Race and Police

[FromTheSouth]

Another incident of a black man being treated unfairly by the police has gotten the media kicked up in a frenzy. Ryan Moats, of the Houston Texans, was rushing to hospital in an effort to see his dying mother-in-law. He had his wife and her father in his Escalade in an effort to go see the patient before she died. He ran a red light, with his emergency lights on and after stopping to ensure public safety, and was chased by a Dallas police officer. When he arrived at the hospital, the cop drew a gun on him and his wife. Moats tried to explain the situation to the officer, but was hassled and missed spending the final moments of his mother-in-law's life with her. The patients father was held up down in the parking lot, and missed it as well.

The video is available on YouTube and an excellent story is available on ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4017382

Dallas is a very volatile city as far as race relations are concerned. The city is divided north and south by race. The southern part of the city is economically depressed and not much is done to help. While I am not big on benefitting people based on race alone, I do not want any race to be oppressed either.

The officer was very disrespectful to Moats and his family. There were several opportunities for the officer to allow Moats to go, and still give him the ticket. Moats asked several times to be ticketed and allowed to go. The nurse and another officer intervened, and the officer who made the stop would not relent.

The officer was given leave with pay while an investigation is pursued. Once again, an officer who acts inappropriately is given a vacation while his victim is left to pick up the pieces. This officer threated to screw over Moats, and make his life difficult, on camera, claimed he was doing the right thing. He refuses to apologize.

Moats and his wife feel that the actions were racially motivated. In a city such as Dallas, this is believable at best and likely at worst. Threatening to take someone to jail over a red light is something you see in a movie, and one can assume that in racially charged situations, probably common. Moats pleaded for a bit, but when he noticed that that wasn't getting him anywhere, he just asked to be ticketed and was respectful. Moats did not verbally assault the officer with curse words, and never once identified himself as an NFL football player. I commend his handling of the situation. I think that this cop has invited a lawsuit from Moats and should be fired with pension. If Moats where white, it easy to believe he would have been allowed to go into the hospital, and then ticketed later.

 

[HBK-aholic]

Eugh, the race card pisses me of so much, especially in situations like this. I absolutely love how the officer is the one being looked upon badly for, yet it's that other guy who broke the law. He had good reasoning, I'm not denying I'd do the same thing. However, this should not be an issue. The guy did break the law, and the guy did endanger lives - people don't realise how much speeding or going through a red light can harm someone, what if he'd have knocked someone crossing that road down?

As I said, while I'd have done the same thing, he has no right to complain about this, he broke the law.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I don't see this as a issue of race but the cop still acted wrong. After Moats told the cop what was happening, he should have let him go see his mother-in-law. The cop did what he was supposed to do in stopping Moats but didn't do a very good job afterwards.

 

[Big Sexy]

he guy did break the law, and the guy did endanger lives - people don't realise how much speeding or going through a red light can harm someone, what if he'd have knocked someone crossing that road down?

He didn't speed through a red light, he slowed down and rolled through a flashing red. By doing that he could still see if somebody was coming. There aren't too many people who can say that have never rolled through a stop sign and he had a very good reason to do this. I'm not going to say it was definitely race related, but it's at least worth looking into.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Moats and his wife feel that the actions were racially motivated.

Of course they do. Because they're black, so they have no other alternative. You know, like for example how the Cop could've just been like 90% of all over Law Enforcement Agents and merely been a prick, trying to do his job because he seen someone run a red light.. then refuse to stop, thus causing the Police Officer to chase him down.

The Cop was out of line for holding Moats up and not investigating the situation by escorting him into the Hospital to check out the story. That much I'll agree upon.

However, the cop was NOT out of line for issuing the ticket, or doing his job. Color/Race was only played in this situation because the Officer was white and the guy was black. Not because he was doing anything out of the ordinary. The Cop was doing his job, and because it was a moderately known Football player.. he gets suspended and criticized. If anything, I find that offensive and abusive. If it would've been some unknown random piss-ant, this story would've never even broke headlines.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

He didn't speed through a red light, he slowed down and rolled through a flashing red. By doing that he could still see if somebody was coming. There aren't too many people who can say that have never rolled through a stop sign and he had a very good reason to do this. I'm not going to say it was definitely race related, but it's at least worth looking into.

