Family confirms California teen who was beaten by police was on his way to school, didn't jaywalk

[ghostsinthemachine]

Family confirms California teen who was beaten by police was on his way to school, didn't jaywalk

s name is Emilio Mayfield and we now know that moments before he was confronted, assaulted, and arrested by police on the morning of Wednesday, September 16, he was catching public transportation to his local school.

In his first interview after the brutal and excessive assault, Mayfield opened up about what happened on that Stockton, California street and how he sees himself in spite of it all.

“I see myself as a great young man, successful in school. I feel traumatized. I was beaten and slammed on the floor."

Both Mayfield and the police also now confirm that he was not "jaywalking" as had been previously reported, but that he simply stepped into a lane adjacent to the sidewalk that was reserved for busses. No curb exists between the sidewalk and this lane and Emilio, according to eyewitnesses, stepped in the bus lane for about two seconds when he was confronted by an officer for doing so.

What's completely preposterous is attempting to rationalize how in the hell a 250-pound officer with his night stick drawn ended up on top a kid on his way to school because he stepped in the bus lane. This case is the epitome of excessive force and likely would not have happened to anyone other than a young black boy.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/09/22/1423731/-Family-confirms-California-teen-who-was-beaten-by-police-was-on-his-way-to-school-didn-t-jaywalk?detail=facebook

[Archae]

1. Once again...

Local taxpayers will pay lots of money to the family, and nothing happens to the cop who brutalized the kid.

At most he'll "resign" and end up in some other Podunk police force.

[marym625]

2. Cry the beloved country

[erronis]

4. Thank you for that reference. I haven't read this since the 50's and will pick it back up again.

It's a never-ending struggle to have humans treat each other with respect. South Africa and the USA have so many of the same failings.

[marym625]

15. and we are moving backwards

I need to read it again myself. Been a long time

[awoke_in_2003]

28. Not much of a poetry guy

but will check it out.

[Eleanors38]

6. Read that years ago.^^^

[marym625]

16. me too.

I need to read it again. Though I read the poem again this morning

[procon]

29. The author spoke out against the brutality of So Africa's ruling white class.

And here we are again --STILL, goddammit!!!-- almost 70 years later, swamped by our own secret sauce version of American apartheid.

[marym625]

30. we should start calling it American apartheid, what it is.

[SoapBox]

3. I'm tired of my hard earned tax dollars,

funding these out of control Police Militias.

The attitude that they are sacred and don't have to answer to anyone (the tax payers!) is such bullshit.

[ghostsinthemachine]

8. And pay we (the taxpayers) will...

This kid is going to break the bank. Think of the hate mail he has received. Big time damages there. Stockton is already broke.

[riderinthestorm]

5. So not surprised

[PeaceNikki]

7. Even if he was, is that a crime which deserves to be beaten??

Wtf is wrong with these cops?

[tblue37]

9. KnR for visibility. nt

[Omaha Steve]

17. x 2

[hfojvt]

10. probably useless to ask

but it would be nice if we could report things honestly.

The officers ended up on top of the kid because he resisted arrest, and NOT because 'he stepped in the bus lane'.

Not sure what the officer's reasoning is for why he wanted to arrest the kid. Although our illustrious Supreme Court has ruled that we the people can be arrested for ANY infraction, no matter how minor.

Not sure what California law says.

[gregcrawford]

12. In this case, the "resisting arrest" charge is total bullshit...

... and it's the default excuse when they get caught brutalizing someone. The Stockton police are notorious thugs, even among other cops (My son is a detective a little farther north). If the feds aren't looking into that department, they sure as hell should be.

[hfojvt]

19. I watched the video

he definitely resisted arrest. That's where the 'brutalizing' came from. Instead of co-operating, he forced them to wrestle him to the ground so they could cuff him.

Although if resisting arrest is the only thing he is charged with, that begs the question - why was he being arrested in the first place?

[progressoid]

22. "why was he being arrested in the first place?"

Well, he stepped into a lane adjacent to the sidewalk reserved for the buses. Seems like a good enough reason for nine officers to arrest him.

[Aldo Leopold]

14. "Stop resisting!"

How about stop fucking over reacting and eliciting instinctual, self-preservational reactions from the populace that pays your goddamned mortgage.

[hfojvt]

20. I like to imagine

that humans are capable of acting in ways that are NOT instinctive. "The cop scared me, so instinct made me fight him" is kind of a lame excuse for acting in a way that causes your own troubles.

The cop was yelling. My own feeling is that if he said calmly "Kid, I am going to put these cuffs on you. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." that things might have been less violent, but the kid also should know better than to struggle with the police. I also do not have a lot of experience to know if my way is all that effective either.

[GitRDun]

25. No, Try this

Son, you realize you shouldn't be stepping into a bus lane?

Oh, sorry officer, was looking for my school bus.

Ok, well stay on the sidewalk while you do, have a good day...

To accept the premise that an officer has a right to jump to detention of a child for stepping into a bus lane is accepting the police state as reality for any group the police wants to single out.

That's not who we are...

[Scootaloo]

27. But "That black kid looked like a demon, so I shot him!" is acceptable for police officers

The police need to develop a response to noncompliance that DOESN'T involve overwhelming violence.

[Nevernose]

21. He disrespected the cop

That's what all that mess was. I, too, like to think that humans can act beyond their base animal instincts. However, the actions of a crying, frightened child are a hell of a lot more forgivable than a grown man who loses his shit over a child not showing the proper respect.

[mythology]

31. But if the original reason for detaining him was bullshit

Then the cops caused the situation, above and beyond that he's a kid and they are "trained" officers of the peace. Yes in theory he shouldn't have resisted, he's a kid, not generally known for rational thought even when not being falsely detained.

You can't separate the cops illegally detaining him from the following action. Much like if I punch somebody, I can't then pretend to be innocent if he then punches me back.

[Enthusiast]

11. If we only had a decent media we could end this bullshit through public opinion.

The media should be united against bad cops. But, some media actually promotes racism, like Fox "News".

[Glassunion]

13. But the citizens of 'Merica can sleep well at night

knowing this dangerous man is off the street. Remember, stepping into a bus lane is dangerous. It was for his own good. That officer should get a medal.

Stepping into bus lanes are just a gateway crime... First you step in a bus lane, next you step over the yellow line on a train platform, then you murder seven children in a drive-by.

[Scruffy1]

18. I suspect shame had nothing to do with it.

This psychopath obviously enjoying the notoriety. Perhaps he got a message from the Big Pharma mob that he was was arousing too much public outrage and to desist a little. Even the mob has to retain a public image.

[jeff47]

24. I think you replied to the wrong thread. (nt)

[Nuclear Unicorn]

23. Let's pretend he did jaywalk. In fact, let's pretend he live tweeted his intention to jaywalk.

What part of that merits -- in law or in material necessity -- a beating.

[Rex]

26. So he was doing nothing wrong, I doubt the cop apologists will 'see' this thread.

They were busy saying how wrong he was to breathe air next to a cop.