Cops "feared for their lives" as suspect phoned sister out of fear of police-brutality

[DetlefK]

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/watch-arizona-cops-assault-unarmed-man-pulling-out-his-phone-during-profiling-stop

He matched the description of a suspect: He wore a hoodie and he was riding on a bike. So the cops pulled him over.

While he was being questioned and detained, he pulled out his phone and called his sister, fearing police-brutality.

This phone-call made the cops "fear for their lives".

“You have additional people coming to the scene, and you are in fear,” Detective Steve Berry, with the Mesa Police Department said in regards to this innocent man using the phone. “Who might be armed, and showing up to assist.”

Since these officers ‘feared’ a phone call, they proceeded to assault Velazquez. The incident was captured on the officer’s body cam.

At the beginning of the video, one officer can be seen attempting to pull the phone from Valazquez’s hand, but Velazquez tries to explain to his sister where he is just before being tackled to the ground.

After officers had slammed him on the ground, they began punching him the face for failing to prostrate himself before the badge fast enough. After realizing that they had just beaten an innocent man for no reason, police frantically searched for something to charge him with. They then issued Velazquez a ticket for not having the proper lighting on his bicycle.









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“Taking five minutes and complying and calling your sister when you got done, would have gone a long way,” Berry said. “He could have moved on for the evening.”

Well, Detective Berry, your claim is based on the flimsy assumptions that citizens trust cops and can trust cops.

[Sunlei]

1. police are afraid of cell phones and videos. Same goes for our Federal govenment 'police'

[VanillaRhapsody]

2. They do not see the irony at all in this....

“Taking five minutes and complying and calling your sister when you got done, would have gone a long way,” Berry said. “He could have moved on for the evening.”

[2pooped2pop]

10. that's what the cop said

Not this poster.

[Live and Learn]

11. You are correct. Thank you.

ETA: Sorry Vanilla.

[Live and Learn]

3. So the officers (supposed fear) of who we might call to assist us is supposed to trump our fear of

them beating or killing us for no reason? Hell no!

If they are that scared of the job let them get a new one.

[lame54]

5. yes the beating would have only taken five minutes...

Then he could go about his business

[Omaha Steve]

6. Thanks for posting

K&R!

OS

[LittleGirl]

7. sad

just very sad. a guy on a bike, no less. good grief.

[Feeling the Bern]

8. My home state. *sigh*

Arizona needs to change its name to "State of Police."

[deathrind]

28. Yep...

[MrMickeysMom]

9. LET THAT BE A LESSON....

Do NOT ride you bike without a friggen light!!!!

Here's the punch line that should please the Court (pardon that "punch&quot ...

"We didn't know if he was calling for backup for someone with a weapon..."

That's hilarious, Mesa Police....

Mesa Police Department

Chief John Meza
130 North Robson
Mesa, Arizona 85201
Lobby Hours: M-F/8a-5p

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1466
Mesa, Arizona 85211-1466

Non-Emergency
480-644-2211, option 2

Main Information Number:
480-644-2030 (M-F/8a-5p)

Yay! Fuck-stick Police! They're the BEST !!1!!111!1!

[tazkcmo]

16. Or worse...

A lawyer!!! *gasp*

[blackspade]

12. WTF?

Cops are deranged.
They thought he was calling for 'backup?' Please.

[monicaangela]

14. Exactly blackspade

Imagine a guy on a bike, calling for backup to smoke the police...I mean really, how do they come up with this stuff. We need to have a complete overhaul of the police in this country. Every one of them needs to be re-evaluated and the evaluation needs to be done by regular citizens, not police unions or biased judges.

[mountain grammy]

13. Cops will beat up anybody at any time

but there's a whole lot less scrutiny when the victim is a minority. Do not question authority, get on the ground, and you have one second to comply. What are you? A twelve year old? Cops kill twelve year olds, six year olds, and just about anybody they're afraid of, which is all of us.

[tazkcmo]

15. Bartenders

As a bartender, I worked under the scrutiny of the electronic eye every night. No problem for me as I didn't steal money, slide drinks for free or drink on the job. Most of my fellow bartenders were the same. A few hated that eye because now they couldn't drink on the job, slide free drinks to "hot" women or skim the till. Sounds like the same thing the cops are crying about. Such delicate little flowers...

[Enthusiast]

19. Yooj Plus One!

[Half-Century Man]

17. Message to Police

We the people, generally don't act like you and call for extra people to help them overpower whoever gains our attention. Calling armed people is your tactic.
We the people, taking nonviolent steps to ward off your violence is not suppression, it is a mechanism for continued survival.

[MrMickeysMom]

22. That was exactly it, half-C...

If I didn't know any better, I'd think the whole method of them stopping citizens was to extinguish citizen survival behavior.

That's pretty evil.

[hifiguy]

26. The kkkops have been trained to fear the people.

ALL of the people, but especially non-white peope. And they have been militarized to the teeth because TPTB don't trust the uniformed military to fire on American citizens. The kkkops would gleefully mow down the populace and high-five each other afterwards.

[MrMickeysMom]

32. I'm gonna go with that theory...

I've always seen in police departments the "good guys" and then, those ass-kickin, skin-headed, woman must be barefoot and pregnant, rage filled misfits. They don't BELONG in a police force, and you know you've got to give them consideration if they are ex-military (usually the PTSD aside).

Seeing it locally, it makes sense.

[Enthusiast]

18. The reaction by the cop was uncalled for. This cop is just too fearful. Find a different job.

[Octafish]

20. Little nobody without a proper light on his vehicle is lucky to be alive.

Who do these people think they are, citizens?

[Rex]

24. Yep, lucky he does not have ruptured organs are a shattered backbone.

I don't know if this guy realizes how lucky he is to walk away.

[ryan_cats]

21. Did

Did the description of the man they were looking for begin and end with 'dark skin'?


“...Who might be armed, and showing up to assist.”

Was he talking about who might come to the victim's aid or about the roided up cops who showed up to get in on the action?

[Rex]

23. It's fine, the more cops act like thugs...the more people will file lawsuits against them.

The people still alive after the ordeal. If cops want to lose their jobs and work at McDonalds, no problem. Keep acting like thugs and you will be out of a job one day. When that innocent person catches you on their cell phone.

Start sending out resumes.

[hifiguy]

25. Big "brave" kkkops

scared of someone making a call on a cell phone.

I trust no kkkop further than I can throw the Sphinx and I am a white man in my late 50s.

Fuck the kkkops.

[Iggo]

27. Stop letting cowards be cops.

[Ed Suspicious]

29. When phones are guns to people with license to kill

We've lost tve game.

[Liberal_in_LA]

30. Kick

[lpbk2713]

31. Are these the same guys ...

that when they were in high school used the line "the dog ate my homework" ?


Just as credible.