American (Georgian) style policing

steeljack · 11-01-2007, 03:34

Any Brits with thoughts of visiting Georgia should read this ........
incidentally this is the home state of one of our regular contributors......
I await her comments on this incident

, if they behave this way to a visiting history professor I wonder how they treat members of the local ethnic communites.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...istorian11.xml

WillowTheWhisp · 11-01-2007, 06:48

Well that's enough to put me off going to Atlanta. I'm amazed he doesn't intend to sue, I would certainly have expected him to.

steve · 11-01-2007, 06:54

Next time he might listen, they should try that here.

WillowTheWhisp · 11-01-2007, 07:13

If I was in a strange city and some guy who didn't clearly look like a policeman shouted at me to stop I'd be more likely to hurry on as quickly as possible. If I was kicked to the ground I'd be more likely to think I was being mugged than being arrested. It does sound very OTT.

jedimaster · 11-01-2007, 07:49

id have thought that it would be comon sense when in a foreign country to make yourself aware of the rules and seeing that this is a supposedly well educated person i'd have thought that this would have been obvious.

i make two observations from the picture

1. it's pretty obvious to anyone that these are police officers
2. he doesn't look like he has been subjected to the extreme violence he
so claims he experienced

it seems to me that this is just another toffee nosed git in a foreign country with the "that's hardly cricket old boy" attitude

bet he won't do it again though!

chav1 · 11-01-2007, 07:50

well done to the police i wish they would do that to the morons here that just walk out into the road without looking

i have an online buddy who is a state marshall i think they call them in georgia and he woulda probably shot the idiot

chav1 · 11-01-2007, 08:03

from teh story

Quote:

The professor said he had no plans to sue, adding: "It was actually a fantastic experience going into that detention centre and spending time with those miserable wretches of the earth. I feel I've learnt more than I would have in important sessions of the Historical Association."

so hes in jail for breaking the law but somehow hes above everyone esle in jail

deserved to get a kicking teh snotty nerd

garinda · 11-01-2007, 08:23

I've travelled the world, and have never been arrested.

The professor sounds an idiot, and a snob.

It would have been interesting to read a fuller account of the incident from the police officer's side.

Moral, when in Rome, or Atlanta, don't jay walk, and if you break the law comply with the authorities, even if you have leather patches on the elbows of your tweed jacket.

Ianto.W. · 11-01-2007, 10:01

I wonder if 'Bullseye' has read this yet steeljack.

shakermaker · 11-01-2007, 10:30

Looks like the police around there are just egotistical idiots.
You can jaywalk in some of the busiest places in the world such as Manhattan without a cop batting an eyelid but once the donut munchers in Georgia (just look at the detective with the beer gut - I really bet you'd want that serving and protecting you) get the chance to exercise authority then they abuse it.
The guy is a snob yes, but no one deserves that treatment.

garinda · 11-01-2007, 10:52

If you go down to 'day 3' of this link, you can watch the 'victims' account of the incident, by pressing play on the YouTube link.

Though he doesn't mention the kicking, and flying arms that he apparently exhibited when asked for his i-d, according to the offical police report.

http://hnn.us/articles/33409.html#Day3

jedimaster · 11-01-2007, 11:04

what a twot!!!!

Lolly · 11-01-2007, 11:56

Just sounds like a snob. Its quite funny actually.

SPUGGIE J · 11-01-2007, 13:15

When in Rome.

He might have been shot then he might have had a complaint. Try that over here and shouts of police brutality and my human rights would come forth faster than a Cheetah on speed.

WillowTheWhisp · 11-01-2007, 13:48

Are you guys really serious? Because you think this professor is a snob it's OK for his to be violently assaulted by the police?

Why is he a snob? Is it because he speaks with an educated accent and doesn't say "Well, like, er, yunno" ? He seems like a very aimiable mild mannered likeable chap to me. He clearly didn't realise that the person speaking to him was a policeman but from what he says he hadn't even ignored the guy. He'd thanked him for telling him he couldn't cross the road there.

As a foreigner in town would he be clearly aware that it was a crime to cross the road there? Especilly considering he'd seen plenty of other people doing so. Is there anyone on this board who has never crossed elsewhere than on a zebra crossing or waited for the little green man? I see loads of people in accy walking across at pelican crossings when the red man is lit.

Is it really so offensive to ask the policeman to identify himself as a police officer? I thought they were obliged to do that anyway (seen them flashing the badge so many times in the movies) and over here we are constantly being told we should ask officials for their ID and that they expect this and will not be offended.

This part of the article struck me:

Quote:

In court even the prosecutors seemed embarrassed by the incident, which got out of hand when Fernandez-Armesto requested to see the policeman's identification (the policeman was wearing a bomber jacket; to Fernandez-Armesto, a foreigner unfamiliar with American culture, the officer did not look like an officer). The prosecutors asked the professor to plead nolo contendere. He refused, concerned that the stain on his record might put his green card status in jeopardy. Officials finally agreed to drop all charges. The judge expressed his approval. The professor says he has no plans to sue. But the AHA council is considering lodging a complaint with the city.

Even the prosecutors seemed embarrassed? The judge approved of the charges being dropped? The AHA is not best chuffed.

I don't think the large gentleman is a police officer. It sounds like he was one of the security staff who came out to assist.

Why did the professor need to be kicked to the ground even if he was being arrested? Did the policeman really need 4 others to assist him? He wasn't tackling the incredible hulk.