PDA

View Full Version : Video from civilians vs police shootout in Oakland...




Reason
07-19-2010, 09:10 PM
YouTube - Sniper Shootout in Oakland : Police Negotiations Fail, Civil Unrest Begins in California (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWqWddushqw)

ClayTrainor
07-19-2010, 09:17 PM
holy shit....

Anti Federalist
07-19-2010, 09:18 PM
ETA - Thought this was the same story.

My mistake.



Is this the latest anti-government police shooting?


War Room
Monday, Jul 19, 2010 19:05 ET

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/07/19/another_right_wing_police_shooting

A heavily-armed man who was angry at liberals in Congress allegedly opened fire on police in Oakland

On Sunday, a heavily-armed Groveland, California, man named Byron Williams allegedly opened fire at police after they pulled over his truck in Oakland. After a dramatic shootout, two officers sustained injuries from flying shards of glass and Williams -- who had a shotgun, a handgun, a rifle, and was wearing a bulletproof vest -- was in the hospital in serious condition.

Williams' mother Janice told a local ABC affiliate her son often became angry watching TV news and "[h]e feels the people of this country are being raped by our government and politicians." She told the San Francisco Chronicle that Byron Williams was also upset at "the way Congress was railroading through all these left-wing agenda items." Meanwhile, the San Jose Mercury News quotes unnamed law enforcement sources saying that Williams, 45, "has a history showing he is anti-government, anti-corporation and against liberal causes.

If Williams was indeed motivated by anger at the government -- and it's important to note that police still haven't commented on motive -- then this is, by our count, the third recent case of people angry at the government or the Obama Administration opening fire on police.

The other two cases share some strands with the Williams case (bullet-proof vests, lots of guns, traffic stops), but they resulted in the deaths of several police officers.

In April 2009, 22-year-old Richard Poplawski allegedly opened fire on police who responded to a 911 call from Poplawski's mother. Poplawski, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest and was armed with an assault rifle and two other guns, survived the ensuing four-hour gun battle -- but three police officers were killed. His friends said he feared "the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon."

This past May, Jerry Kane and his teenage son Joe opened fire on police, killing two officers, when after they were pulled over on the highway in West Memphis, Arkansas. Kane and his son, who were killed by police later that day, traveled the country giving debt-elimination seminars based on an anti-government theory that all bank loans and modern finance are fundamentally illegitimate. Kane had also complained about being stopped at a "Nazi checkpoint" in New Mexico and fantasized about beating up IRS agents.

We'll probably find out more about the Williams case in Oakland in the coming weeks. One apparent focus of the investigation is a three-ring binder labeled "California" that authorities found in his truck.
Is this the latest anti-government police shooting?

California Highway Patrol spokesman Trent Cross told Salon that the FBI, which is assisting in the investigation, showed interest in the binder. "They just put it in a bag, sealed it, and took off. They took it and are being real quiet about it," Cross said.

An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment, referring Salon to the Oakland Police Department, which did not return a call.

CasualApathy
07-19-2010, 09:31 PM
This is what people need to remember when making broad accusations against police officers in general, just look at some of the shit they have to go through. I wouldn't want to be a police officer, and i can understand how shit like this can mess anyone up to the point where they might snap and abuse their power. It isn't an excuse, abuse can never be tolerated, but i can certainly understand how the stress of the job can get to you. Police officers are expected to risk their lives and deal with the worst of the worst scumbags and killers we have, and they are underfunded and poorly trained to deal with it.

JK/SEA
07-19-2010, 10:13 PM
This is what people need to remember when making broad accusations against police officers in general, just look at some of the shit they have to go through. I wouldn't want to be a police officer, and i can understand how shit like this can mess anyone up to the point where they might snap and abuse their power. It isn't an excuse, abuse can never be tolerated, but i can certainly understand how the stress of the job can get to you. Police officers are expected to risk their lives and deal with the worst of the worst scumbags and killers we have, and they are underfunded and poorly trained to deal with it.


hmmm...yeah, well, there is a question if the 'poliiiice' are even Constitutional...

They wanted to play Policeman. They weren't drafted. If they don't like getting shot at?..quit...the shooter was in the 'fuck it' mode...do you know why, or do you care?

Austrian Econ Disciple
07-19-2010, 10:14 PM
And people think the Government could handle an uprising...ha! Not saying its advised, but the Government would be powerless to stop it, though if history is any indication it is a rare sight indeed for liberty to come out of it. We should be throwing roses at the police in groups of hundreds of thousands. :p

That said, Oakland could reduce their crime by 50% if they just and went ahead and decriminalized all drugs.

CasualApathy
07-19-2010, 11:14 PM
hmmm...yeah, well, there is a question if the 'poliiiice' are even Constitutional...

They wanted to play Policeman. They weren't drafted. If they don't like getting shot at?..quit...the shooter was in the 'fuck it' mode...do you know why, or do you care?

The constitution is based on a strong belief in the rule of law, so of course you need law enforcement. Of course I agree that a lot of unconstitutional laws have been written since the founding of your country, but that is sort of besides the point I was trying to make. I was simply saying that being a police officer is a pretty crappy and risky job that I can only imagine has to gnaw at the soul of those who take it upon themselves to be police officers in crime-plauged areas. Imagine knowing for instance that any traffic-stop you make entails the risk of someone pulling a gun on you simply because he is a criminal and you are a police officer. I wouldn't want to put myself in their place, and I can certainly understand how something like that would mess you up over time. That's all I am saying, and having said that I also believe that if you can't handle the stress, you shouldn't wear the badge. But you need to remember that police officers are just human like the rest of us and there is a limit to the amount of stress a man can handle before he snaps.

And no, I have no sympathy at all with the shooter/shooters in that video. I do have a lot of sympathy for the police, and I really don't think anyone besides the criminals would want to live in a society with no police.

TruckinMike
07-20-2010, 06:28 AM
...That said, Oakland could reduce their crime by 50% if they just and went ahead and decriminalized all drugs.

An under statement. +1

TMike

Reason
07-20-2010, 10:46 AM
//