Fed Up: Florida Crowd Forms Human Shield to Protect Man Police Try to Arrest for Smoking Marijuana

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/fed-florida-crowd-forms-human-shield-protect-man-police-try-arrest-smoking



In addition to the mass protests nationwide against police brutality, incidents where ordinary citizens speak up, start recording and attempt to intervene when they see excessive and abusive cop behavior are being reported more frequently.

Earlier this month in New York City, a woman angrily denounced police who were beating an already restrained teenage boy as others made sure to film the incident to hold the plainclothes officer accountable. It is possible that the assembled and outraged crowd prevented further abuse, and with the help of the cellphone video, the cop faced at least some discipline from the department.

This past weekend in Delray Beach, Florida, dozens of people quickly organized to stop what they believed to be a petty and unnecessary arrest.

That night, Delray Police entered a neighborhood after seeing a man walking down the street smoking. The officers thought the smoke smelled like marijuana, so they decided to pursue the man. When the man entered a home nearby, the police followed and tried to apprehend him. They were surprised when about 20 people came out of the home and surrounded the man to prevent the arrest from taking place.

[samsingh]

1. a sizable number of police members have left me with declining respect for the profession as a whole

and I used to really admire police officers.

it seems that being thugs and lawlessness is the motif for some members of the police departments around the country.

[Helen Borg]

2. Something does not square...

In NYC, cops are not doing their job, but they don't seem to have the courage to call it a strike, and still want to be paid not to do their job. The argument is that they are afraid for their own safety, right? That is why they are not protecting people in NYC? I thought that is why cops want to be called heroes... Because they have a relatively dangerous job for the purpose of protecting people. Cannot have it both ways!

[nichomachus]

22. They never protect people

What they're doing now is not harassing people. Most of these citations and low-level arrests are just bogus charges to fill the city coffers.

[Chemisse]

3. Looks like we need local 'neighborhood watch' groups

to protect people from 'aggressive' police.

What a sad commentary on law enforcement in this country.

[Scruffy Rumbler]

12. I've been thinking along these lines myself.

Some type of smart phone app that allows for large numbers of people in an area to be contacted and they can converge on either the cops or their victim. Enough numbers to draw attention and record as in the NYC event or in large enough numbers to be human shields.

Strength in numbers!

[Chemisse]

13. And they should be geared with cameras, ready to record.

[Scruffy Rumbler]

15. The most essential of equipment! nt

[Jesus Malverde]

4. The people seem to be way ahead of the the conflicted politicians.

Thanks for this and many other awesome articles xchrom. You're one of my favorites.

[Thespian2]

5. Police

are entrenched in their own bubble, predominately concerned with enforcing their powers to control the public, not protect it. Apparently, police unions are run by thugs who believe the first line of defence is excessive force, including outright murder. Routing the thugs from the various police units will be difficult, if not impossible. Their primary function is to protect the wealthy.

A good first move by the federal government is to abolish the DEA and completely defund the "war on drugs." Step two would be to follow the example of Portugal's attitude toward drugs.

Good for the people from Delray Beach who stopped the local gestapo.

Thanks, xchrom, for this post.

[Jesus Malverde]

6. Police are mostly robots following rules.

It's the politicians who are behind the times.

[fredamae]

7. And those "Rules" are Lobbied

by the Police Unions/Heads of agencies and it IS "our" elected officials who, at the Request of LE established the laws, rules and policies We try to Survive everyday.
Why aren't we discussing the Root Cause and solutions. It is Congress and state legislators who have brought us to "today".
The "buck stops" at every POTUS's Desk and Every Governors Desk who Signed said bills into law. Period. In So many of these instances "The People" said NO.
Patriot Act. FISA. NSA and many etcs are just a part of the problem. Awarded Power is Never relinquished easily and quietly.

[B Calm]

8. Some laws are so unjust. Cops need to learn to turn their heads!

[brooklynite]

9. So the Police SHOULDN'T have arrested a law-breaker?

Smoking marijuana may be petty and shouldn't be illegal, but the law the Police were enforcing was passed by the State Legislature elected by the public. Add to that the suspect was observed smoking in public. I trust therefore, that nobody will object to the next person smoking a cigarette in their presence.

[uponit7771]

10. "The officers thought the smoke smelled.." they don't trust their local LEOs so "opinion crimes"..

... don't work here.

[TheKentuckian]

11. Object like how? Not like it, give the smoker a "hey buddy!", openly complain and invite peer

pressure, or does object mean call the cops?

If it is the last option then of course not and who would?

[Chemisse]

14. Oh horrors!

He might have been smoking a marijuana cigarette!!

Seriously, nobody cares. Except for cops who want a little action.

[brooklynite]

17. Then it should be easy enough to rescind the law...

Unless you also propose to grant conservatives the right to ignore laws they don't like.

[Chemisse]

19. Rescinding or downgrading marijuana laws is a work in progress.

As far as Republicans go, if there is a law they don't like, and a violation of it affects nobody else but themselves, and they are adults, then I say, fine, they can ignore the law.

[brooklynite]

20. Open carry perhaps?

As long as they don't use the gun it's harmless...

[Chemisse]

21. Does it affect others?

I didn't say 'harm' others in my post; I said 'affect'.

Whether open carry affects others in a negative way could certainly be debated.

Seeing someone walking around in the community, in city buildings, in schools, can be quite chilling and even alarming because of the potential for quick and devastating harm.

Most (all?) of what Republicans want to do that does not necessarily comply with current law has the potential for a negative effect on others. But if there is something that doesn't, then I support them violating the law.

[sabrina 1]

18. And sometimes when bad laws are passed by politicians which have or will ruin untold numbers of

lives, when the politicians are no longer representative of the people, the people have a right to do something about it themselves.

It's not as if the people haven't told them for decades now what they want, but they are not listening.

So, what do you suggest people ought to do when their government has become deaf to their voices, listening to Corporate shills from the Prison/Law enforcement Industry, ignoring the harm these laws are doing to the people?

Don't say 'vote'. Because the people HAVE done that.

The other alternative is for them to sit on juries and use the tool provided for them by the FFS, jury nullification and/or simply do what those people did if all else fails.

Watching citizens being beaten up by cops and being asked to do nothing about it? Why? Cops are breaking the law when they abuse people, so why would ANYONE give them permission to do that?

[marmar]

16. K/R