A Female Passenger on Benson's Boat Called for Help

[VietCowboy]

I'll hold all judgement until everything comes out. She came forward after she felt his reputation was being tarnished, so I wouldn't put it past her to embelish upon a 'more what I heard than what I saw' story. However, I wouldn't put it past big ego river cops either.

+1. of course, I don't believe everything she says. when you recount a story, and all you come out of it smelling like roses, it is quite fishy. I think she definitely exaggerated to make her side of the story more innocent.


But, we'll see...pretty interesting that all of a sudden they've got pictures now, when instead of pictures, they could have been rushing to his aid? I don't know.

 

[arglebargle]

....

It amazes me that so many people assume that the Austin Gestapo went on a manhunt for poor innocent Cedric just so they could harass and pepper spray him. Maybe the police story could actually be correct and he was resisting arrest? Why is that so hard to believe?

A few years ago, I got handcuffed by the Austin Police off 6th St., because an undercover cop claimed he saw me 'breaking in' to a truck. Problem was, it was my truck, and I had opened it with my keys, and was rummaging around trying to find something behind the seat. Fortunately for him, the regular pair of cops were polite and professional, so I didn't pursue it. But the undercover guy was a jerk, and lied to my face about seeing me bust in to my own vehicle.

I worked for awhile for the a business run by the wife of an Austin cop. He was a great guy (as long as you didn't have tattoos). However he was talking about work one day, and complaining how his super MagLite flashlight had disappeared from his locker at work. When I asked him about it, he said he had forgotten to lock his locker, and if you left your locker open your stuff would get stolen. This from the locker in a police station in Austin.

You get all types in uniform, and I think you are foolish to take everything at face value. When push comes to shove, Police look after their own. Regardless of the facts of the situation.

This could turn out either way. Do the police have a video of the incident?

 

[TOOMBS]

+1. of course, I don't believe everything she says. when you recount a story, and all you come out of it smelling like roses, it is quite fishy. I think she definitely exaggerated to make her side of the story more innocent.


But, we'll see...pretty interesting that all of a sudden they've got pictures now, when instead of pictures, they could have been rushing to his aid? I don't know.

LOL!!!! Yeah, if you want felony obstruction. Great idea.

 

[Vintage]

This is true. I was often profiled as a teen because I had a fast car. I even got pulled over one time by a Volunteer Special Deputy. He lost his badge for that.

One time I got questioned by a cop for an extensive amount of time because I was sitting in my car at a park early in the morning, writing a poem for an English assignment that was due that day that I had procrastinated too long on. He not only spent 30 minutes inspecting everything he possibly could, he spent another 30 minutes parked nearby to keep an eye on me. Hey if he enjoyed watching me struggle to write a sonnet more power to him.

Last year, my roommate and I were out driving around in the middle of the day. Like, mid afternoon. We were listening to some music, just minding our own business. My friend got pulled over for DWB. He searched the car and found nothing. He let us go. Our crime? Black driver + rap music.

When I was 12, I had a knife pulled on me and the guy told me he was going to stab me. This was at school, mind you. When the cops came to take my statement, etc, they turned it around on me. They accused me of bringing the knife to school, demanded to see where I put the knife, accused me of threatening another student, and tried to pin the whole thing on me. They told me I was going to go to jail and probably be expelled from school unless I confessed. I was 12 and scared ****less. Fortunately, there were several witnesses and there stories all matched mine. And the guy who threatened to stab me; they later told me his story was that he was joking around and didn't actually mean he was going to stab me. The cops harassed me for a good hour, which may not seem like long, but for a 12 year old.... it seemed like an eternity.

I've had another run in with the cops before, but I was 17 at that time... and I learned my lesson from the previous encounter. I told them my story, told them who could verify my story. They once again tried the same B.S., and I simply told them to stick to the facts; and unless they could produce some tangible evidence, I wasn't commenting on anything more. Since I was a minor, I also told them I was done speaking until they brought my parents in. Needless to say, this time went a lot smoother.

The first situation, I was a victim. The second situation, I was merely at the wrong place at the wrong time.

And pigs wonder why they get shot at sometimes? Or disrespected? Some of them have it coming.

 

[heavyg]

If I was a Police Chief in this day and age I would require video tape or at the very least audio tape of every encounter my officers had with the public. It would cost some $$$ but in the end it would save more in court costs.

 

[theebs]

Well I believe Benson and his friends.

Sounds like a couple of ticked off officers who were upset with there life or something and decided to take it out on a young wealthy black man bothering no one.

How many times have we heard that.

I hope it all comes out what happens and the officers lose their job. You cant just abuse power and dish out punishment.

 

[Kangaroo]

Do people actually still talk like that in Texas?

In parts yes it still happens in some hick towns around here in East Texas and stuff

 

[TheCount]

If I was a Police Chief in this day and age I would require video tape or at the very least audio tape of every encounter my officers had with the public. It would cost some $$$ but in the end it would save more in court costs.

I don't think we're too far away from that actually. A lot of highway patrol cars already have video cameras mounted on the dash, I can't imagine it would take much to require all police to carry a digital recording device on their person and record every encounter they have when questioning someone.

It would put them under a lot of pressure and scrutiny though, that's probably why it hasn't happened.

 

[FCBarca]

Black man being beaten up by cops in Texas... Hmm, is there really a doubt about what and how things went down?

Moreover, I find this simply a cautionary tale about power...Remember what Machiavelli said?

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Celebrity profiling may be in play in this case.

Yes, you could be right.

May not be a "Black" thing, but rather a "Class" thing.

 

[Doomsday101]

There are too many examples, both widely known and those from one's personal experiences that suggest that the law is not infallable and do make mistakes.

Furthermore, there is no question some cops participate in profiling, though it is not always based on Race.

