And the beat goes on, via Balko :
While the video alone is fascinating, the comments are even more so. And consider this comment with a recitation of Chris Rock’s ever-thoughtful philosophical perspective, which invariably adds context to any police/citizen encounter..
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Scott, you should really read my stuff every now and then… This is the fourth or fifth jaywalking incident that ended in the use of force by a police officer in recent history in Seattle.
The punch might be getting all the attention, but it’s the fact that the officer allowed a jaywalking stop to escalate into a use of force situation that points to an underlying problem of a lack of or unwillingness to use de-escalation techniques or even an intentional escalation.
I would say that’s just my opinion, but the Seattle police auditor is saying the same thing now too.
Had it not been for the video and the Chris Rock comment, I wouldn’t have posted this at all. It’s not about jaywalking, Packratt, but about something that distinguishes this specific incident. Otherwise, there are (as you, of all people, know) just too many and they all become an amorphous, meaningless blur.
Strong — but, I hope, polite — disagreement. They all become, alas, an amorphous meaningful blur.
Maybe, but I meant meaningless. When people are deluged with too much, they stop processing and it all becomes meaningless. Only by being selective can we hope to maintain interest and focus, and thus make it meaningful.
Sure, I do see the point in what you’re saying, but while focusing on individual incidents is valuable, it also helps to zoom out and look at everything in totality.
After all, if I only looked at this one video I would probably focus on the punch and altercation between the officer and the two teenage girls too.
But, since I have to look at the incident through a different zoom lens, I see a series of related incidents that is indicative of a pattern, which then leads me to suspect that this isn’t just a question of excessive force, but of unnecessary escalation… a factor that others are largely ignoring.
Sure, it might all look like a big old amorphous blob when you look at all of it in a lump… but there are patterns in that blur that might tell us more than if we focus only at the street-level view of it.
In my opinion, both views are necessary… But, of course, that is just my opinion. 😉
I was likely unclear before, and for that I apologize. You offer a different service, and likely one more valuable than mine, by aggregating the wrongs and finding the overarching patterns. I focus on particular incidents. Both serve a purpose, but yours serves a greater good.
It wouldn’t work if you just gave incident after incident without drawing the conclusions and aggregating the information. The former without the latter would be too much to digest. You digest them for us, and give them back in more meaningful and comprehensible form. So why don’t I do the same? Because you already do it, and do it better than I would. And for this, once again, I thank you.
At least he didn’t arrest the bystander holding the camera.
Oh now, you know I think defense attorneys like you deserve way more praise than I do for helping so many more people than I could. You literally save lives, I just watch.
What I do pales in comparison. Thanks Scott.
That surprised me too, as well as his allowing the woman he punched to walk free. I would have thought her assault more significant than the original jaywalking bust.
I’ll admit the cop could have handled that better. I’m just at a loss as to how.
Should he have pushed the girl back. I’m sure that would have helped, a lot! She would have quit interfering and just let him resume his spirited discourse with the other criminal.
David,
What is the realistic expectation of police to control others’ use of force? Are women who are raped at fault for letting a situation get to that point? If they shoot a rapist, are they at fault for the murder?
The aggressor always determines the minimum level of force. Defusing it requires a response a level or two above it.
So you’re a cop now. Do you let the jaywalkers continue to jay? Do you confront them? How do you respond when instead of talking, they cuss at you and shove you?
“So you’re a cop now. Do you let the jaywalkers continue to jay?”
Yes.
“How do you respond when instead of talking, they cuss at you and shove you?”
If it gets to that, you call for back-up and make an arrest using the techniques taught in the academy. Putting aside the punch, this video has way too much half-assed ineffective wrestling that is accomplishing nothing. This answer only applies to the shoving part of the question. The cussing is just one of those indignities that has to be endured by all of us.
“So you’re a cop now. Do you let the jaywalkers continue to jay?”
Yes.
You know, that’s how I feel about it. Cops are allowed to enforce laws based on how they feel about them, right?
“If it gets to that, you call for back-up and make an arrest using the techniques taught in the academy.”
“I beg your pardon, miscreant youth. Please quit shoving me and wait patiently while I call for backup. [on the radio] Ponch, I got four violent jaywalkers here, need backup now!”
According to Seattle news, both girls were arrested.