Saturday, June 27, 2009

Weeping Criminals and Police Brutality

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the three young men accused of attempted murder who wept in court viewing the video of their beating.

Three men charged in a triple shooting wept openly in court yesterday as a videotape of their beatings at the hands of Philadelphia police officers was screened at the Criminal Justice Center.

Dwayne Dyches, Brian Hall, and Pete Hopkins are charged with attempted murder and other counts in connection with a May 5, 2008, shoot-out that injured three men in the Feltonville section.

After shooting three other guys on the corner, Dyches, Hall and Hopkins led the police on a high speed chase. The cops hate that. Apparently in their anger and disapproval, the Philadelphia police involved in the chase didn't realize a news helicopter was filming the whole thing. When finally cornered and extracted from their vehicle the three shooters were given a taste of what I suppose those adrenalin-high cops call justice.
As the video was screened, Hopkins, the alleged gunman, used his necktie to dab away his tears. Dyches and Hall choked back sobs as family members seated in the courtroom gallery cried and groaned.

There weren't many details about the beating except that it "resulted in the firing of four officers and the demotion of four others." Here's a link to what I think is this incident. It's hard to tell because there are dozens to choose from.

What is wrong with the Philadelphia police department? Or are they typical in their methods of fighting crime? What's your opinion? Is it the criminals' fault when cops go over the line? Should the police be given a break because of the stress of the job? What do you think?

Please leave a comment.

5 comments:

  1. Noticed the criminals didn't cry for their victims....just because they wanted to be seen as victims.

    The cops shouldn't beat them, that is wrong.

    But I notice that you spend more time on the thugs who attempted murder and don't say a word about their victims.

    Did their families weep to know their loved ones were targets of these thugs?
    Did the victims cry?

    Your compassion for criminals knows no boundaries....but your compassion for the victims can only be seen very rarely.

    That's a shame

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  2. What the cops did was inexcusable. I don't think firing is enough--I think they should face criminal charges (and I suspect they would have a worse time than most in prison--and that's fine with me).

    That doesn't make the alleged crimes of the accused any less heinous, and should have no bearing on their sentences if found guilty (or, of course, any bearing on whether or not they are found guilty).

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  3. This is off topic...but I've been drinking so I really don't care right now.

    I understand you are a fancier of music MikeB.

    Just wanted to share the best female vocalist alive right now.

    I listen to Enya when I'm working on a math problem(A serious hobby outside of firearms)as well as when I'm stupid enough to dismantle one of my guns beyond my ability to reassemble, like the Ruger Mark II pistol.

    Stupid stupid stupid!

    Enya.

    I could sit down and listen to her read the telephone book.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n27He0lJwM&feature=related

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  4. Grab a cup of joe, sit back and listen...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9flGqz3Jgw&feature=fvw

    Join us.

    I'm not asking you to change your positions on gun control. I'm asking you to change your tactics in regards to reducing violence in all its forms; not simply those crimes committed by scum-bags with firearms.

    If you truly want to reduce violence, your side must engage lawfull gun owners in a respectfull manner.

    We are not only not the enemy; we are the most powerful and influencial ally you have available.

    If joining us is too strong for you, then engage us in the mean time.

    Those of us who carry concealed firearms on a daily basis while buying milk and bread, renting a movie, or simply walking in the park are not the problem.

    Your enemy is our enemy.

    Why should we waste our time beating each other up when our stated goals, reducing unjust violence, is common.

    I'm not giving up my guns and I assume you're not going to join the NRA anytime soon,

    So is this an impasse, or is it the door-way in which we both stand, facing a common foe?

    It would be much easier for the pro-gunners to simply crush your side and spit you down the memory hole, but that is not my wish.

    Join us, it whatever capacity you deem worthy.

    Can you even imagine the odds stacked up against the gang-bangers when facing a united front from your side and mine, combined?

    Criminals would not stand a chance against us. They would fold. They would yield. They would fail in their endeavors.

    We are the water in that video. A grain of sand is an irritant and a boulder can not withstand our onslaught over time.

    Rain on us.

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  5. kaveman said, "Your enemy is our enemy."

    Right on brother.

    I appreciate very much your attempts to keep it civil between us. I generally do the same, maybe sometimes I go a bit over the line, but I'm only human. I avoid the name-calling and personal attacks that I know are all too popular on both sides.

    You, kaveman, and FWM, Michael from NJ and Sevesteen who haven't been commenting here lately, always keep it fair and square. Even guys like Thirdpower, 45superman and AztecRed, who occasionally get really upset with me don't hit below the belt. I've also enjoyed the comments of Reputo who's new around here and John, formerly known as Malakh.

    Now that I'm examining this, I'd have to guess you'd be hard-pressed to put such a list together of civil and honest anti-gun writers. I don't know if that's true. There are probably good and bad on both sides and the good outweighs the bad.

    One thing comes to mind is that I've been too concerned with the few exceptions to the rule. As I started naming you guys I realized as a whole you're a pretty good bunch. But, as you said yourself, I won't be joining the NRA any time soon.

    Thanks for the Enya. Ethereal is what she is.

    ReplyDelete