Baltimore burns. Why?

[ibminer]

This was started by opportunistic teens that wanted to play out a real-life "Purge" after school, thanks Hollywood, it had nothing to do with the protests that were going on relating to the death of a man in police custody. But a majority of these kids are all going to eventually be found, there are city cameras, cell phones, store surveillance, and more all over Baltimore City and it may take some time but they are going to try,  and will likely be pretty successful at rooting them out.

[1713583384]

1713583384

[1713583384]

1713583384

[ibminer]

...But a majority of these kids are all going to eventually be found, there are city cameras, cell phones, store surveillance, and more all over Baltimore City and it may take some time but ...

So the solution is to continue putting everyone who is not a cop or not wealthy in jail?

It doesn't work.

The solution is to put criminals in jail. If you don't want to go to jail, don't commit a crime. It's not hard to understand, America is a nation of laws. There are processes you go through when laws are not being handled correctly, and that's what the peaceful protestors were doing, and being successful at it. Everything happening in Baltimore just gives police the authority to do whatever they want.

You can have VIDEO of a killing.  VIDEO And still people will see what they are told to see.

Look at the video of the shooting mentioned in the op. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10354477/Woman-shot-dead-after-trying-to-ram-security-barrier-at-White-House.html

There are loads of videos. I was watching as it developed and followed the contortions of Wolf Blitzer for hours as he tried to get people to see things in the video that were not there. If I lived in Baltimore and knew that lady I would not let Wolf's smoke cloud anything.

There are so many videos of cops doing horrendous things and they almost never are held to any accountability.

Let me pick an example at random that I have not followed and do not know how it turned out. A few years ago, or maybe less, a cop shot an old lady, I think she was in her 90s. She had been arguing over car keys with someone who thought she was too old to drive. When the cop came he got pushy and granny took out a derringer. Believe it or not it is not that rare for women in some parts of the U.S. to have a derringer or .25 automatic or other tiny gun in their purse. They do not shoot them. They flash them around. You have to be a real criminal to get shot by a granny with a derringer.

Anyway this cop blasted the old granny. It was the second person he had killed on the job.

Was he held accountable?

I don't know. In a few hours I'll check and post the latest link on that case.

Picking out a few cases doesn't justify "fuck the police" and "lets kill all the cops". Keep in mind, the lady shouldn't have broken the law and decided to crash into the a white house barrier and then flee from police, not to mention hitting police with her car and nearly running them over. At that point, she is a criminal and was trying to flee... did they need to shoot her, probably not, but if I decided to drive my car and crash it into any part of the whitehouse, and then try to run away from secret service & police, I'd be ready to receive at LEAST an ass-wooping, and if I jeopardize the health of any of those officers, I would expect to get shot at.
https://youtu.be/QR465HoCWFQ

As for the grandmother, the cop was dismissed... but again, the cop was put in a life-threatening situation, according to him, there is no motive for a cop to just shoot a 90 year old woman unless she is armed, and she apparently was, and not cooperative. None of us know how we would react in any of these situations.

If you think you can do better, join the police and be a "good" cop....

Yes, there are some pretty fucked up cops out there, and they need to be dealt with, but this type of violence counteracts that goal.

[TheButterZone]

Lock all the cops and all those who have beef with the cops (at a 1:1 ratio, those who have beef with the cops would need to elect representatives or enter a lottery) in a sports arena. Either work out their issues with words or beat each other to death. No more fucking riots destroying innocent third-parties' lives and livelihoods.

Note that I did not mention race here.

