Exton, PA Cop Harasses Ron Paul Supporters during Sign Bomb (Calling all RP Supporters)

[GetTech]

http://www.copblock.org/9019/exton/

Pennsylvania Residents are trying to gain some Ron Paul support in our State only to be bullied by the police. Please all Ron Supporters please help speak out against this type of behavior.

[Revolution9]

It ain't the guys job to be nice to the cop either. Shoulda reminded him of that. What a frakkin' overamped testosteronated hunk of flaw reinforcement rabble.

Rev9

[Carole]

Sorry, but the sign waver did himself no favors. Once he understood what the officer's position/reasoning was, he could have negotiated with him where a suitable place for their activity would be. Instead, he seemed to be trying to antagonize the officer by repeatedly arguing the same point. It looked intentional that he was trying to antagonize the officer.

The officer should have kept his cool, but was being met with stubborn repetitive remarks/questions.

I cannot be sympathetic to the sign wavers on this one.

[Revolution9]

Sorry, but the sign waver did himself no favors. Once he understood what the officer's position/reasoning was, he could have negotiated with him where a suitable place for their activity would be. Instead, he seemed to be trying to antagonize the officer by repeatedly arguing the same point. It looked intentional that he was trying to antagonize the officer.

The officer should have kept his cool, but was being met with stubborn repetitive remarks/questions.

I cannot be sympathetic to the sign wavers on this one.

So..you agree with the cops schoolyard bully swagger when total, immediate, unquestioning compliance is not adhered to. Or how about the bullshit answer to the recording equals arrest if he says so. Or the mocking of an inhabitant who states the law as decided and he gives him a yard of lip about whether he is a lawyer, like that qualifies you to understand lawful decisions or not. What he was saying was pure bullshit too. Like some placard sized signs are gonna cause an accident he will have to clean up. What a load of arsewipe and bumfodder. I don't mind cops and have helped them out when bozos got out of hand and they needed names and descriptions to get the criminal. This guy however reminds me of the new cop they assigned to L5P in Atlanta right after a bartender got his face blown off in a night robbery. Some local homeless told me who was involved. So I go to talk to this guy who has black leather punk gloves on and is harassing a lady who has been homeless for 12+ years there after she got gangraped and had a major nervous breakdown. The longtime beat cops didn't touch her and helped her out here and there. He wanted her to start moving.. I tried to introduce myself with a handshake and my name and he looked at disgust at my outstretched hand. I withdrew it. This is right outside my yard fence BTW. I told him I had info on the possible killer/s of the bartender. He ignored me and told the woman to get moving because he said so. His shoulder radio went off and he got in his car and drove away. Not interested in real police work..just exercising the pride of power. The next day the detectives were in the area, got the info and the guys were busted. Interestingly the detective was the same one who was on her case when the woman was raped and he went and spoke with her and she shone with a smile all that day.

rev9

[69360]

Sorry, but the sign waver did himself no favors. Once he understood what the officer's position/reasoning was, he could have negotiated with him where a suitable place for their activity would be. Instead, he seemed to be trying to antagonize the officer by repeatedly arguing the same point. It looked intentional that he was trying to antagonize the officer.

The officer should have kept his cool, but was being met with stubborn repetitive remarks/questions.

I cannot be sympathetic to the sign wavers on this one.

I agree.

People, think before you do stuff. Fighting with the police in the streets doesn't make the campaign look good and doesn't win GOP primary votes.

[No Free Beer]

The cop was being a dick, but you guys kept pushing him. Don't do that shit. You should have just said "okay", and left the island.

[noneedtoaggress]

I'm with Rev9 on this one.

They were asking some relevant questions, and were being polite while the officer was barking at them. The one RP supporter asked the guy in uniform, politely, "can I ask why you're acting angry?" and the officer was obviously caught off guard and after realizing he looked bad on the camera escalated the problems by...

THREATENING THE RON PAUL SUPPORTERS FOR VIDEO RECORDING HIM IN PUBLIC.

[GetTech]

^ I am with you on this one as well. I understand what the other posters said and Im sure the people in the video where instigating him to a degree. But the real question is almost same as what Ron Paul Say about "What do we expect as the role from Government". I don't like seeing police who are supposed to serve and protect the public, treat the public with such utter disrespect. I am sure a cops job is hard and thankless, but half these laws they are enforcing are semi bogus attempts at drummin up some money for the system by shaking the publics money tree. I feel police can conduct themselves in a much better manner that serves the publics interests and still look like professionals we the people respect. Fireman are here to serve and protect the people as well. You almost never hear ppl talk about the mistreatment from fireman

[Tod]

Sorry, but the sign waver did himself no favors. Once he understood what the officer's position/reasoning was, he could have negotiated with him where a suitable place for their activity would be. Instead, he seemed to be trying to antagonize the officer by repeatedly arguing the same point. It looked intentional that he was trying to antagonize the officer.

The officer should have kept his cool, but was being met with stubborn repetitive remarks/questions.

I cannot be sympathetic to the sign wavers on this one.


I agree.

