The Hypocrisy Over The Obstruction of Justice
Perhaps you've heard about a scenario....
where someone is casually and innocently walking down the street or driving down the road, when they all of a sudden come across a situation unfolding between the state and some other party.
Sometimes, people will grab their phones and start filming the situation and often times when they do this, the police will get angry and turn their attention toward trying to intimidate them, insisting that they are attempting to obstruct justice with their actions.
Because the police care a lot about the obstruction of justice...
Or do they?
It wasn't that long ago that it was revealed that an officer with the San Diego police department had given false testimony (lied) multiple times, in a case that involved a homeless man.
It was discovered that he was lying under oath after body camera footage revealed the truth about the situation. It was an online news organization, the Voice of San Diego, that allegedly outed the truth after it obtained the camera footage.
maybe he was just confused...
After the footage came to light demonstrating that the officer had lied, the City Attorney's office sought to remove the conviction that the homeless man, (Tony Diaz) had received and dismiss his ticket.
The victim's attorney has said that she wants to see the officer charged with perjury
She warned that it could be used by the police to harass and criminalize the simple act of being homeless.
Could there be people right now behind bars or who have had to pay fines previously or do community service, because this officer thought he had a right to lie under oath? The DA's office still hasn't taken the case to court.
That officer in question has been with the department for several years and the alleged homeless man took to launching an internal affairs complaint against him. According to reports from last summer, the officer had been working on the SDPD SWAT team.
Diaz also isn't the first person to feel like they've been wrongly targeted in this way by the police in that community. And would you be surprised to find out that the same officer has been involved in other altercations that bring the department into a negative light?
Like last year, after the city had to pay thousands in a case that involved another homeless man (Zack Green) who claimed (and sued) the same officer involved in Diaz's case, suggesting the officer had engaged in harassment and improper arrests.
Maybe the officer did get his facts confused when he was on trial discussing details over the arrest of Diaz. And maybe he has an issue with maintaining a professional demeanor when interacting with members of the public? If he has a habit of harassing the homeless in his community, then perhaps he is in the wrong line of work.
Pics:
pixabay
infocivic.ro
imgflip.com
Sources:
https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/public-safety/body-cam-footage-shows-cop-gave-false-testimony-in-homeless-case/
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/sd-me-diaz-ruling-20170902-story.html
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/sd-me-sleeping-ordinance-20170808-story.html
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/sd-me-homeless-lawsuit-20170213-story.html
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I've always thought Police went by the motto "To Serve & Protect..."
These days it largely seems like To Serve (the public as many victimless crimes tickets as possible) and To Protect each other's interests when a colleague does something unconstitutional.
There are definitely some good officers out there Though. I've had at least 1 experience (in my entire life thus far) where an officer on duty stopped me and wasn't a total dick.
In this one specific case, the officer genuinely seemed to be looking out for the safety and well-being of the neighbourhood first and foremost rather than meeting his quota.
so, 1 out of 800K police officer is nice...could be....i had to talk myself out of several occasions when I was stopped by policemen at the same time afraid for my safety.
I hate seeing people being abused by someone who has "authority" because they wear a blue costume and carry around a badge. The idea and concept of policing is inherently flawed because it means a population will grow into surrendering their responsibility to a state actor. There is also a massive difference between the legal system and what is lawful. The fact that a group of individuals believe that they have a right to kick down someones door, in full body armor, guns drawn, shooting the family dog, because someone was growing a certain plant in their living room is insane. It has been proven right again and again that power corrupts, this will never change unless we stop surrendering our own personal responsibilities to other people.
Excelente post amiga @doitvoluntarily, siempre tan destacada te felicito, tienes mi apoyo saludos y tengas una linda noche
Ive made it a point to know at least the basics when it comes to police encounters. I don’t want to be in a situation where some power hungry cop is looking to take away my rights.
A lot of the first amendment channels on YouTube have anlot of good info regarding this. Sure, some of the stuff they do is borderline smart/safe...but those guys do know the law and it’s good to understand what the law says.
It’s really our only defense against someone wearing a badge that’s looking to abuse their power.
you make sense....do you know any good youtube links on what you said above?
Yes, just search for “First Amendment Test” and you will find a lot of videos.
Also search for “DUI Checkpoint” and those encounters with police are also full of good knowledge.
People think they have to do whatever police say, but that is not the case...especially if you have not committed any crime!
unfortunately this happens in all parts of the world and since the beginning of time, things have changed! Supposedly! the organisms of right of the people so menifiestan nevertheless there is no democracy and lamentablemete the organisms that must give security to the people are the worst ones.
That is why they argue that you are obstructing justice.
excellent post dear friend @doitvoluntarily, much sgracia spor share it
I wish you a prosperous week
You really saying the truth . The police department are always using false influence on the civilians, which is very bad. Thanks for sharing this.
