Thousands rally in U.S. over police killings

America is a police state. This is by virtue of having way way too many cops, much more than could possibly be properly trained, or even of sufficient IQ.

Of course police tactics need to change. They need to be trained not to be so dog-like in closing the gap between themselves and suspects. In the Michael Brown case, the lone officer actually backed his patrol car up to the suspect and ordered him to come over to the patrol car, and that was originally over telling him to stop walking on a side street, a totally overbearing and unnecessary order. An altercation began, but that is not when the shooting happened. The officer actually chased Brown down, once again, closing the gap. From there the officer claims Brown lunged at him. Who knows if this is true? But one thing is for sure: the officer placed himself in the distance to be lunged at...TWICE.

That is similar to the Zimmerman case, where Zimmerman quite willfully closed the gap and then finds himself face to face with the suspect. Cop or community watch, closing the gap should come with legal liability. To be allowed to close the gap, THEN stand your ground is ridiculous.

And the Tamir Rice case is way over the top. Its actually worse than both cases above. The cops closed the gap at high speed in a patrol car through grass and between trees. They put themselves within inches of the suspect only yelling warnings as they approached through the window (not even using the speaker system). Then claim the kid reached for the weapon (he was probably trying to toss it). If they had kept their distance and ascertained the situation, everything would have been fine. Instead, they put even their own lives at risk executing an entirely unnecessary blitzkrieg maneuver. And I will add that the officer who shot the kid was known to have had problems, illustrating my point that there are too many cops in America to ensure they are all qualified.

America is a police state.

No, it's not.

This is by virtue of having way way too many cops, much more than could possibly be properly trained, or even of sufficient IQ.

So now you have to insult thousands of cops that put their lives on the line everyday. They get my total respect. Being a cop is not an easy job. My brother is a cop and he has a Masters in Criminology, not dumb and definitely doesn't have an insuffient lack of Having an IQ.

Of course police tactics need to change. They need to be trained not to be so dog-like in closing the gap between themselves and suspects.

Or how about people just listening to the cops, when the cop is talking to you, keep your mouth shut, don't argue, don't talk back, don't get an attitude and don't walk up to the officer or Threaten them, then there would be NO need to fear the officer, otherwise how are they supposed to know you are not going to be a threat to them. Honestly, having covered the Hood in Los Angeles and seen what the police have to deal with on a daily basis, I don't blame them one bit for being overly cautious.

In the Michael Brown case, the lone officer actually backed his patrol car up to the suspect and ordered him to come over to the patrol car, and that was originally over telling him to stop walking on a side street, a totally overbearing and unnecessary order.

Doesn't matter, do as the officer says and if you feel he or she was overstepping their authority, file a complaint after the incident.

An altercation began, but that is not when the shooting happened. The officer actually chased Brown down, once again, closing the gap. From there the officer claims Brown lunged at him. Who knows if this is true? But one thing is for sure: the officer placed himself in the distance to be lunged at...TWICE.

From the credible witnesses and NOT the ones that lied and were dismissed as their testimonies didn't hold up, the Grand Jury saw it was all a farce and after 4 months of investigation, they came up with nothing and therefore couldn't indict Wilson. Brown was responsible for his own demise, had he not charged the officer, he'd still be alive today, no doubt in my mind.

That is similar to the Zimmerman case, where Zimmerman quite willfully closed the gap and then finds himself face to face with the suspect. Cop or community watch, closing the gap should come with legal liability. To be allowed to close the gap, THEN stand your ground is ridiculous.

Zimmerman was doing watch patrol and if he felt that Martin was acting suspiciously, he had every right, not to mention every responsibility to check up on Martin. As with Wilson, Martin should not have jumped on Zimmerman and tried to punch him out.

And the Tamir Rice case is way over the top. Its actually worse than both cases above. The cops closed the gap at high speed in a patrol car through grass and between trees. They put themselves within inches of the suspect only yelling warnings as they approached through the window (not even using the speaker system).

Yes, which they should have as protocol. Again, the cop doesn't have to use his speaker system, there is NO mandatory requirement stating they have to.

Then claim the kid reached for the weapon (he was probably trying to toss it).

Probably, but the officer didn't know that and from a distance, you can't tell. You have absolutely NO idea what happens in a gun fight and the seconds you have time to react and return fire. When I hear people scrutinizing and trying to stupidity claim the cop should have done this or that shows me, people like you really don't understand the complexity of what and how policing is.

If they had kept their distance and ascertained the situation, everything would have been fine.

You don't know that, that is totally irresponsible for you to say that!

Instead, they put even their own lives at risk executing an entirely unnecessary blitzkrieg maneuver. And I will add that the officer who shot the kid was known to have had problems, illustrating my point that there are too many cops in America to ensure they are all qualified.

No one said, that all police are perfect, I will agree on some areas they can make some adjustments, but I'm very happy we have in the Big cities a lot of police. We have too many thugs engaging in all sorts of petty crimes to murder and robbery. And Thank God for the heavy police presence, if we didn't crime in the major cities would be out of control. Look at Chicago, less police, out of control crime and it's getting worse.

It's amazing how fast social movement can grow in America. That hasn't happened in Japan since the 60s.

