Fuck the police, fuck the "legal" system that lets the majority of them get away with murder, and fuck anyone that defends any of it.
Oh hell no. That's just fucked up beyond belief. That jury fucked up. Assholes. The testimony was clear that Phil was no threat. Even expert witnesses from law enforcement said tha.
justice is a crap-shoot. But it's always (and should be) biased toward the defendant rather than the prosecution. The burden of proof should always be on the prosecution. That said everyone should get the same level of defense! In other words the poor kid shooting a store clerk should get the same legal defense representation as the cop who shoots a suspect. If this were balanced, then I feel most people would have more faith in the system. But as long as "money & politics" reign supreme there will be no fair justice.
you totally didn't read the article, did you? what would you or I get charged (let alone convicted of) for pumping seven shots into someone?
it depends on the situation/circumstances. The number of shots (for those of us who understand how ballistics/human physiology/anatomy/psychology are interwoven) doesn't matter. Once you decide to use deadly force it's pretty much all-or-nothing. So I guess if you can convince the jury that your decision to use deadly force was warranted then you aren't as likely to get convicted or even charged. Here in Georgia if you are a store owner or homeowner and you fatally shoot somebody (why would you even shoot them non-fatally anyway?) and the person you shot has a criminal record you most likely won't even be charged. Granted if evidence from witnesses or the coroner proves otherwise, you may be charged. But if you were indeed justified and were defending your life, you are fine. The only determining factor is who has deeper pockets for the better lawyers. Better lawyers have a greater chance of swaying juries and judges. Odds are the state has more money & legal experience than you or I could ever afford. It sucks but that's how things work.
Every once in awhile I have bouts of naivety and think that actual justice will be done. I am one day going to learn my lesson.
I was shocked. I saw the reports on the testimony. For and against. This jury was wrong. This should have been an easy conviction for them. Edit: If the DA had done something stupid like charge him with 1st or 2nd degree murder than I wouldn't have been shocked because that would have been another case of a DA overcharging someone but this guy was facing 2nd degree manslaughter. That's practically the bare minimum you can charge someone for killing another. I know juries aren't supposed to consider the sentence when deciding if someone is guilty or not but let's be realistic about it. Every juror thinks of how much time someone would get in prison for the crime they are judging. Which is why overcharging people is so bad. This guy wasn't overcharged! It was the right level of charge. He should have been convicted.
So have we reached "no justice, no peace" yet, or should black folks still be taking this bullshit with a smile?
This is just going to get worse because there seems to be no limit on what a cop can do with a black person. There has to be some accountability for the use of deadly force and this appears to say there is none. Even if you can make logic jumps to defend the verdict not all people will do that, and it seems that a cop just a legal gun owner with his girlfriend and a child in the line of fire and got off without much problem. What does that say to the next cop who has to handle an armed black person in a scary neighborhood? Just shoot be cause there is no reason to take the slightest chance with your life. I hope police stop pulling people over because they might be charged if they have to shoot someone for being black with a broken tail light.
When even the most pro-cop types at Wordforge of all places agree this verdict was a bunch of bullshit, it's safe to say they screwed up. This is basically the Brock Turner of cop shootings where this should be been a slam dunk to prove, but no. Meanwhile, the NRA has been especially quiet in all of this. It's almost like they only care that white people can carry weapons unharrassed!
I wouldn't count on it. Other police departments won't want to deal with the situation and will pass on him. Most likely. And he wasn't fired. It was a voluntary separation. Essentially he resigned. If he had refused than they probably would have fired him.
I hope you're right, but there have been way too many instances of shitty cops getting hired again after being fired or leaving their previous agencies.
There will be some small-town department that's desperate enough to overlook it ... or, possibly, where shooting a black man without provocation isn't regarded as a problem. There are probably even some people who would regard it as a selling point.
There are plenty of all white towns in the United States. Surprisingly how many actually. I grew up in one. Though its my understanding there is a black man living there now. Plus a Mexican.