Comments

1
I can actually see why it would be illegal to grill on a public sidewalk: the heat and flames could be dangerous to passers-by.

That said, I can't begin to imagine why police couldn't simply have said, "I'm sorry, but this is a public safety hazard. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to extinguish the fire and finish cooking your meal inside."

Chokeholds seem to be a disproportionate response, to say the least.
3
@1, on the whole I agree with both of your statements. I haven't seen either of the videos but maybe the cops did start with a polite statement. There's certainly been an absurd amount of police brutality in the last several years but I've also seen plenty of videos of police starting with a reasonable approach then being confronted with people being violent and abusive to them. I can certainly see how a simple "you have to put that fire out" can end with the woman and her husband attacking the cops and ending in a choke hold. At least it was a choke hold and not a taser or a gun.

I'm not necessarily defending the cops here. I'm just saying that until I see the video the jury's out.
4
The cop could have written out a ticket for a fine and if the woman didn't cooperate, he could have threatened to write a ticket for a much bigger amount unless the grilling was moved inside of the premises or stopped. Money talks with stubborn people.
5
This is about police departments in general. They have all become more militarized and violent towards everyone. All the ex military they bring in still are told that it's "You vs, Them" just like in a war zone. So they treat the streets of any city as if they were fighting terrorists overseas.
6
This is idiotic. The anti-grilling law only serves to prevent poor people who don't have yards from grilling. If the grilling completely blocked the sidewalk or was actually dangerous, then there are laws that cover that. But a blanket ban only serves to punish the poor and give the police another excuse to brutally assault them.
7
@6: You don't think it's possible that the police were trying to enforce the existing laws that this woman was breaking?

Please wait...

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