Is the U.S. Becoming a Police State?

[bentom187]

This article is one of the most recent murders conducted by police ,they are conducting themselves like they were in Fallujah or Kabul , and they have qualified immunity and foreign sovereign immunity. This article also has a case precedent ,in which a cop shot a fleeing suspect in the back of the head, and he got away with it because they only need to reasonably believe they were in danger to murder.
Its a war on us and its getting ugly. Peace ,and be safe.

(the vidoes are at the website which is a good one)

Homeless man shot to death by police while “illegally camping” in the foothills of NM

"If this doesn’t convince this chief and this mayor that officers are out there killing people without justification, I don’t know what will."

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Outrage has ignited over a helmet-cam video of officers fatally confronting a homeless man at his primitive campsite in the foothills. Video shows the man standing by his meager possessions, surrounded by rifle-toting officers who were citing him for illegally camping without government permission. Officers ultimately tossed a concussion grenade in his face, sicced an attack dog on him, and shot him to death with a flurry of gunfire.

Standoff

The incident took place on Sunday, March 16th. Police were tipped off about an unauthorized camper in the Sandia Foothills in the outskirts of Albuquerque. Officers came upon James M. Boyd, 38, who was evidently living at his campsite. The police chief confirmed that the man was sleeping when officers arrived.
Camping is not permitted in Open Space without a permit,” the City of Albuquerque states on its website. Boyd, who was homeless, had no permit. His unauthorized stay on the desolate hillside would not go unpunished.

The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) confronted Boyd and began harassing him about his living arrangements. When one officer attempted to search Boyd, he did not comply. Boyd claimed he was himself a government agent who worked for the Department of Defense. Boyd stated that he would use force to protect himself “because you’re trying to take me over.”

APD researched Boyd’s personal medical history and discovered past treatments for mental health issues, which is quite common among the homeless population. Instead of leaving him alone, APD continued to escalate the situation with more officers and overwhelming force.

Police argued with Boyd for approximately 3 hours on the rocky foothills. The dramatic scene involved officers training rifles at Mr. Boyd, some of which was captured on video by a bystander and also of which was recorded by at least one officer’s helmet-cam.

APD deployed members of the ROP Team to deal with this “mentally unstable homeless person.” The ROP Team (Repeat Offender Project) is an elite unit of cops that work in plainclothes and deal with the “worst” of Albuquerque’s criminals. They were joined by an APD Crisis Intervention Team officer as well as New Mexico State Police.

“Do it.”

When the situation reached its climax around 7:30 p.m., Boyd had allegedly agreed to end the standoff, but warned APD that they must keep their word.

“Don’t change up the agreement,” Boyd said to officers. “I’m going to try and walk now. Don’t try to harm me. If you keep your word, I can keep you safe.”

Boyd put on his backpack. He reached down to pick up a thermos, placed it in his right hand and grabbed a blue bag in his left hand.

“Don’t worry about safety, I’m not a [expletive] murderer,” Boyd continued. “Don’t try it. Don’t try to harm me. I won’t try to harm you. Alright?”

Boyd tried to walk away. But police were not going to let that happen.

“Do it,” one of the officers said, and a flashbang grenade was lobbed at Boyd’s feet. A loud explosion and a puff of smoke followed.

Police can be heard shouting, “Get on the ground,” as they rushed in with weapons trained on him. A barking K9 advanced toward him. Mr. Boyd, now under attack, dropped his bags and instinctively retrieved a knife from his pocket. Nevertheless, he did not advance and did not make any threatening gestures. The nearest officer still remained several feet away.

Boyd stood there for approximately 5 seconds, then turned away from officers and began to descend to the ground — possibly a sign of compliance with demands to get on the ground. For reasons unclear, police opened fire. A volley of rifle rounds, beanbag rounds, and tasers fired at the man in near unison.

Watch raw video of the confrontation here:

James Boyd fell instantly to the ground.

“Boo-yah!” an officer exclaimed.

The assault team closed in on Boyd’s body, barking orders at him to get his hands up. Boyd could be heard on video saying “I can’t move.”

“Please don’t hurt me anymore,” he moaned.

Unsatisfied, police opened fire again, this time on his prone, lifeless body with beanbag rounds from a shotgun. He did not budge after repeated strikes. Next, the police dog was turned loose on him and gnawed on his leg. He remained unresponsive.

Officers then moved in and secured his body. Boyd did not survive.

Ultimately, 15 seconds after agreeing to end the standoff, he was shot and lying on the ground.

