Kelly Thomas trial: Officers acquitted in homeless man's death

[bigrebnc1775]

Absolutely positive. The Rodney King cops were found not guilty of beating Rodney King...or as the legal terms were "assault with a deadly weapon" and "excessive use of force". They were acquitted.

Maybe you should read the NY Times again.

Yes let's do that

Since their conviction in April for violating Mr. King's civil rights, both Sgt. Stacey C. Koon, who is 42, and Officer Laurence M. Powell, 30, have repeated in strong terms their belief that they acted properly in the violent, videotaped beating that for many Americans has become a symbol of police brutality. They say they are being sacrificed to maintain the city's fragile peace following last year's riots.

That was a second, federal trial AFTER they were acquitted of excessive use of force by a state court...and that trial convicted them of violating King's civil rights......did NOT convict them of assault and excessive use of force, that would have been double jeopardy.

What do you think CAUSED the riots? Hmmm?

To late sorry you were wrong, the cops were or some were convicted.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Absolutely positive. The Rodney King cops were found not guilty of beating Rodney King...or as the legal terms were "assault with a deadly weapon" and "excessive use of force". They were acquitted.

Maybe you should read the NY Times again.

Yes let's do that

Since their conviction in April for violating Mr. King's civil rights, both Sgt. Stacey C. Koon, who is 42, and Officer Laurence M. Powell, 30, have repeated in strong terms their belief that they acted properly in the violent, videotaped beating that for many Americans has become a symbol of police brutality. They say they are being sacrificed to maintain the city's fragile peace following last year's riots.

That was a second, federal trial AFTER they were acquitted of excessive use of force by a state court...and that trial convicted them of violating King's civil rights......did NOT convict them of assault and excessive use of force, that would have been double jeopardy.

What do you think CAUSED the riots? Hmmm?

So you admit that YES they were convicted and YES they did do time.....

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Yes let's do that

Since their conviction in April for violating Mr. King's civil rights, both Sgt. Stacey C. Koon, who is 42, and Officer Laurence M. Powell, 30, have repeated in strong terms their belief that they acted properly in the violent, videotaped beating that for many Americans has become a symbol of police brutality. They say they are being sacrificed to maintain the city's fragile peace following last year's riots.

That was a second, federal trial AFTER they were acquitted of excessive use of force by a state court...and that trial convicted them of violating King's civil rights......did NOT convict them of assault and excessive use of force, that would have been double jeopardy.

What do you think CAUSED the riots? Hmmm?

So you admit that YES they were convicted and YES they did do time.....

It's like defending obama has made her stupid and forgetful.

 

[bodecea]

Yes let's do that

Since their conviction in April for violating Mr. King's civil rights, both Sgt. Stacey C. Koon, who is 42, and Officer Laurence M. Powell, 30, have repeated in strong terms their belief that they acted properly in the violent, videotaped beating that for many Americans has become a symbol of police brutality. They say they are being sacrificed to maintain the city's fragile peace following last year's riots.

That was a second, federal trial AFTER they were acquitted of excessive use of force by a state court...and that trial convicted them of violating King's civil rights......did NOT convict them of assault and excessive use of force, that would have been double jeopardy.

What do you think CAUSED the riots? Hmmm?

To late sorry you were wrong, the cops were or some were convicted.

Only of federal civil rights charges AFTER they were all acquitted of excessive force and assault in a state court....similar to the one who just acquitted the cops who beat Kelly Thomas.

You really need to read up on the case. The FACT they were ACQUITTED of all charges is what caused the LA Riots.

 

[bodecea]

Yes let's do that

Since their conviction in April for violating Mr. King's civil rights, both Sgt. Stacey C. Koon, who is 42, and Officer Laurence M. Powell, 30, have repeated in strong terms their belief that they acted properly in the violent, videotaped beating that for many Americans has become a symbol of police brutality. They say they are being sacrificed to maintain the city's fragile peace following last year's riots.

