[TahitiNut]

6. "marijuana smuggling"??? HOW BIG WAS THE SHIP??

What? No ship? No cargo plane? No truck? No car?
Huh? A fucking PEDESTRIAN???? :wow: :wow:

Jeeeesus! Just how many KILOS do you suppose the poor schlemiel was carrying?

Just pot? Gimme a freaking break! :grr:

[AndyTiedye]

9. And SHE Didn't Have Any

They beat her up because THEY THOUGHT she did.

[DBoon]

42. Another pre-emptive strike

Yes, but we are sure she would carry it in the future, it we did not hold her down and beat her now.

Are we supposed to wait for an actual criminal action to take place? How quaint.

[Thor_MN]

47. dboon is right, sha had the capability to smuggle pot

therefor we had to beat the shit out of her before she did.

[BattyDem]

7. Since when is marijuana a threat to national security?

:eyes: :grr:

[leesa]

35. Anything that cuts into the obscene profits of the pharmaceutical

companies is a threat to our homeland security. Ask Frisk.

[liberalmuse]

8. Yeah.

We all know how big, burly and menacing Asian women tend to be (sans Margaret Cho from the sarcasm, who rocks, btw!). I hope he's not married. I'm sure he won't have to pay restitution. Buscho rewards these kinds of thugs. He'll be on the payroll at Abu Ghraib in no time.

[tkmorris]

10. Ya know what bothers me the most about this?

The unspoken assumption that if she had been involved his treatment of her would have been somehow justified. No one should require hospitalization simply from being detained unless they resist, violently. Furthermore, I'd like to think our agents would be trained in methods of subduing people that did not injure them even if they did resist, provided it is possible. Your average bar bouncer knows how, why shouldn't they? Instead though, they just beat the crap out of anyone they deem to be a suspect. It's a sad state of affairs.

[Trillo]

11. Homeland Security officials aren't the only kind of "thugs."

As one focuses on those above in the pyramidal hierarchy, it seems more aberrations are found. One can remember "the few bad apples" involved in the Abu Gahraib (sorry about sp.) and other prison "tortures." "Few bad apples" my gluteus maximus.

Here's an article titled "San Diego police officer accused of selling stolen property on e-Bay":
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/07/22/news/top_stories/20_18_197_21_04.t|

It's been my contention for many years, that the higher you go on the authority chain, the more abuses, in general, you will find.

That's why I don't like authority. It's the little people who are beautiful.

[frylock]

12. that stuff they were selling was stolen from a CHURCH..

Santa Maria, what has this world come to?! It's nice to see the San Diego po-po branching out and committing burglaries, rather than just shooting unarmed minorities, or trowel wielding street people.

[Trillo]

13. I know that peaceful activities,

whether legal or not, are preferable to beatings and killings: still, it shows a pattern of Cheny-off by those who can.

[DBoon]

43. The more the authorities get to act in secret

and the less public oversight they have, the more you will see this sort of thing happen.

This is why big city police departments resist civilian oversight.

[JayS]

14. I think Homeland Security needs to concentrate on things that...

...go boom and people that make things go boom. Worrying about something that makes someone contemplate the meaning of the potato chip for an hour or so does not constitute a threat in my opinion.

[Trillo]

19. Police stealing = the meaning or the potatoe chip?

What logic class did they give you in school?

I think it's a big deal when Homeland Security offficials beat someone, or the local police steal from residents.

I could care less if those local police steal from a church, the local populace, or the government. Stealing is stealing. By the same token, those who are responsible for security, such as "homeland security", should not be beating people. Investigating, perhaps. Beating, no.

Ever hear of Equal rights?

How about Equal responsiblities?

[muriel_volestrangler]

37. No, contemplating the potato chip is caused by the marijuana

before applying your vaunted logic skills, you need to notice which post JayS was replying to.

