Advocacy & Safety - Cop shoves cyclist. Cyclist throws bike, gets beat down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J23HNJBbpcg

Oink Oink Oink

G20 meet, not CM. The fact that the person shoved had a bicycle in hand was coincidental. Not A&S worthy.

-Kurt

G20 meet, not CM. The fact that the person shoved had a bicycle in hand was coincidental. Not A&S worthy.

-Kurt


Ya, cuz usually the cops give cyclists such deference.

the girl was pushed at least twice and then threw her bike at the wrong cop, which led to another cop taking her down

Ya, cuz usually the cops give cyclists such deference.

The result would have been the same had the protester not been on a bicycle. Any of the the videos relating to police riot squad forces used against pedestrians G20 protesters proves this.


the girl was pushed at least twice and then threw her bike at the wrong cop, which led to another cop taking her down

As if nothing would have happened had she targeted the "right" cop? Phooey.

-Kurt

If she can use this footage for her defence, she'll get a slap on the wrist and nothing more. Any 'assault police' charge will be shot down because we see the police push and shove her from behind while she is retreating (I presume moving in the direction that the police have ordered the group to move - ie comply with instructions).

Cops were being more forceful than was necessary to keep the group moving. She shouldn't have reacted like that (pretty stupid), but the cops were not using reasonable force and I can only presume she had been shoved multiple times before we pick it up.

You treat the public poorly (regardless of the demonstration), then the public return the favor.

Being a cop in such a situation must be difficult, but why do so many go out of their way to make it even harder?

Have you all seen the guy with the Go Pens banner and fake Stanley Cup hanging with the Anarchists?

Assaulting a LEO was just flat dumb. She put herself in that situation, and then handled it very poorly.

the girl was pushed at least twice and then threw her bike at the wrong cop, which led to another cop taking her down

actually, she threw her bike at the first of the two cops who pushed her

Assaulting a LEO was just flat dumb. She put herself in that situation, and then handled it very poorly.

she was provoked, the cops are pigs

"Hey Pigs! Better Start Shakin'! Todays Pigs are Tomorrows Bacon!" - Yippies

Police attacking people they have upset - intentionally - and then shoving/arresting the victim of their assault is a symptom of a fascist police-state. Accepting this sort of behavior only serves to open the gate for even worse behavior.

Stand up for all of our rights. Or don't complain when you lose them all.

"Democracy isn't a place you hang your hat!" - Abbie Hoffman

"Democracy is like a shiny new car. If you leave it unattended, some a**hole will come along and steal it." - Yours Truly

she was provoked, the cops are pigs
And you apparently have a clear problem with authority.
Crowd control/riot training teaches police and military to continuously and actively move the crowd in the desired direction.The girl was in the wrong place doing the wrong thing and lashed out at a police officer. She did get not beat senseless by 6 cops. After she threw her bike in an officer's face, he reacted with his baton in an attempt to protect himself, then two officers quickly removed her from the crowd, placed her relatively gently on the ground, and cuffed her.

You, Sir, are assuming that everyone walking/pedaling down the street must be mind-readers and immediately grasp that they are banned from egress/ingress from their intended direction of travel. Failure to adhere to the Thought-Police will result in being physically accosted.

If you or I did this, we'd be charged with assault and battery.

And you apparently have a clear problem with authority.
Crowd control/riot training teaches police and military to continuously and actively move the crowd in the desired direction.The girl was in the wrong place doing the wrong thing and lashed out at a police officer. She did get not beat senseless by 6 cops. After she threw her bike in an officer's face, he reacted with his baton in an attempt to protect himself, then two officers quickly removed her from the crowd, placed her relatively gently on the ground, and cuffed her.


We do not know that she was in the "wrong place doing the wrong thing". She could have been riding through the area and got caught in the crowd. The policeman, easily twice her size and in full riot gear, pushed her for no reason at all - she was moving with the crowd away from the police, presumably in the direction they were being herded. She certainly could not have gone any faster due to the crowd. She was stupid to react the way she did, but how would you react to being pushed from behind when you are on your bike. And then the policeman, again twice her size and weight, cold-cocks her with a baton, she looked like she was unconscious. The police over reacted from the start and used needless brutality.

Throw your bike at me and get the same response.
Good job Riot Police.

Throw your bike at me and get the same response.
Good job Riot Police.

