Posted on 08/17/2004 8:31:20 AM PDT by TomServo
Officers in hurricane-ravaged Fort Myers used a Taser gun on a man allegedly trying to get by a police barrier to get home, and it was all caught on tape.
This video was just mention on Boortz...
(Excerpt) Read more at local10.com ...
EXACTLY! If he could've proved to the cops that his home was, indeed, among the rubble, then this whole taser incident would never have happened.
It's things like this that don't help the negative image cops have. What a shame. The bad actions of a few hurt the overall group.
Well, thanks for speaking on the behalf of every libertarian...
But: Did this incident have to end this way?
The cops that do good, and most of them do, are bruised by association with those who don't. Maybe this cop had to get rough, but it still looks over the top to the casual observer.
it is under civilian control: go to the head of the service though, not to the guy on the ground. Chain of Command and all.
and i know you dont because of how you view our officers.
think of it this way: we control the military, would you expect it to just let the people know SC material? they know what they know, and act on it. we control them, but they still have authority; because we gave them that authority (by acts of leaving and then allowing them to have th say they do instead of over riding them from an office)
then go to the governor and express that. the cop is just doing his job. if the chain of command fails, then you start complaining about bs.
voice yourself, then act. simple acting makes you look like a threat.
"Homeowners' rights"??
Not when towns like Alabaster, Alabama, are using eminent domain to take property in order to build... shopping centers. Or another town in Illinois using eminent domain to tear down perfectly good single-family homes in order to build condos. Thousands of these kinds of abuses happen in our country.
Eminent domain is NOT to be used to simply swell the tax coffers. That's abuse, not use.
Sad, isn't it.
a tazer is over the top? the man tried to run a police block... its less brutal than punching him or even pepper spray... and the guy still was trying to make a run for it.
no, i stand by what i say. if you want to get rid of the police, talk to those in charge, not the police.
That was the initial report, as it turns out he was only arguing with the police.
No, it goes like this:
"We're from the government, and we're here to help... ourselves to your money and run your life for you."
Or something like that.
Also running a blockade is not sufficient for using a taser, they can chase him. The only reason to use a taser is if he threatened the cop, by manner not verbal expression.
Another abuse for sure.
I never said "get rid of the police". We need them, like we need government... and both need restraint when necessary.
I'm not Hillary Clinton here, Mac. SHE hates cops. I don't.
If this is true - the guy wasn't a threat, unless you count "arguing loudly" with a cop as "a threat" - then this whole incident didn't need to happen, and we would have one less example for liberals to use about "police brutality".
BTW, weren't all the power lines shut off in that area? Kinda negates the whole "danger from downed power lines" theory, if so...
Oh right.
Like thats going to be the least bit effective or immediate.
I don't believe the governor was shown as being anywhere in the shot.
The man was a threat... to go home? What right do the cops have to stop him?
Look. Other people have had hurricanes. When we have them around here, the places are usually opened back up to residents within hours or by the next day. Heck, even after Hugo, people with valid adresses were allowed back to their properties...or were allowed to visit their where their houses once were, if not the next day, very soon thereafter.
Its their property, not the state's or the cop's property to control or "allow" folks to go to. Its not the state to decide if its "safe" or if its "ok".
[disclaimer: all based on the limited info in the article, such opinions are based on the principles involved. actual and later details may impact the stated positions. void where prohibited by law, no purchase necessary to enter]
Updated @9:05 a.m.
Traffic has begun to flow across the Mantanzas Pass bridge.
The line of cars backed up on San Carlos Boulevard from the Beach for a couple of miles.
Claude Sewell was one of those at the back of the line. He braved the hurricane but left Friday night believing he could return immediately.
"I thought I would be able to get right back on," he said. "They should have let us on."
Sewell said waiting in Wednesday morning's line was not that big of a deal considering the four-day wait he already had.
"I wait to get coffee. I wait to get cigarettes. I wait to get gas now. That's just the way it is."
Chuck Schmidt waited for his first glimpse of the island. Schmidt came down from Michigan after the storm but hasn't been able to see his condo at Caper Beach Condos.
"I am assuming we got some damage," he said.
But Schmidt said he understands why city officials haven't let residents on sooner.
"They're keeping us off for the right reasons," he said.
People began lining up at the bridge leading over to San Carlos Island at 3 a.m.
Many residents were still angry about not being allowed on the island sooner.
“It’s been too damn long, it should have been done quicker,” said Jim Toy, 62, who owns a home on the island.
The popular Gulf bathing beaches will be closed up to a week until health officials decide if the water is clean enough for swimmers.
Town officials are warning people to avoid walking in the sand because sharp objects might be underneath the sand.
Signs are being put up to remind people there’s a curfew between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
There’s a council meeting at Town Hall at 10 a.m.
Florida contractors hired to do work at homes on the island will have to first stop at Town Hall to be certified and show proof of their Florida contractors and liability insurance and workers compensation insurance.
Contractors from out of state must first be certified by Lee County and then come to Town Hall for badges.
Roads on the island have been cleared of sand, trees and debris and are open, but electricity still hasn’t been restored.
The Neptune Motel opened Tuesday night and is offering special deals for people who live on the island.
Getting close to a week and they still cannot get in. Operating this like a complete nanny state. Roads are cleared and people cannot get in. Gotta certify all contractors even though minor repairs do not necessarily require a certified contractor. Read that citizens must get tetnous shots. Wonder if you have to prove that before you are let in?
Looks like my assumptions were right on.
That is a very interesting fact about that. Something that won't be reported in the Nat'l News.
Thanks.
The problem, as you well know, is that there are looters who masquerade as "home owners who just want to get some of their stuff." Controlling access to areas is the best way to deter looters.
You don't need to own a gun to protect your home, just call 911 -- the police will protect you.
That's your motto, tight.
The guy was no looter. He was a Father with three kids trying to get home...Say what you will. The police look really bad in this article. Personally, I don't think the police have the right to stop you from going home...looters by all reports are robbing homes of guys like this while police officers arrest him...totally disgusted with this nonsense. Neal Boortz is right people should be warned it might be dangerous to return home, and if they choose to return, it should be their right. Police state bump.
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.