So now you have to insult thousands of cops that put their lives on the line everyday.

More citizens die at the hands of cops than cops die in the line of duty.

In 2012 the U.S. had 780,000 officers. In that year, 122 officers died in the line of duty. So about 0.015 percent of police die each year, and I cannot even tell you how many died as a result of traffic accidents at this time, but don't discount that as a means of death.

There are 17,000 law enforcement agencies in America. Only 750 of them contribute statistics to the FBI database. That database shows 400 killings by police per year., a ratio of 1 to 23. That means anywhere from 400 to 9200 citizens are killed by police each year. Lets assume its in the middle: 4,400 people. Now, who exactly is putting their lives on the line by being out of doors?

Obviously, most of those citizen deaths don't make it to the news. Some, just barely, like Luis Rodriguez of Oklahoma who was beaten to death by police in Feb of this year. His wife and daughter had an argument in a store and in that heated moment, as he was trying to stop his wife from driving off in a rage, cops asked him for ID. He asked the police to stay out of it, and they took him down and beat him to death. There is also the guy who had a BB gun in Walmart. He was followed around by some panicky loons with cell phones as he walked around the store. The police came and promptly killed him.

he had every right there is NO mandatory requirement

None of that should trump common sense. Which is why I say that closing the gap should come with legal repercussions. If Zimmerman was so concerned, he should have called out to Martin, not stalked him. All Zimmerman did was make HIMSELF a cause for suspicion, in fact, a much more obvious cause than Martin.

Doesn't matter, do as the officer says and if you feel he or she was overstepping their authority, file a complaint after the incident.

You say its easy for me to say things. Meanwhile, there you go, saying easy things. When suddenly confronted by police, people are shocked and surprised and not thinking logically like that. Meanwhile, you are all soft on the people who shock and surprise people as a job, and forgive them for being unaware of the effect they have on people, at best, or, at worst, totally abusing the ability and power they well know they have.

You don't know that, that is totally irresponsible for you to say that!

No its not. Ascertaining situations is always wise. Rushing in on the basis of a phone call about a gun is not. Granted its 20/20 hindsight that I know it would have been fine in that case, but it does not matter. No one was reported shot. No shots were heard. There was zero reason to take the kid down a.s.a.p. or jump in his face. Toy guns are legal to own, and so are real guns. Cops should not be rushing in on people reported to have a gun, surprise the living hell out of them, then gun them down because they twitched.

Its not me expecting too much from cops. Its YOU and THEM expecting too much from untrained citizens.

And I have not even gotten into the choking death of Eric Garner confronted by cops just for selling untaxed cigarettes.

All these cops are getting off scot free despite being totally overbearing for no good reason and going flat out overboard. Each time this happens, respect for the police goes down. And NO, you cannot make up for that by putting more police out there being ever more reckless.

In fact, you paint me as the enemy of police, but I think its YOU Bass.

America is a police state. This is by virtue of having way way too many cops, much more than could possibly be properly trained, or even of sufficient IQ.

Really? Wouldn't know it living here.

I haven't seen any police at all in over a week. Last time I saw any was last Sunday in a pizza place where 4 officers came in for a late lunch. They were polite and stepped out of my way.

On the road is the most likely place for most Americans to see a cop. I've always been treated respectfully when pulled over, even as a teen driver. Sometimes I didn't agree with the citations, went to court and had everything thrown out (the cop WAS wrong) and the court saw it. Other times, I paid the fine (deserved) and moved on.

For me, I'm most likely to see police in and around the airport, but not really anywhere else in my Atlanta suburban town. OTOH, we teach our kids to be respectful towards ALL adults here, including Police officers and to never point any firearm (real or fake) at any human, period.

Even when I worked in midtown Atlanta for a decade, I'd see police once every other week in a patrol car or the transit police standing outside a subway station. That hardly makes the USA a police state, but I can understand if I had to live in a dangerous part of town how the police there might act very differently and could always be on-edge and worried about violence. Over time, that constant worry might cause them to be just a little rougher with people they meet. I think of Israeli troops working a checkpoint and using completely arbitrary decisions to throw off anyone wishing harm. I haven't seen that in the USA.

Police state? Nope, but I can understand why people living around the world and seeing these headlines could believe that. Those a tiny, tiny, tiny, slices of life views and have very little to do with an average American experience.

More citizens die at the hands of cops than cops die in the line of duty. In 2012 the U.S. had 780,000 officers. In that year, 122 officers died in the line of duty. So about 0.015 percent of police die each year, and I cannot even tell you how many died as a result of traffic accidents at this time, but don't discount that as a means of death.

Because you have more crazy psychopaths roaming the streets generally speaking and the majority of the shootings are justified.

Obviously, most of those citizen deaths don't make it to the news. Some, just barely, like Luis Rodriguez of Oklahoma who was beaten to death by police in Feb of this year. His wife and daughter had an argument in a store and in that heated moment, as he was trying to stop his wife from driving off in a rage, cops asked him for ID. He asked the police to stay out of it, and they took him down and beat him to death. There is also the guy who had a BB gun in Walmart. He was followed around by some panicky loons with cell phones as he walked around the store. The police came and promptly killed him.