You not being riot police, acting the way they did, would get more then a bike thrown at you. :thumb:
</internet tough guy response>

She may have been stupid for responding like that, but that's what shoving people repeatedly does. It pissed people off and causes some to respond thoughtlessly. I wouldn't be surprised if their training specifically calls for doing things that get people to react so as to weed out the kind of people that would respond to provocation. One more for the watchlist.

You, Sir, are assuming that everyone walking/pedaling down the street must be mind-readers and immediately grasp that they are banned from egress/ingress from their intended direction of travel. Failure to adhere to the Thought-Police will result in being physically accosted.

If you or I did this, we'd be charged with assault and battery.

This is so moronic it defies response.

And you apparently have a clear problem with authority.
Crowd control/riot training teaches police and military to continuously and actively move the crowd in the desired direction.The girl was in the wrong place doing the wrong thing and lashed out at a police officer. She did get not beat senseless by 6 cops. After she threw her bike in an officer's face, he reacted with his baton in an attempt to protect himself, then two officers quickly removed her from the crowd, placed her relatively gently on the ground, and cuffed her.

I'd say the cop had a clear problem with abuse of authority... he shoved her from behind first... in a pretty brutish manner.

Yeah her reaction was totally wrong, but basically the cop started the incident by shoving her from behind, when she clearly was already moving along.

Another cop goes on to push some other cyclist further down the road. Can anyone tell me why the cops are shoving people, from behind... I can understand a riot line where there is a face to face confrontation... but "attacks" from behind... com'on!

If you were in a crowd and someone pushed you from behind, what would your reaction be?

Her reaction was extreme... that I will admit, but it was provoked.

The police officer pushed her, and others, in an effort to clear the area, she did not lose her balance because of the push or noticeably stumble. In return, she assaults the officer with an impact weapon (the bicycle). Which action will receive the most notice from the judge? All of that being said though, videos aren't quite the wonder tool that most people believe they are. They show a limited view of the event recorded from one direction and the recorded event is subject to infinite interpretations. There was a beautiful police brutality case a few years ago that hinged on a video taken by a passerby. The video showed the police officer repeatedly kicking a suspect laying face down on the ground with his hands folded underneath his chest. The police officer was exonerated because the suspect was laying on top of a pistol and wouldn't surrender it.



I wouldn't be surprised if their training specifically calls for doing things that get people to react so as to weed out the kind of people that would respond to provocation.

I have some experience and training in this area and no it doesn't. It does include dissipating crowds as safely and as quickly as possible to avoid harm to innocents, the participants, the police officers, and property. Emotions are contagious and the longer a crowd is together the more of a hazard and a danger it can become.

Crowd control/riot training teaches police and military to continuously and actively move the crowd in the desired direction.

They were moving. You don't need to antagonize people with repeated shoving (it looks pretty hard). The shoves to the cyclists who were in the saddle would upset your balance and you can see one guy and this girl dismount and start to walk. A baton held horizontally (one hand at either end) and shoved into your spine is not necessary.

Is the aim to keep them moving? Or is the aim to piss them off so that they turn around and do something stupid that ruins your day (ie risk of injury to a LEO, stress etc) and gets them arrested?

Something in the training has been lost in translation. FAIL to whomever trains or supervises these cops.


The girl was in the wrong place doing the wrong thing and lashed out at a police officer.

Was she doing the wrong thing? She seemed to be walking calmly along in the same direction as everyone else, and seemingly in the direction that the police wanted the group to go.

Lashing out is understandable, but stupid. At that point she should not have been surprised to have been arrested.


She did get not beat senseless by 6 cops.

She gets a couple of unnecessary heavy hits, but is not 'worked over'.


After she threw her bike in an officer's face, he reacted with his baton in an attempt to protect himself, then two officers quickly removed her from the crowd, placed her relatively gently on the ground, and cuffed her.

Protect himself? Puh-leeeze. He had an excuse to take out his frustrations.
Other than that the arrest, removal and restraint looked to be fairly standard.


Most of this could be avoided if the police are more restrained. Civil disobedience is a nuisance, but if dealt with firmly (not roughly) and politely you can keep the group moving to where you want them.

This girl would not have lashed out if she had not been unreasonably treated. This footage shows that the police acted beyond what is necessary (training SOP does not equal legal behaviour on behalf of cops) to keep the group moving.

A good lawyer will get this girl out of any charges if he has this footage. Period.

how small are those cop's penises?

The shoves to the cyclists who were in the saddle would upset your balance and you can see one guy and this girl dismount and start to walk

Question: Why was she and a few other cyclists "on their bikes" on a crowded sidewalk? Seriously, it appears to be a group of protesters being 'moved along' by the riot police on a sidewalk and you've got folks sitting on their saddles shuffling along side of pedestrians and cyclists walking their bikes?

