‘You Can Talk, So You Can Breathe,’ LAPD Told Dying Man
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D.B. Hirsch is a political activist, news junkie, and retired ad copy writer and spin doctor. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Real news. With snark, invective, and lots of links. Guaranteed behaving badly.
mea_mark August 25th, 2014 at 9:40 pm
Too many officers just don’t care anymore. Our police departments have become disconnected from the community. It is becoming, us against them.
Tommy6860 August 25th, 2014 at 10:16 pm
Not only that, I wonder what kind of training police go through that makes them anesthetized to the frailty of the human body. What would be the reaction if one of their family members was treated by the police in similar fashion?
m2old4bs August 26th, 2014 at 3:00 am
It’s been that way for quite a while. The militarization of the LE agencies indicates it quite succinctly. It is just that more people are now seeing the true nature of relationship. And it isn’t the romanticized version of “to protect and serve We the People of the community” we have been taught or wish to believe. Anyone who still wears those rose-colored glasses will have their reality check in time. That is a given. Perhaps when the head honchos and the foot soldier of the various LE agencies, whether it be the local PD or the county Sheriff or the Department of Corrections, when they reclaim their humanity, perhaps then we can reform these agencies so that “death while in custody” does not happen again and again and again. Of course without the corresponding political change in laws, the reform of the LE agencies can only go so far.
mea_mark August 26th, 2014 at 9:09 am
We have been on a downward spiral ever since the “just say no” campaign of the Reagans. Instead of helping people with drug problems we went to war with them. All that really accomplished is a tearing apart of society between us and them. The disconnect between LE and community isn’t complete everywhere but it is becoming glaringly obvious what the implications of that disconnect are.
Budda August 25th, 2014 at 9:54 pm
Maybe he is using his last breath to tell them he can’t breath.
trees August 25th, 2014 at 10:23 pm
Finally, finally a case where we can say that the police acted improperly. We need a complete investigation, and the cops who ignored this man’s plea’s for medical attention should be investigated fully. Are all cops a great bunch of guys? No. When you find bad cops you make an example out of them. Now, that being said, consider the job the police have. They are constantly coming into contact with the worst of the worst within our society. They meet liars, and thieves, and criminal lawbreakers of all sorts as not only a daily occurrence, but as a constant occurrence throughout the day. They are routinely abused, spit on, cursed at, threatened, and shown a great lack of respect. After a while it gets a little difficult to smile and be friendly, after a while you tend to get a little cynical and harsh.
edmeyer_able August 25th, 2014 at 11:15 pm
Just a thought…maybe they should retire when they hit that wall.
mea_mark August 26th, 2014 at 9:14 am
The problem with your line of thinking is that you are demonizing people and have no desire to reach out to people and help them. The worst of society as you portray it, is garbage to be thrown away, not helped. You don’t throw away people you help them recover and become productive members of society.
jsutton August 26th, 2014 at 1:00 am
This is definitely manslaughter.
Yenta August 26th, 2014 at 9:38 am
I have a family member who is an ER physician. A few years ago we were talking about something that had happened, and he said, “Cops LOVE to fight.” I said, “Really?” He said, “Oh, yeah…they LIVE for it!” I think about that every time I read about another out-of-control cop.
DieselJohnson August 26th, 2014 at 12:22 pm
If you can dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball.