12-year-old Shot Dead by Police

[ElectionsGuy]

You should treat cops like people who might shoot you without a good reason.  You shouldn't look at them, you shouldn't talk to them and you shouldn't mess around with fake guns near cops for God's sake.  And kids in places like Cleveland should never have toy guns, it's way too dangerous. 

This is absurd.

Why would you give a cop any reason to interact with you?  They're not there to be your friend.

This is precisely whats wrong with the police today.

[ag]

This is a tragedy, but the cop wasn't in the wrong. That gun looked realistic, the kid reached for
it when he was told to put his hands up, the cop was a rookie, ect.

I hate American police with a passion, but this one doesn't muster up much outrage.

What, then, are you hating them for if this "doesn´t muster up much outrage"? Taking away your beer in the park?

[Slander and/or Libel]

This is a tragedy, but the cop wasn't in the wrong. That gun looked realistic, the kid reached for
it when he was told to put his hands up, the cop was a rookie, ect.

I hate American police with a passion, but this one doesn't muster up much outrage.

The cop was a rookie? So it's not as bad when they kill someone because they're on a killing people probationary period or something?

[Lief 🗽]

Don't worry folks. I'm sure in the coming days they'll unearth that this poor child was sent to the principal's office once or twice, and then we can safely label him a lawless thug and applaud the brave policeman for taking him out.

[Simfan34]

You should treat cops like people who might shoot you without a good reason. You shouldn't look at them, you shouldn't talk to them and you shouldn't mess around with fake guns near cops for God's sake.  And kids in places like Cleveland should never have toy guns, it's way too dangerous. 

This is absurd.

Why would you give a cop any reason to interact with you?  They're not there to be your friend.

Well, maybe the citizen-police relationship in the US has really come to a point where no interaction is the best policy, but I still find it absurd.

Citizens shouldn't be afraid to interact with the police in a democracy - saying that you should treat the police like a foreign occupation power (no eye contact, no talk etc.) is absurd. It can only increase the alienation between citizens and police if there is no normal human interaction between them.

Police officers are meant to service and help people, so they should be on friendly term with (law abiding) citizens.

If you pull out a gun in front of cops who are confronting you, what exactly do you expect?

This is a salient point. Moreover, this occurred in a public place, not some isolated spot where only the lives of the police and Tamir were at stake.

I heard the sound of gunshots while out for a walk earlier this week. The next day, police arrested a 15 year-old boy who'd fired a gun at another teenager in anger less than a block from the campus where my classes are held. In the United States, the idea that a 12 year-old is handling and and willing to fire a real gun rather than a toy is hardly implausible.

This is what Tamir's gun looked like, by the way. I wouldn't assume that it was fake if I saw someone carrying it.

Thread over, might as well lock it. And ban these sorts of things.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Don't worry folks. I'm sure in the coming days they'll unearth that this poor child was sent to the principal's office once or twice, and then we can safely label him a lawless thug and applaud the brave policeman for taking him out.

Sad truth.

White actual troublemaker = misunderstood.
Black/Brown "troublemaker" = thug.
Yellow troublemaker = America baffled.

[Franzl]

If guns weren't so omnipresent in American society, police wouldn't constantly be on the verge of using their weapons.

[Simfan34]

Dumb people play with guns. They die.

If a nine-year-old went on a rampage with an Uzi, this might be noteworthy. As it stands, this story is no different than the gangland murders we ignore on a daily basis.

Who was the dumb person playing with guns here that died? The kid? Why can't the child handle a gun? Can it possibly be because she is a child?

People under, say, 16 shouldn't be able to shoot automatic weapons.  Even on a range, even with parental approval and a shooting instructor.

You may now go back to making jokes.

No one is making jokes. Children under sixteen should not be allowed to use guns, period. Automatic and semi-automatic weapons should be banned outright.

Guns should be banned, maybe except for certain people paying above a certain (very high) amount of taxes.

What is wrong with you? None of these people should have guns, ideally. But I am far more comfortable with the police having guns rather than literal children. I am sure no one denies far more people are shot dead by minors every year than by the police.

[Lief 🗽]

Simfan is entirely right on the gun issue (except for the bizarre "arm the rich" non sequitor; obviously guns should be banned for rich and poor alike).

[bedstuy]

You should treat cops like people who might shoot you without a good reason.  You shouldn't look at them, you shouldn't talk to them

No, no and no. That minding only exist in America and it's honestly very dangerous. People shouldn't fear policemen (unless they have some reason to). No wonder violence is so high compared to the Western World. People will solve their issues with their own guns between each other instead of calling police.

Police should protect. Right now, police is making people afraid.

Part of how the police protect people is by making people afraid of them.  Of course, you can call the police and they might decide to help you if they choose to.  But, if you don't have any business with police, it's best to keep clear of them and let them do their job.

This whole story is just a human tragedy brought on by our gun obsession.  Guns carry a tax in people's lives and bodies.  Most people don't really care because most of the victims are poor and black or latino.  But, as long as we have crime infested, gun infested cities, we'll regularly have these accidents.  Some people want to put all the blame on individual cops or on racism, which is always a factor.  But, the real problem is that we care more about protecting a hobby than protecting black kids.

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

Will put him in my thoughts.

[Reaganfan]

It's a terrible unfortunate event. I think the media should tone down this stuff...it's getting kind of out of hand. Cops doing their jobs then becoming nationally known because of it. That's how they're trained.

[DemPGH]

The fact is, the kid was twelve.

I bet you money that this was yet another example of a bully cop who yanked his gun without considering what was going on, acted on survival impulse alone, and figured that any questions would be answered later.

Terrible tragedy.

It is an unfortunate truth in the USA, though, that if you interact with a cop, you must assume that the cop is looking for reason to put you (or someone) in handcuffs and facedown. 

[user12345]

This is a tragedy, but the cop wasn't in the wrong. That gun looked realistic, the kid reached for
it when he was told to put his hands up, the cop was a rookie, ect.

I hate American police with a passion, but this one doesn't muster up much outrage.

[Lief 🗽]

Well, time to ban Naso.

[justfollowingtheelections]

You should treat cops like people who might shoot you without a good reason.  You shouldn't look at them, you shouldn't talk to them

No, no and no. That minding only exist in America and it's honestly very dangerous. People shouldn't fear policemen (unless they have some reason to). No wonder violence is so high compared to the Western World. People will solve their issues with their own guns between each other instead of calling police.

Police should protect. Right now, police is making people afraid.

I couldn't agree more.

[justfollowingtheelections]

If guns weren't so omnipresent in American society, police wouldn't constantly be on the verge of using their weapons.

This is also true.

[justfollowingtheelections]

This is a tragedy, but the cop wasn't in the wrong. That gun looked realistic, the kid reached for
it when he was told to put his hands up, the cop was a rookie, ect.

I hate American police with a passion, but this one doesn't muster up much outrage.

If he was a rookie as you say, he shouldn't be allowed to have a gun.

[7,052,770]

Why does Naso always associate granola bars with liberals? I mean, like everyone likes granola bars. I see white Mississippians (overwhelmingly conservative) eating them at work all the time...

It is this some kind of weird North/South thing, or are granola bars indeed an apolitical food?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Why does Naso always associate granola bars with liberals? I mean, like everyone likes granola bars. I see white Mississippians (overwhelmingly conservative) eating them at work all the time...

It is this some kind of weird North/South thing, or are granola bars indeed an apolitical food?

Keep in mind that Naso lives in a time warp.  It's pretty much a food everybody'll eat these days, but back in the 60's and early 70's, granola was hippie health food.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Why does Naso always associate granola bars with liberals? I mean, like everyone likes granola bars. I see white Mississippians (overwhelmingly conservative) eating them at work all the time...

It is this some kind of weird North/South thing, or are granola bars indeed an apolitical food?

Keep in mind that Naso lives in a time warp.  It's pretty much a food everybody'll eat these days, but back in the 60's and early 70's, granola was hippie health food.

Most commercial Granola bars these days are basically candy bars. A combination of cereal pieces held together by a thick coating of corn syrup, often with chocolate or candy mixed in. A chocolate coating isn't uncommon either.

You're basically eating a snickers, but feeling virtuous about it.

[Lief 🗽]

The police officer murdered the kid right after he got out of the car. He needs to go to jail for a long, long time.

You have to be a pretty sick sociopath to watch that clip and think the cop was in any way justified in committing murder.

[TNF]

Typical pig.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/11/cleveland_police_officer_shot_1.html

Video was just released. It shows the 12 year old approaching the front of the police car.

That alone would be justifiable cause. 911 call of a guy waving a gun, cops pull up, suspect with gun approaches.

Can't even see what the guy was holding, if anything, in that video.  What I can see is a police car driving off road for no apparent reason other than to make an intimidating charge at the suspect under circumstances in which there was absolutely no apparent reason for them to do so.

[TNF]

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/11/cleveland_police_officer_shot_1.html

Video was just released. It shows the 12 year old approaching the front of the police car.

That alone would be justifiable cause. 911 call of a guy waving a gun, cops pull up, suspect with gun approaches.

Can't even see what the guy was holding, if anything, in that video.  What I can see is a police car driving off road for no apparent reason other than to make an intimidating charge at the suspect under circumstances in which there was absolutely no apparent reason for them to do so.

Getting a call that their is a guy waving a gun around is a pretty damn serious call.

yeah man 12 year olds are pretty spooky amirite