“Justified”

When asked if the shooting was justified, Police Chief Gordon Eden said, “Do I believe it was justified shooting? Yes, if you follow case law, ‘Garner versus Tennessee’, there was directed threat to an officer.” Eden’s reference was an attempt to justify the shooting of Mr. Boyd as he walked away. In Tennessee v. Garner, police shot a fleeing 15-year-old in the back of the head as he tried to climb a fence. The Supreme Court ruled that it was reasonable to kill suspects as they try to escape, even if unarmed, if the officers have a probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others.

Whether that case law is relevant to the killing of James Boyd remains to be seen. But the department stands by the homicide. Chief Eden also pointed out that “less than lethal devices” had been used, as if to justify the use of deadly force.

Others were not so convinced. KRQE interviewed an experienced attorney who has gone after APD before for its wrongful killings.

“I’m shocked, I’ve never seen a murder captured on videotape before,” said attorney Joe Kennedy to KRQE. “I’ve never seen anything quite like this.”

The attorney says that police officers created their own danger by removing the distance between themselves and Mr. Boyd, suggesting that police claim their lives are in danger when they actually are not.

“The big lie is anytime our officers shoot, they had a right to shoot because they felt threatened, and if this doesn’t convince this chief and this mayor that officers are out there killing people without justification, I don’t know what will,” said Kennedy.

“If they’re giving him an order to get down on the ground and he behaves in a manner that looks like he’s getting down on the ground, at what right do you have to shoot him?” said Kennedy.

Watch KRQE’s coverage of the incident and an interview with attorney Joe Kennedy:

Department Integrity?

Police have been quick to bring up James Boyd’s past, which included treatment for his mental illness and a history of arrests, for fighting. Yet their own officers seem to have an unsavory history.

Officer Keith Sandy, one of the officers who fired rifle rounds into Mr. Boyd, has been a controversial officer since the day he was hired by Albuquerque. Officer Sandy had been fired from his last job as a State Trooper for allegedly committing fraud by working a 2nd job while on the clock as an officer. Nonetheless, Sandy and several other disgraced cops were picked up by APD in 2007.

“They do not carry guns, they are not going to be badged,” the former APD chief promised in 2007. “They’re civilian employees. They’ll be collecting evidence.”

That promise turned out to a lie, as all of the officers in question were given badges, guns, and power over the citizens. Keith Sandy was elevated to several elite police units including the Vice Unit and ROP. He has since been involved in some high-profile botched cases and is currently the subject of a federal lawsuit for violations of civil rights and conducting illegal searches, according to KRQE.

The department itself has been in numerous controversial shootings. In 2010, the city settled for $10 million for the wrongful death of Kenneth Ellis. A video has recently been released of a shooting in which an officer shoots several rounds into a suspect’s back. Since 2012, the Department of Justice has been investigating the APD for its repeated use of excessive force, “including use of unreasonable deadly force.”

The APD is apparently plagued with poor decisions, faulty tactics, civil rights violations, and unwarranted killings. Citizens are responsible to be the watchdogs over the police, and they undoubtedly have their work cut out for them in Albuquerque. In the wake of the latest killing, the public should reject the tactics used on James Boyd and call for a massive housecleaning in the APD, beginning with the removal of corrupt cops who should not have been hired in the first place. Citizens should also be advised that the city takes camping permits very seriously.

 

[wantaknow]

go to infowars . c o m and watch the new mexico cops murder a homeless man ,so sad to see this shit ,but soon it will all come down on them in a free for all!

 

[SpasticGramps]

US has been an Orwellian state for decades. It's just so overt and out in the open now the mass's cognitive dissonance is starting to breakdown. Ever so slowly though most still choose to believe the lies of our government and corporate leaders. Their ego keeps them deluded to protect the illusion of freedom they hold so dear.

 

[Storm Shadow]

Gangster State is more like it...or better yet Biggest HYPOCRITE in all of Human History

 

[RetroGrow]

And that's why we call them "pigs"........I saw them murder a guy right outside my window......shot him over 100 times....I thought it was machine gun fire, but it was a dozen pigs unloading their glocks in unison. Several innocent bystanders were hit. Cops threatening people taking pictures/videos, and still getting paid overtime. It's gone way too far. It's off the hook. You cannot sugar coat it.

 

[Littleleaf]

open another widow and just listen to it.

[YOUTUBEIF]5mZ5FBHg0A[/YOUTUBEIF]

 

[Grass Lands]

Becoming????? We are already fucking there...

 

[jayjayfrank]

albuquerque police shoot more bullets than NYPD

 

[OGShaman]

Human nature is very cyclical...

Meaning we thought the same thing in...

1700
1800
1900
...and so forth

The Romans thought the same thing as well...

