- Post
- #310288
- Topic
- Cop Attacks Skateboarder, For Calling Him "Dude"
- Link
- https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/310288/action/topic#310288
- Time
By what we see in the first video, yeah, the officer went overboard. We don't see what happened before it though, so it's quite possible that he was telling them repeatedly to stop skateboarding. Maybe they finally stopped and he didn't feel the need to go any farther at that point. Maybe he doesn't like being called a "dude" by what are obviously teenagers who could give two shits about what a cop says. I don't know. We'll have to wait for the investigation to finish to see what comes of it. It is interesting that this incident happened a year ago and is only now coming to light. Why did they wait so long? That seems odd to me.
In the second video, those kids clearly did not give a shit about the cop. Also, there appears to be an ordinance in that city that prohibits skateboarding. So yeah, maybe there are murderers, rapists, and drug dealers around, but that cop is patrolling that area and those kids were clearly violating a local ordinance. I also found this on another site:
"What an unfortunate situation to have occured in such a hospitable town as Hot Springs, Ark., host to nearly 3 million visitors a year.
Tourists particularly enjoy our historic downtown district, stretched primarily along a 10-block section of Central Avenue. Sandwiched between two mountains, a row of eight bathhouses - named a Historic Landmark District - faces dozens of shops on the opposite side of the street. Hot Springs National Park, celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, comprises the entire area.
To protect pedestrian safety, the City of Hot Springs passed an ordinance prohibiting bicycles, skateboards, rollerskates, rollerboards and any similar apparatus in these clearly marked areas. Tom Daniels, president of the Downtown Merchants Association, says despite strategically placed signs designating the no-wheels zones, skateboarding violations have been an ongoing problem.
Most of the time, local police just ask the skoarders to move on, and they do. This time, however, at least one of violators had already been asked to leave Exhange Street Parking Plaza before he joined the group of two adults (ages 21 and 19) and four juveniles (three 16-year olds and one 13-year old) on Central Avenue. According to newspaper interviews, several of the group knew they were violating the ordinance, but were prepared to lose their boards and possibly pay a fine. After they taped the event.
Did the arresting officer perform his job appropriately? We'll see. Should young teenagers be hanging out with 19- and 21-year old adults who have nothing better to do than skate through downtown during the summer? Probably not. Hello p-a-r-e-n-t-s? Does Hot Springs need another skating venue to add to the nine parks and Hot Springs Greenway where skating is already allowed? That's being discussed.
Thanks for helping us let the world know this video is neither a complete account of the skateboarding incident nor an accurate portrayal of Spa City, America's first resort."
I added the emphasis. It looks like not only were the kids violating an ordinance, but they knew it and wanted to get caught so they could get it on tape. This is happening all over the place. People are taping themselves violating the law and then screaming "police brutality!" in an effort to get cops fired. Ferris is 100% correct on his assessment. When a cop tells you to stop, you stop. You don't start running because you're instantly in violation of something (I can't remember what the cop said, but he used the term in the second video). Don't fight the cop either because then you're resisting arrest. Even if you think the cop is wrong, you stop and take your complaint before a judge. If you're in the right, you'll be vindicated. If you're not, you'll be paying a fine.
The kids think it's stupid to be arrested (it would've probably just been a fine) for skateboarding. Maybe it is. But you don't try to change the law on the street. This is something I don't expect a teenager to understand. Maybe when they're older they will. If you think a law is unjust, you petition your city to change it. You get signatures. We have a process for getting laws changed and it isn't by violating them.
EDIT: Here's the site where I found that quote http://arkansas.indymedia.org/feature/display/18895/index.php
