Thread: The US Has Become A Worse Police State Than Orwell Could Imagine

Before It's News originally shared:

Americans Killed by Cops Now Outnumber Americans Killed in Iraq War http://b4in.org/c5WP

The increase in police brutality in this country is a frightening reality.

In the last decade alone the number of people murdered by police has reached 5,000. The number of soldiers killed since the inception of the Iraq war, 4489.

What went wrong? In the 19070’s SWAT teams were estimated to be used just a few hundred times per year, now we are looking at over 40,000 military style “knock and announce” police raids a year.

The police presence in this country is being turned into a military with a clearly defined enemy, anyone who questions the establishment.

If we look at the most recent numbers of non-military US citizens killed by terrorism worldwide, that number is 17.

You have a better chance of being killed by a bee sting, or a home repair accident than you do a terrorist. And you are 29 times more likely to be murdered by a cop than a terrorist!

More http://b4in.org/c5WP

Dogs and Toddlers Breathe a Sigh of Relief as Over 400 Cops Call in Sick

RT.com​
July 8, 2014

The Memphis, Tennessee Police Department is hemorrhaging officers as hundreds of cops continue to call in sick as part of a growing act of protest.

On Monday this week, MPD spokesperson Sgt. Karen Rudolph confirmed to the Knoxville News Sentinel that 472 officers were off of work that afternoon after claiming to be sick. One day earlier, Mayor A C Wharton said at a news conference that 308 officer had called out of work since the previous Monday, causing a noticeable strain on the department’s ability to patrol the streets. Now if the trend continues in this manner, the number of active cops on the MPD may be obliterated even further.

Over the weekend, Police Director Toney Armstrong acknowledged that the growing number of officers calling out of work was the result of an effort waged after the City Council voted recently to reduce health care subsidies for city employees. According to the Memphis Flyer, city officials approved those changes when they agreed to pass a new budget last month. Now ahead of aJuly 15 vote where changes to the city employee pension plan are expected to be approved, officers are striking en masse by using up their sick days to express their outrage.

Officer Mike Williams, the president of the local police union, told a MemphisCBS News affiliate recently that a potential strike seemed to be among the only options the cops had left to speak up.

“Sometimes there’s a ground swell and sometimes you can only kick a dog for so long before it bites you,” Williams said.

Speaking to Memphis Commercial Appeal, however, Williams explained that his union isn’t necessary endorsing the strike.

“This is not something that the MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) orchestrated or condoned,” he said. “I don’t necessarily agree with this because we were getting support from the citizens and smaller businesses in the community.”

Meanwhile, the toll of the ever increasing list of officers on sick-leave is all too apparent in Memphis, where law enforcement officials from neighboring towns have been forced to assist in recent days. According to Commercial Appeal, around 50 Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies assisted with law enforcement procedures on Saturday, when 181 members of the MPD called in sick.

“I would like to publicly thank the sheriff and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, as they always have, for being right there, our law enforcement brothers for being right there. They always have for us,” added Armstrong.

As of earlier this year in May, the total number of officers working for the MPD was just below 2,280. At the time, Armstrong said he needed at least 2,400 officers “to continue full services” for the city.

Republished with permission from Russia Today

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Corrupt and Racist Cops Caught Texting About Incentives to Beat People Down


The Free Thought Project
Matt AgoristJuly 9, 2014

Police Chief, Doug Jordan’s text messages show a disgusting level of racial slurs and incentive to harass and “take down” a local man.

The texts were given to Channel 2 Action News, in Coweta County, GA,which led to the department’s racist and corrupt practices being exposed.

According to Channel 2 News, the first set of texts started with, “OK. June Bug saw Henry and his wife at Dollar General, shot him the bird and yelled (expletive) U at him . So gloves off first officer to take him down gets a steak dinner” then, “(expletive) That drug pushing mother (expletive).” and finally, “We going to find that piece of (expletive).”

After finding out who ‘June Bug’ was, Leon Buchannan, Channel 2 showed him the texts.

“He threatened somebody’s life, like they making bets on me or something,” Buchannan said.

