Reason Writers on Russia Today: Scott Shackford (Again!) on Anaheim Shooting, Protests

Reason.com 24/7 News Associate Editor Scott Shackford returned to Russia Today Wednesday afternoon to follow up on Tuesday night's violent protests in Anaheim. Under discussion: Whether Anaheim will treat community anger seriously, whether the protesters and police were equally to blame for the destruction, whether these shootings are part of an upward trend of police violence or "isolated incidents" and what might bring police abuse down.

Comments

[Paul.]

Only the police should be able to own guns.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

how about some actual stats to support or refute (or leave ambiguous) such claims?

why does reason have stats aplenty in global warming etc. articles but they don't in cop shooting articles?

for example, have police shootings (fatal or otherwise) trended roughly equally with part I crime stats or not?

that would be relevant.

stuff like that.

the reason meme is about increased "militarization" - which in some respects is inarguable

but if, just as a hypothetical, police fatal shootings have gone down substantially MORE than part I crimes, would reason admit - hey, it's getting better not worse?

and if the opposite is true, they'd have a strong case to say it's getting worse.

but they don't use stats.

[playa manhattan]

The whole of Orange County police departments (with the exception of Laguna and Irvine) are way out of control. Several of my friends have attended the OC Sheriff's Academy and came out completely different (fucked up in the head) people.
Probably better not to argue this one. I am 100% sure there is a fire behind the smoke.

[Libertarian]

At the risk of being ostracized (ha!) I agree, there should be stats. However, didn't a recent HR post mention a Balko interview where he implied that things did, indeed, used to be worse, and it's camera technology that is making police brutality more visible today?

[Paul.]

Yep, I was just going to mention that. It was Shackford on this same subject and same show... yesterday I think.

He was quick to say that we're not sure if these things are getting worse, but it's definitely being caught on tape more.

My personal experience with cops in general is that they're much more hot-headed than they were when I was a kid/young adult. Anecdotal I know. I think they're training aggressiveness in, because somehow the entire police-industrial complex has come to believe that they're outgunned by roving gangs of assault-weapon toting criminals.

It also seems to me, that based on what cops say themselves-- about what would qualify as a 'justifiable' shooting seems much more vague.

Let's put it this way, if a man with a closed pocket knife can be shot in the back four times before he can even turn around to respond to the officer's command, while his fellow officers say (on the scene), "You did the right thing, brother", something is wrong. Very wrong.

[CE]

If the police shoot enough (i.e. too many) unarmed people and their dogs, eventually the civilians start to complain. It's amazing that there aren't more protests around the country.