We have hundreds of entries here on this site alone which show instances of police brutality, oppression, and tyrannical authority in this country. Regular viewers here know full well that we are quite dedicated to exposing corruption, holding police accountable, and even resisting "legal" abuses of power by government.
However, this is not one of those videos. This is one of those rare times where we take a good hard look at the other side of the coin.
A true activist must remain completely objective, completely honest with themselves. As such, it is not tolerable to cry wolf and scream "police brutality" every time an officer tries to do his job.
It has been truly disheartening for me to see many of my fellow "anti-cop" activists use this video as an example of abusive authority. Not only were the police completely justified in their use of force here, in this instance, but to claim otherwise trivializes what has happened to so many genuine victims of police brutality. Furthermore, it completely undermines everything that a true advocate for fair and equal justice works for.
Exposing abusive authority is not about taking every opportunity that comes along to bash the police. Not every instance of police use-of-force is a crime, or unjust. With so many screaming bloody murder that what happened here is abuse, it's no wonder why the average citizen sitting on a jury, striving to me more sensible, will more often than not side with the police and give them the benefit of the doubt, to the detriment of genuine victims.
I said this before in another article where I actually defended police too, but making baseless accusations against the police simply because you hate cops, is as bad as a cop planting a bag of dope in your glovebox during a traffic stop.
I for one, have more integrity than that, and will not tolerate mindless rhetoric from either camp.
Not only were the police legally justified here, but morally as well. That dipshit deserved to get dumped on his has and it's little wonder why his own roommates had to kick his ass 45 minutes earlier.
EDIT to add a few key points:
1. It is none the complainant's business why it took 45 minutes before that officer arrived. Prioritization of calls is usually handled by dispatch, not the officers themselves. Even if it was up to the officer, he is under no obligation to explain where he was coming from, and may even be bound by HIPPA laws and other regulations to not disclose any such information. For all we know (or that wiseass) that cop may have just come on duty and went directly to assist the moment he started up his cruiser. If the caller wanted to make a legitimate complaint about response time, he should file a complaint with the department, or local political representation.
2. When the subject aggressively entered the personal space of the officer, the officer was in danger, and have every right to protect himself. That is not the right of just the police, that is anyone's right to protect themselves from an imminent threat. If you are armed (cop or not) and someone aggressively enters to within reach of your weapon, you are obligated to use force or potentially lose control of your weapon.
3. As a soldier, the complainant should have known even better than the average citizen how to conduct himself in a mutually respectful manner. If he were still a member of the armed forces at the time of this incident, he may have been subject to reprimand under the UCMJ for conduct unbecoming.
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