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Long Beach Police Misconduct Caught on Video

By TChris, Section Misconduct
Posted on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 09:31:55 AM EST
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Long Beach police are investigating a claim that officers pulled Shalonica Michelle Patton off of a bus after she gave them the finger, "slammed" her down on the sidewalk (breaking four bones in her face), and knelt on her back while handcuffing her. Portions of the arrest were captured on what appears to be a cell phone video shown about three minutes into this YouTube post.

[Patton was] booked on a charge of criminal threats, battery on a police officer, using offensive words/gestures in public and causing a disturbance on public transit.

Security cameras on the bus apparently captured the initial interaction between Patton and the officers. The department has promised to make that tape available whenever it concludes its own internal investigation. Why not do it now?

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    Long Beach Police Misconduct Caught on Video | 13 comments (13 topical)

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    because, it takes some time (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by cpinva on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 09:44:10 AM EST
    to "PhotoShop" these things silly!

    Why not do it now?

    but serially folks, i'm sure the police felt they, and others, were physically at risk from that finger, and used the least amount of force necessary to restrain it.

    "Oops, something happened to that tape." (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by DavidDvorkin on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 10:11:07 AM EST
    "It's unreadable. Sorry about that. Investigation closed. Officers were following proper departmental procedures."

    That "following procedures" argument has always bothered me.  It's the contemporary equivalent of "I was just following orders."

    Procedures allow shaking your finger (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by JSN on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 10:46:44 AM EST
    at the offender to shooting them. That is a very large range.

    Parent
    What to call it (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by Lora on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 12:25:50 PM EST
    Police brutality.  It's a good term.  Time to bring it back and call it like it is.

    What? (none / 0) (#2)
    by wasabi on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 09:55:54 AM EST
    They had to break her face?  They couldn't just Taser her a half dozen times?

    They used to call it "contempt of cop." (none / 0) (#3)
    by myiq2xu on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 10:07:02 AM EST
    Punishable by arrest w/gratuitous violence.

    Color me surprised.... (none / 0) (#5)
    by kdog on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 10:12:17 AM EST
    Not that the law beat the sh*t out of this poor woman, because that's not at all surprising....but who knew "using offensive words/gestures in public" was a crime?

    You could lock up 75% of the people on the streets of NY on any given day for dropping f-bombs or flipping the bird.  

    If you ask me the one finger salute is constitutionally protected speech, as is the right to say "f*ck you".

    my guess is that this law (none / 0) (#10)
    by cpinva on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 11:17:40 AM EST
    has never been subject to judicial scrutiny. in order to avoid the high probablility of it being thrown out as unconstitutional, that charge will be quickly dropped.

    that way, they can continue using it as a pretext for arresting people.

    Parent

    I don't (none / 0) (#6)
    by Carolyn in Baltimore on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 10:14:51 AM EST
    give the finger a a**hole drivers because of fear of road rage. I was brought up not to fear cops. Not sure why they merited the finger but her treatment sure is bad.

    I stress to all the little ones in my family.... (none / 0) (#7)
    by kdog on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 10:25:49 AM EST
    that the cops are anything but your friends.

    Parent
    was she crazy (none / 0) (#8)
    by MrPope on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 10:35:05 AM EST
    one thing we know to be  self evident... being black and provoking the police in america will lead to a severe beat down or worse.  This is nothing new.

    actually, cops can be equal-opportunity abusers (none / 0) (#11)
    by kempis on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 12:14:07 PM EST
    My young cousin in rural Alabama recently got drunk one night and decided to flip off the county police at a Waffle House where they congregate from all surrounding towns. A high-speed chase ensued over winding country roads. Fortunately, he lived to tell about it--even escaped and spent the night in a friend's barn. He turned himself in the next day, his driver's license was immediately revoked, he's scheduled for trial in a couple of weeks and now he can't even go into a convenience store if a cop is in it without being frisked and breathalyzed--even when he's not driving and is of legal age. Oh, and the police slashed the tires on his truck. He will be a marked man for the rest of his life in that county and they won't rest until they set him up good. You don't mess with rural Alabama cops--no matter what color you are.

    Parent
    If there hadn't been video (none / 0) (#13)
    by myiq2xu on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 12:34:38 PM EST
    Rodney King wouldn't have been beaten.

    In fact, the original police reports didn't mention the sustained beating he received.

    Good thing for the cameraman the cops didn't see him recording them, otherwise he would have resisted arrest too.

    Long Beach Police Misconduct Caught on Video | 13 comments (13 topical)

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