Posted on 07/30/2010 8:47:32 AM PDT by freedomwarrior998
A Roanoke community activist who compared a city police officer's shooting of a teenager with the actions of a Ku Klux Klansman must pay the officer $5,000 for defamation, a judge said Thursday.
(Excerpt) Read more at roanoke.com ...
Meanwhile, the officer and his brothers remain completely insulated from THEIR actions.
more people who run around calling people names like this should be done in court, course the likes of MSNBC and the far left would lose a lot of money
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/255309
“...Omar’s comments at the city council meeting followed the December death of Raheim Alleyne, a 19-year-old suspect in a home invasion. Alleyne ran from officers, then opened fire as they closed in, a review by the Roanoke commonwealth’s attorney determined. Hicks, who is white, shot and killed Alleyne, who was black. The commonwealth’s attorney said the shooting was justified....”
Sounds like the shooting the cop was involved in was justified. The perp shot at him first.
"He is acting no different than members of the Klan did years ago," Omar said at the meeting, referring to Hicks. "The only difference is that he and his other buddies have uniforms on now that provide them with legal cover as opposed to the white sheets. ... He's been wanting to shoot someone for a long time. Well, he finally has."
Lumsden called Omar to the witness stand, but Omar cited the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination and did not testify.
"We didn't enter any evidence," Strelka said, "because it's my belief we didn't need to."
Another Roanoke officer sued a critic in 1995. In that case, an officer who was accused.
Funny, and here I thought that we had Freedom of Speech. Silly me, and a treasonous court.
I agree, the guy needed a little shooting.
But the fact remains that a cop can sue you but you can’t sue a cop.
Sure, but when someone says something at a meeting; getting thrown in jail for making a statement is a bit extreme, and being fined $5,000 for saying it seems unAmerican.
I would have NEVER used the Klan as a comparison to the police. They are more like Nazis to me. :-)
There are no certainties in the law racket, but there are a few rules of thumb. When you have a bench trial in a civil case, the best interests of banks, insurance companies and the government will be vigilantly protected. A criminal trial to the bench is usually a slow guilty plea.
Indeed. I really can’t see how the standard for slander was met. I also note that Omar was defended by the Rutherford Foundation, a right-wing civil liberties group.
Methinks that this verdict will be overturned on appeal, but IANAL.
Freedom of Speech has NEVER meant Freedom to Slander.
Unless he can present facts to support those statements (and he can't, or he would have) how are those words not libelous???
You nailed it. Klan cops hide their association with the government with bedsheets. Nazis have snappy uniforms, their own compliant judges, and beautiful court rooms with inspiring architecture.
“Sure, but when someone says something at a meeting; getting thrown in jail for making a statement is a bit extreme, and being fined $5,000 for saying it seems unAmerican.”
If the comment was made at a public meeting, and was addressing a public official’s actions while on duty, that person probably gave up his right to privacy, etc when they took the job. However, the laws of that particular state may eb different from the laws in Florida, which are the one’s I refer to.
Giving an opinion of someone seems to be a Constitutionally protected act.
Hopefully, the scummy race-baiter activist will appeal and win.
I don’t like precidents restricting speech, especially speech against officials. They are, after all, public servants and the servant must listen to the master, not sue over “hurt feelings”.
I wonder if this is a false flag suit to curtail 1st Amendment rights. Something smells about this case.
The First Amendment wasn’t intended to protect libel, slander or defamation of character.
You do not have the freedom to defame others. Defamation has never been protected under the First Amendment.
Slander is in the eye of the beholder.
For example, I believe that Pres. Jughead is a Marxist, elitist, racist who wants to destroy America.
That is my opinion, and I am free to state it. The fact that you may (or may not) disagree is the sole determination of what slander is. In my view, I am stating the facts as I see them. To you, you may (or may not) view this as slander.
When we imprison someone for saying something we don’t want to hear; we have no freedom of speech.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.