[Trillo]

48. Oh, I definitely noticed last night which post JayS was replying to.

What I didn't understand was the use of "potato chip" as a reference to hunger induced by marijuana. Now his post makes sense to me.

I probably didn't get it because I don't use marijuana, although I support people being allowed to use it.

And thanks for the compliment, if that's what it really was.

[JayS]

52. VERY FEW people in America use marijuana or associate with...

...those that do; the fact that we all recognize the smell of it right away is just one of life's little mysteries. :) :) :)

[Trillo]

55. OT: No mystery to it.

With me it's about risk versus reward. As a homeowner, I can't afford to lose the house, and I'm responsible to more than just myself: I own the house jointly.

Of course I suppose with the ethics of our police agencies, planting evidence isn't out of the question.

If pot was legal, I wouldn't worry about that, and I'd likely have a smile on my face more of the time (at least on some weekend evenings) which I rarely do now. :-|

For some reason, I'm reminded of the "pursuit of happiness" clause in the Declaration of Independence.

[timtom]

25. Homeland Security should concentrate?

Homeland Security should be immediately dissolved.

[aquart]

15. Can we disband the mistake now?

Worst idea of the decade.

[DBoon]

44. Every time I hear the words "homeland security"

I get this funny twitch in my right arm.

(Dr. Strangelove-like)

[teryang]

16. Marijuana is the basis for a police state

...making possession of this innocuous weed a crime, and the pipes and papers necessary to smoke it a crime, gives police the opportunity to put otherwise law abiding citizens under arrest and introduce them to the labyrinthine tentacles of the criminal injustice system.

If it weren't for marijuana, a good portion of the criminal justice system would have nothing to do. A large portion of those pretextual stops for a broken tailights and failure to maintain lane would end up in no arrests, no fines, and no revenues for the police, the courts and those proliferating probation contractors.

If it weren't for marijuana, when afro-Americans and young persons are pulled over in their cars or stopped on the street on the basis of racism or some unfounded suspicion, the police would have absolutely no power over them.

The great thing about marijuana and the so called paraphenalia laws is that when you don't even have any marijuana, you can still go to jail or get stuck in the paternalistic and oppressive police state system.

[daleo]

17. All very true

It also leads to corruption of the legal system in myriad ways.

[wackywill]

49. Don't worry

if you don't have any grass when stopped the police will be glad to provide you with enough to haul your ass away.

[Zorra]

59. Good point. The "war on drugs" was begun for the purpose of justifying

a police state, and is the foundation of the argument for the necessity of having ever increasing police presence.

Given the huge relative proportion of American citizens currently in prison for drug offenses, it is clear that drug use and sales are the number one felony conviction in America.

There are saner, safer, and more effective ways of reducing drug use in the US. If these methods were in use, the US would cut it's prison population in half, drug use would decline, violent acts related to drug use would decline, and only half of the number of law enforcement personnel currently active would be necessary to protect communities.

These more effective means of combating drug use are not used.

That is because right wingers need a justification for greater numbers of active law enforcement personnel, greater police presence in communities, and invasive surveillance technologies to monitor citizens.

Indicator:

Police want to expand video camera 'virtual patrols'
The Associated Press
Last Updated: July 19, 2004, 11:30:25 AM PDT
Snip------

Since the cameras were installed in mid-January, more than 150 arrests have been made with the aid of them. Most involved felony narcotics charges.

http://www.modbee.com/state_wire/story/8869453p-9758793c.html

[bobthedrummer]

18. A culture of death, similar to the Third Reich, is present in the US today

:smoke:

[Bluebear]

20. Bush: Officer Rhodes is doing a FABULOUS job!

This woman hated us for our freedom!

[Murdock]

21. The Officer's Side of the Story..

In a statement written by Rhodes as part of normal procedure, he said the Chinese woman and two other women ran when he asked them to come into the inspection station. He said he grabbed the nearest one and sprayed her with pepper spray when she swung her arms at him, then the woman scratched his arm and they both fell to the ground.



