filming state violence
is a crime against the state
.

.
absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
appease radical clerics

or else they will kill you
and police will do nothing
.

If people, such as yourself sir, continue to be apologists for the increasingly violent and illegal actions of the criminal justice system, then you too are likely find yourself at the hands of one of your heros.

That officer’s actions were clearly, premeditated, directed, and completly deliberate. It’s really time to ask yourself why you feel so compelled to be a cheerleader for the instruments of State power. If this WAS NOT caught on video – the kid would have been broght before a judge, and in the end, he would have been convicted based on the “reliable” testimony of the police officer in question.

Today, a SECRET WARRANT was used to raid a group of your fellow citizens who were preparing to protest – to make their voices heard above the corporate voice that shares the offices of most of our politicians – a simple, but oh so important act. You may not care what they have to say TODAY, but tomorrow, they may be the only source of truth available to you, and you are assisting in the process of making them disappear.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/30/rnc.protest/index.html

The fascists will not be wearing Swastikas or Goose Stepping my friend – WTFU.

An instinctive response would have been to move AWAY from contact, not to initiate it.

Moreover, you can see in the slo-mo replay that he speeds up to get to the cyclist (note his gait increases), he raises his arms and he lunges into the cyclist. None of that seems instinctual, and all of it seems at odds with his statement, which would have been accepted at face value without this video evidence.

I’m not a fan of Critical Mass or their tactics. I have no idea if the cyclist in question did anything out of frame that would have warranted police intervention. But I am opposed to the use of excessive force and the kind of cop culture that encourages thugs with badges to falsify reports in order to cover up their actions.

With regards to the video, it is my opinion that Pogan steps forward to push Long, a step that was required otherwise he would not be close enough to hit him. They do not appear to nearly collide until the officer makes that final lunge.

I do agree that videos can lie… but people can too.

Pogan CLEARLY position’s himself to take Long down, making eye contact and striking out at the last moment. There was no signal no warning. Long obviously swerves away (contrary to Pogan’s statement). Would have been smart if he’d braked admittedly but where was all this traffic Long was supposed to have been swerving in and out of? It all looks like cycles at that point to me, and the video runs on after the knock down for several seconds there are no clearly visible cars following.

Even if you CAN point out that there’s more to this story than the video shows, in his report Pogan is clearly lying through his teeth, THAT’S the important issue here. Had the event not been recorded it would have been Pogan’s word against Long’s and I assume that the court probably would have taken Pogan’s word above the defendant’s. The camera is what made the difference here.

Anyway Ms Miller, have you ever been knocked down my a policeman? that hurts too and it’s REALLY scary!