Los Angeles: Fergusson's ugly stepchild

Or something like that.

So my girlfriend clued me into an interesting story this morning.

Apparently, last night around 6:45 PST - officers responded to a man wielding a knife standing in the middle of Hollywood...

Report details are mixed, but I've heard that anywhere between one and ten shots were fired into the mans head. I'm sure more details will come, but here are two of the stories I just pulled up for the sake of linking:

CBS
KTLA

Now, this ain't good for nobody. My hope, even in light of poor circumstance, is that this brings some light to the Real problem here. I do believe that this time, it was a white man that was shot. Repeatedly. For approaching officers with a knife.

I wonder why -I- bought a tazer - if the cops don't have to resort to theirs why should I? Bah.

Rather than get fired up on the topic, I'll leave you all with these couple of facts - as it doesn't seem to have hit national, and I didn't see anything posted here.

P.S. - Posse Comitatus forum is ... off? 0_o

originally posted by: DigitalJedi805


Apparently, last night around 6:45 PST - officers responded to a man wielding a knife standing in the middle of Hollywood...

"...man that was shot. Repeatedly. For approaching officers with a knife."

If you approach police with a weapon in your hand, something very bad is going to happen to you. If you assault an officer, something very bad may happen to you. If you RESIST officers, nothing good will come of it.

This applies to humans of ANY SKIN COLOR.

Its not rocket science here.

a reply to: DigitalJedi805

My part of LA seems peaceful though. Life goes on as normal. And yes I live in LA just not around the area where all the crazy stuff happened.

And as for that guy well if he was holding a knife in a threatening manner of course the police is gonna shoot him. What would you do if someone breaks into your house armed with a knife?

a reply to: DenyTreason

yep, It`s like sticking a fork into an electric socket and then blaming the electricity for trying to kill you.

When will people learn that if you make threatening gestures or try to attack someone who has a gun they are probably going to shoot you.
as you say this isn`t rocket science, anyone with 2 functioning brain cells should already know this.

Friday night after allegedly approaching officers with a knife.

^^^^says all that needs to be said.
next

originally posted by: Tardacus
a reply to: DenyTreason

yep, It`s like sticking a fork into an electric socket and then blaming the electricity for trying to kill you.

When will people learn that if you make threatening gestures or try to attack someone who has a gun they are probably going to shoot you.

I'll retain that lesson as soon as police recognize that shooting someone is not a valid alternative to tazing someone - it's actually quite the opposite.

Per DenyTreason - it's not rocket science to determine that you're going to KILL someone when you shoot him, and to recognize that you have NUMEROUS alternative methods to detain him. It's also not rocket science to determine that the entire country is watching police very closely; and reacting excessively will result in 'bad things'.

You guys are a hoot.

Taze him? Nah - not worth the extra holster time - I've already got my gun out.
Pepper spray? Naaaah - not effective enough I'm sure.
Shoot him in the leg? Naaaaaaaah - he'd be able to defend himself in court.
Ten headshots? Sounds perfect.

Deny Ignorance gentlemen... None of this was 'necessary' or 'warranted'. This was an overreaction and I don't care what argument you offer - that is my stance. I don't even care if the guy had a gun - shoot him somewhere where it's not going to kill him; Once. Maybe twice if he still appears to pose a threat.

Ugh.

Remind me when TSHTF to shoot you guys as soon as I see you - you'll most assuredly pose a threat to me just for being in my vicinity. No warning shots for you guys, and I'll skip my own tazer.

a reply to: DigitalJedi805

Freaking cowards.

"Oh God, he's got a knife!"

"Holy s### he's coming right for us captain!"

"No time to think boys, unload on his ass!"

Seriously. If one damn (in all likeliehood mentally unstable) man poses bodily harm to a group of armed and trained officers with a knife, these little bitches need a new job. It was one guy with a knife.

Police: Judge, Jury, Executioner.

"Negotiations over. Sentence is death." -- Judge Dredd.

originally posted by: CagliostroTheGreat
a reply to: DigitalJedi805

Freaking cowards.

"Oh God, he's got a knife!"

"Holy s### he's coming right for us captain!"

"No time to think boys, unload on his ass!"

Seriously. If one damn (in all likeliehood mentally unstable) man poses bodily harm to a group of armed and trained officers with a knife, these little bitches need a new job. It was one guy with a knife.

Police: Judge, Jury, Executioner.

"Negotiations over. Sentence is death." -- Judge Dredd.

Thank GOD I'm not alone. Well stated sir.

If -I- am willing to fight some idiot with a knife with a Smile on my face ( it's happened ), I fail to understand why our police force can't do the same - or even close.

a reply to: DigitalJedi805

Why should they unnecessarily risk their lives if they don`t have to?

The law of averages says that the more times you risk your life the higher the chances that you will eventually get killed.

The country can survive with fewer crazy people wielding knives but we can`t survive with fewer police officers.

The guy obviously didn`t value his life so why should the police?

Why risk having an innocent person who does value their life killed by someone who doesn`t value theirs?

If people want to play Dr Phil with dangerous people then put on a uniform and get out there and show us how it`s done.

Yes, the taxpayers do pay the salary of police officers but that doesn`t give us the right to tell them when and how they should risk THEIR lives.

