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Seattle Police "attack"

June 26, 2012 @ 10:31 am

I was reading the story about the "attack of the SPD on a "Queer Street Party" on mynorthwest.com. I watched the video of the event, "It Gets Better: Seattle Police Department Attacks Queer Street Party" and noted that while the video purports to prove that Lt. Greg Calder is a liar, it does nothing of the sort. The video isn't clear enough to show who is doing what. Even if all involved are accurately identified, the video is edited so that we have no way of knowing what may have happened to the officer prior to the pepper spraying.

 

One thing that is very clear from the opening of the video is the obnoxiousness of those telling the police that they don't belong there and need to go away. As though taking over the streets in the middle of the night was a god-given right for whatever mob chooses to do so.

The video looks to me like a hatchet job on the SPD. What's it look like to you?

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Comments (19)


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  • freetospeak wrote...
    Seattle Police "Attack"
    June 26, 2012 9:53 am
    I agree with David. This video only shows the viewer what the person making the video wants you to see. Hatchet job...yes. Complete context surrounding the situation...no.
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  • ron prevost wrote...
    Regardless of any 'attacks' ............
    June 26, 2012 10:01 am
    All last week KIRO was warning us that there would be '250,000' out for this gay pride thing, so plan your drive accordingly. From all pictures and videos, seems more like 2500 max. Just like gays in the general population (really about 1-2%). Far more hype than substance.
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    At about 1:40 in the video......
    June 26, 2012 10:58 am
    it certainly *appears* that Sgt Calder sprays something at a man (apparently) standing legally on the curb and then pulls him into the street. The general quality of the video is so poor that it's tough to believe the person who created it has any editing skills at all, let alone enough skills to create the appearance of something happening that never occurred.

    It would be interesting to know more about the nature of the "assault" charge. You are guilty of "assault" if you simply say or do anything that makes another person feel threatened. "Battery" is actually laying hands or using a weapon on somebody.

    So, was the guy on the curb maybe a little drunk and too mouthy? Did he say something like, "Hey, you SPD swine! You better get away from this demonstration or I am going to come off this sidewalk and ram your nightstick up the seat of your pants!"? Did Lt. Calder feel "threatened", creating a basis for the charge of assault?

    There's not enough information in the video to condemn or commend the officer, even if the video accurately depicts a cop pepper spraying a guy standing on the sidewalk.

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  • pudge wrote...
    Re: At about 1:40 in the video......
    June 26, 2012 1:57 pm
    Chuck Gould: "it certainly *appears* that ... Calder sprays something at a man (apparently) standing legally on the curb and then pulls him into the street." Yes, but we only see about 2 seconds or so of what happened before the spray, so we have no evidence the man didn't do something illegal, despite the claims in the video. "There's not enough information in the video to condemn or commend the officer, even if the video accurately depicts a cop pepper spraying a guy standing on the sidewalk." I think that's mostly correct. One thing that might be clear is that Calder did not require self-defense at that moment, which appears to violate normal procedure for use of spray. But that's not entirely clear, though it is suggested, I think, by the video. What's not remotely suggested is that the man was not committing assault. Also, yes, that idiot who said the cops had to leave because they weren't welcome/invited/etc. ... the cops have a right to be there just as much as anyone else. That's just so stupid.
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  • Troll Hunter wrote...
    Boze
    June 26, 2012 2:09 pm
    You are right, AND wrong. The video doesn't show us everything that went on It doesn't prove Calder was a liar, just as it doesn't prove he was telling the truth. What it does show is Calder pepper spraying an individual standing on the sidewalk without any apparent physical provocation. Do we see any kick from the person out of kicking distance from Calder? No we don't. Verbal taunts are enough to warrant being pepper sprayed in the absence of threatening physical behavior? Why wasn't the whole crowd pepper sprayed and arrested then? Yes there were people telling the police they weren't wanted there; drunks say stupid things usually. Would he have been pepper sprayed if this would have been a Mariners game celebration? Most likely not, without physical threats or assault otherwise all you people would be after the cops throat. because you all hate gays you decided Calder was in the right without proof. Where is the definitive proff either way? Exactly, there isn't any hence up to a judge to decide. Of course, without definitive proof and public scrutiny we all know the judge will always side with the police even when there are questions remaining.
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  • Cigarillo wrote...
    " .... a judge to decide."
    June 26, 2012 7:24 pm
    I hope that was a slip of the brain on your part. When there's no definitive proof, there's no decision to be made by a "jury".
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  • Cigarillo wrote...
    Who Could Blame Him?
    June 26, 2012 7:10 pm
    The guy was probably yelling at the cop in that nasaly, lispy voice that homosexuals insist on using no matter how much we make fun of it. I'd say he exercised great restraint in not pulling his Glock out and get more serious about his "spraying".
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  • CH wrote...
    Ask the kop what happen . . . .
    June 27, 2012 12:22 am
    the tape means nothing. It was made in mommy's basement. We had to rent the kop.
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  • Steve Dallas wrote...
    Why isn't the guy standing on the car arrested
    June 27, 2012 10:36 am
    If someone stood on my car, he'd be getting an arse-whooping.
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  • Loving Life wrote...
    That's it? That's the video? That's just great, it proves nothing, shows less, and seems to be pretty biased.
    June 27, 2012 10:47 am
    Come on now. If you want the majority to side with you, you have got to step this up. By no means is this valid. Where is your 'Rodney King' verion, the one that's undeniable?
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  • 333 wrote...
    what?
    June 27, 2012 1:52 pm
    Why does everyone comment on the fact that the officers pulls the guy forward?? as if that's wrong? he's making an arrest, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO! Pull him forward, down to the ground away from the crowd and cuff him. It looks text book to me,he probably ignored verbal commands to get down, was sprayed (which did little to the sweet little child)and was taken down.
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  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    The sh/thead appears to have a confrontional stance.
    June 27, 2012 4:36 pm
    Who knows what he said or what commands he ignored. So he got sprayed. Big frickin' deal. Cry me a river. OC burns your eyes/skin, your mucous membranes and makes you blow snot. It can be rinsed out and eventually, about 1/2 to 1 hour later, you're fine. It's called NON-lethal for a reason. What would you fine upstanding lefty cop haters have the PD do? Beat the snot out of him? Maybe use a baton? How about lethal force? Ah...a tazer...oh, wait. There is no pleasing people who see what they want to see. It's a dirty job keeping you all safe. Get used to it.
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  • 333 wrote...
    HPD-50
    June 27, 2012 5:33 pm
    He absolutely had an aggressive confrontational stance. He doesn't even complay when being sprayed. I can't believe this is being debated. Have we all GONE MAD!?
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