Is life perfect? Nope and never gonna be. But we are at our lowest point of violence in the history of mankind. Hard to believe, but we are living in the most peaceful time in our species' existence.

Enjoy!

 

[Tudo]

Most people cannot even define freedom. And so it withers away while this same society which cannot even define liberty has murdered and continues to murder people overseas in mostly poor countries. You can't go round Robbing millions around the globe of their fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and freedom and not have some shit coming back your way.

 

[OGShaman]

Edited because others edited.

 

[RetroGrow]

But we are at our lowest point of violence in the history of mankind. Hard to believe, but we are living in the most peaceful time in our species' existence.

Are you aware of the war in central Africa that has claimed 6 million lives?
45,000 per month...
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/23/congo.international

Second Congo War, 1998-2008:5.4 million people killed, deadliest conflict since WWII.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Congo_War

It is correct that there have been several lengthy periods in history where countless millions have been slaughtered/starved/infected with diseases, however, it is important to note that with today's weapons, there are any number of countries who could wipe out billions, or even exterminate all life on earth with the push of a button. This has never been the case before. We possess bio-weapons that could kill the entire world's population several times over. So there is much more danger lurking out there than ever before. We have submarines that singly could destroy billions. If weapons exist, it is only a matter of time before they are used.
Here is an interesting list of deaths by wars, genocide/famine, etc.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_and_anthropogenic_disasters_by_death_toll

 

[wantaknow]

Russia is about to hand us our ass,

 

[OGShaman]

Are you aware of the war in central Africa that has claimed 6 million lives?

Snip........

Of course, and I certainly never said that terrible things don't still continue to happen in today's world. We all realize that is the case. I'm just saying that by comparison to our history, even some of the things that were on the list you posted, (i.e. genghis khan, the crusades, the european conquest of the americas, etc.) today's world isn't as bad as it once was. And that's really hard to believe.

I say it's hard to believe because it's definitely not a conclusion I reached on my own. I am not a historian, nor do I research such things, but I have read this opinion many times from actual historians who do get paid to research history. One such person is Steven Pinker who gave a well known TED talk on this very subject in 2007 ( http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_on_the_myth_of_violence )

I agree with what you're saying about the perceived threat against the very existence of mankind being at it's highest point because of technological advancements in weaponry. That's really a different subject though. I'm referring more to what is actually happening, not what could happen. Anyways, I don't want to derail this guy's thread too much more than I already have.

I agree the U.S. is a police state, but it always has been. The only thing that has changed is the technology they use to achieve that. We are a lowly 5% of the world's population, but have 25% of the world's prisoners.

 

[Photosynthesis]

Of course, and I certainly never said that terrible things don't still continue to happen in today's world. We all realize that is the case. I'm just saying that by comparison to our history, even some of the things that were on the list you posted, (i.e. genghis khan, the crusades, the european conquest of the americas, etc.) today's world isn't as bad as it once was. And that's really hard to believe.

I say it's hard to believe because it's definitely not a conclusion I reached on my own. I am not a historian, nor do I research such things, but I have read this opinion many times from actual historians who do get paid to research history. One such person is Steven Pinker who gave a well known TED talk on this very subject in 2007 ( http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_on_the_myth_of_violence )

I agree with what you're saying about the perceived threat against the very existence of mankind being at it's highest point because of technological advancements in weaponry. That's really a different subject though. I'm referring more to what is actually happening, not what could happen. Anyways, I don't want to derail this guy's thread too much more than I already have.

I agree the U.S. is a police state, but it always has been. The only thing that has changed is the technology they use to achieve that. We are a lowly 5% of the world's population, but have 25% of the world's prisoners.

The "ted" talks are staged. Literally.

They are manipulated as fuck. It is funny how so many people look to them like a religion.

They are just another form of propaganda, and agenda pushing.

 

[Weird]

The "ted" talks are staged. Literally.

They are manipulated as fuck. It is funny how so many people look to them like a religion.

They are just another form of propaganda, and agenda pushing.

I would love to see you illustrate this hypothesis with examples ]

I guess Paul Staments talk was a fluke

 

[ogrerun]

It has been a police state since about 1927

 

[vostok]

Is the U.S. Becoming a Police State? .. I tick Well uh yeah, cause the NSA is peering over my fucking shoulder again ...!

 

[stoned-trout]

they need all them police to keep the jails full at a world record level..lol land of the incarcerated...nothing is free in America ...our country has become worse than what we ran from to start this country....talk about taxation

 

[Pinball Wizard]

"To Serve & Protect" has been replaced with "To Punish & Enslave"