However, Police should be trained and competent in physical confrontations so if there is Police negligence that has led to death then the appropriate actions should be taken.

Edited by Stirlingsays (27 May 2020 5.23pm)

It's two sides of the same coin. Those overly politicised on the left elevate these instances and have them on repeat, and some of those on the right don't particularly feel any concern for this person. Partially on racial grounds it's a "he must have done something to deserve it" mentality.

Like everyone else, behind the uniform police are people with their own temperaments capable of behaving in any number of ways. To automatically go to poor training as explanation gives the cop benefit of the doubt. Also, we do not know that this man started any kind of physical confrontation. Even if there was a confrontation, the cop is seen as applying significant pressure to his neck as the man says please.. I can't breathe over and over. He is repeatedly alerted by others that the man is non responsive, and to check for a pulse, yet while cuffed and unconscious the cop maintained pressure on his neck for several minutes as he lay dying. There's a possibility that he'll end up in a cell rather than a training course.

Penge is right that ultimately a court of law will have the full picture. My point though is that not every conjured up assumption about what happened has to be the fault of either the victim, or the cops training. The actual individual who knelt on the neck of a cuffed unarmed man for several minutes, extinguishing his life in the process might just be, you know, somewhat to blame.

Edited by BlueJay (27 May 2020 6.52pm)

Most likely not, but if you were treated this way on film I'd be outraged at that too. Politicisation is from all sides and obscures what can be seen and understood with the naked eye. Basic compassion is all that needs to be engaged to know there is something very wrong with what happened here.

To add context, the guy was even in handcuffs for several minutes before he was pinned to the ground and was clearly cooperating at that time. It's reasonable to say that all conceivable versions of what happened next don't involve him doing anything that warrants his death.

CCTV of the lead up [Link]

Edited by BlueJay (27 May 2020 5.15pm)

So the answer is no then. You obviously have already made your mind up. A court wont change your opinion. If these cops killed a man unjustly then the book needs throwing for sure and I'm for that.
We are not the judge jury and executioner.

While I recognise what's slowly happening in the US and indeed think it's inevitable as it will eventually be here I don't necessarily see this event as racial.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.

What I see is an unjust death.

Edited by Stirlingsays (27 May 2020 9.23pm)

Good to see Twitter finally getting stuck into Trump. It's about time.

The "freedom of speech" protests are nonsense.

Everyone can say whatever they like, provided they do so responsibly and don't incite violence or tell such obvious lies that cause people to distrust the institutions they rely on. Raising an alarm flag in the latter case is just good sense.

This is especially true of people with as much power as Trump. Him using lies for personal political gain is a disgrace.

If I were running Twitter I would remove his account!