People, think before you do stuff. Fighting with the police in the streets doesn't make the campaign look good and doesn't win GOP primary votes.

I agree. The cop had a very legitimate concern and although he was losing his cool, these sign wavers were in the wrong and if this exchange gets much airplay, the net result is a detriment to the campaign.

[dbill27]

That cop was way out of line. It wasn't professional and for a government employee who has a legal monopoly on violence to lose his cool that easy is cause for concern.

[Captain Shays]

The cop was an ahole but he was right. All these guys had to do was treat him with a little respect and negotiate a different place. ATTITUDE is EVERYTHING kids

[kojirodensetsu]

This whole situation could have been avoided if when he said "don't stand on the island" if the person went "ok, I understand that I'm blocking the view of cars. Where would a suitable place to hold our signs be?"

Sure the police was still being a bit of a dick. But the guy was provoking him by arguing with the officer when the officer was crystal clear of what he wanted and why. To not block the cars' view. Is that so unreasonable? Don't be surprised if when you push someone they push you back.

[kuckfeynes]

Yeah it's all well and good to stand up to authority and fight for what you believe in UNTIL you realize that the average Republican primary voter still thinks very highly of the cops in general and their "right" to push you around. They often associate rebelliousness with lefties (and rightfully so, just look at Tea Party compared to OWS)... So it would be wise to defer to authority even when they are being abusive, and save the hardcore civil disobedience for the general election fight!

[Verrater]

The cop was an ahole but he was right. All these guys had to do was treat him with a little respect and negotiate a different place. ATTITUDE is EVERYTHING kids

Sorry, i disagree. He's a public official not some super class of person. Those guys were just asking questions, and never got violent, angry, or loud. They were questioning him and have a right to do so. He was loud, angry, and abrasive; cops are trained to de-escalate situations not escalate them with false claims and threats of arrest. He's an intimidation agent with a chip on his shoulder and needs retrained.

Then when he finds out he's being recorded acting like a jerk, he gets even angrier and threatens them with arrest.
When the kid confronts his ignorance he threatens them again. He was scared, as he knew what he did was wrong.
He's a bad cop and should find a different job if he can't handle the stress of serving state interest.

I can't believe all the contempt of cop believers here.

[69360]

When you are out there holding signs, you represent the campaign. If the police ask you to move, just do it. Keep your personal beliefs about the police to yourself. All it would take is one group getting arrested for the media to spin it negative. They are just looking for any chance to disparage the campaign. Don't give it to them. GOP primary voters are very conservative and law abiding, they won't vote for a campaign seen as lawbreakers.

[Revolution9]

When you are out there holding signs, you represent the campaign. If the police ask you to move, just do it. Keep your personal beliefs about the police to yourself. All it would take is one group getting arrested for the media to spin it negative. They are just looking for any chance to disparage the campaign. Don't give it to them. GOP primary voters are very conservative and law abiding, they won't vote for a campaign seen as lawbreakers.

Then report the guy to his superiors for violating your right to political free speech. They have no right to designate sign waving zones. They will shove you down an alley if given the bogus authority. Do not lie down and offer the jackboot a neck to easily rest his power of pride footwear on.

Rev9

[cucucachu0000]

the whole lying to citizens about laws to scare them into doing what you want is bull and should be illegal. but it seemed like as soon as the camera went over there the kid was trying to stir some shit. i try to keep my contact with cops to a minimum as soon as i can walk away i do it cuz theres so many bullshit laws theyll fine something to get you to shutup

[Captain Shays]

Sorry, i disagree. He's a public official not some super class of person. Those guys were just asking questions, and never got violent, angry, or loud. They were questioning him and have a right to do so. He was loud, angry, and abrasive; cops are trained to de-escalate situations not escalate them with false claims and threats of arrest. He's an intimidation agent with a chip on his shoulder and needs retrained.

Then when he finds out he's being recorded acting like a jerk, he gets even angrier and threatens them with arrest.
When the kid confronts his ignorance he threatens them again. He was scared, as he knew what he did was wrong.
He's a bad cop and should find a different job if he can't handle the stress of serving state interest.

I can't believe all the contempt of cop believers here.

In the beginning of the conversation, or rather, the beginning of the recorded conversation, there was a point when the cop made it very clear to stay out of the street and do not block the view of drivers. He was obviously concerned about these guys blocking the view of drivers and the accident it might cause. After he made that clear, he turned as if he was ready to walk away and leave it as it may be. But the kid had to say something else with an attitude. Look, that cop is a dick, there's no doubt about it but he was ready to walk away before that kid said something else that set the cop off. Believe me. I do not want to make ANY excuses for the abuse of authority but this could have been a lot easier and it could have become a lot worse. You should be glad that it didn't. Could you see the headlines in the local rag? Ron Paul campaign workers cause accident" or "Ron Paul campaign workers arrested".

