"I can't believe that they don't expect us to throw rocks after they let a killer cop go..." He's an idiot.
I generally support protesters for stuff like this, even when they get a little rowdy, but when you're too fucking stupid to understand that the mayor has no say in the verdict of a criminal trial then you should have a law-enforcement ass-whopping coming to you.
From what I heard, the mayor came out against the verdict, and was angry it went that way. So in a way, he's one of them.
I read through the judge's ruling, and it makes it quite clear how he reached his verdict and why Stockley wasn't convicted. Maybe other people should do the same instead of just flipping out over one quote mined sentence. I watched the video of the alleged gun planting as well, and it doesn't show what people are claiming it shows. That's not to say it's impossible that the gun was planted, but there certainly wasn't enough evidence to hold up in court.
Who cares if some of them are paid or not? Isn't the more important question why these people continue to protest and riot even when the facts and evidence surrounding the case contradict what they're protesting for? Also, the way the left wing media continues to misrepresent these cases to try to make the cops look guilty is some really shameful stuff. On occasion there is a wrongful shooting, but they don't seem to give a shit whether it was or not. COPS BAD. PEOPLE ANGRY. That's all these idiots seem able to process. I think that black cop from awhile back had it right. These people don't care about black lives, not unless they feel like they can blame their deaths on white people. Maybe all these aggrieved people should put some of that effort towards the high volume of violence in their own city. At what point are these people going to be dismissed for the jackasses they are?
Jesus. The evidence and facts presented showed the cop said flat-out he was going to kill him and did. They also state through the DNA evidence that the dead guy never touched the gun once, and the cop did. And the judge's answer to indisputable DNA evidence is that it's impossible for a drug dealer not to own a gun. Close your eyes and try and hard as you can to picture this guy not being a cop, and perhaps you'll realize he's just a human being who got away with murder thanks to a bias system that absolutely refuses to punish its corrupt employees. People are angry because he's obviously guilty and he got off for being a cop. Again. Of course are going all wrong and idiotic about how to express it, but people should be angry about how once again a magical badge --and literally nothing else-- kept a killer out of prison.
This is exactly my problem. It's so obvious you just grazed through a couple articles and rushed to a conclusion. Try reading the actual verdict instead of just listening to some very obviously biased people complain about bias. Regarding Smith's DNA not being on the gun - Smith's DNA not being on the gun doesn't really mean anything. The fact that the cop's DNA was on it doesn't mean anything either. Why would it? Why do you think that it does? It was never disputed that he touched the gun. Then consider the other facts of the case. The prosecution failed at every turn to prove Stockley's guilt. - The wounds on Smith were consistent with someone reaching across to grab something. It doesn't suggest he was sitting upright in the car. - The prosecution claimed a fifth 'kill shot' was fired. The witnesses did not corroborate this. The ballistics test didn't either. - How did Stockley hide the gun on his way to plant it? How could he have hidden it? The narrative here doesn't make any sense and the video evidence people keep pointing to actually exonerates him more than makes him look guilty. - Why did Smith ram cop cars, flee in a high speed chase, and later on disobey officer orders? This doesn't raise any red flags with you? No, it doesn't mean he deserved to be shot, but this wasn't exactly a guy acting in any kind of sensible manner either. - If Smith was determined to murder him, why did he demand he raise his hands several times before shooting him? There's more too, try reading THE ACTUAL EVIDENCE REGARDING THE CASE. You're not really left with anything to make Stockley look guilty other than something he said in the heat of the moment while a criminal was acting like an absolute asshole. You really want someone to go away for life based on that? Seriously? Also, while it again doesn't mean Smith deserved to be shot, or necessarily prove anything, it's worth noting that Smith was on parole for an illegal weapons charge. It also seems odd that Stockley would carry that gun around with him all the time just in case he felt like shooting someone. Not impossible, but unlikely, especially considering the other facts of the case. Tell me again though why the judge should have put him away for life. Explain how his guilt goes beyond reasonable doubt. Why? Because you don't like cops and blaming them for everything is in vogue? Glad people like you don't control the law in this country.
And to be clear, I'm not saying it's impossible that he's guilty. However, if you're going to send someone away to prison indefinitely you have to prove it. All people seem to have to make him guilty is that they don't understand how DNA evidence works, and a heated statement he made during the chase. That's not proof, and you can't convict on it, especially when the bulk of evidence corroborated Stockley's story.
And I'm sure that in the heat of the moment with this asshole criminal, the cop went back to get a first aid kit after shooting him and not a gun. Because he was so fucking concerned with the well-being of this asshole criminal who just tried to run him over. And everyone was so satisfied with this criminal's guilt that they paid his family almost a million dollars in his just, in-policy shooting. Yes, this justice system just spent over six years dragging out a court case to railroad an innocent man. I don't give a fuck about how much of an asshole the criminal is, because that's expected from criminals. Cops are held to higher standards because they are actually required to set an example, even in the heat of the moment. They are SUPPOSED to be trained that way, that's what the tax money we all bitch about is supposed to pay for. it doesn't matter. No matter what a cop does that breaks their oath, there always will be people there to worm them out of any accountability whatsoever simply because they're a cop, and the public is never going to collectively respect the police again until that stops. The police are the ones who need to change. They know this, and will never admit to it.
How the fuck is this proof of his guilt? You just drew a bunch of assumptions based on nothing other than that you don't like cops. Jesus Christ. What do you want the courts to do? Just throw people in prison because you don't like them? The thing is, I kind of hate taking this stance because I agree that a lot of cops are douchebags and that the system needs reform, but people are seriously acting ridiculous with these cases. You can't put people away for life because certain people feel like such and such happened.