I'm not going to make any judgment until I read the entire police report. Do officers make mistakes, of course, are there bad cops, sure, but 99% of the cops out there are honest hardworking and good people that put their lives on the line for us. There are some cops that definitely shouldn't be a cop, but that's not the majority.

None of that should trump common sense. Which is why I say that closing the gap should come with legal repercussions. If Zimmerman was so concerned, he should have called out to Martin, not stalked him. All Zimmerman did was make HIMSELF a cause for suspicion, in fact, a much more obvious cause than Martin.

He didn't have to. I don't blame Zimmerman, I probably would have done the same thing Zimmerman did. Martin made the mistake of jumping him and this is a mistake a lot of people make, wanting to act tough, thinking they can whoop anyone's a**! Martin could have answered Zimmerman got checked out and would have been on his way, but he didn't, he wanted to be a tough guy and we all know what happened next.

You say its easy for me to say things. Meanwhile, there you go, saying easy things. When suddenly confronted by police, people are shocked and surprised and not thinking logically like that. Meanwhile, you are all soft on the people who shock and surprise people as a job, and forgive them for being unaware of the effect they have on people, at best, or, at worst, totally abusing the ability and power they well know they have.

Not at all, but I have worked the streets for many years as a reporter and my brother is a cop, so I know what these guys go through and for me, the pay wouldn't be enough to risk my life like that. I am not saying things easily, but everyone, including you are. There seems to be a problem in our society where people think that they can act and do as they want. How about this: listen to the officer, don't be a jerk, don't confront the cop, you shouldn't have anything to worry about then. I have done it my whole life and yes, I had encountered a rude cop, I filed a complaint and the officer was suspended for a very long time. I did it calmly and rationally.

No its not. Ascertaining situations is always wise.

Are you a cop? Do you know what you just said is nonsense, completely! Ascertain, yes, be ready to shoot someone in the event something bad goes wrong, definitely!

Rushing in on the basis of a phone call about a gun is not.

How do you know? Do you live in that neighborhood, can you without any shred of facts confirm this?

Granted its 20/20 hindsight that I know it would have been fine in that case, but it does not matter. No one was reported shot. No shots were heard. There was zero reason to take the kid down a.s.a.p. or jump in his face. Toy guns are legal to own, and so are real guns. Cops should not be rushing in on people reported to have a gun, surprise the living hell out of them, then gun them down because they twitched.

On the one hand you are right, but in that situation, I blame the kids parents. If you live in a crime ridden area and you still have the guts or insanity to walk the streets, as a parent, you'd have to be completely, mentally fried to allow a kid to walk around with a toy gun and a gun that is almost identical to the real thing and you go outside, the officer can't tell from afar if it is real or not. Maybe the cop was an idiot, I might have done the same thing if I were in the same position.

Its not me expecting too much from cops. Its YOU and THEM expecting too much from untrained citizens.

No, I think that's the problem. A lot of people think they can act anyway they want and talk anyway they please. Yes, if the people would be less verbally confrontational towards a cop, maybe we would see less shootings.

And I have not even gotten into the choking death of Eric Garner confronted by cops just for selling untaxed cigarettes.

I will give to you that one. But generally speaking the majority of cops do a really job with their work.

All these cops are getting off scot free despite being totally overbearing for no good reason and going flat out overboard. Each time this happens, respect for the police goes down. And NO, you cannot make up for that by putting more police out there being ever more reckless.

Again, you are making broad generalizations about the entire police force as if they are a monolithic group

In fact, you paint me as the enemy of police, but I think its YOU Bass.

Believe me when I tell, I am the last person to be the enemy of the police.

How many of you on board with the media hype have ever seen the depressed neighborhoods? They are not very safe and they have lots of substance abusers, many clearly have no self respect and violence is pervasive.

Inner city police officers need to patrol these neighborhoods all day long. Police are not stupid, they do not have racial targets, the job is to protect. When suspects resist arrest police do not just give up! Surely anyone even thinking of such policy is absurd.

And yes, police are people too, not infallible, not perfect. The difference is if and when they make a mistake it can result in a death.

When police die, they serve ant protect. When a thug dies it is a result of breaking a law. A huge difference Guy!!!

http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2014/12/11/what-aclu-says-to-do-if-stopped-by-police/

What the ACLU says to do if stopped by police ...

Here's a checklist of ways to make sure police encounters remain peaceful, without squandering rights, courtesy of the ACLU.

Stay calm and in control of your words, body language, and emotions. Anything you say or do can be used against you.

Do not argue with officers. If you feel you must tell police they are wrong, do so in a non-confrontational way.

Keep your hands where police can see them and do not touch an officer or resist physically.

If arrested, ask for a lawyer immediately. Explaining your situation without a lawyer may harm your case.

You may ask for officers' names, badge numbers and business cards.

You never have to consent to a search of yourself or your belongings, including your cellphone.

Try to find witnesses and write down their names and phone numbers.

If hurt, take photos of the injuries, but get medical attention first. Ask for copies of your medical treatment files.

Write down everything you remember immediately after the encounter.