That was a second, federal trial AFTER they were acquitted of excessive use of force by a state court...and that trial convicted them of violating King's civil rights......did NOT convict them of assault and excessive use of force, that would have been double jeopardy.

What do you think CAUSED the riots? Hmmm?

So you admit that YES they were convicted and YES they did do time.....

Federal charges AFTER they were acquitted in a state court of assault. We are running a comparison between the two cases, are we not? Have those who beat Kelly Thomas been brought of on federal charges yet?

Four of the police officers from the LAPD who engaged in the incident were charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court with assault with a deadly weapon and use of excessive force for their conduct during the incident. After a judicial finding that a fair and impartial jury could not be impaneled in Los Angeles County, the case was given a change of venue to the city of Simi Valley, in Ventura County, where they were tried. On April 29, 1992, three of the four police officers, (Koon, Wind, and Briseno) were acquitted of all charges. The jury acquitted the fourth officer, (Powell), on the assault with a deadly weapon charge but failed to reach a verdict on the use of excessive force charge. The jury deadlocked at 8-4 in favor of acquittal.

The acquittals are generally considered to have triggered the 1992 Los Angeles riots, in which 53 people were killed, and over two thousand were injured. The riots ended after soldiers from the United States Army National Guard, along with United States Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton, California, were called in to assist local authorities and quell the riots.

 

[Katzndogz]

The thing is, mentally ill people should not be wandering around homeless. We need to go back to the days of institutions. It wasn't the concept of institutions that was bad, it was the way they were run, the way they were managed, the amount of money involved in maintaining them, the training of the staff, etc. Mental institutions should be places where those who can't cope with society can find safety, care and refuge. Instead they were mistreated, ignored, and/or abused. We need to go back to providing a place for these people other than the streets, but a safe and helpful place.

The public does not want to put many tax dollars into taking care of the mentally ill or the seriously mentally handicapped. But, they don't want them out on the streets. And they get very upset when something like this happens. But, police officers are not trained to deal well with the mentally ill, such as this guy with schizophrenia, and the average cop shouldn't be expected to know how to deal well with them. So when the guy shows no cooperation and acts crazy, they probably assume he is on drugs and is a danger to them. It's a vicious circle really. This man should have been in an institution designed to help him, give him a home, and take care of him; he should not have been allowed to be homeless out on the streets where he is a danger to himself and perhaps others.

You are so wrong, on so many levels, it's hard to know where to begin.

Kelly Thomas did have somewhere to go. He had a family that loved him and wanted to take care of him. He just didn't want it. To keep him in an institution, he would have to be locked down, as if he were in prison. It's illegal nowadays to lock people up against their will, which is why we don't have institutions any more. It was never the way they were run. It was locking people up who had never committed a crime.

In THIS case, there was no question that the cops didn't know better and may have thought the schizophrenic was on drugs. They knew Kelly Thomas, quite well. Thomas was a fixture in the neighborhood. They dealt with him every day and had for years.

It would be interesting to find out just what the jury used to make that determination. So far it looks like a cut and dried case of premeditated murder. As soon as Ramos put on those leather gloves, it became murder.

Kelly Thomas had also beaten his own grandfather over the head with a fireplace poker years before....because of his drug use and mental health.

Did you say years before? How many years? Did the police know of these violent tendencies?

As the facts stand, or stood, at least, Kelly Thomas was well known in the neighborhood. He was known to these police officers. He was not known to be violent. I have no idea what the jury relied on in reaching this determination. It would be quite interesting to find out.

 

[Katzndogz]

That was a second, federal trial AFTER they were acquitted of excessive use of force by a state court...and that trial convicted them of violating King's civil rights......did NOT convict them of assault and excessive use of force, that would have been double jeopardy.

What do you think CAUSED the riots? Hmmm?

So you admit that YES they were convicted and YES they did do time.....

Federal charges AFTER they were acquitted in a state court of assault. We are running a comparison between the two cases, are we not? Have those who beat Kelly Thomas been brought of on federal charges yet?

