Florida Thug Cop Assaults Disabled Vet He Thinks Shouldn't Have A Handicap Space
Here's the video:
From PhotographyIsNotACrime, posted by PINAC's Grant Stern:
Florida man Isiah James served his country for 10 years. He survived two trips to Iraq and one to Afganistan.Riviera Beach cop G. Wilson took less than 10 minutes to decide that the Army veteran Isiah James didn't deserve a handicapped sticker.
Isiah's $800 iPhone 6+ didn't survive a trip to the Walgreens.
James had family in town on vacation, and father doesn't drive, so he took father to the store. On his way home, the two man stopped at a Walgreen's liquor store.
Cop followed Isiah James into the store before running the handicap space.
Isiah was getting ready to pay, when the officer entered the store and demanded that he leave. Another 20 seconds and he would've paid and left.
The Florida cop put on his doctor's hat and declared that, "You're walking, you're not handicapped, someone else should use this space."
When Isiah had already identified himself, the offer got upset at his tone of voice and took a swipe at his four month old iPhone 6+ which he used to record the incident, cracking the screen of the device.
"He had every right to check the plackard, it was displayed according to Florida law" said James, but about the assault he commented, "if I'd done the same to him, I'd have at least taken a taser in the ass."
It cracked the screen, but that wasn't enough for Officer Wilson, who extended the stop more than ten minutes further.
"He could've been a doctor, or Doogie Howser, it wouldn't matter. The tag was displayed legally. I wasn't bothering anybody, I don't understand why I was bothered and assaulted" said James.
The video shows most of the incident after Isiah James was summoned outside by the officer.
Disgustingly, people James asks to call the cops don't help him.
And really, listen to the whole video, where the officer starts telling him that he shouldn't have the space.
Thanks for sharing. The "Blue Line" needs to be removed and if that means removing cops from duty then so be it.
Bob in Texas at August 11, 2015 6:25 AM
It gets harder and harder to defend law enforcement when it seems like so many of them have some kind of weird chip on their shoulder.
There are many invisible disabilities. Heart disease, COPD, many other disabilities where the disabled person can walk, but only for a limited amount of time.
Beth Donovan at August 11, 2015 6:42 AM
James was absolutely right. He had the mirror hang tag, properly displayed, so he was fully in compliance with the law. Whether or not the placard was obtained under false pretenses is not the patrol cop's place to decide.
Cousin Dave at August 11, 2015 6:55 AM
What an excellent contrast, between officer 1 and officer 2.
All we need is more of #2, and less of #1. Officer #1 is an absolute case study in dreadfully-poor people skills - look at the way he keeps coming back to argue and escalate, even when he's obviously in the wrong and doesn't have a leg to stand on to justify his already appalling behavior. Then look at the way officer #2 handles it - de-escalate, separate the arguing parties (even when one of them is another officer), lower the tone, ask questions, listen to answers, reason with the person, empathize before judging. It's textbook-good police work. This should be training footage.
Big fat props to Mr James for standing up and not taking this kind of ridiculous, arbitrary and malicious behavior from officer #1. Not many people would have the stones to stand up to an officer this way. More people should.
llater,
llamas
llamas at August 11, 2015 7:07 AM
I like James. The way he told the cop that while James might not look like a handicapped person, the police officer doesn't look like he should be a cop with that gut.
I'm sure he pissed the officer off, but tough. It's no crime to insult a cop. I love the way James handled himself.
And with that evidence, the officer should be kicked off the force and serving time. Bet neither one of those things happens.
Patrick at August 11, 2015 7:22 AM
Officer #1 was wrong, but I can't say James was right. State what you have to say and then shut up! Don't cuss, don't repeat yourself. That is escalating the situation.
I do think that he was right to call the police to get another officer out but I HATE the way the he did it. Entitled much? Demanding that an officer be sent out immediately was out of line. I don't believe the the situation was life threatening as long as James didn't escalate. The police have an obligation to handle theist serious situations first. To possibly pull officers away from robberies in progress, hostage situations, or others imminently dangerous situations to handle this is unconsciounable.
I see this type of behavior mirrored in today's students. They may have a point. I'm not perfect (though not as bad as this officer. However when they throw a big, loud fit and make unreasonable demands, they are not helping the situation but are escalating it.