[Verrater]

In the beginning of the conversation, or rather, the beginning of the recorded conversation, there was a point when the cop made it very clear to stay out of the street and do not block the view of drivers. He was obviously concerned about these guys blocking the view of drivers and the accident it might cause. After he made that clear, he turned as if he was ready to walk away and leave it as it may be. But the kid had to say something else with an attitude. Look, that cop is a dick, there's no doubt about it but he was ready to walk away before that kid said something else that set the cop off. Believe me. I do not want to make ANY excuses for the abuse of authority but this could have been a lot easier and it could have become a lot worse. You should be glad that it didn't. Could you see the headlines in the local rag? Ron Paul campaign workers cause accident" or "Ron Paul campaign workers arrested".

Don't get me wrong. I understand that it looks bad on the campaign and I agree they should have just asked where they could stand. I am not arguing that in the least.
However, they had every right to do what they did. If the cop can't handle people being snarky or questioning then he has no reason being a cop. Not to mention the fact he probably gives a shit less about the Constitution that he swore to uphold.

I have a lot of LEO friends, i use to work at a police department, and cops like this always fall by the wayside.
They either get sued to many times, quit, or get hurt.

[69360]

Then report the guy to his superiors for violating your right to political free speech. They have no right to designate sign waving zones. They will shove you down an alley if given the bogus authority. Do not lie down and offer the jackboot a neck to easily rest his power of pride footwear on.

Rev9

His concern was that they were blocking drivers view of traffic and might cause an accident. That's a legitimate concern. I don't think the cop cared about anyone's politics, he just didn't want an accident. Asshole cop or not, he had a point and they should have just moved.

Fighting a media bias this big we have to be very careful about appearances if we want to win.

[Veterans for Paul]

That Cop needs to be knocked down a few notches... He apparently thinks he's God's gift to society, and I can almost guarantee his fellow officers think he's a D-Bag... I wouldn't trust him in a life or death situation, that's for sure

[Okie RP fan]

The people in the video were fine up until he asked him why he seemed angry and should have just started waving the signs right there on that sidewalk.

Next time, do not bother messing with the cops anymore.

[MelissaCato]

PA is a whole other breed of American, police included.

[GetTech]

^ I am not offended by your comment at all I promise. I am from PA, educate me..

[GetTech]

BTW from this site http://www.copblock.org/9019/exton/

One of the comments in the blog they say:

Allen Christian says:
October 13, 2011 at 11:01 pm

How many times does anyone, not just the LEO but anyone need to repeat, repeat, repeat an answer to a question, question, question. Your attempt to change and ask the same question several times to hassle the LEO was just stupid, how many times have you heard the same words from your parents. My 10-year old daughter would understand about blocking the view of merging drivers. You were just trying to get that LEO ramped up. Good job showing your inability to understand a simple order. DON’T BLOCK THE VISION OF THE DRIVERS WITH YOUR BIG SIGNS. Maybe this was a setup, How lucky you are there was no accident caused by those signs. Is it worth getting people hurt just to ramp up a police officer. You best look at your priorities about safety of the public.


Keith Nothing More, Nothing Less says:
October 14, 2011 at 12:06 am

Allen Christian: We asked him 5 times if it was okay if we moved to a safer location and if that suited his preference but he dishonerably did not reply to our questions with nothing more than “IF I HAVE TO COME BACK WE ARE GONNA HAVE A PROBLEM”. We never once were in dishoner. The Jackbooted thug just needed to get a fix on picking on someone, usually he gets away with it. This time he was COPBLOCKED!


From the raw footage at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo77rvrHt1w It does sound like the young kid was asking the cop nicely if certain areas would be more acceptable to him. His response to a simple question to me kinda shows he wasn't looking for trouble, he was trying to find out specifically what the police considered a safer spot. The cops response is disgusting, he could have handled that situation much better being a professional dealing with the public. These were young people, you would think the police would want to be viewed role model citizens for all the people. You would think they would want people to willing respect police officers. Sadly when this type of police behavior occurs, nothing good comes out of it other then the continuation of the wedge driven deeper between the police and the citizens.

[PeacePlan]

And to think we pay his wages...

[McDermit]

Saw this linked on Twitter this morning, and my initial reaction was that the kid should have just shut up after the cop asked them to move. The interaction should have ended at that point. The cop definitely got carried away, but I'd probably have gotten pissed off too in his position.

We've had cops question us and tell us to stay off a median, but we were always respectful and didn't try to escalate things. Never had any real problems. If you want to pick fights and challenge the police, don't do it while representing Ron Paul.

[Dary]

I don't like seeing police who are supposed to serve and protect the public, treat the public with such utter disrespect.

Police don't serve and protect the public. They serve and protect the state. Ever notice how when a new court case is announced it's always "The State" vs so-and-so. If the police come to your aid against the bad guys, it isn't because they are interested in protecting you. It's to protect the interest that the state has in you.

[GetTech]

^lol that was a nice shot of depression lol:)

[Czolgosz]

Watched it again. I agree w/ the cop regarding his point about the visibility issue.

But it was his demeanor w/ the Subjects that created this problem. Fvck that cop.

At :39 the cop could have responded to the question about the grassy spots and told them where might be suitable, the interaction would likely have ended right then and there. But no. He's a government fvckhead bully.