As I reflect upon all the videos I’ve watched and all the work I’ve put into this site, I thought I would talk about one of my point of views. If anything, just as a blog post and maybe to include an update on the development of the site.
In a recent video by SJVT, he pointed out how Americans are “waking up.” He’s been saying this a lot in recent videos, and it’s 100% true. When I first started the idea of this website, there were a couple dozen auditors with more than a thousand followers. Only some of the original auditors were out there, and I say original in a loose sense of the word because I am going by my experience.
But now, I can’t keep up. I’m a little concerned on how I’m going to keep this site up for a while. If things continue I just won’t be able to give coverage to all the auditors and activists. I also intend to extend to other types of activists so that seems like an insurmountable challenge from my current point of view.
But if it’s worth it and people use it, I’m sure I’ll find a way.
But the thing I wanted to comment on is about how SJVT continued on his video to say something to the effect that we’re sick and tired of government officials being complacent about the laws that govern us AND them. And that is what I want to highlight.
You see, this is a perfect time to explain why we need LESS government involved in our lives. I’m not advocating for getting rid of the police, although this guy named Kal Molinet has some really interesting ideas about how law enforcement might/could work. I highly recommend you watch a good amount of videos where he interviews the public on various socio-economic and political issues that we face today.
But imagine if the police were actually held accountable for their actions.
In a free market, most police departments, if not all of them would have gone out of business. And I’m not saying that other government agencies would do much better, but our focus for today is the police and related bodies of government –if you will.
If you notice, most of the interactions on videos, whether by an activist or a regular citizen reflect badly upon the police. The police is usually violating our rights. If they were truly accountable, they wouldn’t be able to get away with this abuse.
I also know that the majority of police interactions aren’t recorded so we potentially have no access to positive interactions between the citizens and the police, but my opinion still stands.
There are a few things you can learn more about in relation to this topic.
You see, most people think that cops are held to the same standards as you and me, and it isn’t true. It is not the case whatsoever. The basic protocol and policies at your local precinct will confirm this just by asking questions.
The person that seems to be highlighting this at the moment is James Freeman. James –as much as I dislike his approach sometimes– is really questioning cops about how to go about bringing criminal charges against an officer. The usual response is that the officer will direct James to file a complaint and Internal Affairs will investigate.
Well isn’t that something?
It would be great if we could rate cops and all government employees, actually, any individual whose paycheck derives from our tax dollar should have his or her work 100% public and we should have the right to evaluate their performance along the way at all times. Of course, actual sensitive information and health information should still remain private but think about it.
This is how it works for your local restaurants, your local dentist, your grocery store, all the places where you voluntarily give your money in exchange for goods or services can be subject of ratings and consumer reports. You can complain about them and an EXTERNAL entity will investigate. And in the end, you vote with your wallet.
Making the government more transparent, and accountable will reduce government inefficiencies really quick! But let’s get to the examples.
If you commit a crime and it’s on camera, almost indisputable, or there are witnesses, and the cops get called to the scene, this is most likely what will happen: The cops will question you briefly, they’re very likely going to put you on handcuffs and run you for any warrants. And then more likely than not, you’re going to jail.
Scratch that, you’re probably going to jail if they feel they have probable cause to arrest you. And really, we know that probable cause is based on whatever they decide, but you’d think and hope that there’s video evidence, or at least some witness statements to support that assertion of probable cause, right!?
They really don’t have to, all they have to say is that they personally believed they had enough evidence or reason to arrest you, after all, they have qualified immunity.
Yes, I know that after you’re arrested you’re going to get a hearing and be arraigned and all that, but first you’ll be arrested.
You’re going in the back of that police car and you’ll be taken “downtown” booked and charged and then your “due process” begins. Could take a few hours or a few days to get through this process, depending on all the circumstances.
But let’s not forget, you are going to be arrested… first. Due process? That’s when it begins… apparently. Let’s not even get started on due process. We’ll cover that another time.
So that’s how it’s going to go if you commit a crime. Also if you are accused of committing a crime, or there’s at least a little bit of evidence that you might have committed a crime. If you get processed quickly, and the crime and assigned judge work out in your favor, bail is set AND you can post bail then you’ll be released and probably have to come back soon for the next step in your “due process.”
If the crime is particularly violent or egregious (for lack of a better word on my part), then you may be denied bail and you’ll stay in jail until your trial.
I think I understand this more or less in layman’s terms; wouldn’t you agree?
But how do you think that is going to play out if the accused person is a cop?
The way this will play out when the person accused is a cop goes like this: The “investigating” cops will show up to the scene and if nobody is seriously hurt or injured, they’re probably just going to get the accused officer’s version of the story.
Then if the victim or accuser wants to file charges or a complaint, they will be directed to file a complaint with Internal Affairs.
“They’ll take your complaint tomorrow during business hours at city hall” — they’ll say.
“We’ll take your witness statement and pass it on” — or something to that effect.
In many cases, if you’re accusing a police officer and have video proof to show them, as James has demonstrated in previous videos, the officer taking your complaint will not even want to look at the evidence. If it involves one of their own.
Time and time again we see James and other auditors request that a police officer be arrested and charged like any other citizen would be if they were in the same position. And it never happens. At the very least, I’ve seen Patrick and James demand that an officer be reported criminally, not just with internal affairs, and the response is a little more than a smirk from the officer on the scene.
As if saying: “Yeah right, like we’re going to get one of our own in trouble.”
Consider this and wonder.
Do we really have the same laws apply to both of us? Civilians and law enforcement certainly appear to live and to go by a different set of rules.
In the free market, with less government, we could do something about this real quick. These rules and the blue line would disappear within one generation, within years we would show how our wallets decide who works for us and who doesn’t. Unfortunately right now, the way the system works, they take our money whether the people that provide said services have earned that money or not.
But they always take the side of the complainant right?
Something else that you’ll see all the time is how the cops harass, detain and even arrest auditors sometimes just based on a compl
aint. They say that someone called them so crime must be afoot. And they’ll take the word of the accuser as evidence of wrongdoing and build a case to arrest you from there.
They’ll say something to the effect that if someone called the cops then there must have been a crime committed.
But… why don’t they do that when the alleged perpetrator is a cop?
Sometimes investigating officers even base burden of proof for probable cause simply on the perceived authority of the person reporting the “crime” like someone working at the post office. But they won’t take the auditor’s word or evidence to make a criminal charge against one of their own officers. Double standards much?
If you hit me, unprovoked or unwarranted and I call the cops, chances are you will be taken to jail. A cop hits you under the same circumstances, he is protected under qualified immunity and will NOT be arrested. Same laws? Same rules? Please!
Put that in your pipe and smoke it. And if I’m wrong, why…?
Why do you make a criminal complaint about a cop in the same way as if it was a matter of Human Resources instead of a criminal matter? But if your complaint was against me, or your fellow citizen, it would be a criminal complaint. Please explain that part if you’re going to tell me that my opinion is wrong.
