That’s racist
Look at that picture. Don’t those armed black men scare you?!
In Philly, the police are disarming black men who lawfully carry firearms:
In the last two years, Philadelphia police have confiscated guns from at least nine men – including four security guards – who were carrying them legally, and only one of the guns has been returned, according to interviews with the men.
Eight of the men said that they were detained by police – two for 18 hours each. Two were hospitalized for diabetic issues while in custody, one of whom was handcuffed to a bed. Charges were filed against three of the men, only to be withdrawn by the District Attorney’s Office.
They’re suing. And I hope they win.
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:12 am
Not clear on the concept here: I thought Philly’s preemption was overruled by the PA legislature?
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:42 am
Sorry, but officers’ safety does not come before or after not infringing on people’s rights. There is a balance between the two that has been carefully and firmly established by the courts.
When someone becomes a police officer, they voluntarily accept a certain degree of increased risk – including sacrificing a certain degree of personal safety while doing the job in order to respect the rights of others.
Being a police officer is not a safe job. If you aren’t willing to accept that increased risk, quit the force and go get a job as a nerf tester, where you won’t have to worry about getting hurt.
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:07 am
So citizens should stop getting permits (which infringe on their rights anyway) because “‘Citizen’ safety comes first, and not disobeying the law comes second,” I guess.
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:09 am
This case is about dangerous minorities. Nothing a dirty nasty cop fears more than a hulking black man with a gun. Especially when he is legally carrying it.
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:19 am
The armed black men don’t scare me at all – that one guy’s beard, however…
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:26 am
I thought Republicans where racists, and Liberals where the champions of racial diversity, tolerance and equal rights?
Where are all of the Liberals screaming racism when the government disarms Blacks?
Where is the ACLU at?
Oh, that’s right, this isn’t a civil right, being armed is a privilege granted to the people at the whim of the government, not like other rights that really exist, like the right to privacy.
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:53 am
I wonder if that Healy guy realizes he made a lot of lawyers really happy with that statement.
City attorney “we have a single officer unclear on the concept of citizen’s rights, we’ll train him, and give the defendant $5 for his trouble”
Plaintiff attorney “The officers illegal conduct was official department policy, we take $ 5,000 in compensatory and punitive for $1M”
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Healy needs to find a new job, the bitch. Clearly isn’t abiding by her oath.
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Sue guys SUE!
Here in Texas back during reconstruction they made it illegal to carry a handgun unless you were ‘traveling’. And there was no definition as to what the term ‘traveling’ was. This gave an open door for any cop, sheriff, trooper, or just city cop, to arrest any black man who carried a handgun, anywhere!
It was used many times to just be an excuse to lock up those the local cops felt were undesirable, while the people in power could ‘travel’ anywhere.
So sue guys! Black or white or brown or Asian or heck you can be from Mars. SUE! Sue ‘em blind!
September 3rd, 2010 at 2:13 pm
All Philadelphia city employees perpetuating this criminal activity should be charged under 18 USC 242.