Remember a few days ago, when we saw LAPD officers repeatedly punching an arrested man in the face before cuffing him? Well, that video prompted an FBI investigation.
Here’s a new video, taken by a student’s camera phone, displaying similar police brutality, again, in Los Angelas. The student was asked to leave the library when he could not produce an ID. As the student was headed towards the doors, an officer grabbed his arm (I would assume to “escort” him out) at which point the student began yelling “Get off me!” A second officer approached and it was at this point when the student was tased for the first time… Let’s hope that this video can generate enough attention to prompt another FBI investigation in LA.
In an article on Yahoo! about the first instance, it is said that:
Legal observers said the public has become somewhat desensitized to questionable police tactics caught on tape because such videos have become more prevalent since the King beating. In many cases, officers have been exonerated.
“The first reaction by people is one of outrage,” said Eugene O’Donnell, a professor of police studies at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. “But the more you see police officers using force on tape, the more you get used to it.”
I sincerely hope that people don’t just “get used” to seeing this sort of thing. It should make you sick to your stomach, and if it doesn’t – I would wonder if you’re really human.