Cops Get Away With Murder, Again

[Kestrel]

Wow. Why am I not surprised by the shitty conclusion...

Yea, I'm sure they were 'putting their lives on the line' while they beat a mentally ill homeless guy to death. Captured on video? Who gives a fuck when you're operating above the law.

Kelly Thomas verdict: 'Miscarriage of justice,' father says

By Paloma Esquivel and Adolfo Flores

5:08 PM PST, January 13, 2014
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As the not-guilty verdicts were read for two former Fullerton police officers, Kelly Thomas' father leaned back in his seat and shook his head.

"I just don't get it," Ron Thomas said, moments after an Orange County jury acquitted former police officers Manual Ramos and Jay Cicinelli in the beating of his son, who died five days later. "I've never seen such a miscarriage of justice."

"They got away with murdering my son," Cathy Thomas said.

Ramos had been facing second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges, and Cicinelli was charged with involuntary manslaughter and excessive use of force under the color of authority.

The jury deliberated about eight hours before reaching the verdict. The case was prosecuted by Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas.

As the verdict was read, Ramos and Cicinelli wept and hugged their attorneys. Audience members inside the courtroom -- many wearing yellow ribbons that read "Justice for Kelly Thomas" -- were visibly upset.

The verdict offers a conclusion to a more than two-year saga that resulted in the rare move of charging an officer with an on-duty death and the ouster of city officials.

But it was a 33-minute surveillance video, synced with audio from recorders worn by officers, of Thomas’ clash with police that helped fuel public outcry.

People crammed Fullerton meetings to reprimand or shout at city leaders. Eventually officials' response to the incident led to the ouster of three City Council members and the retirement of Fullerton’s chief of police.

Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas said prosecutors would not pursue charges against a third officer accused in the case. That officer's trial was pending.

"I don't intend to proceed with another trial when the two officers here were acquitted," he told reporters.

youtu.be/1M8vei3L0L8

 

[Rel]

opcorn

 

[lefty]

I saw that on the news this morning and was shocked (I guess I should not be).

 

[Kestrel]

The fact that you're trying to pass this off as some sort of joke or spectacle to behold, Rel, doesn't surprise me in the least. All's good and fair as long as they're in blue, huh?

 

[Rel]

The fact that you're trying to pass this off as some sort of joke or spectacle to behold, Rel, doesn't surprise me in the least. All's good and fair as long as they're in blue, huh?

Did I make a joke? Nope. I was shocked that it took BARF this long to make a thread about this verdict.

I wasn't there, I don't know the full details, and I was kinda shocked that they were actually found not guilty.

The jury, not the cops, found these officers not guilty. 12 independent people, not associated with the police, made their decision.

Feel free to go after the jury if ya want.

 

[JesasaurusRex]

Thanks Obama

 

[eric9877]

yeah Ramos was the real champ who came up to the guy, put on gloves and told him he was "gonna fuck you up." When a couple people come up to you and start beating you, do you just take it, or do you try to defend yourself? He was killed because he was trying to survive. It wasn't some drug dealer shooting at people, it wasn't some ex cop on a shooting rampage, it was the typical Fullerton police garbage.

Had a buddy get cited for DUI- he blew a .000. They cited him anyways and told him that's his problem, he can't prove otherwise. Cost him thousands to get it pleaded down to reckless driving.

Other have been pulled over for speeding while stuck in stop and go traffic, no turn signal while driving on one lane down a straight road. the list goes on. It's a city on it's way down with a popular downtown party district so they simply use the police as a money generator in the areas of low income or where there is a high density of college age people.

I'm not saying there isn't crime, but while they're busy pushing bs charges on anyone who looks beyond the means to fight it and jumping homeless people, they are missing the drug dealers and thieves. These cops are an embarrassment to all those who risk their lives to make the world a better place.

 

[morthrane]

opcorn

Did I make a joke?

Sure looks like it.

 

[jdhu]

Followed the case, although not super closely. Murder is such a high standard that I would have bet acquittal (hard to prove "malice aforethought" for two cops who were just working). A bit surprised involuntary manslaughter didn't stick.

The stupid, wannabe thug comment about "this fists will kick your ass" (or whatever idiocy) again reflects poorly on cops (a lot of departments seem to need better self-screening; how do they find these power-hungry morons in such numbers?), and had there been no video, this wouldn't have gotten any traction (sad/scary part).

 

[Kestrel]

Did I make a joke? Nope. I was shocked that it took BARF this long to make a thread about this verdict.

