205 Comments
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Teddy Barnes's avatar

And the beat goes on. Nothing will come of this. Oh sure, the city will settle with the family and "just write the check", but the cops will go on with their lives, oblivious and conscience free. The cops in the Northwest are the worst......mainly because they take their cues from 3%ers and Proud Boys and Atomwaffen types, or, more likely, are members themselves.

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Zyxomma's avatar

Ta, Stephen. May her memory always be a blessing.

I know qualified immunity is never going away, but the settlements paid to victims and their families have to come out of the pockets of the cops themselves, or out of their pension funds, without touching the pensions of other city or state employees (e.g. teachers).

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Liminal's avatar

The thought of someone driving 74 mph in my 25 mph neighborhood is terrifying

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GH Swell's avatar

For a large segment of the US, police are seen as infallible superheroes without whom civilization would crumble, and sure that is true, but for a large part of their job they are the opposite of that, put in place to keep a noose around the neck of the unlanded general population (and some very specific parts of that population) for the benefit of those wealthy enough to insulate themselves from the street. They still effectively serve that purpose, a swift moving wraith, a shark in the pool, subverting our supposedly equal society so that one portion of our population lives in fear of them, and one portion sleeps soundly. Without substantial consequences for the policeman in this story, as well for their union organization and the police department that enables them, with continued pats on the back from people who feel they benefit from police, I think this will continue to be the case until the end of time.

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Rags's avatar

Once lived on Dexter. Got a ticket for going 30.

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Rhand Holm's avatar

I'm trying to think of a legit new job for Officer Dave. All I can come up with is bouncer or corrections officer. Worst I could think of is pizza delivery.

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Mark Lungo's avatar

I think the job he's best suited for is making license plates.

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IMPOed's avatar

One would think, after costing the city over a $million they would can his sorry ass, what a waste!

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insert_something_creative's avatar

You would think. The fact it comes from the taxpayers and not the police themselves means there is no incentive for police to act better. They get away with murder, and the people they terrorize pick up the check.

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IMPOed's avatar

Exactly!

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Pliny the Younger's avatar

"Back the Blue" assholes keep yammering about "defunding the police", while the police are defunding cities. Over $3 billion were paid out over the past 10 years by cities and towns to settle lawsuits arising from police misconduct. End qualified immunity. And fuck Ted Cruz.

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Mal Speranza's avatar

I guess this is OT, but I'll be out when Open Thread hits. Question: if the GOP takes control of the House and Senate next fall, can they shut down the Jack Smith investigation and withdraw the criminal complaints? In the federal cases, I mean.

I think the answer is yes - they can fire Smith - but I'm not sure. What if the trials are already under way?

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Boaty the plural's avatar

Denny and Thomas get close, but they don't really intersect...

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Boaty the plural's avatar

It was Dexter and Thomas....

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Bagels of Doom's avatar

"Remember that 74 miles an hour is about 15 miles over the speed limit on Washington state freeways."

this.

spend one week in Chicago at a random spot in the city and you'll see or hear one of those. and in Illinois the speed limit is 70.

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Fifth Dentist's avatar

You're saying "The Blues Brothers" wasn't based on a true story?

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Bagels of Doom's avatar

what I am saying is that it *is*. now I want fried shrimp from Calumet Fisheries. :(

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Mal Speranza's avatar

Now *that* is a local reference. Makes me want a pork chop sammitch from Maxwell Street Depot and then some rib tips from Alice's.

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Bagels of Doom's avatar

Lem's BBQ and then a Corned Beef sammich from A. P. Deli, both on 75th.

I have more south side references than anything else XD

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Mal Speranza's avatar

Lem's is the hands down winner. It's my go to when I'm in Chicago. But I had a nostalgia moment for Woodlawn last time I was there so we went to Alice's on 43rd St and it was damn good.

Also, of course, breakfast at See Your Food (Valois) and chicken from Harold's.

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Aquaman, Real Estate Investor.'s avatar

The cops need to learn that unless they are the ones calling for a guy like this to be prosecuted, they will be distrusted by the public.

It's literally their job.

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SkeptiKC's avatar

They seem to be aware of that.

The problem is that they also don't seem to give a good gawd damn.

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weejee's avatar

Taking care of the infrastructure should include repairing how mental health is addressed in the Ewe Ess Aye.

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Bagels of Doom's avatar

I'd escalate one step further: mental healthcare is a national security issue. we have examples.

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SkeptiKC's avatar

*** THIS! ***

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Wookiee Monster's avatar

The most accurate portrayal of American cops I’ve ever seen on TV was the episode of South Park where all the cops refused to do their jobs because they weren’t allowed to beat up minorities anymore.

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Tin Kitty, Childless Lady Cat's avatar

With great power comes great responsibility. If cops want the power to decide who lives and who dies, they need to also assume the concomitant responsibility for those lives. We currently allow cops the power but remove all responsibility for their actions with what have become entirely predictable outcomes.

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SkeptiKC's avatar

That heinous imbalance of characteristics exists in far too many agencies with control over too many aspects of our lives.

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Wookiee Monster's avatar

Police unions operate under one simple rule: no cop shall ever be held accountable for their actions, no matter how heinous and egregious they may be.

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