

Bakersfield cops and CHP beat man to death while he begs for his life - DiabloD3
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x568091070/Dad-who-died-during-arrest-begged-for-his-life-cops-take-witness-video

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tptacek
Was anyone on HN under the misapprehension that there was no police brutality
in the US, or even that the police don't routinely murder people? There are
790,000 police officers in the US, and we're only just now barely starting to
transition to a society that values oversight and controls over policing.

I think the answer to both questions is "no". Nobody is surprised by this.

And so I say there is very little value to this post, other than to generate a
caustic political thread.

I'd also argue, as I have done incessantly on HN, that if every important
social justice story that happened around the world, or even just in the US,
or even just in California! had a hearing on HN, the front page would be
nothing but social justice stories. There are other venues on the Internet
that offer that kind of forum. HN isn't one of them.

I flagged this story, and I think you should too.

~~~
gwillen
I think there's an element here that has a lot of relevance to HN, although
it's not called out in the headline: The seizure of phones. I think we all
understand that the evidence on those phones will never see the light of day,
and that nobody will ever be prosecuted for its destruction. But it would be
easy to prevent that outcome -- just ensure that the evidence is transmitted
to the cloud before it can be destroyed. There are already apps that do this,
but the ones I've seen aren't designed for a life-or-death situation, and
can't be counted on to do it reliably. Do we have any that can?

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coldpie
Don't ever talk to or cooperate with the police except as a last resort.
Police are more dangerous than organized criminals because they are immune to
the law, and they know it. Never open your door for a police officer. If you
must interact with the police, have a lawyer present at all times. It is
literally a matter of life and death.

Cops break and enter and commit murder, with no criminal charges brought:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Kenneth_Chamberlain,...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Kenneth_Chamberlain,_Sr).

Cop kills in cold blood, receives a 6 months jail sentence:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BART_Police_shooting_of_Oscar_G...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BART_Police_shooting_of_Oscar_Grant)

Minneapolis Gang Strike Force confiscates property for officers' personal use
from minorities. No charges were brought against the officers:
[http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2009/08/report_rampant.ph...](http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2009/08/report_rampant.php)

~~~
Karunamon
Good advice, but do try to know when to be in full defense mode and when not
to be. If you're pulled over, reciting your rights and repeating "am I free to
go" when asked "Do you know why I pulled you over?" is likely to result in a
huge waste of time for everyone involved.

Choose your battles, folks.

~~~
coldpie
No disagreement here. Sometimes you're forced into dangerous situations and
must make the best of it. Some excellent advice from the previous director of
the ACLU:

BUSTED: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqMjMPlXzdA>

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CapitalistCartr
This is a serious, ongoing problem. Police assaulting people for photographing
them is a DAILY occurrence. The Website "Photography is not a crime" documents
this. <http://photographyisnotacrime.com/>

~~~
TallGuyShort
Specifically, they have some more details regarding this incident (not at the
top since it's several days old):
[http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2013/05/10/california-
depu...](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2013/05/10/california-deputies-
seize-phones-after-beating-man-to-death/)

------
milkshakes
It's also worth noting that following the incident, the police invaded the
homes of the witnesses who recorded the brutality, and proceeded to harass
them, without a search warrant, refusing to leave or allow any of the
occupants to leave unless they surrendered the video[1].

[1]:
[http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1891153965/Depu...](http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1891153965/Deputies-
video-confiscations-come-under-scrutiny-in-fatal-Bakersfield-beating-case)

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fianchetto
Beating people death and then intimidating witnesses into handing over
evidence sounds like a police state to me.

~~~
pyre
So, organized crime (i.e. 'the mob') is evidence of a police state?

If the US were really a police state this either wouldn't be news (it happens
all the time), or it wouldn't be allowed to be on the news.

~~~
fianchetto
I think there are many little police "fiefdoms" in the US. Bakersfield itself
sounds like one.

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ok_craig
I'll really love the day when everybody's photo and video services
automatically upload to the cloud, so that this kind of evidence can't
disappear by force of currupt cops. G+ auto-uploads all my pics and video, I
think some other services do this as well. This is mostly a personal feature,
but if my phone is ever seized during something like this, the evidence will
still be in my control and not theirs.

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protomyth
It seems like one of the common things going on right now is the confiscation
of the cellphones.

Are there any apps that take video and then immediately upload it to youtube
or (better) a password protected site for later retrieval?

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protomyth
CATO institute maintains a website with police misconduct news from across the
USA: <http://www.policemisconduct.net>

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robomartin
This story is disturbing on a number of levels. I'd be very interested in
understanding what the law says about the general subject of making recordings
of police activity in general.

Could a lawyer on HN explain the the current legal framework surrounding
making video recordings of police activity? What are our rights? Can they
confiscate equipment? Can they threaten and bully witnesses as reported in
this article? Can they go as far as entering your home and, effectively,
imprison you?

If one were to make such a recording, what are the five words you can say to a
police officer that --assuming he is not a criminal with a badge-- would cause
him to back off, leave you alone and not attempt to confiscate your property?