[SaltySpitoon]

I'm not sure why it is always a black vs white issue, but the Baltimore cops are bastards in general sometimes. It isn't just black people who are effected by Police brutality in Baltimore, its everyone. When I was a kid, I used to babysit for a Baltimore cop. He would come home a couple hours late, "Yeah sorry I'm late, there were these gang members that were cutting the tattoos off of some ex gang member, and then there was a shootout, shot a couple people, meh same thing happened yesterday" (that example about 25% exaggerated for makign a point)

My point being, I support what the police do on a case by case basis. There are a lot of police officers so you can't judge them all together. Some get an itchy trigger finger and abuse their power, some get beaten half to death before shooting someone. Those guys have a really tough job. They definitely learn some prejudices based on their experiences there, and I'm not excusing that, but thats what happens. I'd like to see better accountability for the individual officers who break the law. Its not fair to condemn them all.

Who in the hell attacks firemen though? The riots were a disgrace.

[Southpaw0]

RT Reporter Robbed by Youths On-Air While Covering Baltimore Protests

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd2Ibw7wrvs

Short clip of Baltimore's youth robbing a Russia Today reporter, can't believe the reporter was attempting to run after these animals. Sooka means bitch, btw.

what did they exactly steal from them, not the camera obviously.

[EternalWingsofGod]

No compassion for human life, in short that is what people say it can't be ignored any longer
Race issues (At least they were able to clean the city)
It is interesting how they are going to play a baseball game with no attendance
http://www.wsj.com/articles/baltimore-residents-at-a-loss-after-riots-close-some-cvs-stores-1430265766
(It sounds like the zone is a dangerous area like some inner-city American neighbourhoods)
Hope they are ok

[Chef Ramsay]

As Baltimore's curfew arrives, some protesters defiant but crowd clearing

Defiant protesters threw bottles and police launched pepper spray on Baltimore's west side as authorities tried to clear the crowd in this riot-racked city after the 10 p.m. curfew passed.

As a large crowd of media watched late Tuesday, angry demonstrators started small fires and knocked over some trash cans before they fled from the street near a burned-down CVS that has become the focus of this week’s protests and violence.

Baltimore police said on Twitter that "a group of criminals" had started a fire outside a library near the CVS.

Some demonstrators had left on their own as the curfew approached.

Overhead, a helicopter hovered, broadcasting an order on its loudspeaker: "You must go home. You will be subject to arrest."

Police moved slowly, trying to push the protesters back without making direct contact.

Tony Sellers, 40, stayed at the CVS, saying he lived two blocks away.  "We can't go out of our own homes? Why? We ain't doing nothing wrong," he said.

Elsewhere, on the city's south side, the police department tweeted about 15 minutes before curfew that at least one officer had been hurt in a rock-throwing incident.

More...http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-baltimore-riots-tuesday-20150428-story.html#page=1

[Chef Ramsay]

Smashed, looted and burned by the mob: Inside the destruction of Baltimore as shopkeepers tell how they fled burning shops and one says he called police 50 times - and nobody came

The full extent of the damage done by the violence and rioting in Baltimore is graphically revealed today.
Dozens of shops, businesses and gas stations were burned and ransacked across the city as the streets were turned into a 'war zone'.
Shopkeepers told Daily Mail Online that they fled in terror as looters rampaged in as they were still inside - and stole everything.
A family of four had to flee their apartment above the liquor store they owned when it was set ablaze underneath them.
And a gas station owner said that he had lost $53,000 after his store was ransacked. An empty ATM was smashed open during the frenzy.
Rajneesh Nagpal, 39, was furious that he had called the police 50 times but nobody came to help him.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3059382/Smashed-looted-burned-mob-inside-destruction-Baltimore-shopkeepers-tell-fled-burning-shops-one-says-called-police-50-times-came.html#ixzz3YfFMzWjL

[TheButterZone]

Baltimore: Arm yourself because nobody else here will save you.

[SaltySpitoon]

Baltimore: Arm yourself because nobody else here will save you.

Good luck, Maryland has one of the most if not the most strict gun control regulations in the US. Other little secret anti gun legislation makes it not safe to own guns. For example, I own a large gun safe, probably near a half ton in weight. If someone breaks into my house, spends a week cracking my safe, steals a weapon, and shoots someone with it, I'm liable and can be charged as an accessory.

