>> ^bcglorf:
I suspect you aren't understanding me. An individual police officer committed a crime. The police force only has two options:
1.Investigate the crime.
2.Don't investigate the crime.
I am observing that there is a crowd on here that responds as follows:
1.Condemn the police for investigating(conflict of interest).
2.Condemn the police for not investigating(double standard).
When an individual police officer commits a crime, there is NOTHING the police force as a whole can do that doesn't confirm and further implicate them in some people's eyes.


That's an apologist answer and a straw man argument. It's not about them not investigating, it's about mitigating liability and damages through their political influence. That's why these two officers are facing misdemeanor charges instead of felony charges, which is exactly what you or I would face if we did the exact same thing.

I'd like for you to read the Christopher Commission's investigation of the mores and culture of the LAPD after Rampart and Rodney King. It's eye opening. That is if you can find it online.

Oh, and I think you're confused about the Internal Affairs Group. First that pertains to state and city police. I'm not sure if the TSA has an IAG, but the second cop seemed to be working for an airport police department so maybe he does. It's hard to keep the bureaucratic morass straight. Even if they did, the IAG for local police is under the purview of the police commission, and the people who make up the IAG are police officers who cycle in and out of the precincts, so there's an obvious conflict of interest there.

"He looks good in his suit, almost like a real newscaster."
-Someone who thought the LAPD was buying 10,000 jetpacks.

(via reddit)

Tags for this video have been changed from 'police chase, la, los angeles, sidewalk, crash, lapd' to 'police chase, la, los angeles, sidewalk, crash, lapd, epic fro' - edited by xxovercastxx

What makes me think that some of those plants found new homes with a few officers of the LAPD?

Who responds? The number of unanswered calls each year by the LAPD is in the 5-figure range.

>> ^NetRunner:

Officers are put on administrative leave and an investigation is launched by the very cops that work the force. Don't for a second believe Internal Affairs Division isn't run by the same people who work the force, because it is. Those investigating the police are also police officers. Read the independent Christopher Commission report on the LAPD after Rodney King and the Rampart incident...

It is alarming, therefore, that no outside review, including our own, has found the operations of internal affairs divisions in any of the major U.S. cities satisfactory. cited

internal investigators conducted group interviews of the police involved. As the Christopher Commission noted, this allowed officers under investigation to "get their stories straight." cited

Internal Affairs divisions are often reluctant to push for criminal prosecution of fellow police personnel... cited

So, I think this sort of behavior, although probably frowned upon by the department, won't be treated with sufficient punishment (i.e., expulsion, jail time).

Tags for this video have been changed from 'lapd, excessive force, immigration' to 'lapd, excessive force, immigration reform, protest, may day, fox 11' - edited by EDD

John Ziegler responds:

. . . there is a lot more to say about this situation, largely because there has been so much misinformation, so many irresponsible accusations, and so much blatant hypocrisy in the general reaction to the remarkable videotape.

Now, one would think that there wouldn’t be much confusion about a situation that was videotaped in its entirety by not one but two cameras who were acting largely independently of the primary actors (we have posted a nearly real-time version of the entire affair at http://www.HowObamaGotElected.com), but unfortunately that is clearly the case. I would like to try to address some of these issues here.

First, one of the ways that those on the left have used to try to avoid having to hold their nose and support the free speech rights of a rabble-rousing “conservative,” is that USC is a “private” school and therefore they had the right to kick me out for no purpose. I even saw one prominent blog with the headline “Ziegler Arrested for Trespassing on Private Property,” which is just laughably false.

While USC is indeed a “private” school, this does not in any way legally make their property like that of a private residence. First, they take federal tax money, and second it has a very “open” campus and the area I was in has direct access from a public street without even a gate blocking the way. At any given moment there are many people walking on the sidewalks where I was arrested who are neither students, faculty nor invited guests of the University. I had every right to be there (outside the building where the award ceremony took place) and I did nothing to provoke or warrant being handcuffed, arrested or removed from the property. It is very clear the only reason that happened was because of my previously expressed political opinion on what was going on that day. In short, I was targeted for different treatment because of my beliefs.