Buchannan did serve a year in prison on drug charges in 2008, but has been straight since getting out, “I changed my whole life, went to school, got my CDL,” Buchannan said.

“Are you a drug pusher?” Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant asked.
“No, sir,” Buchannan said.

But the Buchannan’s innocence did not stop the man mentioned in the first text as “Henry, ” who is Grantville Police Officer Demetrius Henry, from descending quickly on Buchannan.

“He just jumped out the car, something like, ‘Didn’t I tell you don’t disrespect,’ and just started hitting and beating him in the car,” Buchannan’s cousin, April Heard said.

Buchannan was beat so badly that he ended up in the hospital. His family filed excessive force complaints against Henry, but of course, the internal “investigation” found no wrong doing.

Channel 2 News showed these texts and another set of texts, that were related to a news story on Officer Henry, to Mayor Jim Sells.
“Henry’s on the news.” The chief wrote back, “What’s that about?” then added “He probably beat the (expletive) out of some ‘n-word.’”
Sells quickly suspended Jordan, who resigned 2 days later. Henry also resigned shortly after the internal review cleared him of the force complaints.

No charges have been filed against Henry or Jordan.



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No Charges for Cop Who Killed 13 Year Old Holding Toy Gun


The Free Thought Project
Cassandra Rules
July 9, 2014

Sonoma County DA announced on Monday that they will not be filing charges against Deputy Erick Gelhaus who shot a child through the heart, then 6 more times after the first fatal round, on October 22, in Santa Rosa, CA.

The young boy was walking down the street carrying a partially translucent plastic airsoft BB gun that resembled a rifle when he was spotted by Deputy Gelhaus and his partner Michael Schemmel.

Gelhaus ordered Lopez to drop his weapon, possibly confused because the orange tip on the toy was missing.

Lopez then began to turn towards the officer when the officer immediately opened fire, shooting to kill. Gelhaus told investigators that he could not remember if he identified himself as a police officer,

Seven bullets were fired at Andy Lopez within six seconds. The officer’s report claims that he shot Lopez after he turned towards him with the toy gun, despite bullet wounds in Lopez’s side (which supporters claim may indicate he was struck while turning).

The altercation lasted a total of 19 seconds from the call for backup to “shots fired”.

After the 8th grader was on the ground, having been shot repeatedly, the officers then handcuffed the child’s dead, lifeless body.

New information released yesterday indicates Lopez may have smoked weed in the hours before the incident, the report states that he would likely have had “impaired judgement, slowed decision making and increased mental processing time, particularly when having to deal with performance of sudden, unanticipated tasks, including decisions that require a quick response.”

Jonathan Melrod, attorney and extremely dedicated activist, said the decision was based on “patent lies.”

“The police feel that we, the community, are their enemy, they police us as though they are still in Iraq or Afghanistan.” he stated. He also said that using marijuana as an excuse is just a way to divert blame to the victim.

“Let’s assume there was THC. Does that justify executing Andy?” he demanded.

Gelhaus is ironically a firearms instructor, as well as a contributing writer to gun publications, despite having once accidentally shot himself in the leg in 1995 as he searched a teenager for weapons.

People gathered to protest the decision last night, and social media was full of cries of “You say justified- We say homicide!” and “Jailhouse for Gelhaus”.

Dozens of protests have been organized, mainly by other children who go by “Andy’s Youth”, and they have been passionate and intense. From crossing police lines to bravely face off with riot police, marching and storming city council with crosses representing police brutality victims, to shaming killer cops they run into along their marches… these kids have been truly inspiring.

A demonstration to protest the decision was scheduled at the “hall of injustice” for Tuesday at 1pm.

It has yet to be announced if Gelhaus will begin patrolling the streets once again. Lets hope he doesn’t.

Andy’s life mattered.

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What Cop in Their Right Mind Thinks its Okay to do This?

Read more & Video here >> http://goo.gl/oapNte



What Cop in Their Right Mind Thinks its Okay to do This?