[Bit_Happy]

Smashed, looted and burned by the mob: Inside the destruction of Baltimore as shopkeepers tell how they fled burning shops and one says he called police 50 times - and nobody came

The full extent of the damage done by the violence and rioting in Baltimore is graphically revealed today.
Dozens of shops, businesses and gas stations were burned and ransacked across the city as the streets were turned into a 'war zone'.
Shopkeepers told Daily Mail Online that they fled in terror as looters rampaged in as they were still inside - and stole everything.
A family of four had to flee their apartment above the liquor store they owned when it was set ablaze underneath them.
And a gas station owner said that he had lost $53,000 after his store was ransacked. An empty ATM was smashed open during the frenzy.
Rajneesh Nagpal, 39, was furious that he had called the police 50 times but nobody came to help him.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3059382/Smashed-looted-burned-mob-inside-destruction-Baltimore-shopkeepers-tell-fled-burning-shops-one-says-called-police-50-times-came.html#ixzz3YfFMzWjL

I mentioned earlier, most Americans are lucky that things are not much worse. These "graphically revealed" details are hopefully not what we will see much more of in the future. When the mobs set their sights on the wealthy suburbs the "over-militarized police" will be very busy.

[TheButterZone]

Baltimore: Arm yourself because nobody else here will save you.

Good luck, Maryland has one of the most if not the most strict gun control regulations in the US. Other little secret anti gun legislation makes it not safe to own guns. For example, I own a large gun safe, probably near a half ton in weight. If someone breaks into my house, spends a week cracking my safe, steals a weapon, and shoots someone with it, I'm liable and can be charged as an accessory.

Yes, it's well known that Maryland.gov is this close to summarily executing all law-abiding gun owners who won't pay bribes. Sounds like you might as well rig the safe to electrocute everyone but you. If you're going to be unjustly charged with murder, at least make it an act of self-defense/defense of others, against an actual criminal.

Have you donated to any civil rights lawsuit funds?

[Vod]

Like your president said (I am paraphrasing),

These are not people standing up for values or ideals.  These are not people looking for change.

These are thieves, bullies and looters.

[SaltySpitoon]

Yes, it's well known that Maryland.gov is this close to summarily executing all law-abiding gun owners who won't pay bribes. Sounds like you might as well rig the safe to electrocute everyone but you. If you're going to be unjustly charged with murder, at least make it an act of self-defense/defense of others, against an actual criminal.

Have you donated to any civil rights lawsuit funds?

I don't play the politics games, because every politician on all sides is going to screw you over in one way or another, so I'm very careful when I blame any political faction for things, as I'm aware that if the alternative was in power, something else would be messed up. Martin O'Malley has spearheaded some insane gun control measure in the 10ish years he was governor. Hopefully with a new governor some things will change. For the record I'm pretty pro 2nd ammendment, but thats because I come from a long line of responsible gun owners, have had a hunting license since I was 9, taken safety courses and such, and don't buy into all of the fear. I haven't donated to any civil rights lawsuit funds, because thus far they have been a waste. The supreme court has already validated half of what Maryland has done.

On topic though, I don't think we need to get rid of the police, I don't think we need to hit them with rocks or anything like that. Just a more fair accountabililty for their actions would be nice. You don't need to punish the entire police force, just make it so the individuals who abuse their power can be held liable for their actions "IF" they are deemed excessive. I'm wholly aware that corruption and shady stuff happens, but I'm also aware that people hit the police with rocks and then cry abuse when they get pepper sprayed. I'm no stranger to people trying to bait me and then cry abuse, so I recognize it rather quickly when its happening. I know the body cams thing is sort of a hot issue, I support giving them a shot anyway. Either they will legitimately help, or they will create a new genre in cinematography, as the police take extra special care to stage crime dramas so they can continue to get away with their shady shit.

