The America you apparently want is allowing criminals to go free ... Originally Posted by LexusLoverA thousand times this. It appalls me that this video has been out there as long as it has and people are STILL dismissing the facts.
There was nothing in that video that suggests he targeted her or that he "tailed" her, as she claimed. It was a legitimate stop. He planned on giving her a warning, not a ticket, as he did for the woman he stopped before her.
He was calm and composed, even as she treated him like a punk. He asked her, politely, to put out her cigarette. He had every right to ask her to put it out, just on the basis of it being bothersome. And, while she is free to smoke in her own car, it is not unlawful for him to order her to put the cigarette out. It is a safety issue. Perps have flicked their cigarettes at the police, in their faces, and put them out ON the officers' bodies. Yet, he asked her, politely. But he's out of line?
It is also not unlawful to tell her to exit the car to put out the cigarette, if that was his intention. But we don't know what his intention actually was to deem it unlawful. It is also not unlawful to cuff her before telling her why she is being arrested.
Another thing to consider. She saw him driving behind her. Yet, she still made the lane change without signaling. Why? My first guess, based on her behavior as a whole, is that she just wasn't very bright. But it is also possible she did it intentionally. By the end of that video, it was clear that she was posturing for a lawsuit.
Your attitude promotes a "guilty until proven innocent" mentality. That's not how America is supposed to work. Unfortunately, that is not the trend. Originally Posted by CuteOldGuyAnd your attitude enables the Sandra Blands of the world. This is not about America. This is about dealing with potential criminals. The psychology of criminal behavior dictates that they are to proceed cautiously. They're not there to trust people and cater to feelings and egos. They are there to maintain order.
Now, I would not have responded to the cop that way. My first statement would be "Am I being detained?" If he said yes, I'd ask why. If he had no reason, I'd tell him I am leaving. If he resists, I ask for a supervisor. If he gives me a reason, I'll cooperate, and ask for my lawyer. No violence, no shouting. But it is still up to the cop to respect me, not the other way around.Why cooperate? Why not respond to him “that way”? Why not be violent and shout if you owe him no respect? Is he only worth a fig when he's saving you from someone who owes you nothing? Yes, they're public servants, but they're not your bitches. You are part of the problem.
She more than established a lack of regard for the law. If you can excuse her unacceptable, low rent behavior, surely you can give a man a pass for having lost his patience with said behavior. She could have gotten out of the car, or put out the cigarette, or not made an illegal lane change, or not killed herself. Man in the sky forbid she is responsible for anything that happened to her.