I wasn`t there and it wasn`t my life that was at risk so I have no RIGHT to play Monday morning quarterback and second guess their actions.

a reply to: Tardacus

You've got a point. From now on when the cops murder someone in the street I wont second guess them. Surely killing that man was the right and proper reaction. Zieg heil!

Boot, meet human face. Forever.

a reply to: DenyTreason

There you go-stating facts.

You know that the left can't handle reality.

a reply to: DigitalJedi805

Well L.A. is rather well-know for police killings. Statistics I heard last night on Rebel Radio on KPFK (archive.kpfk.org...) where police shootings in general and LA in particular were being discussed were there is one police killing a week in Los Angeles.

originally posted by: Tardacus
a reply to: DigitalJedi805

Why should they unnecessarily risk their lives if they don`t have to?

The law of averages says that the more times you risk your life the higher the chances that you will eventually get killed.

The country can survive with fewer crazy people wielding knives but we can`t survive with fewer police officers.

The guy obviously didn`t value his life so why should the police?

Why risk having an innocent person who does value their life killed by someone who doesn`t value theirs?

If people want to play Dr Phil with dangerous people then put on a uniform and get out there and show us how it`s done.

Yes, the taxpayers do pay the salary of police officers but that doesn`t give us the right to tell them when and how they should risk THEIR lives.

I wasn`t there and it wasn`t my life that was at risk so I have no RIGHT to play Monday morning quarterback and second guess their actions.

It is their job to risk their lives. This is why they get hazard pay, and this is why we accept volunteers for the position, and people don't just wander the streets writing their own laws.

The law of averages also states that the more people are killed unnecessarily, the more people will have a disagreement with the continuing infringement.

The country will never have fewer 'knife wielding lunatics' - the law of averages as you were so apt to refer to implies that this number will only increase as the population does. On that note... Do you own a knife?

Who is to say he didn't value his life? You? We'll never know - he is dead; unnecessarily.

Nobody is implying trying to play Dr. Phil here - I'm implying trying to NOT kill someone in attempts to restrain them - rather than trying TO kill them; especially where it is again... unnecessary. Psycho-analysis can come after the fact - but there is a vast difference between Dr. Phil'ing someone on the spot, and restraining them without killing them.

The taxpayers pay police salaries to protect us at all costs - not to shoot us if we seem MILDLY threatening. We pay their salaries to risk their lives the entirety of their shift - that is the job. If they can't accept that, they shouldn't be police officers. Every traffic stop, every burglary, every purse-snatching - can be lethal to everyone involved - but that does not give them the right to take lives when theirs are in fact not in danger. It doesn't even give them the right to take lives even when their own lives ARE in danger. What gives them THAT right, is the same thing that gives you, or I, or the 'suspect' in this case; the right to be protected by them: Humanity.

Finally... If we are to only rely on the accounts of those that were there; how is this now-dead man to defend himself? Suppose he was running from someone after defending himself with said knife, and upon encountering police - did so inappropriately? Suppose he had no malicious intent at all?



I'll be glad to know that you'll never serve on my jury - you're the type to take an officers word for simply that - and indict someone on charges that might not even reflect reality.

This is a waste of life that did not need to take place. End of story. Your perception is so clouded it's baffling.



To quote your own signature:

“Regret for the things we have done will be tempered by time. It is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.”

Will you inconsolably regret not doing anything to change this paradigm? Or will you simply live with the regret of allowing it to continue?

guy.

If you come at a cop with a weapon of any sort, it won't end well.
If you assault a cop, it will not end well.
If you smack talk a cop, it probably won't end well.

Seriously people, use common sense.

a reply to: DigitalJedi805

LA PD are notoriously evil.

Hitmen, drug kingpins, everything.

Just to add to all of this; according to eye witness reports the suspect was not wielding a weapon at the point of contact.

According to eye witnesses, he actually reached into his pockets while failing to comply, and then before a weapon was produced, shots rang out.

The perplexing part in all of this, is that the black swiss army knife was opened to a ... two inch 'blade' - that he managed to open in his pocket before getting shot? I'm pretty skeptical that after being contacted by police he would Start to pull out a weapon; especially one of that variety - that, sure, could have punctured an officers uniform - but has about as much potential to kill someone as a garden-variety pencil. By the sound of it he would have had to open it in his pocket pretty quickly as well; which just detracts from the likely-hood that we're getting the whole story.

originally posted by: Lyxdeslic
If you come at a cop with a weapon of any sort, it won't end well.
If you assault a cop, it will not end well.
If you smack talk a cop, it probably won't end well.

Seriously people, use common sense.

By "it won't end well" - are you implying that, "you'll get shot"?

Because... Wow.

originally posted by: DigitalJedi805

originally posted by: Lyxdeslic
If you come at a cop with a weapon of any sort, it won't end well.
If you assault a cop, it will not end well.
If you smack talk a cop, it probably won't end well.

Seriously people, use common sense.

By "it won't end well" - are you implying that, "you'll get shot"?

Because... Wow.

I'm saying in general it will not end well. On the low scale, you might be spending the night in jail. On the high end, yes, you could be harmed. Basically, if you're stopped by the police, be respectful. If you have a weapon, keep your hands where they can see them. It's common sense.

a reply to: Lyxdeslic

You are right-unfortunately common sense is a bad word to some people.