PS. If you want to know: most of the arguing is over bathroom usage. There is a 4 minute passing period between classes that are supposed to be used to take care of business. Many students are afraid they will be late to class if they use that time. I would rather that they are 1 minute late than take 4 minutes from class. I try to never let them go during direct instruction and always let them go when they have been working really hard and rarely ask. Class is 45 minutes long and many students ask to go daily and say I'm racist for denying them. When I started teaching I didn't believe in denying the restroom but I found out that my struggling students averaged using the restroom 10 minutes out of every hour - enough time to affect their education while my best students took care of business in 5 or 6 minutes per day from class. Spending 10 times as much time in the restroom adds up. So we have the potty wars. If I saw a tape of a teacher denying restroom using I would think that it was appalling. How could she deny that sweet kid with the tears in his eyes who is begging but heartless me needs a doctor's note or to look at patterns of effort. I add this because although the officer is wrong, I understand that sometimes we are out in positions that seem adversarial.
Jen at August 11, 2015 8:55 AM
"You don't get to decide that" in reference to his disability. Amen.
If the civilian broke the law, then write the ticket and send it to the judge and jury. Stop the arguing.
The cop kept claiming that Isiah shouldn't be parking there because someone in a wheelchair might need the spot - so for at least 13:37 minutes the spot was unnecessarily occupied because the cop wouldn't shut up.
And the second cop was also right in that Isiah did need to "bring it down." But, I'll give Isiah the benefit of the doubt in that we don't see what was going on before hand.
On a unrelated topic, the next video that plays after that one - "Man Falls Flat on Face Chasing Man with Camera" is absolutely hysterical! Karma is a bitch.
charles at August 11, 2015 9:08 AM
Ohmigod.
Police officer versus disabled veteran: which American hero will internet reactionaries side with?
Let's watch!
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at August 11, 2015 9:39 AM
"To possibly pull officers away from robberies in progress, hostage situations, or others imminently dangerous situations to handle this is unconsciounable."
That's not what happened. These guys have priorities decided for them by dispatch. This didn't cause a murderer to go free.
Don't know what TV show you got the idea from, but police are always some distance from a crime scene when one originates. Those few cases highlighted in Facebook where the cop's there when it happens are the exception, not the rule.
Radwaste at August 11, 2015 12:23 PM
Prima facie case for black on black crime?
BTW...what the hell was that cop blathering about saving the handicapped spot for an American citizen?? There was so much wrong with that entire interaction. The main problem with that interaction was the bully cop hassling that guy about his placard. If he thought the guy was using someone else's then you get the paperwork and sort it out. If the guy is giving you the paperwork, telling you he is a disabled vet, then move it along Officer Wilson. Nothing to see, no crime being committed and be done with it. Even if the officer in his heart of hearts believed that guy was scamming the system - and I can't believe I'm going to type this right now - issue the citation and let it get sorted out in court. You, Officer Wilson, do not get to make the judgment of whether that man deserves, requires or should have a handicapped placard.
sara at August 11, 2015 2:34 PM
Delusions of competence. That fat cop might have had some sense that he was screwing up, but I don't think he really knew for sure. He might have been stalling while trying to think of some way to back out of the situation without losing face - only he's probably not smart enough to have realized it was already too late.
He's surely too dumb to be a cop. He puts on the costume and goes through the motions the best he can; but imagine how hard it must be for him trying to appear authoritative while occasionally doing random cop stuff when almost every person he encounters is more intelligent than he is. Especially in an African American neighborhood where people won't just shut up and take shit. I bet he's really good at eating donuts.
TSA would be a better fit for one like him. There most of the citizens he encountered would be White or Asian, and if one of them ever did have enough nerve to object to his foolery all he'd have to say is, "You wanna get on that plane or not?" And he wouldn't be an embarrassment to his coworkers, because they're just as clueless as he is.
Is this affirmative action in action? Is he the progressive answer to too many White cops in Black neighborhoods? I seriously doubt he passed any kind of test - especially if it called for thinking or physical activity.
Ken R at August 11, 2015 3:30 PM
Jen: Officer #1 was wrong, but I can't say James was right. State what you have to say and then shut up! Don't cuss, don't repeat yourself. That is escalating the situation.
