Journal GMontag's Journal: Police Abuse of Power: Michael Jackson Case 10
Okay, Michael Jackson is interviewed on CBS and makes wild, public, claims about the Santa Barbara, CA police re. his treatment during his arrest.
Fine. If there is some VALID law agaist that bring it on. However, the Sheriff is way off base when he decides that a statement in an interview is a "formal complaint." More accurately, the Sheriff says he is going to treat it as a formal complaint.
Formal complaints, in common terms, are in writing. I have heard a California lawyer or two say that the law in California says the same thing. None has been filed nor attempted to be filed.
This is yet another abuse of power and trampling of rights against a citizen by the overwhelming police powers of government.
Did Jackson name an officer and say "he hurt me?" No. His complaint is against the government, police in particular at this point, and that is still supposed to be protected speech.
Hopefully the investigation by the California Attourney's General, called for by the Sheriff, will result in the Sheriff's incarceration for wasting the time of the State.
The oddballs in our country have rights. The same rights as the rest of us.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Dude, WTF are you doing paying any attention (Score:1)
Huh? (Score:1)
Sorry, if you read the documents of our founding fathers, the rights you mention are 'human' rights. If MJ is anything other than an alien his own people couldn't deal with, I'll eat my hat.
What are you smoking, GM, and can I get some? (Score:2)
Whether or not MJ filed a formal complaint, he made very public accusations about the professionalism of the police. That police chief has two responsibilities: 1) insure that his officers are acting responsibly, and 2) insure that the public is confident that his officers are acting responsibly. The "public confidence" issue means he needs to investigate any publicized allegation, regardless of whether a formal complaint is filed.
Besides, even if no complaint is filed, his department (and him) has been
Re:What are you smoking, GM, and can I get some? (Score:1)
My complaint is that the Sheriff has invented a formal complaint from thin air and is now asking the AG investigate.
How can you slader a department? Does the State of California run around arresting anybody who speaks ill of the government, justified or not?
The counter to MJs behavior was touched on by the Sheriff. Show the tapes you have of the events and counter the charges in public if it means all that mu
Re:What are you smoking, GM, and can I get some? (Score:1)
I'm sure there's some more interesting "Burn & Loot" articles or something out there somewhere.
Re:What are you smoking, GM, and can I get some? (Score:1)
Part of the onus against verbal complaints is that there's no record. The videotape of the interview provides the record in this case.
Re:What are you smoking, GM, and can I get some? (Score:1)
As I said, plain as day in my JE, if there is some legal way to address these comments by all means do so. One good way was with the press confrence showing more tape of the arrest. Perhaps there are other ways that include sanctions.
Inventing a formal complaint out of a comment is NOT the right way to do this. If it is successful we will have the lovely situation where anything se say can be taken as a "fo
Pffft. (Score:2)
But almost immediately after this dislocation was supposed to have happened, he appeared in public, displaying the agility of both arms by his waving to folks.
Police brutality? Pshaw. Pshaw, I say.
Tough call on this one (Score:2)
The police chief is probably within his bounds to treat that as a complaint and thus have it investigated. Now for the charging of "false complaint" I'm sure that will get thrown out due to the lack of a formal complaint. The investigative process will be a g