The next tactic many have tried, in order to avoid facing their own politically induced hypocrisy on free speech, is to minimize the incident by saying that I was not “arrested” and that what happened was not a big deal.

While in the end I was not charged (I was told that I would indeed be booked at LAPD headquarters), that was only because higher authorities saw that the campus police “arrest” was clearly problematic if not completely bogus. After I was already “arrested,” they shifted gears and told me that I basically had two choices: leave the premises or be charged along with the two photographers who did not work for me and who in no way bargained for such a situation. Not wanting to put them in jeopardy and seeing that I could not possibly do anything further to achieve my original goal of educating those attending the awards, I decided, under threat of prosecution, to leave the grounds.

But make no mistake, I was arrested. I was handcuffed and detained against my will for an extended period of time with my microphone and blackberry taken from me. The photographers were also told to stop shooting under threat of arrest themselves. And, as the video clearly shows, my wrists were significantly bruised by the handcuffs that I had rightly complained were put on way too tight.

All of this happened obviously not because of my actions but because of my political view on the proceedings. In effect, I was being punished, repressed, and physically harmed as a form of prior restraint because they anticipated that I might do something to disrupt the proceedings based on my prior writings and commentary on the event (in which I never claimed I would do anything more than exactly what I tried to; give away copies of my film as an educational exercise). No matter how hard liberals try to rationalize it, this makes this a very obvious case of a blatant free speech violation.

Another way that commentators (including some on the right) have attempted to ignore the very serious First Amendment implications of this case, is to say that I set this up as some sort of publicity stunt to promote my film.

First of all, this could not be more irrelevant to the constitutional issues involved . . .

the rest:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1dd_1240370084

Kinda freaky. I was at work in Sherman Oaks when it happened, but my gf got off work early and couldn't get back to our apartment in North Hollywood because it was inside the area the police cordonned off when they thought there was a 3rd gunman still at large. I was totally fascinated with the incident, it was so unique and so much like the climax of the movie Heat. At the time I thought it was remarkable how little attention it got in L.A. ... it was pretty much forgotten the next week, only popping back up in the news when the mother of one of the shooters sued the LAPD for letting her son bleed out from a head wonund.

I'm writing the LAPD right now to commend the officer. For anyone interested, the e-mail address on their site is contact@lapdonline.org for general questions/comments.

His Name:Sergeant Wayne Guillary

His Captain
Chief of Police
William J. Bratton

LAPD HEADQUARTERS:
150 N. Los Angeles St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
1-877-(275-5273)

BGW, the only reason George Washington is blue is because sad sacks like you throw his name around in some kind of I-ride-the-short-bus attempt at patriotism. You better think twice before you start calling people here traitors, because most folks around here are more informed than you, more literate than you, and care a hell of a lot more about the USA than you.

Anyone that parrots semi-retarded, oversimplified talking points about immigration is no patriot or fan of the Constitution (or whatever the last hate buzz-words is - islamofascist, gay marriage, etc.)

Look, immigration has always been what makes this country great. If it wasn't for H1-B, student Visa, illegal workers... this country would not have had a dot-com boom. There are more companies than you can imagine started by immigrants and people you hate. In fact, the US is the only major first world country with positive population growth, which can be attributed to ... guest what? You like your Social Security? Guess what is paying for it when you retire? Illegals who pay in and never collect. Guess what makes your WalMart profitable and running smooth? Guess why your stock portfolio goes up? Guess who picks your fruits and vegetables?

What I initally addressed is the LAPD violation of the Constitution. You would willingly give over your Rights in order to spew some "illegal immigrant" hatred. First of all, the Constitution should strive to protect all humans, anywhere. Secondly, go read some constitutional law. (Obviously other than rights to taxpayer funded programs, protection from deportation, and voting..)