Would this justify his actions? Running from the Police is a big no no, in most courts will give Police pretty much free reign to subdue a suspect after they attempt to run.

[teryang]

22. Well

Running from the police is not even a crime if they have no authority to arrest you. It's a complete defense to resisting arrest without violence.

[loudsue]

23. "Murdock". He must be one of your heroes if you chose that name.

Since he owns FAUX news!!! You sound like you get off on this police macho stuff. Maybe you'd like to be on the receiving end???

Try to be a white guy in downtown Baghdad, and see if you wouldn't try to take off running if some cop thug started one of their "normal procedures".

Once you've ever tried to live as a "minority" in another country, you start to see the world through an entirely different lens. Most white-bread Americans have NO IDEA what it's like to be a minority in a place where your race is not "appreciated".

It would change 95% of this country's politics for each citizen to be a "minority" somewhere, unprotected from the MAJORITY, for even one day.

If I was that "Chinese" woman, I would have headed for the door myself! She was ABSOLUTELY CORRECT about what she might face.

:kick::kick:

[timtom]

26. Maybe I've watched too many episodes of COPS...

but, as far as I am concerned, there is no "cop's side of the story." While there may be a few good cops out there, I have felt for a long time that cops are basically a bunch of thugs whose sole purpose it is is to bust the balls of the little guy. You may flame away, but I am beyond reason on this. The ferocity with which they have been actually filmed and videotaped abusing their power has already damned them. A "few bad apples", indeed. Bah!

[Murdock]

30. I've watched too many episodes of Cops too..

But the thing is thats universal, if you're detained and you attempt to run away, then you're gonna get the crap beaten out of you possibly maced to tazed and definatly handcuffed and manhandled.. and the U.S Court system has supported the Police in doing so most of the time.. At least in this case there are witnesses to testify to her side of the story, if she didn't have the witness then no court in the land and no jury would believe her word over the Officer's..

[oneighty]

33. Nonsense

If the Cop says you did it that makes it so?

Horsepoop too.

180

[Media_Lies_Daily]

31. I thought I was the only one who felt that way about those "cops" shows...

...personally, I think they put those shows on the air to intimidate the crap out of the average American.

[saigon68]

28. There are a Few POLICE THUG CRIMINALS

This jerk happens to be one of them.

Just like the Nazi SS

[atreides1]

41. But

What if the officer is lying, it's not like cops don't lie you know,
and what about the statements of other witnesses that saw the incident.

And seeing as to how America's image isn't the best across the world, perhaps the woman was frightened, and let's face it this country has pretty much scared the rest of the world.

[0007]

27. Didn't junior say that dope and terror goes hand in hand?

We're living in a police state folks and it can only get worse.

Now 'ya know why they hate trial lawyers.

I hope she racks up these pricks for good.

[saigon68]

29. THIS WILL COME NEXT

The report represented the Army's official evaluation of prisoner detention and interrogation operations in the two countries that produced the physical and sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib jail and at least three dozen deaths of detainees. A hooded and wired Iraqi prisoner at Abu Ghraib prison who reportedly was told that he would be electrocuted if he fell off a box, is pictured this undated photo. Photo by The New Yorker/Reuters

[Media_Lies_Daily]

32. We don't know for sure that it's not already happening. We will...

...DEFINITELY know for sure when outspoken critics of the NeoCons start to "disappear"...and that may very well start to happen if FratBoy somehow gets "elected" in November. Or if some other event takes place that enables FratBoy to declare martial law and do away with elections entirely.

I don't know about you, but I'm growing more uneasy with every passing day.

[Gyre]

34. marijuana possession is a political crime

and always has been. Using it means you "don't respect the wisdom of da man" and his authority over you, hence, you're a subversive (aka terrorist in the minds of freepers).

The government's argument that pot should be illegal, can't stand on it's own since marijuana is so benign so they have to link it to the "harder stuff" as a "gateway drug". Fuck them and their lies!

