I disagree with the majority of Kathleen's comments. Unfortunately, the notion
that if you lip off and don't comply with an officer's commands then "you're
asking for it," is very much a theme that seems to reflect widely held
attitudes of cops and I suspect a fair number of St. Paul citizens as well. And
while I agree with Charlie Quimby that we shouldn't necessarily let one video
be our sole source of information regarding the incident that took place in the
park, if the action by the police that is very clearly depicted on the video is
seen as justified by this community--something that Kathleen suggests might be
the case--then it will only confirm that excessive force, particularly toward
black suspects, is as acceptable in St. Paul as it is in places like Chicago,
L.A., New York, and many other communities that have been accused of widespread
racism among their police officers.
This is not to suggest that the suspect was a "good" actor. His previous
record, which the officer certainly must have (or should have) known, indicated
that he's not a great guy and that he's had previous run-ins with the police.
And the allegations against him, reported in today's paper (aggravated
stalking, making terroristic threats, 4th degree criminal damage to property)
don't paint a flattering picture, either. So it's certainly possible that the
officer was justified in using mace (something that nobody has yet questioned
on this listserv) if he attempted to take the suspect into custody and the
suspect became violent or otherwise resisted arrest. Everything beyond that,
however, was excessive force--plain and simple. As the video shows, while the
suspect was lying on the ground and coughing, the officer kicked him in the
upper chest area, knowing full well that backup was on the way. (Sirens can be
heard about 15 seconds later on the video; a second officer appears in about 45
seconds to help lift the suspect off the ground.) There was no threat to the
officer, there was no risk of flight, and an arrest was imminent.
One can only speculate as to why the officer at that moment decided to behave
in this fashion, as an arrest could obviously be accomplished much easier with
the help of another officer and without resorting to the actions shown on the
tape. That both officers then proceeded to slam a handcuffed suspect onto the
hood of a squad car served no purpose other than to send a message to the
suspect that he was in their control and they could do with him as they
pleased. This is at the root of all unnecessary police violence, which is why
excessive force has such a corrosive effect on the community, especially among
those who have witnessed such behavior time and again.
It is understandable that cops might lose patience with known offenders, repeat
criminals, or suspects who might be lipping off as this suspect was clearly
doing. (As he is being lifted off the ground, he appears to utter the words
"fuck you" to the officer who arrested him.) And I'm sure there are many in the
community who believe this guy got what he deserved, that if you tell a cop to
"fuck off" that you might get a nightstick to the head or your face slammed
into the hood of a police cruiser. But aren't the cops supposed to be the ones
who are trained to tolerate such verbal abuse? Sure cops are human like the
rest of us, but when they are wearing a uniform and carrying a gun, society
expects more of them, particularly in situations where confrontations take
place in broad daylight on our neighborhood streets (as opposed to some dark
alley at midnight where a suspect might be hiding behind a door and considered
armed and dangerous.) Clearly the cops involved in this arrest didn't care what
the public observed. The question now is whether the rest of us will let the
community or the police department define the boundaries of acceptable
behavior.
I have known my share of St. Paul cops over the years, most of whom I consider
to be highly professional and whom I believe would not have behaved as the
officers in this videotape. However, I've also witnessed instances of
unacceptable behavior by white cops toward black individuals, including
profanity, intimidation, shoving, overreaction, and basic disrespect--and these
were cases in which no arrests were made. I applaud the mayor's call for an
investigation, but it should be only the start of a much wider conversation
about policing in St. Paul, including the lackluster commitment to diversity
and what I believe is a longstanding case of disparate treatment toward
communities of color.
Tom Goldstein
Hamline-Midway
Rest of post
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kathleen Murphy" <<email obscured>>
To: stpaul-issues@forums.e-democracy.org
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2012 1:23:07 AM
Subject: Re: [SPIF] Saint Paul police brutality
Hmm. I have to disagree here a bit folks. I think an investigation IS
warranted. I agree that the kick in the chest/chin seems unwarranted, but my
understanding is that the cop asked him to shut up and lie down 5 times.
Hightower was on his side while coughing, looking as if he could get up. If
there's any indication that this person could be dangerous (prior arrests,
criminal history, etc), then it's the officer's prerogative to subdue him until
his backup arrives.
Now the slamming him on the hood of the car certainly looks provoked to me.
When the other cop arrives and they get him on his feet, you can blatantly see
that he shouted something or spit on the original officer. That kind of
behavior gets you thrown against a car or a wall or wherever they are going to
put you to search you for weapons, etc.
Again, I'm not saying that the officer's actions weren't somewhat excessive.
But I do agree with Titus that city officials, and maybe some of the rest of
us, should hold comment until some basic information from an investigation is
released.