It's borderline tyranny, you're basically fearing the people that you are taxed to protect you...??? I mean I don't live in the USA and yes it does exist here in the UK as well, but within the developed countries I believe the USA have the worst police brutality I've read or witnessed (my girlfriend is from Arizona and we go back alot). Is there a way to stop it? Well... YES there is, by publicly firing or prosecuting these officers as if they were one of us! Rather than sheltering them and hiding facts to save face.. THANK THE INTERNET, cause we wouldn't even know otherwise.
Nice post.. sorry if I was ranting off a little there.
What we are seeing in the US is a lack of enforcement. Too many people are selecting which laws they will obey and which they will ignore. We have a process in place to change, create new, or delete laws. This is done by elected officials who refuse to do so. The arrogance of selective adherence to existing laws is frustrating to average citizens who see Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder, and the Sate of California in open defiance of our country's laws. In the US, if you don't like a law, you gather a majority and change it. You don't get to decide that it is not a good law and will just ignore it. Right now the US is more of what we call a Banana Republic than it is a beacon of freedom.
their record sure is am embarrassment, that's for sure
Realmente es más preocupante que sucesos como éste se estén normalizando. Se supone que los policías significan la autoridad y si ellos actúan así, quién podrá defendernos. Es poco ético que solo por ser personas de la calle, sean acusadas y maltratadas; por el contrario, esas personas deberían sentirse resguardadas, por lo menos, por el gobierno.Hay que empezar a denunciar más a menudo este tipo de atropellos. Gracias por compartir
Veri Good post!!!
Why do we even need Police authority bullies in our society? Could we not police ourselves?
I always wonder how this society gave away so much power to the policemen, policewomen and sheriffs.
There are about 800,000 active duty police officers in the US. Several have been found to be corrupt and abuse the power they have been given. I'm sure you are a fair-minded person and would not want to blame all 800,000 for the crimes of the few bad actors would you? We will always need good people with guns to protect us from bad people with guns. We have always needed good people with weapons to protect us from bad people with weapons. This has been true since the beginning of time. To think that this will ever change could be considered naive.
Why we need 800,000 active duty police officers? Sounds like way too many for tax payers to pay for their salaries.
I used to see it your way @chuck2u32, viewing the corruption and abuses of power as statistically insignificant anomalies to an otherwise reasonably functioning system. I won't delve into @doitvoluntarily response to you (even though I think it has a lot of intellectual merit to it), I just want to offer up something you may not have experienced/seen before.
Obviously I have no idea what type of news information you consume, but a source I have been following (for a number of years now) is http://thefreethoughtproject.com/ . I'm not sure if they have aggregate statistics on their website (I know this is something they were attempting to put together at one point), however, they do provide very detailed/follow up reporting on aggregated police misconduct (nationwide!) on a daily basis which, after reading/following for several years is actually quite horrifying. Instances of abuse of power, cover-up, repeat offenses, department shifting (between states), etc. Every single day, thefreethoughtproject will have literally a handful of reports on police misconduct. Multiply this by 365 days and we are looking at a very large number of concerns.
I'm not trying to say that every cop in America is a morally reprehensible person, a bad actor or a crooked cop per se. What I am saying is that there are STRUCTURAL problems that merit lots of attention and action if so-called "free people" have any hope of even holding onto that silly moniker.
Up until about 1900 there were few cops in the US. Most people that could afford them carried guns, and handled their business.
Here's the right question. Are you a good guy?
If you are, then carry a gun, and handle your business. Don't be lazy or a coward and hide behind the skirts of little girls that hide outside schools where children are being murdered.
The cops are the criminals, because criminals infiltrate power bases in order to commit crimes with impunity.
You won't. Neither will most Americans, but only criminals would. Take away the prize those criminals seek, a power base immune from accountability that police powers are, and crime will plummet.
Arm the people, and the criminals will flee. Arm only cops, and the criminals will become cops. That's what happened, and it's time to fix it.
Thank you for the reply. I think we should all be armed. I also think that anyone can snap and be a criminal. When someone decides to pursue a criminal endeavor, with everyone armed, their carrier change will be short lived. Criminals are selfish. They fear most for their own safety. That is why they prey on the weak or plot evil acts in advertised gun-free zones. What a criminal fears most is a bullet from nowhere ending his reign of terror especially when he is saving the last bullet for himself.
chuck, their job by definition requires them to harass and kidnap people on a daily basis over victimless crimes. So their job by definition isn't one that's "good" seeing as many laws on the books that they enforce are unconstitutional and unjust. Also, free people don't need an agency with a monopoly on coercion, that are exempt from morality, trying to "protect them"😄👍how can someone extort me and try to protect me at the same time?
they cant.
I agree with your view point over chuck's. Why do we still have police in our society then?
Thanks to you and @hanamana for the reply! Are we talking about anarchy? What about the people who cannot defend themselves against people who most would consider mean and evil? Self-policing requires a degree of self-discipline that simply does not exist in any society. Where in history has it ever been recorded that a group of people have ever evolved without the need to limit the power of people who choose to abuse others for sport or gain? Again, thanks for the exchange.