All of that said, overall I respect the hell out of the Baltimore police. (Read above, no I'm not a statist, I'm for punishing individuals, not condemning entire organizations) anyone who says that they are over militarized, or over play the danger of their work environment, I invite to come spend a day (or night) in Baltimore. Take troops from war zones and put them into Baltimore, and I'd guarentee they would see some new things.

Like your president said (I am paraphrasing),

These are not people standing up for values or ideals.  These are not people looking for change.

These are thieves, bullies and looters.

Agreed, people who are looking for justice in the face of a sometimes crooked police department don't loot liquor stores, malls, shoe stores, and attack firemen. What is being overlooked in the face of all of this, is that there has been a week of peaceful protests. Not just people burning down half of the pharmacies in the city.

[freakying99]

Because people are animals.

[cryptocoiner]

In Oct 2013 a young woman with a child bumped a concrete divider near a D.C. attraction.
The police got excited.
She panicked and tried to flee.
The police filled her car with bullets.
When they finally stopped shooting she had several bullet holes in her back.
The baby that was in the car with her was not hit.

The mainstream media started by headlining "Police Rescue Baby".
When that became too absurd even for Americans they switched to " Possible Suicide Bomber Killed In D.C."

The young lady had lived in Bed Stuy and Baltimore, both places you don't stop for strangers with guns and badges don't really tell you if a person is friendly.

----

Then today Baltimore http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10354477/Woman-shot-dead-after-trying-to-ram-security-barrier-at-White-House.html

----

Any connection or coincidence?

Where is the news?
https://www.google.com/search?q=Possible+Suicide+Bomber+Killed+In+D.C.&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=%22Possible+Suicide+Bomber+Killed+In+D.C.%22

I don't see anything. But even if it's true. American police is still one of the best in the world. Take in mind there a 200 million guns in america. They should be very careful.

[ibminer]

The problem with jail is that as a general rule you do not go there when you commit a crime if you have a badge or bucks. There are exceptions when a case gets a lot of publicity and a judge is forced to put a cop or tycoon in jail, but the rule in most countries including America is no jail for cops no matter what they do as long as it can be kept out of the media.

I do not support jail generally since it is a moron solution. You are spending upwards of $30,000 a year to teach a person that the way to teach is to overpower someone and take away their freedom.

But if you support jail then it has to be the same rules for cops.

At this point there are two options, a fork, and both can be summarized 'fair game'.

This is an unintelligent statement, and at this point your just a troll or one of the geniuses actually wanting to participate in the crap that happened in Baltimore.... the guy in question here, Freddie Gray, had been arrested well over 5 times in the past 6 months alone. Was he in Jail??  No.   Does he have bucks or a badge??   No.  
Get that shit out of my face about 'badges and bucks', plenty of criminals are not in jail and plenty of them have been in police custody numerous times. Again, this doesn't mean he should have been handled the way he was handled... there is definitely a deeper issue with he police but I do not believe its based on racism. Cops are human beings that have weapons, power, a right to kill (in certain circumstances), and a fear of losing their life. This is a dangerous recipe for any human being.

It happens every day hundreds of times that people bump into concrete dividers. In some areas you learn not to stick around for minor traffic things like that. The lady had a baby in the car and was educated in some places that are worse neighborhoods than you or I are used to. She had not committed any real crime and thought she had the ability to get away. She miscalaculated. Did she make the right choice? If she had gotten away it would have been the right choice.

There was absolutely no justification for shooting her several times in the back.
No justification for the police to ptetend they had done something heroic when in fact they acted like cowards.
No justification for compounding the offense by trying to portray her as a possible suicide bomber when they knew very well that was not the case.

The case of the woman in her 90s killed by a powermad cop likewise.
Anybody, including most cops, knows that when an old lady pulls out a gun it is not to shoot. He could have told her "Put the gun away or you'll get a $20 fine" and the gun would have gone away.

