Do you believe that the criminal justice system in the US should be reformed?

[iris lilies]

Hell no Sacremento no. Too hot as you say. Move to Arizona because. Um? Well anyway, it isnt California.

[jp1]

Hell no Sacremento no. Too hot as you say. Move to Arizona because. Um.

I noticed the irony there as well.

[gimmethesimplelife]

Hell no Sacremento no. Too hot as you say. Move to Arizona because. Um? Well anyway, it isnt California.

IL....no snark here, ok? I graduated Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff December of 1990. I was unable to find work graduating right into the recession of 1990 - 1991 and ended out moving to Portland, OR to look for work - at the time Portland was much less expensive to live in than it is now. We passed through Sacramento on the way and I had been debating trying my luck there.....point being I started this saga in Arizona. And moved on from Sacramento very quickly and ended out in Portland never looking back. Rob

[gimmethesimplelife]

I noticed the irony there as well.

Irony explained away in my above post.....I started this saga in Arizona ending out in Portland. I did move back to Phoenix five years later but that is another story. Rob

[gimmethesimplelife]

Rob - that’s hateful bullshit. I work with police officers every single day, and most of them are fine men and women who risk a lot to keep our community safe and to help people. Human life matters *a lot* to these folks, and your comments are vile and insulting to the men and women who endure much, in exchange for very little other than to have to listen to people like yourself paint them as monsters.

Bae, with all due respect, your point here may very well be valid and I won't take from it, ok? I will however say that after the autopsy it would very much appear that the particular officer who pulled the trigger which murdered Mr. Clark? Not of the caliber you describe above, which is my main point and has been on this topic from the moment I raised it on this board. Too many officers are not of the caliber you describe and due to social media, and also due to smartphone video, more and more of America is waking up to this fact. ITS ABOUT TIME (shout I from rooftops in the 85006 LOL) - actually, no don't take me literally, I don't shout from rooftops as this would be very ineffective.

Main point? I believe there are officers in existence of the type you describe. Unfortunately, not all are quality folks as you describe - Sacramento, CA is just the latest somewhat large American metro area learning this firsthand as we speak.

Suggestion? The good cops need to change cop culture to get the sociopaths off the force - PERIOD. It seriously undermines the credibilty of decent police officers that they look the other way and sometimes even cover for sociopaths on the force. Really, it would be wonderful PR that would actually help the cause of American law enforcement if the police would take this suggestion seriously and make strides towards getting those who should never wear a badge off the force ASAP. Obviously this can't happen overnight....even I get that. But if American police want any kind of trust whatsover from a wide swath of the general public going forward, it needs to happen.

Until then? At least a half charged smartphone on you at all times and here's a tip...download the ACLU app whereby you can record illegal activity of the police and then press an icon on the app and your recording is stored at the ACLU for legal analysis and determination of lawsuit potential. It's the least we can all do in regards to this issue to protect ourselves from those officers who are not the type you describe.

One last point? I wonder how the family of Stephon Clark would take your post above at this point, were they to read it? The friends and neighbors of the deceased? The general city of Sacramento? (LOL I bet it goes without saying how the 85006 sees this issue LOL) Rob

[gimmethesimplelife]

Hell no Sacremento no. Too hot as you say. Move to Arizona because. Um? Well anyway, it isnt California.

An interesting side note I'd like to make.

It is true that California overall is a good deal more liberal than Arizona is. The police in Arizona are certainly no angels BUT to give them a little bit of credit, they do seem to have the sense not to create high profile murder drama that California police seem to be so good at. I wonder what this is about, given that California is more liberal than Arizona? I have to admit as a liberal I don't understand this disconnect? Is it that human rights intimidate the police so they feel they have to lash out via murder to squelch minority populations? I ask you as a conservative, IL, as I can't come up with another answer as a liberal. Rob

[gimmethesimplelife]

It's going to be interesting to see how the Sacramento police department deals with the private autopsy that the Clark family had done. For seemingly the first time instead of a month's long "investigation" where everyone has a chance to get their stories straight, we now have a fairly damning story up front. Perhaps something useful we could do is separate investigations into potential police wrongdoing from the police themselves.

Good idea, jp1. I support this idea whole-heartedly. Rob

[Alan]

I wonder what this is about, given that California is more liberal than Arizona? I have to admit as a liberal I don't understand this disconnect? Is it that human rights intimidate the police so they feel they have to lash out via murder to squelch minority populations?

I suppose if you are operating under the liberal vs conservative premise you'd have to conclude that liberals have less respect for human life, and you may be right. But I think your premise is flawed.

[gimmethesimplelife]

I suppose if you are operating under the liberal vs conservative premise you'd have to conclude that liberals have less respect for human life, and you may be right. But I think your premise is flawed.

Alan, this is not what I meant to imply. My question is why do police in a much more liberal state have so little regard for human life......California is more liberal than Arizona but here in Arizona when the police cross the line it's usually vicious unprovoked illegal and unconstitutional beatings/attacks - and not murder. For some reason the sociopathery seems to be ramped up to a higher notch in California and I just don't get it, I really don't. My only guess is that seeing more human rights in the general population angers sociopathic officers to the point that they believe murder is called for....I don't know that this is the case, to be fair, but I can't come up with another answer that makes any sense whatsoever. And I'd really like to know why the police in California cross that line so much more willingly than they do in Arizona, which is indeed a much more conservative state overall. Any ideas? Rob

[jp1]

Irony explained away in my above post.....I started this saga in Arizona ending out in Portland. I did move back to Phoenix five years later but that is another story. Rob

Hopefully i didnt come across as snarky, just amused that someone who lives in phoenix would complain about the weather in sacramento, which is quite similar most of the year.

Having graduated into the 1990 economy as well i totally get your reasons. After all, i certainly didnt move to NJ to take a job in Newark upon graduation because i thought it was an awesome place.