Immigration proceedings are matters of administrative law, not criminal law. (Until Ashcroft and Abu-Gonzales created Gitmo detention centers)

http://www.slate.com/id/1008367/
http://www.nlg.org/resources/kyr/kyr_english.htm

the Bill of Rights applies to everyone, even illegal immigrants. So an immigrant, legal or illegal, prosecuted under the criminal code has the right to due process, a speedy and public trial, and other rights protected by the Fifth and Sixth Amendments.

(US v. Verdugo-Urquidez) Implies the Fourth Amend search and seizures does not apply to non-residents (in the case of border issues)

(Martinez-Aguero v. Gonzales) "aliens stopped at the border have a constitutional right to be free from false imprisonment and the use of excessive force by law enforcement personnel."


(Plyer v. Doe) No State shall…deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

U.S. CONST. amend XIV, § 1. (No State shall…deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law[.])

I'm not sure where half-breeds like you learned how to read the Bill of Rights and see where it says "citizens" have the following rights, but I still maintain, this country (and George Washington's memory) would be better off if you choke on a taco.

Yea, Malkin's not my cup of tea either, but I really couldn't find anyone else pro-LAPD on this one, and it was important to me that I see more angles than this video provides.

i live in this neighborhood. i live a block and a half away to be exact on 7th st. which runs on the west side of macarthur park (i'm horrible with east and west so i may be off base with that one). but this brings me to tears. this is beyond horrible. it was a peaceful gathering that did not get out of hand. they had every right to be there. la has had riots in the past, but it is not a violent city. macarthur park and rampart (which runs very close to there) have horrible reputations as very dangerous areas, but they are not. that community is an immigrant community mostly made up of salvadorians and koreans. i love my neighborhood and the people who live there. i ride the metro every single day (i don't own a car) in la, and i have to say it totally makes me feel like it's a police state. the cops are there, but they are not there to keep the peace and you feel it. they harass, intimidate, and try to coerce you to incriminate yourself so they can meet their quota for tickets. the illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in this country and in the united states. they are hard working, great people, and hey guess what, they ARE PEOPLE. they do not take jobs away from "americans" or drive down wages. the dirty local businessmen and corporations drive down the wages and then blame it on the illegal immigrants. all they want is a piece of the "american dream." they want better educations for their children, the money to raise them, and opportunities. the cops had zero right to do what they did including committing acts of violence against the press whom were there. we are strong and will continue to resist the police state and the government that is attempting to oppress the people. i refuse to rest as long as this continues and am thankful for the large activist community that exists in los angeles. this is just sick.

i could go on and on about la and everything that is right and wrong about it, but i'll shut up. macarthur park is beautiful and so are the people who live in the neighborhood, but man this shit blows. my mother called me scared to death wondering if i was caught up in what happened. nobody upsets my mother but me! the LAPD will pay for upsetting my mah!

I didn't say that they were in the wrong... the Los Angeles Police Commissioner did.

L-A police Chief William Bratton says he wants to know why hundreds of rubber bullets were fired at protesters during Tuesday's clash between police and immigration reform demonstrators.

Bratton tells K-T-L-A T-V he is concerned that 240 so-called "less-lethal" rounds were fired, with no actual arrests made.

Then we have this GEM:

LAPD Chief William Bratton spoke to KNBC reporter Robert Kovacik Thursday morning, saying he won't "sugar-coat" the conclusions of investigations into police action against demonstrators at MacArthur Park on Tuesday evening, during a rally for immigrant rights.

"I won't sugar-coat it. It is what it is," Bratton said.

He's also calling for a FBI investigation. Then we have this fact....

The order was made in English only, and some reporters and protesters said they either did not hear any orders or could not understand what the police wanted them to do.

I will end up with this:

Andre Birotte, the LAPD's inspector general, said his office would focus in part on why officers used foam rounds on reporters and marchers that videotapes seemed to indicate were not posing a violent threat. According to the LAPD's manual, "less-than-lethal" devices should used only on "violent or potentially violent suspects."

Please stop putting words in my mouth and downvoting my video, for something that I never said, or even implied.