Sorry for asking a question, but since this was posted on A&S I'm searching for the A&S angle. If not being astride a bike on a sidewalk, is it the all-black attire, lack of lights or reflectors given that it also appears to be after sunset?

You, Sir, are assuming that everyone walking/pedaling down the street must be mind-readers and immediately grasp that they are banned from egress/ingress from their intended direction of travel. Failure to adhere to the Thought-Police will result in being physically accosted.

If you or I did this, we'd be charged with assault and battery.

You do realize that it's impossible to accost (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accost) someone physically, right?

Any of those cops, who assaulted people, should lose their jobs........period.

They are not in the correct job, and are only in it for the power.

Throw your bike at me and get the same response.
Good job Riot Police.

Try to push me off my bike (from behind and without provocation) and I will defend myself. From what I see the police intentionally tried to provoke a confrontation with someone who was not a threat or a danger to them or the public. They tried to push her off her bike, she responded to protect herself and was beaten senseless.

This was an abuse of authority.

And, I'll bet that cop loses his job, and she gets a whole bunch of money from the city, because of that police brutality.....

Meanwhile, the city will never live that black eye down ------ just like Chicago, back in the 60s.

Any of those cops, who assaulted people, should lose their jobs........period.

They are not in the correct job, and are only in it for the power.

+1

Police forces shouldn't be filled with aggressive people.

And you apparently have a clear problem with authority.
Crowd control/riot training teaches police and military to continuously and actively move the crowd in the desired direction.The girl was in the wrong place doing the wrong thing and lashed out at a police officer. She did get not beat senseless by 6 cops. After she threw her bike in an officer's face, he reacted with his baton in an attempt to protect himself, then two officers quickly removed her from the crowd, placed her relatively gently on the ground, and cuffed her.

The training needs fixed. That line of moving pedestrians was not a riot by any rational definition. Harassment from police forces against a peaceful gathering which is following the instructions of the police cannot be allowed. It's absolutely over the line.

You're right that she was hardly beat. Their response after she provoked them looked fairly reasonable. Although the hit with the night stick should be reprimanded. He hit (pathetic as his hit was) a small woman who was backing away in the head by lunging at her...

Could be that the cops were telling her to dismount and walk the bicycle, and shoved her because she wouldn't comply. looks like it happens again at 37 seconds into the video to another rider, who did get off as soon as he was told.

The hit was pathetic. All the cops involved are pathetic & sick for beating up a hundred pound woman who was walking away!
It is disgraceful that this happened in the US.
Reminds me of the Iranian security goons who went after the election demonstrators a few months ago.

Could be that the cops were telling her to dismount and walk the bicycle, and shoved her because she wouldn't comply. looks like it happens again at 37 seconds into the video to another rider, who did get off as soon as he was told.


Nah, looks more like (two instances) they are hurrying them along.

+1

Police forces shouldn't be filled with aggressive people.

While that seems idealistic, consider the scum of the earth they often have to deal with...

In this case the woman was hardly of the "scum of the earth," and hardly deserved the hit from behind in the first place.

While that seems idealistic, consider the scum of the earth they often have to deal with...

This reminds me of something my sister once said. She's a paramedic and has to work with or alongside the police quite often. She described the local SWAT style team (the 'Soggies' Special Operations Group) as a bunch of highly trained, highly motivated, psychopaths. The only thing keeping these guys out of jail was the uniform. They got to play dangerous games, smash stuff, blow things up, play with firearms, bully people, beat people, get away with it AND get paid for it! If you did any of that stuff out of a uniform you'd be in jail fairly quick.

What scared/annoyed her most is that these guys really didn't care about the 'civilians' or anyone else's rights. They just kicked heads on the orders of senior officers.

Sometimes you want this (ie armed bank robbers, hostage situations, anti-terrorist action), but these guys have no 'off switch' or 'volume dial'. They don't do anything by half measures. It makes them useless in other more nuanced situations - witness a whole bunch of stuff like what you witness in the various videos from Pittsburgh. It will take years for the local cops to rebuild any trust with the students of the university - talk about mindless overreactions and over policing!

Ah the fat cops beat up a little girl. Isn't that wonderful. We can all feel safer to know that those brutes are out there beating up little girls for us. Isn't merka wonderful.
dc
Oh I forgot, USA! USA! USA!

I have a big big problem with abuse of authority. And people who don't know it when they see it.

