The Death Of Kelly Thomas...

reply to post by sonnny1


thx for posting what happened. I could not watch the vid, it would upset me too much.

very sad. Well done to those people protesting!
It is police brutality and murder!

Thanks for the thread and pics and following up on the story. This is a big part of what ATS is for me.

Its inspiring to see people come together to right a wrong such as this. Policy murdering unarmed people in the street should not be swept under the rug. I feel that police officer sentences should be Doubled for officers who break the law. They are entrusted to uphold the law and should be held to a higher accountability when they use that position to commit crime.

reply to post by MemoryShock


Usually paid leave is not a good sign....if someone is on paid leave they are being investigated. Ive been a cop for 5 plus years and in those 5 years ive seen 1 cop fired each year for something in a department of less than 40. Each time it started with "paid leave" while they were being investigated. I am unfamiliar with the case, however I hope justice is served either way.

On a side note...please remember that a certain percentage of the population is bad....whether it be cops, teachers, unemployed burglars. I will also say...that there are good cops out there. Sorry I just had to add my "we aren't all bad" take on the thread.

Thanks for getting this story out...as I was very unaware of it.

Maybe a more appropriate response would be to take the police chief out into the street and beat his a$$! Then ask him how does it feel? Maybe the whole force there needs their a$$es kicked by a mob! So sick of the police thinking they can do what they want while the rest of us tow the line. Just once I would like to see a citizen pull out a dirty harry special and stop these thugs from abusing citizens!

For the protestors, don't give up, keep the pressure on, make sure this is not forgotten!

Honestly I think Police should be held to a higher standard of accountability then the normal citizen because of the power they wield.

They should be tried just like any other citizen but that will be where the difference is, if they are convicted it should be a public event! Or give them to the mercy of the crowd…all of this police brutality would end very very quickly.

I agree Double the penality Double the sentence!

reply to post by lonewolf19792000


My belief is that if your breathing and able you have the right to carry a firearm.However dont forget the ole saying if you live by the sword then you die by the sword.It seems to me that this person died by the sword even though he didnt have a sword.My point being that sword or no sword this more than likely happen again.Arm yourself dont broadcast it.Keep it hidden and dont break some other law and give them a reason.

Another victim of an injust system, and another police force pushed to the limit.

Real solutions do not materialize when we see an issue as most are viewing this one; ie a black and white issue.

It isn't the cops versus the people, it's the pressure of the job versus the innocent.

I for one would never want to be a police officer, it is stressful and demanding and thankless.

Then again, there should be some type of recourse for those who use the badge as a shield to hide behind when they have done wrong, as in this case.

Justice for all should be more than a catchy slogan, and the force should punish those among their ranks who break the rules more harshly than regular people.

Originally posted by soaringhawk
post removed by staff

Completely different issue. Kelly Thoma was located in Fullerton California and did nothing aggressive to the police officers who beat him to death. Nothing. The video we have shows him screaming for his dad while being beaten.

The protest I have attended and will attend are peaceful...Hell, one guy was screaming into a megaphone, "Jail Killer Cops" which I misunderstood as "Kill Killer Cops"...I hitailed it across the street to stop such a mantra to find that I had misinterpreted...I wasn't the only one who had misinterpreted but the point is that we are peaceful protests who don't want this to be forgotten...

London is a different story that I am just learning about...but certainly not a part of this thread...

Getting ready for another Protest this Saturday...please post sign/slogan suggestions here if desired...more pics and video will hopefully be available this time around...

It hits quite close to me too.

They took the six off the street but what about the other loose cannons out there?.

reply to post by cosmicexplorer


A police force is only as honorable and good as the worst officer on it!

The Fullerton police force has known about sadistic, out of control officers for years and did nothing!!!
The other officers down to a man knew about the out of control cops. They knew about it and they looked the other way. Because they wanted their short hours, the high pay and the guaranteed pension and to elevate themselves over everyone else and make up laws as they go to suit them.

This is not what the mythical 'good cop' would have done. A 'good cop' would have risked his career to have informed the public for their safety about a policeman who is armed, out of control individual who enjoys beating and humiliating the public while hiding behind a badge. But it seems that is all we have now.

The 'Good cops' have left the building and they left it long ago.

I hope you can post videos of the next scheduled protest- I'll maybe see my brother there. Heck, he probably knew this guy.
I feel sort of like, we see cops lose it like this often because they are living in a state of constant alert and fear. It wears on the nervous system and causes these breakdowns in rational control. I grew up in Fullerton, and it can be a very nasty place in some areas. I used to have to sleep at night with the sounds of gunshot ringing all around my apartment. As a teen I had to learn how to recognize different gang members and learn who to stay far away from, who to not even look at at a party. I wanted to be a cop back then, and went on ride alongs, and sometimes the cop would have to show me how to get the rifle down from the ceiling and use it, as he/she got out to deal with a shoot out, telling me to hide on the floor, but grab that rifle and use it if I need to.

After a while I decided I couldn't live with the stress and danger they live with and changed my mind. As much as I think that it is right to protest these officers loss of control and rational judgement, and that they should be punished, I still have an inkling of comprehension for how this could happen to almost anyone in their place long enough.

I am in this video but won't divulge the time stamp...

More video to come...

I saw the before and after pictures today, and literally wept.
This is clearly nothing but homicide.

to all world wide figures of authority, the world is waking up. we are watching. there is no way these police, or anybody for that matter, can justify a 6 to 1 beat down. we as taxpayers are paying for them now, and technically paid for them to beat this man to death. what do we get in return? tickets, fines, jail time. i post this question to the forum, who in your life has given you more grief, cops or criminals?

Originally posted by CigSmokinMan
Who in your life has given you more grief, cops or criminals?

Cops. Hands down. Off the top of my head I would say the ratio is about 8:1. Times I can remember have been shaken down by cops in the form of tickets, vs losing property to theft. That is not even counting the taxes to support them - which I consider robbery also.

Originally posted by CigSmokinMan
to all world wide figures of authority, the world is waking up. we are watching. there is no way these police, or anybody for that matter, can justify a 6 to 1 beat down. we as taxpayers are paying for them now, and technically paid for them to beat this man to death. what do we get in return? tickets, fines, jail time. i post this question to the forum, who in your life has given you more grief, cops or criminals?

I am reposting this elsewhere...with attribution...I hope you don't mind...

If so, contact me as soon as possible....