Gyre

[w4rma]

36. That stuff grows in the U.S., there is little need to smuggle it. (nt)

[The Animator]

38. We According to Eddy Izzard...

... "Everyone knows that Marijuana is a preformance enhancing drug that will allow you to place last in a feild of 180 other runners who are all dead."

[Mace]

45. Patriot Act at work!

He will probably be let off.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

46. stop wasting peoples time and money with this prohibition!

it is really very silly and unproductive.

[wackywill]

50. If this happened to my wife

I wouldn't sue. I would quitely find the dirty bastard that beat her and kill him......slowly.

[Logansquare]

51. Ever read this story in Alternet ? "Patriot Raid"

The author was eating in a south Asian restaurant in NY when it was stormed by Homeland security and INS thugs. It's a lot more scary than Syrian bathroom-using musicians:
http://www.alternet.org/story/15760

[teryang]

56. It was probably was his Doctors without Borders

...association that brought this on. They often have the temerity to contradict official accounts of overseas crises. They probably had him under surveillance and thought he was going to meet with "terrorist" sympathizing associates at the restaurant frequented by "dark skinned" foreigner looking people.

[Zorra]

53. Fun Facts About The Gestapo And SS!

Gestapo:

The Geheime Staatspolizei (German for Secret State Police, abbreviated "Gestapo") was formally organized after the Nazi's seized power in 1933. Hermann Göring, the Prussian minister of the interior, detached the espionage and political units of the Prussian police. And staffed them with thousands of Nazis. Göring became the commander of this new force on April 26, 1933. At the same time that Goring was organzing the Gestapo, Heinrich Himmler was directing the SS (Schutzstaffel, German for "Protective Echelon"), Hitler's elite paramilitary corps. In April of 1936 he was given command of the Gestapo as well, integrating all of Germany's police units under Himmler.

Later in 1936, the Gestapo was merged with the Kriminalpolizei (or "Kripo," German for Criminal Police). The newly integrated unit was the called the Sicherheitspolizei (or "Sipo," German for Secret Police). In 1939, during the reorganization of the German armies, the Sipo was joined with an intelligence branch of the military known as the Sicherheitsdienst ("SD," meaning Security Service). After this merger, the Sipo became known as the Reichssicherheitshauptamt ("RHSA," meaning Reich Security Central Office), and was headed by Reinhard Heydrich. Because of these frequent changes, the functions of the Gestapo became blurred, and often overlapped with those of the other branches of the German forces.

During World War II, the Einsatzgruppen (Task Force) was formed, and came to be an integral part of the Gestapo. It was the Task Force's job to round up all the Jews and other "undesirables" living within Germany's newly conquered territories, and to either send them to concentration camps or put them to death.

The army units within the Gestapo were taught many torture techniques, and were also taught many of the practices that German doctors in Dachau tested on the inmates of concentration camps. The Gestapo, during its tenure, operated without any restrictions by civil authority, meaning that its members could not be tried for any of their police practices. This unconditional authority added an elitist element to the Gestapo; its members knew that whatever actions they took, no consequences would arise.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Gestapo.html

SS:

With the agreement of Adolf Hitler, Himmler expanded the size of the SS. Himmler personally vetted all applicants to make sure that all were good 'Aryan' types. In 1932 Himmler introduced all-black uniform of the SS.

By the time the Nazi Party gained power in 1933 Himmler's SS had grown to a strength of 52,000. He was also made head of all German political police outside Prussia, where Hermann Goering was the minister of the interior.

Himmler agreed with Goering that the Sturm Abteilung (SA) posed a threat to the German Army and in June 1934, along with his loyal assistants, Reinhard Heydrich, Kurt Daluege and Walter Schellenberg, he arranged what became known as the Night of the Long Knives.