I suppose, if you want the encounter to go smoothly, you could try being polite to the police. But you don't have to be. It is not a crime to be rude to cops. And I think Mr. James had every right to be angry. The policeman was way out of line, and James' rude remarks do not justify the policeman assaulting him.
I also disagree that he was wrong, or acting "entitled," to ask for anther cop. The first one was completely in the wrong. What was James supposed to do? Stand there and be bullied and assaulted by a cop who doesn't know his job?
Patrick at August 11, 2015 4:50 PM
Asking for another officer was right. Demanding that one be sent immediately was out of line in my opinion.
Jen at August 11, 2015 8:17 PM
The cop is in the wrong. Also, you can't expect the citizen to de-escalate a situation - that's training the cop is supposed to have, not some random guy off the street.
That said, there is a larger problem here. There are way too many handicapped placards out there. In some areas it's almost like a badge of honor "Hey, Marge, I finally got my placard!". Two examples from my extended family:
- If you're obese, many doctors are perfectly happy to hand you a placard. I have a cousin who was just shocked when I refused to re-park after running an errand, and we had to walk maybe 50 yards to the restaurant. " I haven't walked this far in years ". She has no health problem except for an inability to stop putting food in her mouth; exercise would be healthy.
- Vets heading toward discharge do their best to get their injuries counted as disabilities; after all, in a couple of decades, those old injuries may lead to arthritis and other complications. The thing is: above a certain percentage, the disability rating entitles them to a handicapped placard now. I have a cousin, retired after 20 years of service, who runs, lifts, plays sports and has a handicapped tag. His daughters like the fact that they get to park close to the mall.
In Amy's story, the cop behaved badly. But I do understand his irritation at seeing yet another perfectly healthy, mobile guy who really shouldn't have a handicapped tag.
a_random_guy at August 11, 2015 11:24 PM
@ a_random_guy, who wrote:
'In Amy's story, the cop behaved badly. But I do understand his irritation at seeing yet another perfectly healthy, mobile guy who really shouldn't have a handicapped tag."
Er - No. Wrong. Just as the officer doesn't get to grade Mr James's degree of disability and decide whether or not he 'should' have a handicapped tag - neither do you.
The fact that you, or he, or all of us, know of cases where handicapped tags are abused (hell, it's a way of life in the CiddyaDetwoit) doesn't give you, or him, or us, that right. And certainly not by the side of the road, or in a parking lot.
If he has a properly-issued handicapped parking credential, and it's properly displayed, the absolute limit of the officer's authority is to investigate whether the credential is legitimate and that it is being used by the person it is issued to. Although even that is some pretty chickensh*t police work, but there you go. Once he has determined that it is being legitimately used, his next acts should be to apologize for taking the citizen's time, and then to drive away. Not stand there yelling at him about how he doesn't need or deserve his properly-issued and -displayed credential, assault the citizen, and then go sniffing around on some fishing expedition looking for something - anything - to pin on the citizen to try and cover up the massive cock-up he just perpetrated.
Police officers shouldn't do anything, or be forgiven for anything they do, on the basis that they were 'irritated'. They are supposed to be impartial and impassive, not moved by their own subjective 'irritation'. An officer who behaves like this because he is 'irritated' needs to find other work where he does not get to relieve his irritation on innocent citizens with a gun on his hip and on the taxpayer's dime.
llater,
llamas
llamas at August 12, 2015 7:16 AM
"There are way too many handicapped placards out there. "
I agree. But that's a different problem.
Cousin Dave at August 12, 2015 7:40 AM
There might be too many handicapped placards out there, but it's certainly not a policeman's job to decide who needs one and who doesn't. Not every mobile disability is readily apparent. Some people can walk fine, but only for a certain distance.
Patrick at August 12, 2015 6:40 PM
Fun column from Ann Landers:
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1696&dat=19861107&id=zwsfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CZgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6735,1768385&hl=en
It's about the incivility of New Yorkers - on the subway, when someone needs a seat. A woman from Yonkers made a point no one else did - that when YOU need a seat, you shouldn't assume that any particular seated individual is less handicapped (or less burdened) than you are, since, of course, some handicaps are invisible. I.e., people who stay seated are not necessarily being inconsiderate.
lenona at August 13, 2015 8:12 AM
Leave a comment