I'd like to say that story is hard to believe. I'd like to, but I can't.

The police are not your friends, they are not here to protect you, and they are not '"the good guys." They're a gang of corrupt thugs, whose primary business involves acting as human shields for the rich elite, and extorting money from average citizens through a string of scams and schemes. Don't approach them, don't talk to them.

Regard police officers as you would regard a rabid dog. It's just safer.

bloobeary: The police are not your friends, they are not here to protect you, and they are not '"the good guys." They're a gang of corrupt thugs, whose primary business involves acting as human shields for the rich elite, and extorting money from average citizens through a string of scams and schemes. Don't approach them, don't talk to them.

Regard police officers as you would regard a rabid dog. It's just safer.

Where do you get your tinfoil?

On her second day in the Brownsville stationhouse

She was smokin' in the boys room?

That's just farking Kafka-esque. That's trite, but in this case...

Griffin insisted she answered the summons and it was supposed to be dismissed. She was right. There had been a clerical error.

Finally, she was free to go.

Oh FFS.

ManateeGag: Where do you get your tinfoil?

Sorry but as white male who has been stopped, questioned, frisked (which I know I technically have a right not to let them do without probable cause but...come on) and had my (clean) record run through the computer more than a couple times and with all these stories, it's a difficult conclusion not to come to.

She heard a "slap" and then felt a burning sensation on her right thigh where her tights appeared to be squeezed into a hole. Pulling the bunched-up fabric, she saw a bullet pop out, followed by spurting blood.

This has to be a first-- a pop-out bullet.

Nice baiting by the subby. The author didn't do such a bad jorb either.

notmtwain: This has to be a first-- a pop-out bullet.

Wimmins be havin' Kevlar tights!

Mugato: Sorry but as white male who has been stopped, questioned, frisked (which I know I technically have a right not to let them do without probable cause but...come on) and had my (clean) record run through the computer more than a couple times and with all these stories, it's a difficult conclusion not to come to.

Another white male here. I got held in the back of a squad car for an hour by a cop who wanted to turn a stupid but relatively minor traffic error (mistook a green arrow for a green light in a deserted intersection at 4am) into a bust. He kept trying to convince me to admit to all manner of drug use, and kept asking the same five questions over and over and over. I finally got fed up, called him on it, and asked if I was under arrest. I wasn't, since he didn't have anything on me apart from the traffic error, he had to release me.

I paid the ticket the next day, but the cop didn't bother to even check on that before having a warrant sworn out on me for non-payment of it. Luckily, I had asked for a receipt when I paid it. Double-luckily I was out of state at college when the cops came to the house to collect me, so they weren't able to lock me up, and I was able to tell my parents where the receipt was so they could raise holy hell on my behalf.

As you said, it's a difficult conclusion not to come to. And new stories like this one only reinforce it.

bloobeary: The police are not your friends, they are not here to protect you, and they are not '"the good guys." They're a gang of corrupt thugs, whose primary business involves acting as human shields for the rich elite, and extorting money from average citizens through a string of scams and schemes. Don't approach them, don't talk to them.

Regard police officers as you would regard a rabid dog. It's just safer.

not all cops are like that. some DO try to do their jobs and protect people. But there are a couple/few bad apples in the mix.

bloobeary: I paid the ticket the next day, but the cop didn't bother to even check on that before having a warrant sworn out on me for non-payment of it.

Where the hell do you live? When I got a ticket in NYC a few years ago I wanted to pay right away but had to wait a few days for the ticket to be entered into the system.

bloobeary: As you said, it's a difficult conclusion not to come to. And new stories like this one only reinforce it.

They are anecdotal stories to be sure but when there are so many of them, they begin to stop being simple anecdotal stories. So yeah, what are we supposed to think about the system as a whole?

And I'm not saying that white folks have it as bad as minorities. There's definitely a multiplication algorithm involved.

damageddude: Where the hell do you live? When I got a ticket in NYC a few years ago I wanted to pay right away but had to wait a few days for the ticket to be entered into the system.

Delaware. It's the speed bump between New jersey and Maryland that gave the nation Joe Biden.

"This is something that would happen in a fascist state, not in America," Rubenstein said.

Guess what?

Keep voting Republican, we're almost there.

Legitimate case for a lawsuit there, and the juries will be very sympathetic after hearing that story.

Mugato: And I'm not saying that white folks have it as bad as minorities.

Thus far, I've had no problem with the cops. Although, I still can't get a cab in Manhattan.

What bloobeary said. Avoid contact at all costs, if possible. If confronted, try to be white, well educated, well dressed, well spoken, polite, and wealthy.

Every time I hear a story like this, I can't help but wonder why at no point not one person involved in the whole thing took a moment, stepped back and thought "Wait a minute, this is kinda farked up" and put the brakes on it. It's no wonder people don't trust the police.

nekom: Every time I hear a story like this, I can't help but wonder why at no point not one person involved in the whole thing took a moment, stepped back and thought "Wait a minute, this is kinda farked up" and put the brakes on it. It's no wonder people don't trust the police.

Groupthink.

Gah. What a nightmare.

bloobeary: As you said, it's a difficult conclusion not to come to. And new stories like this one only reinforce it.

Police are human. There are good cops and bad cops, and really I think the culture of the department and city help determine which they are.