Are you serious?  I hope you never become a cop in Baltimore or you will not last very long. I'm sure he told her to put the gun down, she didn't respond, it takes a split second to pull a trigger. If anything, he should have retreated and asked for backup, but I don't know the situation he was in. Grandmother or not, he doesn't know her mental status... she could be suffering from dementia and think he's a burglar, you don't know.

The problem, the real problem, is the people who need to defend cops no matter what they do.

There are very few honest cops who would take even the slightest step to defend or explain awasy either of the shootings above.

But people like you step in and do it.

Why?
---
As to the violence and how it 'counteracts that goal' or is counterproductive or whatever... I scratch my head at academics like you.

"Not rioting" does not work, okay? It is ineffective as far as most people are concerned. But you would like them to try it. How long should they try it?

I hugely dislike the cops and I am not an "academic", but cops are UNFORTUNATELY needed by our society because of people like YOU that think "not rioting does not work", and in that respect, I honor them. Destroying other peoples hard earned property, cash, etc, in my mind, is not the way to accomplish anything. Without police, those rioters would have just been killed by the people protecting their property (maybe you are ok with this type of justice? or maybe you think poverty wouldn't happen without police and there would be no rioters??).... Law abiding citizens of Baltimore had to watch their buildings being destroyed while the cops sat by and watched.... so no, I don't enjoy police. I am against them or I support them on a case by case basis.


EDIT:  She has some good points, she may be closest to the truth with regards to Baltimore:
https://www.facebook.com/blaine.cooper23/videos/810221895740651/

[Wilikon]

Source: Baltimore mayor ordered police to stand down

Despite a firm denial by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, a senior law enforcement source charges that she gave an order for police to stand down as riots broke out Monday night, raising more questions about whether some of the violence and looting could have been prevented.

The source, who is involved in the enforcement efforts, confirmed to Fox News there was a direct order from the mayor to her police chief Monday night, effectively tying the hands of officers as they were pelted with rocks and bottles.

Asked directly if the mayor was the one who gave that order, the source said: "You are God damn right it was."

The claim follows criticism of the mayor for, over the weekend, saying they were giving space to those who "wished to destroy."

By Tuesday night, despite the chaos a day earlier, Baltimore police along with the National Guard and other law enforcement contingents seemed to be restoring order in the city, which was under a curfew overnight.

Rawlings-Blake has defended her handling of the unrest, which grew out of protests over the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody.

The mayor, in an interview with Fox News' Bill Hemmer on Tuesday, denied any order was issued to hold back on Monday.

"You have to understand, it is not holding back. It is responding appropriately," she said, saying there was no stand-down directive.

She said her critics have a right to their opinion.

Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch, just days into the job, addressed the unrest on Wednesday. She offered her "deepest condolences" to the Gray family, but said the "senseless acts of violence" are a "grave danger to the community" and "counterproductive." She reiterated that the FBI and DOJ civil rights unit are investigating, and ready to offer assistance.

She said she's been in direct contact with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and others.

On Monday, Hogan suggested the mayor waited too long to request a state of emergency.

That followed criticism over her remarks over the weekend, when she said it's important to give protesters the opportunity to exercise their right to free speech.

She seemed to take that notion a step further: "It's a very delicate balancing act, because, while we tried to make sure that they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well."

As her "destroy" remarks faced a buzzsaw of criticism amid the riots Monday, the mayor initially tried to deny she said them.

"I never said nor would I ever say that we are giving people space to destroy our city, so my words should not be twisted," the mayor said Monday.

In a press conference, she accused critics of a "blatant mischaracterization."

But her office eventually released a written statement acknowledging she said those words -- while attempting to explain them.

Howard Libit, director of strategic planning and policy, said: "What she is saying within this statement was that there was an effort to give the peaceful demonstrators room to conduct their peaceful protests on Saturday. Unfortunately, as a result of providing the peaceful demonstrators with the space to share their message, that also meant that those seeking to incite violence also had the space to operate. ...