Cops and protesters tend to be humans, more similar than they are different. Today's protester is tomorrow's LEO. That older protester could be a retired cop.

For better and worse, we are all in this together.

What I saw... and we don't know how long this was going on.

The cop hits her with his baton in the lower back and then shoves her and as she is getting off the bike another cop hits her from behind causing her to lose her balance, stumble, and perhaps catch a pedal to her legs... her stumble was not caused by a lack of grace on her part and this may have hurt.

So she was hit at least three times by the police when she did not appear to be posing any threat to them... perhaps she had been told to get off her bike or perhaps she was not moving fast enough.

Regardless...she was moving ahead.... she was complying.

The cops were directing people out of the area and does not appear they were in the process of arresting anyone.

After the third hit she tosses the bike up and toward the first cop and then assumes a defensive posture and the bike toss may have been defensive as well... and then the first cop who was not injured or hit by the bike hits her in the head (hard) with a baton and cop number three slams her to the ground.

She was weaponless... her hands were up.

I hope she sues them into oblivion... her actions were in response to multiple assaults on her person.

We have a slightly built young woman (and perhaps a minor) who might weigh all of 100 pounds getting hit and beat down by about 600 pounds of police who instigated her response.

If the rider as a 200 pound man would the cops have responded in the same way?

I think not.

This is abuse of authority.

While that seems idealistic, consider the scum of the earth they often have to deal with...

In this case the woman was hardly of the "scum of the earth," and hardly deserved the hit from behind in the first place.

Yea, I've heard that excuse. I don't believe it's the reason. I can't really back it up either, it's just my sense of it that the aggressive cops come in that way from the beginning. There are a lot of nice, patient, cops out there that deal with the "scum of the earth." The seem able to discern when they're dealing with a normal citizen and change their attitude.

Throw your bike at me and get the same response.
Good job Riot Police.

have another drink, it'll give you time to think

- ...It will take years for the local cops to rebuild any trust with the students of the university....

Our local SWAT team was disbanded about a year ago, the official story was that there wasn't enough money or need for them, but I suspect that the real reason was the three highly publicized incidents that ended in a shooting death of the suspect had something to do with it. Local police relations with the general public is still reeling from those incidents.

the girl was pushed at least twice and then threw her bike at the wrong cop, which led to another cop taking her down

It appears to me that she was shoved twice, first by the cop that she threw her bike at. Then by a second cop as she was dismounting her bike.

Also even though she was "astride" her bike when she was shoved the first time, if you will notice, it appears that her feet were on the ground, walking her bike. She was not riding her bike.

She was in the process of fully dismounting and attempting to follow the "orders" of the first cop who had shoved her, when the second cop shoves her again. The cop that she "threw" her bike at might not have been the one who shoved her the second time, but he was the one to shove first her.

Then it appears that she get's a baton to either the side of her head or to her throat. And then a third cop in white, as well as the second cop joins in the melee.

Given that this footage unlike the footage of the Bryant/Sheppard encounter is being shot with professional/broadcast quality camera's and not grainy security cameras it will/should carry more weight. Also IF there was one news station covering that protest there were other's both on the ground as well as possibly from the air.

IF I were her I would hire an experienced legal firm and have ALL of the footage from all of the camera's subpoenaed. Because it does appear in the Channel 11 footage that she was already moving albeit slowly in the direction that the cops wanted her to be moving. There was no need for the first cop to have laid hands on her, nor was there any need for the second cop to lay hands on her as she was dismounting. It also appears that she was very close to the edge of the sidewalk.

Shove a person that is very close to the edge of the sidewalk and there is a better then good chance of knocking them off into the street. And that is what happened, she was shoved by the second cop ending up being pushed into the street. Now granted in this case there wasn't apparently any danger of her getting struck by an automobile, but she could have easily twisted her ankle as she fell off of the sidewalk.

It also appears that she was moving at the time she was shoved, maybe not as fast as the cop behind her would have liked, but she was moving. It is difficult to move rapidly while STANDING astride of one's bike walking, but she was moving. Even if she had already been dismounted and was walking, given the size of the crowd it would have been difficult for her to move very fast.

Have any of you tried to push your bike through a crowd of people? I have when I leave the First Friday concert in Downtown St. Pete. Even without cops pushing people it is a slow and difficult task. A task that I am sure would be made slower and more difficult if you've got someone pushing you from behind.

nique les flics

Ah the fat cops beat up a little girl. Isn't that wonderful. We can all feel safer to know that those brutes are out there beating up little girls for us. Isn't merka wonderful.
dc
Oh I forgot, USA! USA! USA!

