"Let's go to the videotape."

Tonight is videotape night in the fields.


I have a couple that I would like to share.


The first one deals with the perils of driving while black. (DWB)

"Video shows Groubert pulling up to Levar Jones, who had just parked at a gas station (the stop was ostensibly over a seat belt violation).


Groubert instructed Jones to get his license, but when Jones reached into the car to retrieve it Groubert began shooting. Groubert continued firing even after Jones, who was unarmed, had backed away from the car with his hands raised.
“Why did you shoot me?” Jones is heard to ask. “I just got my license! You said get my license.” When Groubert asked if Jones was hit, he replied, “I can’t feel my legs.”


Groubert was fired from the patrol last week, and faces up to twenty years in prison if convicted. Jones, meanwhile, was hopsitalized and is recovering from a gunshot wound to the hip."  [Video and story here]


It seems that you just can't win when you DWB. If you move too slow you catch a bullet from the po po. If you move too fast you catch a bullet as well.


Oh well, at least Mr. Jones lived.


John Crawford, III was not so lucky.


His crime was shopping while black. (SWB)


"The video shows Crawford continuing through the store. He paused at some store shelves, and it appears he’s still on the phone, fiddling with the gun as it swings, pointed toward the ground. Then, police enter the frame to his side; you can see Crawford turn his head, fall to the ground, scramble in the other direction, then turn back around before ultimately falling to the ground. It’s unclear whether he dropped the gun before being shot or after.


Special prosecuting attorney Mark Piepmeier , said: '“He’s still on the phone when these officers confront him, he’s probably not paying attention to what he’s doing, and this happens...”' [Video and story here]


Not only is Mr. Crawford dead, but his family will not receive any justice. Those officers will not be charged by the state of Ohio.


But there is hope. The DOJ will be taking up the case.


Poor Mr. Crawford must have thought that he enjoyed certain privileges which are afforded to guys like these.  They can openly carry real assault rifles in public without any fear of repercussions. People like Mr. Crawford cannot.


Mr. Holder, you picked a bad time to leave.

The convenient Constituion.

I tweeted about this last night, and it bothered me so much that I am moved to blog about it again.

It's about this Edward Snowden fellow and the leaks that he put out there that allegedly endangered our national security.

Honestly, I have no idea if the information Edward Snowden put out there will actually make it easier for terrorist to attack us or not, but there is an aspect of this story that's troubling.

It's these hipsters, Libertarians, and white liberals  getting into a hissy fit about their privacy rights because of the NSA snooping on their phone conversations and Internet searches. They are crying a river about the Constitutional protections that are being stripped away by "Big Brother", not to mention the police state infringing into their personal lives, and they want answers from their government.

Fair enough. But where was the outrage when government decided that it was cool to "stop and frisk" young minority men in America's largest city? Doesn't that policy violate the 4th Amendment of our wonderful Constitution? I guess, in their eyes, it's cool to racially profile as long as it's under the guise of fighting crime.

Honestly, I am a little confused. So it's cool to violate the Constitution when we are trying to keep down street crime in New York, but not when we are trying to stop a terrorist attack that could kill thousands of people?

"But Field, this is apples and oranges; the NSA eavesdropping intrudes on a potentially large amount of people, and it is a violation of the First Amendment of our Constitution. 'Stop and frisk' only affects a small segment of the population of New York City. If they don't walk around looking like thugs the police won't be suspicious of them."

Got it now.

The Constitution is only for some of the people.

Good luck to you Mr. Snowden, Hong Kong is a beautiful place. It's a shame that you probably won't get a chance to enjoy it.

Finally, speaking of the Constitution being for some of the people; if you think that DWB is a joke check out the following story:

"Drunk driving is a serious problem in the United States, impacting many thousands of Americans every year, and so is racism. The two issues converged recently during a routine traffic stop of 64-year-old retired firefighter Jessie Thornton by police officers in Surprise, Arizona.

The motorist was handcuffed and taken into custody. Thornton submitted to a Breathalyzer sobriety test and blew a 0.000 blood alcohol content (BAC).

Thornton was eventually free to go, but not before his car had been impounded and the Arizona MVD had been notified of the DUI charge.

Despite the seeming exoneration of the test, the suspect was charged with a DUI, an assessment that led Thornton’s attorney to quip that the real crime was, “D-W-B. Driving While Black.”

Thornton told the local ABC News affiliate that he has been pulled over 10 times and issued four tickets since moving from Ohio to the retirement community of Surprise. This latest stop was the first time he’d been taken to the Surprise lockup.

The arresting officer cited the retiree’s red eyes as grounds for the arrest. Thornton credits chemicals in the neighborhood L.A. Fitness’s lap pool for the redness, a theory in line with Surprise law enforcement’s resident DRE—drug recognition expert.

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According to Thornton: “After he did all the tests, he says, ‘I would never have arrested you; you show no signs of impairment.’ ”

A blood test that revealed no trace of alcohol or drugs validated this perception.

Thornton was eventually free to go, but not before his car had been impounded and the Arizona MVD had been notified of the DUI charge, which resulted in a notification that his driver’s license was being suspended and he would be required to attend “some sort of drinking class or something.”

Rather than attend the drinking class, former firefighter filed a claim against the city of Surprise seeking $500,000.

The National Education Association, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the American Civil Liberties Union, OneAmerica and the Racial Profiling Data Collection Resource Center of Northeastern University are among the many credible and able organizations working to heighten the awareness of and eradicate racial profiling from U.S. law-enforcement policy and practice.

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Though harassed, inconvenienced and caused physical distress, Jessie Thornton can count himself among the luckier victims of racial profiling. He has the maturity and resources to fight back. His lawsuit is not about the money, he told ABC News: “I just don’t want any of this to happen to somebody else.” [Source]

Wow! A DUI charge -and arrest- for blowing 0.000 in blood alcohol content?

Those of you who drive everyday and happen to be black are not surprised.

There is something else that's not surprising: The only people who will be outraged are us.