True, when on the hunt for most serial killers the police profile white males between the ages of 35 to 45 things is it proves to hold true the vast majority of the time.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

This is true. I was often profiled as a teen because I had a fast car. I even got pulled over one time by a Volunteer Special Deputy. He lost his badge for that.

One time I got questioned by a cop for an extensive amount of time because I was sitting in my car at a park early in the morning, writing a poem for an English assignment that was due that day that I had procrastinated too long on. He not only spent 30 minutes inspecting everything he possibly could, he spent another 30 minutes parked nearby to keep an eye on me. Hey if he enjoyed watching me struggle to write a sonnet more power to him.

:laugh2:

Man, Hostile has a joke and a story for every possible topic .

 

[Maikeru-sama]

That's messed up. People take cynicism for attorneys too far. If anything this sounds like a situation where an attorney may do some good but you feel like turning it into some "frivilous lawsuit" cliche.

No, simply stating that:

1) Lawyer(s) are about to get paid.
2) It is he said/she said and regardless, people are going to believe what they want to believe.

 

[Chief]

And pigs wonder why they get shot at sometimes? Or disrespected? Some of them have it coming.

 

[dallasfaniac]

It is 100s of feet since planes don't get more than 10 miles in the air. A few of my friends have been on those types of flights.

Back in my contract programming days I would have to fly all over, sometimes5 round trip flights a week. My worst trip was flying into Minnesota. I was sitting in first class (when it actually meant something, lol), we were starting our decent and up to that point it was a very smooth flight, when out of the blue the plane shot up and then dropped what felt like miles. The flight attendant was leaning in to talk to the pilot at the time and fell to the ground, banging the cabin door real loud (I didn't see what she did when we dropped because I looked out the window immediately) and then the oxygen masks dropped. I felt the seatbelt pull against my legs, preventing me from flying up to the ceiling.

The pilot came on with a shaky voice once we leveled out, apologizing for the incident and saying that they weren't expecting it etc. and the flight attendant strapped herself into her seat the rest of the landing.

I'm sure some people probably filled their britches but I ran to my next flight with clean underwear. Some poeple would fill their britches without turbulence just because they are afraid to fly.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Last year, my roommate and I were out driving around in the middle of the day. Like, mid afternoon. We were listening to some music, just minding our own business. My friend got pulled over for DWB. He searched the car and found nothing. He let us go. Our crime? Black driver + rap music.

When I was 12, I had a knife pulled on me and the guy told me he was going to stab me. This was at school, mind you. When the cops came to take my statement, etc, they turned it around on me. They accused me of bringing the knife to school, demanded to see where I put the knife, accused me of threatening another student, and tried to pin the whole thing on me. They told me I was going to go to jail and probably be expelled from school unless I confessed. I was 12 and scared ****less. Fortunately, there were several witnesses and there stories all matched mine. And the guy who threatened to stab me; they later told me his story was that he was joking around and didn't actually mean he was going to stab me. The cops harassed me for a good hour, which may not seem like long, but for a 12 year old.... it seemed like an eternity.

I've had another run in with the cops before, but I was 17 at that time... and I learned my lesson from the previous encounter. I told them my story, told them who could verify my story. They once again tried the same B.S., and I simply told them to stick to the facts; and unless they could produce some tangible evidence, I wasn't commenting on anything more. Since I was a minor, I also told them I was done speaking until they brought my parents in. Needless to say, this time went a lot smoother.

The first situation, I was a victim. The second situation, I was merely at the wrong place at the wrong time.

And pigs wonder why they get shot at sometimes? Or disrespected? Some of them have it coming.

Man, that's a little harsh isn't it?

Now, if you were to say, "And cops wonder why people give them such an attitude", I would agree with you.

 

[Danny White]

shoulda called me. i could have had one for you in 20 minutes. : )

Yeah, but it would have started: "There once was a man from Nantucket..."

 

[Vintage]

It may not be right; but it is inevitable.

They keep acting like pricks and harassing people, they are going to stumble across someone who they pushed to far.

Wrong? Sure.

Inevitable? Yeah.

 

[paladin]

One time I got questioned by a cop for an extensive amount of time because I was sitting in my car at a park early in the morning, writing a poem for an English assignment that was due that day that I had procrastinated too long on. He not only spent 30 minutes inspecting everything he possibly could, he spent another 30 minutes parked nearby to keep an eye on me. Hey if he enjoyed watching me struggle to write a sonnet more power to him.

Maybe he was just a poetry lover?
He is a public servant, you should have utilized him:
"Excuse me officer, do you know a rhyme for totalitarism?"

I'm sure his response would be..... interesting

 

[trueblue1687]

Alot of the conspiracy theorists remind me of the Steve Foley (think that was his name...played for the Chargers and got drilled by the policeman) incident. I never laughed so hard in my entire life at all the bubble heads on radio talk shows that formed a "cop stalking athlete" angle. Completely ridiculous and in the end, quite a different story (the real one) came out when he was convicted or plead guilty. Same goes for the cop vs black man/woman/etc. A very stale argument usually....I didn't say always, but usually it is used as an excuse to shirk responsibility for bad decisions/actions. I'm going to predict that Benson refused to go with the officers and they were left with their only recourse: to physically remove him. So many people mistakenly think that when a police officer says: "you're under arrest"....that it is open for debate, when in fact the first refusal to comply is resisting arrest. Interesting to see how many folks will belly up to the crow if Benson is found to be guilty. Also very curious as to why there were no other calls to 911 on behalf of their "black friend". As a side note, there will only be blood test results if Benson agreed to take one (smart to do if you're not drunk). Police can't physically force you to take one unless they flatten your nose and collect the blood that way.....that was, of course a joke