Its really not.

Red means stop, not moderately slow down so you can make sure you can just by pass the original law set in place by the color of the fucking sign.

At most, the only thing worth investigating, is why the Officer pulled a gun. That much is overkill. But outside of that, running "or rolling" through a red light.. pretty much anything but flat-out stopping, is breaking the traffic laws. I understand his Family (in-law, right?) was dying.. and its unfortunate.. but getting there quicker, and endangering possible other lives on the highway to do it in a timely manner.. isn't going to save the already dying Family member.

 

[klunderbunker]

The cop wasn't out of line for stopping them or ticketing them. Moats broke the law and should have been punished for what he did. However, there comes a point where the punishment is in excess of the crime. Moats was in a parking lot at the time. There's a big difference between going through a light in a parking lot and going through one at a busy intersection. Moats tried to explain his situation but wasn't allowed to go on. According the the ESPN story, at least one nurse came down from the hospital to explain to the officer what was going on but he didn't care. There comes a point where there's doing your job and there also comes a point where it's taking it too far. Moats broke the law, but the cop went too far with it.

Was it racially motivated? Possibly, yet possibly not. It seems to me though that the cop was a much bigger instigator in this. Anyone in this discussion, answer this question: if someone you loved was going to die that night, would you do anything you could to be with them when it happened? I certainly would, no matter what laws I had to bend/break to get there.

 

[HBK-aholic]

He didn't speed through a red light, he slowed down and rolled through a flashing red. By doing that he could still see if somebody was coming. There aren't too many people who can say that have never rolled through a stop sign and he had a very good reason to do this. I'm not going to say it was definitely race related, but it's at least worth looking into.

You're saying this as if it's going to make me say "Okay then, I won't think he was in the wrong" he broke the law - regardless of how he did that. He put innocent lifes at risk, and I'm never going to side with a person who broke the law and can't handle it, so played the race card. What would he have done if a black person had stopped him?

 

[Big Sexy]

You're saying this as if it's going to make me say "Okay then, I won't think he was in the wrong" he broke the law - regardless of how he did that.

No I'm saying that because you acted like he sped through a red light in a busy intersection, when in actuality he rolled through it so he could still see if people were coming and it was in a parking lot not in some intersection.

He put innocent lifes at risk

When? Once again he slowed down at the light so he could see if someone was coming. If someone would have been coming then he would have stopped, but there was no one there because it was late at night in a fucking parking lot so he kept going.

What would he have done if a black person had stopped him?

He still would have been pissed, but he obviously couldn't play the race card.

Red means stop, not moderately slow down so you can make sure you can just by pass the original law set in place by the color of the fucking sign.

I never said that the cop shouldn't have stopped him, but the fact is the cop was a dick and he prevented the guy a chance to see his mother in law before she died. A flashing red light has the same rules as a stop sign, and there aren't many people on here who can say they never rolled through a stop sign, especially if the stop sign was located in a parking lot.

 

[HBK-aholic]

No I'm saying that because you acted like he sped through a red light in a busy intersection, when in actuality he rolled through it so he could still see if people were coming and it was in a parking lot not in some intersection.



When? Once again he slowed down at the light so he could see if someone was coming. If someone would have been coming then he would have stopped, but there was no one there because it was late at night in a fucking parking lot so he kept going.

Are you trying to tell me going through a red light is safe? I don't give a damn how he did it - it's illegal, and lifes are put at risk. It's clearly a danger, or it wouldn't be against the law, would it? He has NO right to complain. If he'd have killed someone whilst doing this would be a completely different story, the bastard is just lucky no one was there.

He still would have been pissed, but he obviously couldn't play the race card.



I never said that the cop shouldn't have stopped him, but the fact is the cop was a dick and he prevented the guy a chance to see his mother in law before she died.

My point exactly. This isn't about race at all, and he's only playing the race card because the guy is white. People need to get over racism and look at things differently for a change - not every conflict between a white person and a black person is racist. This was an officer doing his job stopping someone doing something illegal.

 

[Big Sexy]

Are you trying to tell me going through a red light is safe? I don't give a damn how he did it - it's illegal, and lifes are put at risk. It's clearly a danger, or it wouldn't be against the law, would it? He has NO right to complain. If he'd have killed someone whilst doing this would be a completely different story, the bastard is just lucky no one was there.

You're telling me that if you were driving behind someone at night in a parking lot and you saw them roll through a stop sign you would get pissed and start talking about how they could have killed someone?

This was a flashing red light (which has the same rules as a stop sign) People roll through them all the time. Yes it is against the law, but I have never heard a story about anyone getting killed by a car that just rolled through a stop sign. You keep acting like he was going 50 through a red light and there were people everywhere that he could have hit. He rolled through a flashing red light most likely going only about 10 mph and he looked as he was doing it. It happens all the time and there usually isn't a good reason for it.

 

[HBK-aholic]

You're telling me that if you were driving behind someone at night in a parking lot and you saw them roll through a stop sign you would get pissed and start talking about how they could have killed someone?

This was a flashing red light (which has the same rules as a stop sign) People roll through them all the time. Yes it is against the law, but I have never heard a story about anyone getting killed by a car that just rolled through a stop sign. You keep acting like he was going 50 through a red light and there were people everywhere that he could have hit. He rolled through a flashing red light most likely going only about 10 mph and he looked as he was doing it. It happens all the time and there usually isn't a good reason for it.

You destroy everything you say by admitting this. It's against the law and that's all there is to it. The officer was completely in his rights to stop the guy. Furthermore, I doubt the guy would have been very co-operative when stopped. While understandable due to the circumstances, you can understand the officers position - a guy who is showing you no respect and has broken the law.

 

[Big Sexy]

You destroy everything you say by admitting this

No, not really. I'm saying that he wasn't endangering lives and the cop is an asshole for not letting him see his mother law. I never said it wasn't against the law, I never said he shouldn't have been pulled over. The fact is the cop found out that his mother in law was dying and he still detained him for over 10 minutes when he just could have written the ticket and been on his way.

 

[HBK-aholic]

And I explained why this didn't happen in my above post. Do you honestly believe the guy was completely respectful to the officer? Because I don't. I understand why he wouldn't have been but at the same time, it was his attitude which forced the officer to speak to him longer, nothing to do with his race. This guy just can't accept the fact that missing her last moments was his fault, not this officers. He's therefore accusing this officer of racism just because he was white. Hmm, racist much?

 

[FromTheSouth]

If the officer was so concerned with law he wouldn't have made statement like, "I can make your life difficult", or "I can screw you over." This officer wasn't "just doing his job" as you seem to think. He was making a scene and trying to make a point. He didn't need to aim his gun at anyone. The Dallas police chief said that the officer should have drawn his gun, but he should not have aimed it. If he was so concerned about doing his job, he would have called for back up and stopped the women going into the hospital. He obviously knew what was going on. He didn't ticket the women for evading when the videotape clearly shows that theyy ignored his command to stop.


All we're left with is a black man in a nice car getting hassled by a white cop trying to show how big his "nightstick" is. The driver was not a danger to anyone. He rolled through a flashing red light. A flashing red light in the state of Texas is the equivalent of a stop sign. He didn't come to a complete stop. Moats asked to be ticketed, and the officer continued to hassle him. Even if race had no part in the officer's actions, he should be fired for his weak judgment. Officers have to make judgment calls hundreds of times a day, and if his judgment, in this situation, is that weak, then no one should trust him to patrol their streets.

 

[FromTheSouth]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4033626

Officer Powell has resigned from DPD. He apologizes for his unprofessional conduct. While we don't know exactly what he meant, at least he apologized. Whether his conduct was racially motivated, I guess we will never know. The problem is that there will be no investigation. After the way he acted, I think the investigation should have been public. Every detail of this man's life should have been public. There is no way that an officer can act against the pleas of fellow officers and medical professionals and get away with it. Thank God the dying person wasn't in the car, or else Powell would have wanted to see her medical insurance before she got into the hospital, to, you know, protect the public welfare.

 

[TwistofRKO]

To add my $0.02..

Nobody really sides with Officer Powell here, we all understand the situation Ryan Moats was in. He was willing to pay his ticket, and whatever. Where I think it's definitely not racially motivated is Powell's previous history hasselling athletes/athlete's families. He pulled over Zach Thomas' wife for an illegal U-turn and jailed her for three hours.

It's clearly an identity problem and need of control rather than racial injustice.