I have a big big problem with abuse of authority. And people who don't know it when they see it.


+1 This incident personifies insidious & detrimental effect of terrorism on a society; people start turning on each other and degrading the social fabric. Cops bullying coeds, "Contractors" torturing captives, body scanners in airports, and an agency eavesdropping on all of us.

+1 This incident personifies insidious & detrimental effect of terrorism on a society; people start turning on each other and degrading the social fabric. Cops bullying coeds, "Contractors" torturing captives, body scanners in airports, and an agency eavesdropping on all of us.
The images do seem to convey a sense of hatred, rather than a measured use of force. Of course there is always more to the story than the pictures convey. I heard some local talk about how the cyclists where ignoring their orders to clear out. And so at that point before the clip they are being ushered into detention.

I did not see that incident or much of what happened on Thursday and Friday but here something’s that I witnessed and others widely reported locally.

The security forces where strong and well provisioned. Several wore articulated turtle shell back armor. All wore helmets, many had gas masks, and all had a few kinds of weapons in view -- beat down sticks, hand held tear gas sprayers, side arms rifle things, and on and on. None looked like they could move very well given all that they had to carry.

Security forces used tear gas to disburse crowds that where several blocks from the convention center. Maybe 4000 protesters involved.

A by stander told me that Security forces used a 2 by 2 foot, vehicle-mounted sound blasting device to disburse crowds.

Protesters and police ran back and forth, across a few streets with the protesters trying to get past them to town. No body can break through the line of cops.

I saw two protesters getting arrested. It was a man and a woman, they looked like college students. They and the 10 cops surrending them, went peaceably into the van,. They where caught in the following maneuver. The police who where about 4 rows deep and spanning the whole road, begin to slowly and steadily advance while saying “1, 2, 3, move back” Anyone who moved out too slowly, they grabbed. At this point I saw less than 80 disorganized and quiet protesters and spectators.

I felt like I was under no threat, but decided to head home.

However after about 5 minutes into my ride home, there was more trouble. This time I really could not discern any protesters, but only regiment after regiment of regional, recently deputized police. There where so many cops, maybe 2000 in groups of about 100 --and no protesters. Seemed like the cops where being ordered around based on intel gathered from aerial and other surveillance. Two groups, each about 100, took each side of a bridge that was 3 miles from downtown.

It was odd seeing 2000 cops in at ready positions and no real threat. At this point I saw about 12 protesters a few of who had signs.

Spartacus would have been about the only one who might have laughed at the sight of super protected police marching down on a few physically weak protesters arrogantly exorcising their constitutional right to complain.

If that woman was my wife or daughter, I would hunt those mother ****ers down, come up behind them and wack them upside the head with a batton. Let's see how they like it. Consequences be damned.

She posed no threat to them and physical violence (the shoving that started this) is not an acceptable way to get someone to comply to a request, and besides, it seems she was complying since she was walking away from them! Unless a woman has a gun on you, there is NO excuse for striking her. I hope those cops' mothers and wives were watching that news footage.

What I saw... and we don't know how long this was going on.

If the rider as a 200 pound man would the cops have responded in the same way?

I think not.

This is abuse of authority.

Yep, absolutely. They may have needed to Taser him but it would be the same. That is why an armed society is a polite society.

Let's get real. The cops there were dealing with a near riot situation for almost a week. If you let one person get away with getting rough with the cops the riot is under way. This week has been a security nightmare for the LEOs of Pittsburgh. do a youtube search for G-20 to get an idea about the mental state of the crowd and police. The police are trying to keep a bad situation from getting worse.

What do you expect? The average cop is hired because they're dumb and pliable. That's the type of moron the .gov wants to give badges and guns to.

Let's get real. The cops there were dealing with a near riot situation for almost a week. If you let one person get away with getting rough with the cops the riot is under way. This week has been a security nightmare for the LEOs of Pittsburgh. do a youtube search for G-20 to get an idea about the mental state of the crowd and police. The police are trying to keep a bad situation from getting worse.

By the same token if the cops use excessive force they are going to create the same circumstances that they're trying to avoid. It's really a two-way street. And the police have escalated things whether deliberate or not.

What do you expect? The average cop is hired because they're dumb and pliable. That's the type of moron the .gov wants to give badges and guns to.

This thread really drew a gaggle of a certain type of character out the woodwork didn't it? :eek: