Cop roughs up teenage skateboarder on video
Baltimore police officer Salvatore Rivieri was suspended yesterday after a YouTube video turned up showing him roughing up a teenage skateboarder. The unknown boy, who claimed to be 14, was apparently skateboarding in a no-skateboarding zone. The police department has launched an internal-affairs investigation into the incident. From the Baltimore Sun:
Link to Baltimore Sun, Link to YouTube videoOn the video, the officer... puts the boy in a headlock, pushes him to the ground, questions his upbringing, threatens to "smack" him and repeatedly accuses the youngster of showing disrespect because the youth refers to the officer as "man" and "dude."
At one point, Rivieri, a 17-year veteran of the force, says:
"Obviously, your parents don't put a foot in your butt quite enough, because you don't understand the meaning of respect. First of all, you better learn how to speak. I'm not 'man.' I'm not 'dude,' I am Officer Rivieri. The sooner you learn that, the longer you are going to live in this world. Because you go around doing this kind of stuff and somebody is going to kill you."
I love Balmer.
This cop is my hero
Don't taze me Officer Dude-man!
I appreciate that the kids were in a "no-skateboarding" zone, which certainly puts Officer Rivieri within his rights to be stern and forceful (verbally).
but, jesus, there's a point about 25 seconds in where Rivieri just loses his mind. there is no reason that he should be allowed out into the streets of B-more ever again. what would he do when confronted by an actual dangerous/aggravated situation?
come on guys, he could have shot him.
And how about the guy in the wheelchair?
Someone has to start a site devoted solely to police videos
"somebody is going to kill you ... like ME!" :D
20 years ago, I was that kid. This isn't easy to say but...
I think the cop should have been more respectful. I think skateboarders need love because most of us kids, then or now, come from families in various stages of disrepair. He should not have taken down the kid even if he was being annoying.
However, he was right. Skateboarding can wreck many public areas, surprisingly. If you learn to live carelessly, passing the buck onto others for your bad behavior, you never fully figure yourself out.
It might have been a mixture of asshole and love, but at least the love was there somewhere.
I saw a video and story about the same sort of thing last summer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOKb2PQs4kc&feature=related
But that cop compared to this one...
Woah. Dude.
love? all I saw was a coward
I love his last line...
"Y'got that camera on? If I find myself on Y..."
That's right Officer Rivieri... you're on YouTube!!! How tough do you feel now? I hope this piggy fries nice and crispy.
Prick
The cops might be watching all of us, but if we're all watching them too, then a ballance will be achieved. I used a board plenty when I was younger, and interestingly enough, never got into trouble or ruined public property just for kicks. Freaking slacker-planker-wanker!
I would like to salute Officer Rivieri for all the fine work he is doing to dispel the cops==bullies stereotype.
Someone has father issues...
The cop should be given a medal. Even when I was growing up there seemed to be more respect for authority figures than there is now. Man and Dude are no way to address Cops, Soldiers, Parents or Teachers.
It's pretty sad that even at the ripe old age of 31 I am commenting on how horrible our youth are.
From what I saw on the video the cop is just an asshole. As I understand it, the kid had his iPod on and didn't hear the cop originally. I also note that the kid is very meek about it all-- the cop takes offense at being called "dude"? Oh please, what an ego.
I am not clear on whether or not these kids were actually skating there, or just guilty of being in possession of skateboards, we might assume in an area like that they probably were, but then the kid says "I didn't do nothin", so who knows.
In my hometown the cops used to harass kids for sitting on park benches on the town green, the infraction? "Loitering" (well, what are the benches there for if we're not supposed to sit on them?) In my experience there are a lot of cops who are just egotistical jerks, they are supposed to uphold the law, not prop up their own egos, not get their aggressions out on some kid, not turn a public park into a mini police state. I understand some people have a problem with skateboards, then give the kid a ticket if he broke the law, roughing him up isn't going to teach him respect but make him hate the police even more.
The cop should be given a medal. Even when I was growing up there seemed to be more respect for authority figures than there is now. Man and Dude are no way to address Cops, Soldiers, Parents or Teachers.
It's pretty sad that even at the ripe old age of 31 I am commenting on how horrible our youth are.
if you listen, during the last few seconds of the video you can hear the officer asking if the camera on.
"cause if i find myself on y"
i swear he was going to say youtube...
@ Technical Writing Geek: I came here to say basically the same thing. 20 years ago I was also that kid with a skateboard, running from/mouthing off to cops and security.
When you're 14 and trying to 'rebel', it's fun to be a smartass and test the limits of authority figures. Usually you probably deserve a good talking-to. But no cop should be threatening kids, and certainly not physically roughing them up, unless they feel in danger. I don't think that skinny kid was endangering Officer donut-gut physically in any way.
The kid probably has a rough home life and needs some guidance. But now he and his friends probably have a solid hatred for the police that may never go away. That cop ruined it all - the exact opposite of solving the problem.
Also, the kid has diabetes, which is sad. The officer has, as of now, been suspended with pay. That bastard should be fired. He is a disgrace to his profession. He is supposed to be helping the community.
Full story: http://wjz.com/local/youtube.salvatore.rivieri.2.651552.html
@ Technical Writing Geek: I came here to say basically the same thing. 20 years ago I was also that kid with a skateboard, running from/mouthing off to cops and security.
When you're 14 and trying to 'rebel', it's fun to be a smartass and test the limits of authority figures. Usually you probably deserve a good talking-to. But no cop should be threatening kids, and certainly not physically roughing them up, unless they feel in danger. I don't think that skinny kid was endangering Officer donut-gut physically in any way.
The kid probably has a rough home life and needs some guidance. But now he and his friends probably have a solid hatred for the police that may never go away. That cop ruined it all - the exact opposite of solving the problem.
Also, the kid has diabetes, which is sad. The officer has, as of now, been suspended with pay. That bastard should be fired. He is a disgrace to his profession. He is supposed to be helping the community.
Full story: http://wjz.com/local/youtube.salvatore.rivieri.2.651552.html
This is a sad, insecure man.. an investigation of his family would likely reveal he abuses his wife and/or kids. Just a guess.
The cop should be given a medal. Even when I was growing up there seemed to be more respect for authority figures than there is now. Man and Dude are no way to address Cops, Soldiers, Parents or Teachers.
Do you also tell kids to 'get off your lawn?'. Jesus, man - I'm about your age, but give me a break. That's how kids talk. Maybe he never had anyone teach him how to say 'sir'. Here in California everyone calls everyone else 'man'. It's not derogatory. Besides, society just isn't as 'formal' any more, dude. Get over it.
Yeah, throw him to the ground and threaten to kill him. That'll learn him some respect. That kid's never going to call a cop 'sir' ever in his life now.
It's all in the game.
"The cop should be given a medal" for practically chocking and manhandling and throwing a little scrawny kid on the ground?
How about this: "Hey kids, no skateboarding here. Move away from this area, now."
That's it. No yelling. No revealing daddy issues surfacing. Just doing the job.
A peace officer who cannot keep his cool in a situation needs to step back and call a colleague to step in. If an officer regularly loses control of his emotions, he should not be in contact with the public.
and was almost certainly beaten as a child...
Sure, Mbirdsong -- the cop should be given a medal for trying to make America more authoritarian. Good on you, except for the whole "in America" part. Maybe you'd be happier someplace in the world where authority has the legal right to act like that. Someplace under shari'a law, perhaps.
Meanwhile, back in democracy, the cop's getting a vacation with pay while the city hopes everybody'll stop paying attention before they reinstate him with a warning. Maybe you think that's peachy. I think it's pathetic.
If the kids were breaking the law, there are legal means to handle it. Give them a citation, make them go to court and deal with that. Good civics lesson. Instead, the only lesson is you'd better not piss on a strong man's turf.
That's not America.
Geez, maybe the cop had a bad day. So a 14 year old got rough up a bit, so now we hang a guy who will have to deal with situtations where he will get shot at to protect us. That 14 year old was brat, he was going to get an ass kicking from someone, better sooner than later.
That cop should get a 2 week suspension with no pay, and that is good enough. If you think it should be more, like fired, then you are the heartless pig.
There are a dozen or more videos like this on YouTube. I'm not for wrecking public places or private property. But I'm REALLY not for cops abusing their power.
Saw this on YouTube earlier today. I figured you guys would pick it up soon.
I've seen comments here and elsewhere about how this kid is a smartass. I don't see the kid being a smartass here at all. All I see is a cop going insane because a 14-year-old called him 'dude' and didn't hear his first order to stop skateboarding. How that qualifies as smartass behavior, I don't know. The kid seems to me to be pretty meek and well-behaved about the whole thing, in the face of what must be an awfully scary incident. Did I miss something?
At any rate, I'm glad this SOB's been suspended, but I'm not pleased that it's a paid suspension.
Unfortunately, that IS America.
And take a look at that bazillion dollar gentrified/tourist area in the background. It just screams "locals keep out! especially local teenagers!"
What Wingo said. That cop should have nothing to do with the public. Let him have a little fiefdom running the evidence locker or something. But no way should he be the face of law enforcement at Baltimore's main tourist area.
I'm sure this will do wonders for Bawlmer's image, especially considering this is at the Inner Harbor, which was created to get tourists to return to the city (it's basically like a shiny mall in the middle of a decaying city).
I lived in Maryland for four years, and my parents have lived in the County (Baltimore Co, that is - I think the cop asks if the kid is "from the County," doesn't he? I don't want to re-watch this awfulness) for 14...and this doesn't make me want to go back!
Honestly, it doesn't matter what the pre-taping situation was, the officer's behavior is completely out-of-proportion and out-of-control. How does this help keep anyone safe?
It seems that everyone is overlooking the bigger issue here and that is the dangerous working environment the Balto PD is engendering. The two most glaring hazards are:
- Sending cops out wearing black footwear and black socks with shorts.
- Having them drive little cop clown cars.
What LEO isn't going to have issues dealing with the public when he has to deal with that every day?
In a recent This American Life episode (#341), How To Talk To Children, Dan Savage addresses this almost verbatim... check out Act III here... http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=341
Civics Lesson 1.01.
The United States Of America is not, nor has ever been, A Democracy. We are a Representative Republic. We are not governed by Mob Rule, We are governed by Rule Of Law.
A cop who loses his temper talking to teenagers? He should definitely not be a cop.
#26
Authoritarian? Bully a 14 year old kid skateboarding illegally and now we live in a police state. Talk to people in Chile about what is it like to live in an authoritative regime, and they would laugh in your face. Reality please.
So a cop went over the edge a bit, not a big deal. Something tells me that the unfortunate hurt feelings of a 14 year old is worth the price to pay for the life this cop may save someday.
authoritarian....geez.
The cop was afraid of appearing on YouTube. This shows the power of YouTube, and that power is extended into the camera itself.
Cops used to be afraid of being filmed because it might show up in the courtroom some day, as evidence against them. That danger isn't that huge, because thanks to the "blue wall of silence" and a friendly court system, most of the time cops can wriggle out of big legal trouble.
YouTube and viral video, however, is a new threat. Video no longer has to show up in court to ruin an officer's career, it just has to be widely available on the internet, and suddenly you'll see it popping up on talk shows and maybe even news programs.
When evidence like this is widely available, people outside of the courts demand action, and those responsible get fired or suspended.
I think the awareness of officers that cameras have this new potency means that shooting video is both more dangerous and more powerful. If the cop had known he was being recorded the whole time, he probably wouldn't have acted as he did. At the same time, he would probably have insisted that the camera be turned off (even though he had no right to do so), and confiscated it forcefully if he was not obeyed.
Are cameras more valuable as a way to document abuse, or to prevent it from ever happening?
Niiiice.
So Officer Goon bullies a 14 yo kid and, IMHO, commits battery: his words are, IMHO, a threat of physical violence and harm against the kid.
Sick.
And it's systemtic of a burgening problem in America: emboldened cops are behaving with increased brutality.
Consider: the Tampa cop who dumped a quadraplegic under arrest out of his wheelchair; Indiana cops harrassing a woman in the station; a cop gleefully telling a woman who was speeding to the hospital trying to get to her father who had a heart attack that he's gonna make sure she doesn't see him (was that here on BoingBoing?)...
So, why is it that cops like Officer Big Brave Baltimore Mister Man are acting out their brutalization fantasies with increasing regularity?
People will scoff, but IMHO part of the answer is the heightened sense of fear in America. When our national government sets a tone of fear, war mongering, and tolerance - even active endorsement - of torture, I suggest there cannot help but be a trickle down effect.
Whether readers agree or not, I am sure we can all agree that the Big Brave Baltimore Mister Policeman should be disarmed, de-badged and disgraced for good. Let him be an unarmed minimum wage parking lot night watchman, the bastard.
That police officer (a public servant) physically assaulting a fourteen year old boy, who weighs maybe one-third of what the officer does, is just disgusting. The kid was not a violent threat to the officer or anyone else, nor was he fleeing the scene.
Nothing that sends chills down my spine like A) the abuse of authority, and B) child abuse. That asshole cop managed to combine both of them.
That cop takes it out on the skateboarder because he has to wear shorts and drive that dinky car.
...yet another great example of our tax dollars at work. apparently those same dollars to not afford us the right of free speech...you can't call a cop "dude" unless you want to get thrashed?
The Rule of Law! Blah. The Rule of Law, like any other thing created by humans, can be subverted by humans for nefarious purposes ... let's ask black folks from the 1950s south how fun The Rule of Law was for them .. and I was just waiting for the apologist to show up,and #37 did right on time ... let's turn a little cop logic back on one of their brethren. My cop pals will tell me for every time you finally can get the goods on a bad guy, he's probably done about 10 things the same or worse -- that he's gotten away with ... soooo, applying this to Officer A-hole in his Youtube moment ... and because cops can "theoretically" save lives (which as a betting man, I would not bet on Officer A-hole to save Joe Citizen's life), does not give them the right to be thugs. Oh, and yes, this is not a police state in the United States -- and you know how we keep it from being one -- by bouncing people like Officer A-hole off the force, and not letting him get away with this because he "might" just save someone's life one day. Judging from the evidence before our eyes, he might just take one too ...
malcolmkass - not a big deal? This guy is a public officer, and should be held to a higher standard than some random person who "had a bad day". Supposedly, the police work for the taxpayers, not for themselves or some abstract entity (i.e. the city, in this case); the only problem with what's happening to this cop is that, as a 17-year veteran, he's likely had other episodes in the past that went un-addressed, and his moment of reckoning is likely well overdue. If being held accountable for out-of-control behavior is such a problem for someone who supposedly enforces the law, they should get a different job, end of story.
Also, to those who might counter that Officer Roid-Rage has a dangerous job: if he only works in the Inner Harbor, that's about as close to being a mall cop as one could be in the Balto PD. Baltimore is a crime-infested hellhole (and I actually like the city), but I don't think there could be a less-dangerous beat to work than the Inner Harbor. This guy is an asshole, pure and simple.
Officer needs anger management class and some mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy.
I hope the kid is okay. Being bullied is traumatic. I mean, how is the guy supposed to respect authority figures when they toss him around like a rag doll? He'll likely walk away with this with a burning hatred of cops and authority figures. Nice work officer.
"Suspended". Who will take bets he is back on duty with a clean record in a a month?
Does the Baltimore Police Department care?
What a dick.
And its a bit surprising to me that there's anyone on this board who could watch this video of obvious police harassment and bullying of a little kid and make comments in defense of it.
Was this cop bitten by a skater as a child? He's clearly using this kid to vent his repressed anger about *something.*
Cops are not there to put up with other peoples' ill-trained children. If the kid does not know how to act when in the presence of an officer of the law, then shame on him. Maybe a good wack on the head would teach him how to show respect. And like it or not, Libertarians, someone will always have power over you, so figure out who and act properly around them. Unless you want to be a rebel. Go for it.
@RobertG1729 (#41), Best comment of this thread! Hahahahah!
I can't believe no-one quoted Denis Leary, did you even see the fucking article? the poor guy's on a bicycle, he was probably hoping the video would go on youtube so he could be removed from the street and do some nice respectable paper-work instead of that degrading bike-work, I'd rather be on a segway, at least that has a geek-factor or something.
All those poor bike cops should be given big ass police horses, nothing says authority like a horse hung like, well, a horse, and a policeman on top towering some 3-4 meters up in the air, no punk kid would dare talk back to such a guy.
Or what about the police in Havana, Cuba, they have the most awesome old motercycles, they are so freakin' cool!
But bikes? freaking bicycles? give me a break. I'd do anything to get off road work on a bicycle. I mean it's great for commuting and stuff, but I look like an idiot, there's noting cool about a bicycle, unless it's a chopper.
@27: Try to think of another job where you could treat someone like that and not get fired. I'm sure there's one, but I can't think of it. Physically accosting and then berating someone in a very angry and personal way is pretty much unacceptable across the board.
There is this one exception though: Cops, in the course of their duty, sometimes need to use physical force to control someone trying to commit a serious crime. Because of this one exception, both the public and cops themselves seem to have concluded that cops can use physical force whenever they like, that they're somehow exempt from the social standards of when violence is appropriate.
Basically, there's a double standard. Perhaps society as a whole feels that it's appropriate to put kids in headlocks and aggressively intimidate them for skateboarding or failing to use sufficiently respectful language. That's a separate issue.
But if that's the case, the consequences for me headlocking that kid should be the same as if a cop did it. Independent of the question "is it an appropriate response?" is the question "why is the situation treated differently simply because that guy happens to be wearing a uniform?"
@49
Except that #33 (EDT) beat him to it !!
""
It seems that everyone is overlooking the bigger issue here and that is the dangerous working environment the Balto PD is engendering. The two most glaring hazards are:
- Sending cops out wearing black footwear and black socks with shorts.
- Having them drive little cop clown cars.
""
The whole idea of calling a policeman "sir" is freaky to me, and it would bother the majority of cops I know too. Perhaps it's a cultural thing, but here everyone would expect to be called "sir" by the police, unless they were being a spectacular arsehole while being arrested (and that included the heavily-armed police who were a routine thing when I was a kid). The police called you sir, and the Army called you "mate", and you avoided being conspicuously friendly to either.
The notion of police officers as public servants rather than enforcers of the penal codes seems to have lapsed in the US, if it ever existed.
This really has nothing to do with what those kids did or did not do. I agree that people -- especially punk little kids -- should show respect for law enforcement officers.
But those kids didn't really show a lot of disrespect. They were pretty submissive.
The fact is that a cop who cannot manage to control his anger in a confrontation with a scrawny little skate punk is simply not good at his job.
That cop was out of control. He needs to be re-trained or put at a desk.
It is only by releasing the video of events like this that the general public has an opportunity to see "authority figures gone wild." There is simply no point in making an official complaint about an incident like this. If the kid had reported it, most people would think he was exaggerating or say he deserved it. In the video, you can see that the teenager was being compliant, and the cop was acting out his own authority issues. If someone were to say "...I'll smack you" to a cop, they would probably be charged with criminal threatening. Anyone other than a cop pushing someone to the ground would be considered assault. (IANAL)
"I'm not 'man.' I'm not 'dude,' I am Officer Rivieri."
...Yeah, right. Rivieri, that's spelled H-I-T-L-E-R from the look of things. This type of cop isn't a peace officer, he's the school bully who, having gotten older - as opposed to growing up - found that the only job he was qualified for was a cop. It's the only job where he could assault those weaker than he is with some semblance of impunity and carte blanche, and actually get paid for it. I'd love to see him take this sort of hard-nosed Gestapo attitude with a *real* crook, but as with most bullies he's too chickenshit to actually take on someone who'd actually be a threat. Which explains why he's on "skateboard patrol" rather than actually out solving *real* crimes.
# 35
Civics Lesson 1.02.
The United States Of America is a Constitutional Republic; and uses a 'political philosophy' of Democracy to conduct the 'representative' portion of business, - elections.
Put him on the boat with McNutty!
"The cop should be given a medal"
You sir/madam are a buffoon.
News flash, it is NOT ok for police or other so-called "authority figure" to assault people, nor enforce through pain (ala tazing). Policemen abosultely do NOT have the right to arbitrary punish someone, and when a cop is choking a kid that is exactly what he is doing.
Seems these kind of things are happening with increasing frequency. I wonder how far it will go. I wouldnt be surpised if skateboarding might result in you ending up in a camp. If people continue to think that turds like this should get "medals", I fear for the future.
@57
Wikipedia is NOT a reliable source of information regarding how long Britney Spear's poops were this morning, Much less how our system of government works.
@50
Bicycles are extremely cool! Just not cop bikes. . . maybe if they were armored or had awesome suspension systems. But really, they usually just look like Target bikes. Oh, and to make things worse, why do they always put the biggest guys on the bikes? At least find the svelte cops for bike duty. Burly guys in stiff cop shirts on bikes . . . well . . . um . . .
I would hope that this is another cop needing a new job!
MalcomKass:
Talk to people in Chile? OK, lets. Maybe also stop over in El Salvador or Nicaragua or the Dominican Republic or any other place that the U.S. has supplanted self-determination with puppet reichs. They'll all tell you how much this reminds them of the fascism the US helped to unleash in their countries, and how they wish it would go away.
Yeah, and be sure to drop the name Pinochet a few times...you know, the dictator that the CIA installed into power after helping to assassinate the elected socialist, Allende? Watch for the flicker of joy in their eyes. I'm sure they'll even say thank you. Not.
How bout we stop trying to be cowboys about this kind of crap - as we seem to export a lot of it - and evolve. It isn't acceptable, it creates hatred and hatred creates violence.
No one twisted Joe Friday's arm into taking a job that may involve being shot at, but presumably he knew the risks. If he didn't, he shouldn't be carrying a gun.
It's been pointed out, but I'd like to reiterate, for those of you who say, "Kids should have respect for authority figures..." (MBIRDSONG).
Having a cop scream at you, humiliate you, grab you around your neck and throw you to the ground, and illegally take your property--is that really the way to gain respect? If your boss did that to you, would you respect him more? Not likely. It's much more of a certainty that all of those kids are now going to fear and despise cops. As are, to some degree, many thousands more people who watch the video. Given the evidence, why should we have any respect for them?
Herc has just lost any suction he gained from driving the mayor around with this incident.
What took so long for this video to surface? It must be around 6 months old. Unless thats how people in Baltimore dress in 6 degree celsius weather.
Mayor Sheila Dixon
City Hall, Room 250
100 N. Holliday Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
Phone (410) 396-3835
email: mayor@baltimorecity dot gov
Baltimore PD: 410-396-2411
Maryland States Attorneys Office at 1-410-396-4001
Citizens review board 410-396-3141
At least send an email DUDES!
Having a bad day is no excuse when you have the full force of the state behind you. Police are authorized to use force if they feel threatened- that means they're trusted to use their judgement, bad day or not. The sad fact is, many cops are bullies and when they get caught like this they need to be dealt with harshly.
if this cop has kids, then i feel sorry for them. look, the great majority of skateboarders are reasonable kids. you ask them to leave, they leave. they're used to it. that cop was way out of line and should receive some punishment and be required to apologize. especially for wrestling what looks like about a 120 lb. kid to the ground.
i also agree with the comment about the "trickle down" effect from a government intent on whittling away at our rights while saying that torture is OK. crap like this is bound to happen, and it's a damn shame.
Given this well-documented act of police brutality comes so closely on the heels of the other goon-cop-caught-on-tape in Tampa dumping a paralyzed guy out of his wheelchair, I think (hope) we might get some mainstream media attention on this growing problem.
And here's hoping Rivieri (spelled H-I-T-L-E-R, good one, #57, well done) ends up with TV network microphones in his face, walking square-jawed and glassy eyed away, doing his best to find his happy place, acting oblivious to the cameras, the coward.
Several people remarked this Riveri goon sure ain't no bodybuilder. Hey Rivieri, that makes you a PIG, in more ways than one...DUDE.
Had that been my kid and I'd seen it I'd have marched him to the police station to apologise in person to the officer. My parents would have done the same to me.
The kid was showing no respect to the police officer. Man-handling the kid was a little too much but was completely understandable under the circumstances, and no harm whatsoever was done.
People here seem to understand the difference between police beating people up (police state) and children being expected to give the police some respect. Shouting at naughty children does not equal a police state.
People need to get some perspective.
► That DUDE needs a sound ass kicking. Wonder how ruff n' tuff he'd be with some older skaters?
I'm shocked at all the good germans that approve of this cop. You ought to be goddamned ashamed of yourselves. What the hell has gotten into our country.
@70 - there are two different issues here. First, the respect issue. Yes, the kids should have shown more respect.
But that pales in comparison to the second issue which is that this cop cannot control his emotions. This is not just "a little too much". That cop is barely holding it together when confronting harmless skate punks. What happens when, god forbid, someone REALLY talks back to him. I bet he pulls out his nightstick or tazer.
As far as I see it, cops are not supposed to react to disrespect with out-of-control emotion and violence.
Carcetti and Rawls should fire this guy. If they don't, I'm going to Clay Davis.
This whole thing makes me pissed off. First off the cop kind of threatens the kid with death (depends on how you interpret what he's saying), not really a good thing to do as a public servant.
I'd challenge anyone who says that the cop deserves a medal to think about their initial reaction when seeing a cop. I bet it's not "Oh, how nice, a police officer", it's probably more like "What's he coming over here for?" It's long past the time when police officers were looked at as people there to help the community, and it's their own fault. Too many years of abuse of power has ingrained it into the police culture. The only way to root it out and get it changed is to film them when they are not acting correctly and put it out there for the world to see. Once they figure out that the game has changed they will begin to change too.
We all should be aware that there are many police forums out there actually promoting the idea that cops should be protected when they do wrong instead of punished; simply insane.
Clay Davis: Sheeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiit.
There is no excuse for that guys behavior. The kids may have deserved a ticket, if so, they should have gotten one without the two minute tirade. They may have deserved a talking to, but that can be accomplished in a professional manner.
This guy obviously has some anger management or abuse of authority issues. There is NO excuse, at all, for a 250 lb armed man to grab a 14 year old and throw him to the ground during what should be a reasonably straightforward and civil exchange. That he did speaks volumes about his character.
So to recap the comments of the pro-authoritarians here in the discussion:
@35 Mbirdsong: (with added snideness) says "The United States Of America is not, nor has ever been, A Democracy. We are a Representative Republic. We are not governed by Mob Rule, We are governed by Rule Of Law." Precisely. Which is why our police should obey it. You think mob rule (the policeman) should get a medal. Fine by me -- but you're the guy needs a civics lesson, pup.
@37 Malcomkass: "It's worse in Chile." Yes. I'd rather it didn't get that bad. You, on the other hand, seem vested in sticking your fingers in your ears and going la-la-la. "Jeez."
@48 Jeff: "someone will always have power over you, so figure out who and act properly around them" - please, sir, may I have another?
I frankly don't understand people who can read our founding documents, then think it's great that our cops beat people up for no reason but their own low-cost psychotherapy. The great thing about America is, of course, that all three of you have the right to say these things. But you're still freaking wrong.
As the poster above pointed out, a policeman is a public servant. His job is not to enforce respect for the police force. It's not against the law to show disrespect to a policeman. It's against the law to cause him harm, or resist him when being arrested.
If he is unable to deal calmly with a nonviolent situation, even though he feels he's being disrespected, then he has ego problems too big for the public position he occupies.
The safety, honor and purity of the body public is not contained within the bodies of its armed enforcers
If I did to the cop what this prick did to the kid and I wasn't shot a dozen times, I'd be brought up on charges of assault of a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and whatever other charges they could come up with.
Kids breaking the law and destroying public property deserve an ass-kicking. This video is pretty tame -- I can remember when cops would crack heads.
#72 DanHawkeye: Thank you for refering to the police brutality apologists as "good germans" - You reminding me of an excellent recent New York Times article: The Good Germans Among Us.
The op-ed is focused on how Americans act like Hitler's "good Germans," choosing to remain oblivious to atrocities in Iraq, the White House sanctioning of torture, and knowingly leaving US soldiers very vulnerably ill-equipped:
This has everything to do with acts of police brutality here in America, as American civil rights are slowly whittled away and people become increasingly afraid to assert those rights. I'd hate to think how far the "Officer" Rivieris and the "Deputy" Charlette Marshall-Joneses (she is the one who dumped the quardaplegic out of his wheelchair in Tampa) would go if they knew they didn't have to worry about getting caught on tape and having their atrocities on YouTube and other sites for an outraged world to see.
Come on "good Germans," passt gut auf! (Pay attention!)
I am appalled that anyone could be supportive of this officer's behaviour. The demeanor of the teenager in this video simply does not excuse the conduct of the officer. The onus is on the officer to maintain an even keel and to not assault a young person who is rude to him.
This officer should be fired and charged with assault. There is simpy no place for bullying and hair-trigger tempers in law enforcement.
The kid says "I'm gonna call my Mom" like it's a threat. Yeah, doofus. Call your mom and tell her you were skateboarding where you shouldn't have been, and when a cop asked you to leave, you ignored him. And now, no matter how many times you call him "dude", he just won't go away and leave Mommy's precious snowflake alone.
@75 TonyB: There are people here, apparently, who also think that policemen should have carte blanche because they "protect us" from ... uh ... skinny 14-year-olds with iPods. Or something.
It's sad.
The kid didn't hear the police officer speaking because he was listening to an iPod. This interaction didn't start from a place of disrespect and the police officer took it there. It was clearly a misunderstanding but the officer didn't back down. He didn't listen to any of the answers the kid gave and he was extremely disrespectful and unprofessional.
Furthermore in trying to explain himself, the kid was assaulted by the officer. His property was taken without a reasonable cause and he was verbally battered in front of his peers.
Yes, the kid did use the terms "dude" and "man" but in the same vain as kids who use the term 'like' when they're not actually comparing things. It's normal English usage in America. It isn't a sign of disrespect, it's a sign of a living language.
Oh and the threatening of his life. That was classic. Way to ruin it for any actual reasonable police officer in this kids future!
To top all of it off, the officer then proceeded to address the issue of being filmed as if he was about to hurl more threats from his position of authority. Those kids have every right to film in a public place and certainly when a police officer has an altercation with their friend.