Four of the police officers from the LAPD who engaged in the incident were charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court with assault with a deadly weapon and use of excessive force for their conduct during the incident. After a judicial finding that a fair and impartial jury could not be impaneled in Los Angeles County, the case was given a change of venue to the city of Simi Valley, in Ventura County, where they were tried. On April 29, 1992, three of the four police officers, (Koon, Wind, and Briseno) were acquitted of all charges. The jury acquitted the fourth officer, (Powell), on the assault with a deadly weapon charge but failed to reach a verdict on the use of excessive force charge. The jury deadlocked at 8-4 in favor of acquittal.

The acquittals are generally considered to have triggered the 1992 Los Angeles riots, in which 53 people were killed, and over two thousand were injured. The riots ended after soldiers from the United States Army National Guard, along with United States Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton, California, were called in to assist local authorities and quell the riots.

The riots ended when (a) Armed citizens took to the rooftops with rifles and started taking pot shots at rioters and (b) welfare check day arrived.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

That was a second, federal trial AFTER they were acquitted of excessive use of force by a state court...and that trial convicted them of violating King's civil rights......did NOT convict them of assault and excessive use of force, that would have been double jeopardy.

What do you think CAUSED the riots? Hmmm?

To late sorry you were wrong, the cops were or some were convicted.

Only of federal civil rights charges AFTER they were all acquitted of excessive force and assault in a state court....similar to the one who just acquitted the cops who beat Kelly Thomas.

You really need to read up on the case. The FACT they were ACQUITTED of all charges is what caused the LA Riots.

I asked you were they convicted, You said no. I thought you would let this failure die down,

 

[Iceman]

"Why, they's 'Murcan hee-roes, puttin' their lives on the line ever day to Keep Us Safe from terr 'n' whatnot, so we gotta support 'em when the chips're down! An' let's face it: that Thomas, he wudn't nothin' but a crazy bum no how. Hell, ya might even say them ossifers done him a FAVOR by puttin' him outta his mis'ry! Gawd bless our troops 'n' po-leece, I say!"

 

[R.C. Christian]

The pigs and the jury are all complicit. If I were that man's father there would be some payback if some kind of civil suit didn't work.

There is no excuse for this kind of behavior even if Fullerton is a conservative freak show of law abiding, cop loving republican hypocrites.

 

[Noomi]

They should have been thrown in prison for murder.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

They should have been thrown in prison for murder.

They weren't charged with murder because they are cops, and have special privileges not granted to normal human beings.

 

[Noomi]

They should have been thrown in prison for murder.

They weren't charged with murder because they are cops, and have special privileges not granted to normal human beings.

They have special privileges over here, too. Cops stick together. Bastards who did this should be made to look at the image of that poor mans face every single day. Hope they have nightmares.

 

[S.J.]

They should have been thrown in prison for murder.

They weren't charged with murder because they are cops, and have special privileges not granted to normal human beings.

They have special privileges over here, too. Cops stick together. Bastards who did this should be made to look at the image of that poor mans face every single day. Hope they have nightmares.

Do either one of these two mother fuckers look like they have a conscience? They ARE a nightmare, both of them.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Bad cops need to die, horribly. They deserve, at a minimum, public crucifixion.

 

[bodecea]

To late sorry you were wrong, the cops were or some were convicted.

Only of federal civil rights charges AFTER they were all acquitted of excessive force and assault in a state court....similar to the one who just acquitted the cops who beat Kelly Thomas.

You really need to read up on the case. The FACT they were ACQUITTED of all charges is what caused the LA Riots.

I asked you were they convicted, You said no. I thought you would let this failure die down,

Sorry, my little boy...they were convicted by feds AFTER they were acquitted by the state...just like in the Kelly Thomas case where they were acquitted by the state.

You should have known that...but I decided to let you go on with your silliness....for yucks and grins.

 

[Politico]

So what are all you tough guys gonna do?