As a result of this purge the SS was now the principal instrument of internal rule in Germany. In 1936 the Gestapo also came under Himmler's control. Himmler was also able to put SS men in all the key posts in Nazi Germany.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERss.htm

Let us hope that our legislators, in creating a new, powerful Intelligence Agency, are very careful to limit the police powers of this Agency, or this Agency could rapidly be made into a centralized force for domestic repression if Bu$h is re-selected.

[teryang]

57. The creation of "Homeland Security" and

...Patriot Act has already begun the process you depict in your post. The objective of Homeland Security and the Patriot Act is to create a centralized police state authority which cuts across and undermines traditional law enforcement institutions previously governed and limited by federal, state, and local jurisdictional and constitutional requirements. The process is the same as that which took place in Germany during the thirties.

The creation of a new centralized intelligence authority is merely to undermine the CIA which is the only agency of its type outside the Pentagon to maintain its institutional integrity at this point. This is not to suggest that the CIA has integrity in the moral sense, as an instrument of state coercion it doesn't. But it traditionally has had a kind of independence and institutional values that make it a potential threat to the party of elites who seek total power. State has already been subverted as it is controlled by the former chief of staff of the armed forces and a former assistant secretary of defense. It serves the defense industry and the associated energy elites rather than the office of the president.

The use of outsourcing and "tooth to tail" policy (independent contractors) to take over many military functions and fight wars with inadequate manpower is an attempt to reduce the Army to unaccountable totalitarian control. This is another traditional institution with very strong and independent codes of conduct that threaten totalitarian rule. The truth is that most generals and soldiers are indoctrinated about due process, fair and humane treatment of prisoners and what form a constitutional United States should have. Their loyalty to these values had to be overcome. I'm sure that numerous other examples of the undermining and degradation of traditional institutions could be named by people familiar with other specific agencies and institutions.

I discussed this topic with a former federal law enforcement officer recently and he pointed out that the homeland security officials were attracted from other agencies by high pay but gave up their more secure civil service career status in the process. In other words they can be fired at will and have no labor rights. This ensures a certain obsessive degree of political conformity. He told me that they were above the law when someone came under suspicion and that they could do "whatever they want."

[Zorra]

58. Thanks for pointing this out.

"The creation of a new centralized intelligence authority is merely to undermine the CIA which is the only agency of its type outside the Pentagon to maintain its institutional integrity at this point. This is not to suggest that the CIA has integrity in the moral sense, as an instrument of state coercion it doesn't. But it traditionally has had a kind of independence and institutional values that make it a potential threat to the party of elites who seek total power. State has already been subverted as it is controlled by the former chief of staff of the armed forces and a former assistant secretary of defense. It serves the defense industry and the associated energy elites rather than the office of the president."

Our legislators must give serious thought to the consequences of creating a highly centralized "omnipotent" police agency. They must not act in haste or out of fear of terrorism or public opinion backlash. If they make a mistake, we could eventually be under the control of a powerful police organization, and this control could come about very rapidly if this organization is abused by nefarious individuals.

What would happen if we willingly handed Bu$h a Gestapo?

The SS and Gestapo in 1930's Germany, and the powerful centralized police organization of the former Soviet Union are examples of highly centralized police organizations.

They were used to control citizens through terror.

Here is a link to information on the KGB, if anyone is interested:

http://www.angelfire.com/dc/1spy/KGB.html

[midwayer]

54. Good G*d did she kill someone or what?.........

My son was just railroaded really bad through the court system and it cost me alot of money to get the trumped charges reduced.

It would appear they were pissed when they searched his car and couldn't find any drugs and then proceeded to physically and verbally intimidate him..threw him in jail on trumped up charges. He was out past curfew and didn't slow down to twenty under in a three lane when he passed two officers that had another car pulled over.

$4,000 later my wife handled attending the court proceedings for fear I might go off in anger and end up in jail.

I hope it doesn't get worse before it gets better.

We fell between the cracks in the income amount regulations and could not be provided a PD. Now our savings is gone.