Philando Castile's Killer Acquitted

Again, fuck you, asswipe.

the cop was guilty - I said that already. And even if Minnesota doesn't have a requirement to inform the cops you are carrying COMMON SENSE would tell you cops don't like surprises. You know, because a lot of them get shot during a traffic stop. He's not a "bad guy" because he was constantly getting cited for traffic infractions - he's a "bad driver" and by not having insurance he's putting the community at financial risk - that's why it's a "go to jail" offense. I'm sure you knew that.

This is why (I know, broken record) we need 100 percent black cops. Then when a trigger happy cop (who happens to be black) shoots a black driver because he feels his life was threatened we might get a grumble or two. If he shoots a white driver we get crickets.
"But you can't predict that!" Really? Well people on this board predict that if Philandro were white he wouldn't have been shot. See, I can predict the future just like you can! Isn't it great?

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article111056262.html

A grumble or two you say?

I'm not trying to dismiss it in general or say he's actually a great driver. I'm saying that not paying your tickets doesn't have anything to do with whether the cop was justified in killing him. It's not like he had a long record of assault/robbery/violent crime. They were traffic tickets.

Exactly.

I think they were wrong and I think it's important that people speak up when they see injustice. Even if it changes nothing and seems inconsequential to you.

*ok, maybe ya'll shoulda been just a little suspicious when every dead black person the police finds has crack sprinkled on him*

Ya know?

Ah, so you agree that his prior record is no excuse for the cop being trigger-happy? Or is your point that every cop should be trigger-happy in a traffic stop?

This shit here is exactly why I stay my ass in exspesive as fuck California

Four years of driving and the only time any car of mine was stopped was when my friend drove it and doing her weaving through traffic stuff she does in her own car. Being a bright yellow MINI Cooper probably brought it a lot of attention too.

The car I have now is even nicer and I consistently do eighty on the freeway and I've never been stopped yet or harassed or have had my car searched on multiple occasions like what used to happen to my roommate and her family in Alabama.

Oh fuck off with that bullshit.

Between the "Thin Blue Line" crap, the "Sheepdogs guarding the flock from wolves" pretense, and the constant chatter for an LEO bill of rights, your limpdicked attempt at shame/ridicule just proves my point you're a copsucker.

"Copsucker"

Unless it's Gabriel Iglesias playing the "Cops", theme, then suddenly they know how to chillax.

I'd like to know the stats on that.
If it's in lighting strike and shark attack territory, and they're being taught it's "the person next to you will die", level of certainty, then I think we're on to something for why these pricks are so twitchy.

The dashcam video has been released.

Video at the link.

Somebody in the comments had a good point - Philando could have put both his hands on the steering wheel when the cop said "don't reach for it! Don't pull it out!" Something I thought of.....the cops thought he matched a description of another suspect. So at that point when the cops pulled him over the cops should have said (since he was a potential threat at least) "keep your hands on the wheel!" And then both cops could team up and take their time and confirm his license to carry in a safe manner for everyone. The guy wouldn't be reaching for shit with his hands on the wheel. Too fucking easy.

In other words the cop had no excuse to be "caught by surprise" because their story is they knew ahead of time he matched the description of a suspect.
Knowing this, don't let the driver get in a position where he can draw a weapon if he did have one and was indeed a bad guy. Don't "bait and switch" and treat it as just a light not working then realize "wow! This guy might try something bad with his gun!"

So as far as I can tell from the video the cops (especially the senior ranking cop in the car) had every opportunity to size up the situation, assess the threat level, take proper precautions and control the situation. The driver shouldn't be expected to run the show or know the best thing to do - the cop should have given the proper guidance so Philandro couldn't make any moves that could be misconstrued. Total fuck-up on the cop's part. Yes the cop may have thought his life was in danger, but he put himself in that situation! Did the jury see this same video?

Yes.

They have released the dashcam footage and I see why the jury acquitted. I think the cop escalated way too fast, and we should have laws that hold them to higher standards, but the cop was clearly a coward and scared witless. We cannot have that with people we task with using deadly weapons on the general public for law enforcement and safety reasons. Because the cop was clearly scared and did not drop any racially charged language when he was out of control, nor was he rude or unprofessional up until the shooting, he probably was not overtly racist though race may have been in his mind leading to his freak out.

When you watch the video you see the contractually try to physically stop philandro from doing something with his other hand. Even though the cop was pulling out his gun with one hand his first reaction was to use his other hand to stop whatever he saw. It was not enough in my mind for a cop, but he clearly is seeing something he is trying to stop. Whether or not it is a mistake is not visible, but he reacts like something in that car scared him. I think it was a mistake the cop made, and I do not think philandro was reaching for his weapon. I think when the cop went to grab him philandering reacted aggressively or he jumped back in his seat and the cop shot him way too quickly.

If the law only requires the cop to be scared for his life it is clear he is. The law needs to be changed in that case.

have to agree with Tererun on this one - panic is like a disease - it's contagious! I'm not saying the cop shouldn't be scared - he just can't act scared!
You have to keep your shit together, full stop. Just being scared AKA fearing for your life is a pretty low bar. So to that end maybe the jury did their job, which is not to change/interpret the law on the fly. I would have hated to be on that jury. The cop acted like Barney Fife in Sheriff Andy Taylor's worst nightmares, but technically he didn't break any laws.

I feel like this has become a uniquely American experience. You can get pulled over, be told your taillight is out, and be shot dead within 10 seconds. Sadly, you have to treat any interaction with the police as if they are incompetent idiots.

Trevor Noah's comments on this: http://www.cc.com/video-playlists/qkhul9/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-between-the-scenes/0cmyip

I have to agree with your second sentence. Treating every cop as an incompetent idiot would keep more people alive! It's kind of an extension of "defensive driving" in that you should treat every driver as an incompetent idiot. If every time you encounter a cop you think "oh shit this guy is a retard! I better speak & move very slowly" it sure couldn't hurt.

Fuck Trevor Noah - I like him less & less the more I hear his voice. He does not "grow on me" I just get faster & faster at turning him off.

USA! USA! USA! We're number 1! We're number 1!

Saw this on Twitter.

I've wondered if the so called "militarization of the police" has played a factor in more aggressive, deadly police responses.

As someone said "if you dress and are armed like a soldier, it is no surprise you act like a soldier".

That said I'm against awarding any more than 500,000 dollars for wrongful death.

That's how it happened. Read Rise of the Warrior Cop for a detailed history of the problem.

Why?

I think it is a good round number that best represents the likely maximum added economic value a persons life adds over a ten year period.

500,000 these days is nothing! Take away the lawyer fees, funeral fees, psychological counseling (if needed or utilized) lost potential earnings and you end with a big basket of jack squat.

Philosophically, I think the payout for wrongful death should be large enough to be so painful that whatever organization caused it is VERY well-motivated to not let it happen again.

Same.

$500,000 is a pittance compared to a human life.

As writer George Will once explained it.

"Human life is precious

But not priceless".

Society routinely puts values on peoples lives. if a person is truly experiencing loss and grief, not amount of money can compensate for it. And I am repelled by the general idea of someone "striking it rich" thanks to the unexpected death of a loved one.

Fair enough - but 500,000 is far from "striking it rich" unless it's 1817 all over again.

I'm going with "500,000 dollars NET" not gross.

It's basically what most Americans will gross in income over the course of ten years all at once.

Of course.

That's the point.