The Free Thought Project



"Let's be real clear. You have the absolute right to stand on your front porch and record what's going on in your front yard." The Free Thought ProjectMatt AgoristJuly 11, 2014 Two separate incidents within in 2 months in Petersburg, VA highlight the severity of police incompetence and lack of self control when dealing…


What Cop in Their Right Mind Thinks its Okay to do This?



“Let’s be real clear. You have the absolute right to stand on your front porch and record what’s going on in your front yard.”

The Free Thought Project
Matt AgoristJuly 11, 2014
Two separate incidents within in 2 months in Petersburg, VA highlight the severity of police incompetence and lack of self control when dealing with people practicing their 1st Amendment rights.
With all the cases and videos online of police harassing people for filming and subsequently facing charges or lawsuits, or just looking like complete despots, one would think that cops would show some self restraint when being filmed in public.
However, the act of self restraint seems to be a rare commodity in Police land.
Just last month Petersburg police arrested a 19-year-old man, Devin Thomas, who’s only “crime” was holding police accountable through act of filming them.
Devin was recording a traffic stop when he claims he was assaulted by Petersburg Police, right outside of the Petersburg Police Department.
Now, this week, a cell phone video of another incident has surfaced.
Just two months prior to the Devin Thomas case, JaQuan Fisher was assaulted and charged for filming the police.
Fisher, 17, was on his own front porch when a Petersburg cop, unable to resist throwing a temper tantrum, rushed him for filming an arrest that was taking place in Fisher’s front yard.
After being assaulted by the officer, Fisher pushed back. As Fisher’s mother, Debra Fisher got involved, the altercation quickly escalated.
“They was trying to grab my son off the porch. I was trying to tell my boyfriend to open the door so we can get in the house,” Debra Fisher said. She is JaQuan’s mother and can be seen on the video wrestling with officers, according to NBC 12.
A second officer arrived during the struggle. There was an object in his hand. The family says he started spraying mace.
“They maced each other, too. He just started mace-ing everywhere,” Debra Fisher said.

A third officer came rushing in to the chaos and put Debra into a choke hold, nearly pulling her backward off the porch.
The over the rail choke hold by the third officer was particularly dangerous and could have ended much worse for JaQuan Fisher.
JaQuan Fisher was charged with two counts of felony assault on law enforcement. Eventually one of the counts was dropped and the other reduced to a misdemeanor. He pleaded guilty to that charge.

His mother didn’t have an attorney, and a judge found her guilty of obstructing justice.
The family is seeking legal council, and rightfully so, in order to appeal the convictions.
The lack of self-control exhibited by the police in these two incidents is disheartening to say the least.
The rage and anger within these officers was unable to be governed and led to senseless violence enacted against the innocent.
When citizens enact senseless violence against other citizens, this is called crime; when police officers enact the same violence against citizens, it is called tyranny.
Police will do well to quickly come to terms with the reality that more people begin filming them everyday.
The niche for legal recourse against tyrant cops whom cannot control themselves will quickly be filled by proactive attorneys seeking damages for their many clients.


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Massachusetts Police Department Has Grenade Launchers




Author
TellMeNow

13 hours ago

In the latest development to the saga of police militarization in the United States, a Massachusetts police department has been found to have two M-79 grenade launchers. You may be asking yourself why local police would need these surplus military weapons, and the answer to that burning question is – drumroll, please – they don’t need them. The only use for these incredibly destructive weapons would be for the government to force innocent citizens into giving up their rights.
The Springfield, MA police department argues that they need the grenade launchers so that they can be prepared for any and all situations which may arise. However, it’s hard to believe that they would ever need to cause a large explosion. If such a thing was absolutely necessary, local police should not be the ones to carry it out.

The problem with police becoming more and more militarized is the fact that at the same time, the government is trying to take away any means of the American public to protect themselves. Does this latest report of police departments harboring grenade launchers worry you? Let us know in the comments section!
H/T: Mr. Conservative

http://tellmenow.com/2014/07/massach...ade-launchers/


"Grenade Launchers" and who do they plan on using those against!!!!