Fuck that cop and any cop who pulls this shit. Fire him and sue the city into the ground.
I'm a tax payer and I'm sick of my money going to dirty power hungry assholes. Hand out a ticket if it's really illegal, otherwise please go solve some real crimes!
Public servants are only entitled to respect if they accord that same respect to the people they're meant to be serving. Quid pro quo.
I'm polite to everyone I meet as a matter of course, address everyone I do not know as either sir or ma'am, and have never disrespected a police officer-- nonetheless, I've had many a cop jump in my shit simply because he knew he could, trusting my ingrained 'respect' for the law to help disregard his errors in judgment & protocol.
The only people who have ever pointed guns at me were cops, and I never heard an apology from any of the officers who have done so. Quite the opposite: I have been scolded, admonished & brusquely dismissed.
In my case, what might have been respect for officers of the law has transubstantiated into obsequience and loathing. I know there are good police-- I've been friends with a couple --but by and large I don't trust them to do right by me or mine.
50-some years I was captain of the yard monitors at a school in the Bronx. It was considered good sport by some wise-acres there to try get a rise out of us with "witty" remarks, etc., in front of a bunch of their pals. It was annoying, until I came up with an innovative "counter" (as they say in Yeovil). I pulled out a sawed-off peashooter, wrapped my fist around it (so the teachers couldn't see it--or anyway could deny that they'd seen it), loaded up, and hosed him down.
"Dance," I'd say. His pals got a laugh out of it; and it actually made subsequent relations smoother all around. This was partly because I'd trusted them not to report me for possessing an item that was automatically confiscated by the teachers, and partly because I hadn't responded by wielding my authority, but on a mere-human, kid-to-kid level.
Anyone who has a spare bag of split peas and a peashooter (a large plastic straw will do) might do well to send it to the mayor, with a suggestion that he pass it along to that cop. And, indeed, with a suggestion to buy a whole truckload of peas for his force. Cops need a way to blow off steam harmlessly; smart-alecks need to be taken down a peg; and we all could do with a laugh or two: People take things too seriously--the social-game needs to be shown up for what it is.
(If peas are too lightweight for thick-skinned adults, one of those high-pressure water-guns would do instead. Or a paint gun, loaded with sweetly perfumed paint-pellets.)
this was an abuse of power. regardless of the kid's age, his rights were violated. i hate that mentality of 'a boot in the ass will fix it' when it comes to kids. it just opens the door to relationships built and maintained on power and abuse. go amurrica.
as someone else said, this time was filmed. how many other citizens has he done this to? this time he just got caught.
So we have now arrived at a place where it takes YouTube videos posted on the internet to combat abuse of power.
Checks and balances are clearly out to lunch. Enjoy your police state.
If that was my kid, Officer Rivieri would be sitting in court on a civil suit right now. Oh, and I'd also burn down his house. Yeah. That's how I roll.
#81
I have to ask you what property the kids were destroying? I didn't see them destroy anything from that video. You realize that the act of riding a skateboard does not automatically equal vandalism, right? It causes no more damage than a bike or a pair of skates.
Perhaps they were breaking the law. We'll assume that there was in fact a sign up prohibiting the skateboarding...but that's a heavy assumption. I skate all the time, and those signs aren't up very often unless they are put up by a private party.
In any case. Please explain why you feel that the fully grown, 250 lb, armed police officer was justified in threatening, accosting, getting into a chokehold, throwing to the ground, robbing, and berating a 14 year old child who simply didn't hear him, tried to explain, stopped riding the board immediately as he was told, and, god forbid, called him "man" and "dude" while he was being beaten and robbed.
Doesn't seem particularly reasonable to me. Perhaps your insight (seeing as how you somehow knew that they were destroying property without any evidence of that being on the video) will make it seem more so. I doubt it seriously, but am looking forward to an attempt.
Also, I didn't create an account, that's why it's anonymous. For this purpose, we'll just call me smidget. :)
Oops--I left a word out of my post (#88)--it should have started "50 years ago ....
That kid probably had it coming--this was just the first time he got caught doing something. How often before this has he walked on the grass, flicked a spitball, or belched out of turn? Plenty, I bet. Off with his head.
I have no idea how some of you guys are coming to the defense of the officer. He's bullying and berating a little kid for riding a skateboard. Wonder what would have happened if the kid was jaywalking. Probably would've gotten the night stick.