"The mayor is not saying that she asked police to give space to people who sought to create violence. Any suggestion otherwise would be a misinterpretation of her statement."

On Wednesday, Ben Carson, a potential Republican presidential candidate who was a pediatric neurosurgeon at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins, urged against "piling on" the mayor, whom he knows.

He told Fox News the bigger issue is what big-city mayors should be doing to prepare - early - for situations like this, particularly in what he described as a "tinderbox" atmosphere.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/29/source-baltimore-mayor-ordered-police-to-stand-down/

[SaltySpitoon]

This is kind of going away from Baltimore riots to national security discussion. If you think that her getting shot after hitting a barricade at the whitehouse and then driving off is rough, you should try driving to the NSA gate. Its a pretty discrete location, and tens of people accidentally take the exit to Fort Meade daily. You can't back up, and if you try they immediate stop you. The standard procedure is to have your car dissasembled before they let you leave.

@ Wilikon I dont know if her order was a good call or not, but consider this. In light of the whole police brutality revolts from Ferguson/Baltimore, etc. The world is watching to see how the police are going to respond. I don't necessarily blame them for being overly cautious. All it would have taken is one club upside the wrong person's head, them taking a flop and the riots would exponentially increase. Some additional stores got looted/burned because of police inaction, but what would have police action caused? Hindsight is 20-20

[ibminer]

You are pathetic. Here is his arrest record
March 20, 2015: Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance
March 13, 2015: Malicious destruction of property, second-degree assault
January 20, 2015: Fourth-degree burglary, trespassing
January 14, 2015: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute
December 31, 2014: Possession of narcotics with intent to distribute
December 14, 2014: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance
August 31, 2014: Illegal gambling, trespassing
January 25, 2014: Possession of marijuana
September 28, 2013: Distribution of narcotics, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, second-degree assault, second-degree escape
April 13, 2012: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, violation of probation
July 16, 2008: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent to distribute
March 28, 2008: Unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance
March 14, 2008: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to manufacture and distribute
February 11, 2008: Unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance
August 29, 2007: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, violation of probation
August 28, 2007: Possession of marijuana
August 23, 2007: False statement to a peace officer, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance
July 16, 2007: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance (2 counts)

in other words

March 20, 2015: drugs, probably marijuana
March 13, 2015: Malicious destruction of property, second-degree assault
January 20, 2015: Fourth-degree burglary, trespassing
January 14, 2015: drugs, probably marijuana
December 31, 2014: drugs, probably marijuana
December 14, 2014: drugs, probably marijuana
August 31, 2014: Illegal gambling, trespassing
January 25, 2014: Possession of marijuana
September 28, 2013: drugs, probably marijuana, second-degree assault, second-degree escape probably caused by an arrest for drugs, probably marijuana
April 13, 2012: drugs, probably marijuana
July 16, 2008: drugs, probably marijuana
March 28, 2008: drugs, probably marijuana
March 14, 2008: drugs, probably marijuana
February 11, 2008: drugs, probably marijuana
August 29, 2007: drugs, probably marijuana
August 28, 2007: Possession of marijuana
August 23, 2007: drugs, probably marijuana
July 16, 2007: drugs, probably marijuana.        

Pathetic?  
What's pathetic is quoting criminal cases you haven't even looked at. Your, again, showing your stupidity here, just assuming PROBABLY... ya never want to look at the details. The majority of charges are NOT for Marijuana. Keep spinning your facts.

Pathetic?
He's the one selling drugs (not marijuana, since this seems so important to you), burglarizing, and destructing other peoples property.... and I'm the pathetic one??  Man you really got your dignity intact...... yes that's sarcasm, and I feel I need to point that out to you.  