I have had a few bad experiences with cops, where either I or a friend were arrested for no apparent reason and were disrespected by the cops in the process.

However, I've had many good ones experiences as well, where they stopped to help me or a friend, or forgave a deserved ticket, or were polite and sympathetic when breaking up an overly rowdy party.

They just aren't as memorable as the time they randomly started arresting people while everyone was leaving the already shut down house party, or pepper-sprayed me while I stood stunned by the unexpected riot between me and my apartment, or grabbed me from behind, threw me to the ground, and put a plastic tie restraint on my wrists just for talking to a bike-locked protestor, or racial profiled my friend for being black, only to suddenly become polite after hearing his British accent.

Still, I've seen more good than bad. Some of it is probably because I'm an educated white female, but the good stuff didn't happen just to me.

wingedkat: Police are human. There are good cops and bad cops, and really I think the culture of the department and city help determine which they are.

It just seems that the police are one of those professions that gets the "well, there are good ones and bad ones, heh, those...well, whatcha gonna do?" defense. Which would be fine if you were talking about florists but we're not talking about florists.

Mugato: ManateeGag: Where do you get your tinfoil?

Sorry but as white male who has been stopped, questioned, frisked (which I know I technically have a right not to let them do without probable cause but...come on) and had my (clean) record run through the computer more than a couple times and with all these stories, it's a difficult conclusion not to come to.

Or you could take the word of this Law Professor and former criminal defense attorney who says that same thing.

My last encounter with a cop was when I rolled my dad's Jeep during a winter storm at 1am. He walked down the road, saw no skid marks and immediately understood that it wasn't my fault. He let me sit in the car (in the front) and gave me some coffee from a thermos. He even called the tow service for me and when my dad came to get me, he volunteered to wait because the tow truck wasn't there yet. He is, to date, the nicest cop I have ever had any interaction with. I wish I had gotten his name.

timujin: Or you could take the word of this Law Professor and former criminal defense attorney who says that same thing.

I understand that and I'm sure most people understand that but it's easy to get that intellectually and a little more difficult when it's an actual situation where your only witnesses is the other cop and his partner and where recording the incident on your own is illegal.

Diogenes: nekom: Every time I hear a story like this, I can't help but wonder why at no point not one person involved in the whole thing took a moment, stepped back and thought "Wait a minute, this is kinda farked up" and put the brakes on it. It's no wonder people don't trust the police.

Groupthink.

I suppose so, but all it would take would be one person speaking out. People say that it's only the bad cops who make the rest of them look bad, but when not a single one of them stood up that's sort of telling.

cameroncrazy1984: My last encounter with a cop was when I rolled my dad's Jeep during a winter storm at 1am. He walked down the road, saw no skid marks and immediately understood that it wasn't my fault. He let me sit in the car (in the front) and gave me some coffee from a thermos. He even called the tow service for me and when my dad came to get me, he volunteered to wait because the tow truck wasn't there yet. He is, to date, the nicest cop I have ever had any interaction with. I wish I had gotten his name.

You don't watch a lot of movies do you? He wasn't a real cop. He doesn't even exist. He was a figment of your imagination or an intervention by the gods to save your life because one day you will save the life of the chick that blows the guy that thinks of the cure for cancer when he's waiting in line at the dry cleaners getting his suit back.

Cubansaltyballs: You don't watch a lot of movies do you? He wasn't a real cop. He doesn't even exist. He was a figment of your imagination or an intervention by the gods to save your life because one day you will save the life of the chick that blows the guy that thinks of the cure for cancer when he's waiting in line at the dry cleaners getting his suit back.

Real cops exist like that, if you're the right person. Our local police are just like that. To us. Those of us who are white. Be black or *gasp* "not from around these parts" and that experience will change. Though stories like the one in TFA make it hard to believe sometimes, cops are actually human beings, and are as such subject to the same prejudices and emotions that those in any other profession are. The state police are a lot more consistent because they get a lot of training and there's a lot of accountability, but the locals just do what they do.

Does anyone here NOT think that a white woman in the situation in TFA would have been treated differently?

nekom: Real cops exist like that, if you're the right person. Our local police are just like that. To us. Those of us who are white. Be black or *gasp* "not from around these parts" and that experience will change. Though stories like the one in TFA make it hard to believe sometimes, cops are actually human beings, and are as such subject to the same prejudices and emotions that those in any other profession are. The state police are a lot more consistent because they get a lot of training and there's a lot of accountability, but the locals just do what they do.

You guys and your fiction. You should write a movie or something... Nekom's Imaginary Fables or something.

Cubansaltyballs: You guys and your fiction. You should write a movie or something... Nekom's Imaginary Fables or something.

I've twice been stopped by 2 different local cops on two different back roads, very suspicious areas to be in. Me and my carload of white "good ol' boys" had fishing poles in the back, that's like an instant pass here. Both cops briefly discussed fishing with us, asked us what we were catching then said have a nice day and left. We actually WERE fishing but we could have just dumped a body in the woods and had fishing poles in the car and he'd have waved us on by. I don't think a car load of black gentlemen on a suspicious back road would have been treated the same in these parts, even if they were in fact just fishing. Local police in a rural area are pretty far removed from what city slickers are used to.

I was shot and killed by a cop once so I'm not getting a kick out of this.