I wasn't there, I don't know the full details, and I was kinda shocked that they were actually found not guilty.

The jury, not the cops, found these officers not guilty. 12 independent people, not associated with the police, made their decision.

Feel free to go after the jury if ya want.

Fine. I posted the thread about this a couple years back, and after hearing that the FBI was involved, and that these two were actually being taken to court, I figured that there was no way in hell they were going to get away with it.

But they did.

Which is a fucking shame, because I'm sure they've got clear consciences in their own minds. Shop owners didn't like the guy. Cops didn't like the guy. He was held there in relative peace for 15 minutes, and it's blatant from the video that this was escalated by the police, and absolutely did not need to result in this guy's death.

Cops talked about beating the guy. Cops actually beat the guy to death, and were caught on video... and not guilty? Good fucking god. Doesn't do much to instill public confidence in the police.

 

[Rel]

Cops talked about beating the guy. Cops actually beat the guy to death, and were caught on video... and not guilty? Good fucking god. Doesn't do much to instill public confidence in the jury.

Fixed

 

[eric9877]

Fixed

Jury or not, it's swine like those guys who make it so you have to walk up to your next traffic stop with your hand on your holster. They escalate the general public distrust and animosity rather than being a solution for it and it makes the lives of those who earn their badge that much more dangerous.

Police are sadly remembered more often for these transgressions that all the times they did something great. The more numerous and the more tragic the transgressions, they harder your job gets.

 

[kevin 714]

Those in power play by different rules


Never, ever, call the police unless it's the absolute last recourse.

 

[morthrane]

Jury? Nice free pass given to the DA.

If any citizen had done this shit, they'd be doing 20 to life faster than you can say "Guilty!"

 

[jdhu]

Jury or not, it's swine like those guys who make it so you have to walk up to your next traffic stop with your hand on your holster. They escalate the general public distrust and animosity rather than being a solution for it and it makes the lives of those who earn their badge that much more dangerous.

Police are sadly remembered more often for these transgressions that all the times they did something great. The more numerous and the more tragic the transgressions, they harder your job gets.

This is something I don't get. Clearly, analogous to being a good motorcycle ambassador, officers only make their jobs more difficult when they treat people without respect (or worse). Does the profession just tend to attract those who like a tiny bit of power/authority? Why don't departments seem to be able to root out shitty officers, who just end up harming the department?

I served a motion on the head (I don't know his official title) of the CHP office in Ukiah. Guy was a buffoon, actually laughed this hysterical, somewhat scary laugh in trying to cite a code section and trying to deny my service of the motion (after making me wait 30 minutes for no good reason). I had to resort to telling him that as a law ENFORCEMENT officer, he should be HELPING me to serve this motion, which was in complete accordance with the law, and was a RIGHT of the defendant.

In court, I see him, and now he is polite and contrite, says "Hey, I know you!" to me as I see him outside the courthouse (I shake his hand cursorily, as I know the kind of person he is). I just don't understand; how/why is it that hard to get rid of shitty officers (union is part of the reason, but come on!).

 

[jdhu]

Jury? Nice free pass given to the DA.

If any citizen had done this shit, they'd be doing 20 to life faster than you can say "Guilty!"

How so? What should the DA have done differently?

 

[revnort]

Jury or not, it's swine like those guys who make it so you have to walk up to your next traffic stop with your hand on your holster. They escalate the general public distrust and animosity rather than being a solution for it and it makes the lives of those who earn their badge that much more dangerous.

Police are sadly remembered more often for these transgressions that all the times they did something great. The more numerous and the more tragic the transgressions, they harder your job gets.

I have to agree with this. It doesn't matter if it was the jury that found them not guilty, this IS what breeds the mistrust of officers in general.

There are definitely good and bad officers out there. I know it is a tough job. Unfortunately the public has no way of knowing what they are getting when dealing with one. Just like an officer has no idea what Joe public is capable of when approaching one of us.

 

[eric9877]

It's really too bad that it would be entirely hypocritical for a group of decent fellow officers to take bad cops like this and leave them beaten in the desert.

 

[vio]

it's pretty fuking disgusting what they did to this man and disgusting that they are getting away with it

 

[byke]

It's really too bad that it would be entirely hypocritical for a group of decent fellow officers to take bad cops like this and leave them beaten in the desert.

Slippery slope and all that. People are addicted to power and this is already a field which attracts those who don't shy away from it. The right person could take justice into his own hands and continue unaffected, but there's probably a wrong guy for every right one.