More abuse of authority

My friend Sue sent me a link to her post on the recent suspension of a Baltimore LEO. The email read:

this one’s for you.

It made me ill. The boy is 14.

In yet another report of blatant abuse of authority, Baltimore PD’s Officer Rivieri headlocked, detained and berated a 14 year old male for not licking his boots. Oh, I’m sure that some will watch the video and scream about the young man skateboarding in an off-limits area and perhaps he was. But the young man’s actions were nothing that deserved the treatment proffered by the 17 year police veteran. See for yourself here:

The video is obviously unsettling in and of itself, but here are a few transcribed lines:

First of all, you disrespected me, this badge and my department! You understand me? When I’m talking to you, you shut your mouth and you listen! Obviously, your parents don’t put a foot in your butt quite enough because you don’t understand the meaning of respect!

First of all, you better learn how to speak! I’m not man; I’m not dude. I am Officer Rivieri! The sooner you learn that, the longer you’ll live in this world. Cuz you go around doing this kind of stuff, somebody’s gonna kill you!

How old are you? 14! Sit down!

…snip…

Your friends’ got brains in their head; they know when to shut their mouth. You just keep flappin’! Now, what’s your name?

Ummm, yeah. This is “protect and serve” at its finest and if I were a Baltimore resident, I’d feel sooo warm and fuzzy after Officer Rivieri saved the city from a 14 year old skateboarder whose only real transgression was failing to hear the initial request over the music in his ears. Perhaps the city should consider banning earphones like New York.

Or maybe, and I know this seems to be an antiquated thought, the police could get back to actually solving real crimes rather than shaking down the people who pay their salaries. And I have to say that if I were Eric Bush’s mother, this shit would have been investigated last year when it happened. You see, like Officer Rivieri, my daddy’s last name ends in a vowel and I know how to deal with control freak cops and there ain’t nothing nice about a pissed off mother who was raised Italian.

More police misconduct here.

An aside to Sue: Chica!!! My husband wants to know what you’re doing to him. He thinks you should ring me him before you send news like this. The doc gave me early VDay presents (we normally don’t exchange gifts) and I was sitting here thinking about throwing some freaky shit on him. I opened gifts of a purse and my favorite bottle of perfume and after a few kisses, took a quick call from a sis and got sidetracked by your email. I’m telling him that it’s not your fault and that I consider the bag and perfume a make-up gift for buying me a MacBook Pro first. Seriously, I’m stumbling so badly on this computer that I photographed the one I’m gonna miss in my showoff pic.

~ by Miche on February 12, 2008.