Saying "get that shit out of my face about badges and bucks" paints you a moron of extreme stupidity. There are people in America serving life without parole for nonviolent marijuana offences. They all have in common that they did not have badges or money. If you honestly believe that having a badge or money does not affect the justice you receive you are one of only probably a few thousand people in America who believe that. If you follow news at all it is something so absurdly obvious that comments like yours are hard to figure out.

Certainly true that cops are human beings and so on. As to having a right to kill, why don't you just look at the cases being discussed? Do you understand that they did not have a right to kill these people? Or are you saying that just having a badge justifies any killing post facto?

What else do they have in common?.... oh right, they are criminals.
Where is your source, or a list, maybe even just 5 or 6 examples of these people in jail for LIFE based on small marijuana charges.
Keep in mind, each case you bring up will have DETAILS that go along with it and will likely include multiple offenses, arrests, etc. before they got any hard jail time. Again, I realize there are bad cops, there are bad doctors, there are bad waiters.... but the 'spin' that is in the media these days makes it seem like 70% of the cops are bad, when I think its more like 10-15%   and they tend to cluster around high-crime areas.

As for your questions, a police officer has the right to defend him or herself. Self-defense, IMO, includes when someone is pointing a gun at you... you point a gun at me and I will go into 'flight or fight' mode. Cops are trained to react a specific way in that flight or fight mode, maybe part of the issue, but thinking your not in any danger when a gun is pointing at you seems a little misguided.

You are obviously a very young person. When someone points a gun at you in most cases there is no danger. A person should not be working as a cop unless they are capable of assessing the threat.

When a 93 year old lady points a derringer at you there is literally no danger whatsoever, as long as you take a step back. She didn't get to 93 by shooting a derringer at guys with 9mm's.

In this case the cop had a boner for killing. The most dangerous are soldiers and cops who get a kick from killing. He went into the situation with a vague unarticulated feeling of "I'm the boss because I will kill you otherwise", a common thing with cops.

A lot of more seasoned people will say a 93 year old woman has the right to pull a derringer on anyone she wants. It's whether you trust badges which are proven to represent dubious values or age which is the opposite. Another way to put it is that ideally a badge is a symbol that says " I am working on behalf of an older boss". A badge should not mean you need to submit to some snot nosed punk cunt who managed to get hired as a cop.

Same with the young mother who ran.

Like rock paper scissors.
93 years old trumps a badge always.
Lady with small baby trumps a badge almost always.
That's nature, it's been that way long before badges and if you disagree you will learn.

Based on this last quote, I can almost guarantee you are under 23 years old. Either that, or your way too old (70+) to understand modern-day street violence and are sitting in your retirement house watching the internet & TV. By the way, there are plenty of hard-core grandmother criminals that do not ever end up in jail because of their age, including in the Mafia and other gang organizations. Age doesn't mean shit, an unknown armed 93 year old is just as dangerous as an unknown armed 16 year old. The old lady may even be more dangerous in this comparison, depending on who the 16 year old is.

You do not "hugely dislike cops". You are playing the game of defending their mistakes in a roundabout way. Maybe you fool some people, maybe even yourself.

I don't like or dislike " cops" generically. I've known a lot of cops including family who were decent. But at this point in America cops need to be straightened out by their bosses or things are going to get hot. It might not happen for a week, a month, a year, a decade, but the system as it is is headed for major broken.

There are a lot of very simple fixes. My first choice would be tell cops that if they are first on the trigger they are unemployed. Will it lead to more cops being killed? No. There will still be times when the first person to pull the trigger is a cop but it will not be when a 93 year old granny is pissed off.

I don't believe I would mind a 'do not shoot, unless shot at' policy... but this would require all police to wear bullet-proof vests and would change procedures dramatically when approaching certain situations. I do not have the time to analyze all of the consequences of this, but it doesn't seem like a horrible starting point. The problem is, when it starts becoming more unsafe for a police officer, what type of people are you going to have signing up to be a cop??  Simple fixes have repercussions, shouldn't someone of your age know that?