I saw this early this morning:
CINCINNATI — The mayor of Cincinnati said a videotape shows police officers were defending themselves when they used metal nightsticks to repeatedly strike a 400-pound black man, who later died after the confrontation Sunday.
The cause of the death of Nathaniel Jones (search), 41, was under investigation. But preliminary autopsy results showed he had an enlarged heart, and his blood contained cocaine and PCP, or "angel dust," both of which can cause bizarre or aggressive behavior, Hamilton County Coroner Carl Parrott said.From the police cruiser videotape, I saw this huge man physically attack one police officer. Afterward, another officer gets this man on the ground and begins beating him with a night-stick. Now you’d think after about ten of those, the guy would get the hint: stay down. But no. He gets up and tries to pull the night-stick out of the police officer’s hand.
Hmm. Four hundred pounds plus a**-whipping plus PCP equals heart attack.
What? He didn’t die from getting shot? Come on, now. This is Cincinnati we're talking about here and we know it’s Cincinnati because now we have this nonsense:
Black activists say the death was another example of brutality involving Cincinnati police. The fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a white police officer in April 2001 prompted three nights of rioting in the city.
"How many of our people have to die before the city decides to do something about it?" said Nathaniel Livingston Jr. of the Coalition for a Just Cincinnati.
You know what? I’ve had just about enough of this BS. Not one ounce of responsibility in this "activist's" philosophy. And children are watching, listening and learning how to evade responsibility as adults; like the good little sociopaths they were when they were born.
All it will get them is dead.
It's a sure bet that Mr. Jones will lose weight now.
UPDATE: From the coroner's report, Mr. Jones weighed a mere 350. Something else I noticed from the videotape: Mr. Jones can be heard clearly calling an officer "white boy" and "redneck" before he physically attacks this same officer.
Wouldn't you hate to be a pallbearer at that funeral? I'm sorry, I know that was rude. But it was just so...waiting there to be said.
This is my first visit to your site. I come via Gut Rumbles. Rob speaks highly of you. I can see why.
Posted by: wanda | December 01, 2003 at 02:56 PM
Another example of your great insight. Why can't the masses understand? A parent should know at least as much about their children as you do! It just gets sadder and sadder.
Posted by: Indigo | December 01, 2003 at 03:09 PM
This case was dinner conversation. Leave the man's race and picture out of it, and everything, sadly changes. Oh, maybe not. Obese people are oppressed, too - so the "400 pound man" part would've gotten some attention.
The word "PCP" might actually get noticed.
I read two different accounts on this this afternoon and noted the placement of the drug information - in both it was long after "police beat up a 400 pound man and he died."
Thanks for writing.
hln
Posted by: hln | December 01, 2003 at 05:42 PM
Ma'am, I've worked in and survived 4 months in a state asylum for the mentally-deranged.
I WATCHED as a 96-pound, 61-year-old schizophrenic woman THREW her BED out a cyclone-fencing-covered window!
We (all staff) were required by law to take courses on protecting ourselves without hurting the inmates... sane and humane safety...
Because when humans tap into their violence, they are -Gee, how can I say this?- VIOLENT! Deadly!
We woke this morning to see Thai TV playing the tape, but I didn't catch the "PCP" bit... thanks, my sons need to know that, because it WAS played here as "Brutal White Thug Officers Do It Again", which, if PCP was coursing through Big-Guy's veins, was NOT the case!
Posted by: Sharpshooter | December 01, 2003 at 09:30 PM
Baldilocks, have you ever been accused about your black shoe polish wearing off, that you're turning white?
I appreciate your views, very much.
Posted by: Ms Anna | December 02, 2003 at 08:01 AM
Ms. Anna: Nearly from the cradle.
Sharpshooter: In the videotape, one can hear Mr. Jones hurling racial epithets at an officer before he tries to take the officer's head off.
Posted by: baldilocks | December 02, 2003 at 10:17 AM
In fairness to Mr. Jones, I have to say that cop was giving it to him pretty good with that nightstick.
And I would like to apologize for going to another blog's comments and referring to him as "Rerun."
Posted by: Steve H. | December 02, 2003 at 11:59 AM
Juliette,
a) Nice post.
b) Wasn't PCP also involved in "that other" incident in LA?
- D
Posted by: Donnie | December 02, 2003 at 12:30 PM
Good memory, Donnie.
Posted by: baldilocks | December 02, 2003 at 12:58 PM
I'll be curious to see what the medical examiner says. It sounds like a clear case of Cocaine Intoxication. After enough cocaine use, the body loses its capacity to regulate the body tempeature, they feel very hot to the touch, and should be suspected if you get a report of someone acting "crazy" and being mostly unclothed in really cold weather. Their blood will only show traces of cocaine, not a whole lot. Their brain is being cooked in their skull. They often will die despite immediate medical attention.
(Source: a course I went to in positional asphyxiation put on by the Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.)
Posted by: Leo | December 02, 2003 at 04:21 PM
Drugs or nuts, or both, bad combination in any size. I used to know a mental health nurse who was retired by a patient. He's 6'2", about 250. The patient was 5'1", about 98lbs. While three of them were trying to control her,she decided to bite his thumb off, and damn near succeeded. Only reason nobody else got hurt was a fourth nurse managed to stick a needle in her & knock her out.
350lb guy on drugs? I'm really surpised none of the officers wound up in a hospital.
Posted by: Mark | December 03, 2003 at 06:59 PM
Okay, I can understand everyones frustration on this matter. But lets take a moment to recap something, please put yourselfs in the officers position for a minute. if a man or woman got out of their automobile and punched you!! and you did nothing to the person, what would you do about it?. Let me just say a few things, one police officers are higly trained when it comes to thiese circumstances, however no one is prepared for the situation that occured with this matter. I will have to say that all people have the right to protect themselves with a life threating matter, again I sympothize with the family, but the officers have a family as well. I am sure that these officers didn't risk their carrers for this one man who is being brought out to be an Angel, I' am sure that they didn't think about anything other than the fact of just staying alive. Yes the man paid a dear price his life, but but only one party would have made it that night, regardless of how we all want to view our own facts the truth is only one party gets to go home and it just happened to be the officers, if the tables were turned what would be the b***h of everone then, poor man is facing the death penalty for killing one or even two police officers!!! come on people lets be adult and seperate the color and look at the facts..
Posted by: java man | December 04, 2003 at 02:00 PM