Friday, July 22, 2005

A suggestion

London Police Kill Man At Tube Station. (via. AOL News)
   Muslim leaders expressed concern at the shooting. Inayat Bunglawala, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said he had spoken to "jumpy and nervous" Muslims since the shooting. "I have just had one phone call saying `What if I was carrying a rucksack?' It's vital the police give a statement about what occurred and explain why the man was shot dead," he said.
   I have a suggestion. When the police yell at you to stop, don't run away, vault the barriers at the subway station, and attempt to board a train. When the police yell at you to stop, stop. When the police yell at you to lie down with your hands behind your head, lie down with your hands behind your head. when the police determine that you are not a threat, you may request of them an apology. Only the guilty run.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

My thoughts exactly.  I have been stopped, questioned, and released twice in my life.  I didn't question the reason why and did not feel that intruded upon.  

Chris
http://journals.aol.com/swibirun/Inanethoughtsandinsaneramblings
http://journals.aol.com/swibirun/MyJournalJarSaturdaySixetcanswer

Anonymous said...

"Only the guilty run."

Err...that way lies dangerous thinking.

Presumed innocent until proven guilty, no?

Anonymous said...

Comment from: wyldbeest2
""Only the guilty run."

Err...that way lies dangerous thinking.

Presumed innocent until proven guilty, no?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Well, yes, but...

  A man walks into a subway station in the middle of a hot summer day, wearing a bulky, padded coat capable of concealing a significant sized bomb. He is also carrying a rucksack, the method of delivery of the latest bombs. I believe the police have a reasonable suspicion, grounds to stop and search the man. When accosted by police, the man runs, hurdles the barriers into the subway station, and attempts to board a train. In the current climate in London, the police, again my opinion, are justified in thinking the man is a significant threat to the safety of the general public. They must take him down. It is their responsibility in that position. Anybody who bellyaches about should be told to shut up and sit down.
  If I am walking down the street, and the cops point their guns at me and yell, "stop! Get down on the ground," I'll tell you what I do. I get my fat ass down on the ground as fast as I bleeding well can. I do not try to run away, therefore I do not get my fat ass shot out from under me.
  When the police satisfy themselves that I am not a terrorist threat and release me, I thank them for being vigilant, and urge them to continue protecting my safety in just such an enthusiastic manner. But hey, that's just me.

Paul

Anonymous said...

Damn skippy!!!  Great point!

Be well,
Dawn

Anonymous said...

when you listen to the news live it can convey a surreal quality.  this morning's events came across at first like this "the man was wearing heavy clothing and had the appearance of a cornered rabbit" (live bbc news report).  Just what kind of clothing do these cornered rabbits chose to wear?
It is also of more serious concern that these live reactive reports tend to emphasise the stereotype - eg. police are looking for a 6 ft 2 Asian or black man with wires sticking out of his top (yesterday's live news and webpage).  Carrying a rucksack starts to be something you'd feel worried about doing - looking worried is a sign that draws attention from the crowd and from the police.  Add being of a non-white appearance and you'll start to look even more worried...

Anonymous said...

Good suggestion. But this concerns me. Common sense doesn't always win out when it should. One never knows how they'll react when in a situation like this - guilty or not. Esp. considering the vibe against certain segments of the population. IMO, running does not justify shooting him. They already had him restrained. And if he was guilty - what good is shooting him going to do? He could have provided valuable information. ~ Lori

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

You are a London "bobbie"....You are assigned to the " tube"....You know the "tube" has been bombed by suicide murderers of middle east descent....You know there was a second botched attempt just days later....   You spot a man of middle east descent approaching the tube sporting a back-pack and wearing bulky clothing. ...You know it is JULY....You intercept the gentleman...You are very polite being English and all..... You ask him quietly if you may look inside his clothing and back-pack...You sense for a millisecond this explo

Anonymous said...

For the reasons you state, I think it was probably justifiable or at least excusable that the police shot him.  However, there is one thing some of you may be overlooking.  We are fortunate enough to live in a country where if the police tell us to stop or detain us, we can be reasonably assured that no serious harm is going to come to us and that everything will quickly be cleared up if all is in order.  This is not the case in a lot of countries.  

I know of at least one person who came to my province (Nova Scotia, Canada) that didn't speak English and was jumped.  He managed to fight off the attackers but when the police arrived--intending only to help him--he took one look at them and panicked--so much so that he was almost committed for being mentally unstable and would have missed the ship he was working on--all because of his fear of police and what he thought this could mean based on what passed as "law enforcement" in his country.

Not saying this is by any means the norm or what happened in this case, but something to consider.