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woman 7 months pregnant tazered 3 times
  • CalliopemarieCalliopemarie
    Posts: 4,339Member
    It apparently was in Seattle and she had been pulled over for speeding. She refused to sign the ticket so they wanted her to step out of the car. She refused to do that and they showed her the tasers and asked if she knew what it was. She said no and that she had to pee she was 7 months pregnant. They proceeded to shock her 3 times. Drag her out of the car and lay her on her belly and cuff her. All with her 11 yr old in the car. I'm on my phone so can't copy and paste
    i am insane!!! mwahahahaha
  • battibatti
    Posts: 2,164Member
    WTF!!!!! I'm googling this

    SMSM_s_5

  • SammieSammie
    Posts: 7,283Administrator, Moderator
    batti said:

    WTF!!!!! I'm googling this




    @batti, right?! My mind is reeling!! WTF?? Gonna google when I can, but if you find a link, please post.
    :O

    community-manager


  • sanityseekersanityseeker
    Posts: 2,373Member
    http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/taser-force-considered-supreme-court/story?id=16398672#.T7u7MNyleSo

    Happened in 2004, she was resisting arrest...

    Biting's excellent. It's like kissing. Only there's a winner.
    "Dobby never meant to kill! Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure.” -Dobby
    Genealogy: Where you confuse the dead and irritate the living.
  • CalliopemarieCalliopemarie
    Posts: 4,339Member
    If it happened back then why in the hell are they posting it. On my fb now?!?!
    i am insane!!! mwahahahaha
  • sanityseekersanityseeker
    Posts: 2,373Member
    The supreme court is looking at it now
    Biting's excellent. It's like kissing. Only there's a winner.
    "Dobby never meant to kill! Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure.” -Dobby
    Genealogy: Where you confuse the dead and irritate the living.
  • fatchickonabikefatchickonabike
    Posts: 5,498Member
    She shouldn't have gotten tasered, obviously. But she should also have had the sense to cooperate with the cops.
    "The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof bullshit detector.” - Ernest Hemingway
  • kmetz44kmetz44
    Posts: 2,507Member
    fatchickonabike said:

    She shouldn't have gotten tasered, obviously. But she should also have had the sense to cooperate with the cops.



    I agree....right or wrong, if a cop tells you to do something and shows that they intend to use their weapon if you dont comply...you do what they say or get ready to be tasered..
    Im pretty extraordinary in an ordinary way
  • breezybreezy
    Posts: 3,483Member
    If you don't comply sure.. but for not signing a speeding ticket?! Throw a warrant at her not a freakin taser! Its excessive and that's all she has to prove to win the case.... excessive force. 
  • SassySassy
    Posts: 2,451Member
    I honestly can see it from the police's point of view. If she is supposed to be arrested they have to arrest her. She refused to comply and exit the vehicle and they tased her in such a way that neither she nor her unborn child would suffer from any complications. SO, I don't think it was excessive. I think if they had tased her straight to the stomach, or beat her or something, yeah, that would be excessive force, but what exactly were they supposed to do? Tell her the consequences of not signing the ticket then not follow through? 
  • shadylaneshadylane
    Posts: 3,037Member
    to my knowledge they are only supposed to use force if the person is aggressive and they feel the person is a threat to their or his own safety, she was inside the car, she was obviously not a threat to them. it doesn't matter that they didn't shock her right in the belly, that much electricity going thru ur body is going to go to the baby too. i doubt they even thought about where they were going to tase her, they just did it where they could reach. what pieces of shit knowing she was pregnant. imagine that much voltage going thru a baby that tiny, it could easily have killed it. i'm sure she would have gotten out of the car eventually, there was no need for that. 
    ~slim shady~
  • SassySassy
    Posts: 2,451Member
    @shadylane: Read the article. It clearly states that they conferred about where to tase her so that it would be "safe", since apparently they're trained on what will/won't hurt a pregnant woman. What I don't like is that the police are automatically demonized because the woman is pregnant. They weren't in the wrong. 
  • shadylaneshadylane
    Posts: 3,037Member
    i didn't read it but i don't care where they did it, it still can't be safe. why didn't they just open the car door and pull her out, if she fought them then tase her. if she was not being aggressive it was wrong. why are the police allowed to do whatever they want to people and its ok b/c they have a badge, they are no better than anyone else maybe if they treated people like human beings instead of being arrogant assholes people would be more inclined to be cooperative. if they would talk to people normally and just explain and be a little understanding instead of barking orders and threatening when someone is confused about whats going on, they can still be professional without being demeaning and degrading when its obvious the person is not a threat. tasing a pregnant woman is ridiculous, i hope she wins a shitload of money
    ~slim shady~
  • SassySassy
    Posts: 2,451Member
    Obviously you have issues with police. I think that her suing is ridiculous. She refused to sign a ticket. Was told that she could be arrested if she didn't sign yet still refused. Resisted arrest. Hm. And the cops are being assholes? Riiiight.
  • CanadianMamaCanadianMama
    Posts: 9,614Administrator, Moderator
    They tased her three times, why not just once? Also, at least one article states that the police thought she was "just fat" and lying about the pregnancy. If that's the attitude she was getting from the police, can you blame her for not being super compliant?
    Tased three times while inside an automobile, zero threat to police. Even if she wasn't pregnant, that would be excessive.

    community-manager


  • SassySassy
    Posts: 2,451Member
    The way I understand it number two and three were because she still wouldn't comply.
  • CanadianMamaCanadianMama
    Posts: 9,614Administrator, Moderator
    @Sassy I do understand what you're saying, but the police are not infallible, they do act rashly and make mistakes (Seattle has a bad track record for excessive force). Just like guns, and clubs, tasers should only be used as a means to an end when safety is threatened. It seems lately that tasers are being used in place of negotiation, mediation and deescalation.

    community-manager


  • shadylaneshadylane
    Posts: 3,037Member
    CanadianMama said:

    It seems lately that tasers are being used in place of negotiation, mediation and deescalation.




    exactly
    ~slim shady~
  • sanityseekersanityseeker
    Posts: 2,373Member
    she was asked repeatedly to get out of the vehicle, they discussed the best way to take care of it, and if Im not mistaken still had to drag her from her car even AFTER tasing her, oh and the baby was born perfectly fine and healthy. If a cop tells you to do something, do it, if he threatens force if you don't do something, expect force. 
    Biting's excellent. It's like kissing. Only there's a winner.
    "Dobby never meant to kill! Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure.” -Dobby
    Genealogy: Where you confuse the dead and irritate the living.
  • CanadianMamaCanadianMama
    Posts: 9,614Administrator, Moderator
    After doing some more research:

    Firstly, she maintained it was the car in front of her that was speeding, that she didn't know what signing the ticket meant (she thought it meant accepting guilt, and she had had an experience previous to this where she was allowed to take the ticket without signing, which is what she wanted to do here) and she did not know what the Taser was when they flashed it at her. Also, the police could have blocked her car in and waited. There's zero chance of a 7 month pregnant woman being able to fight off, or outrun police officers. 

    Secondly, when she was brought to court on the charges she was only convicted for refusing to obey an officer, not for resisting arrest (this is an interesting fact since so many people feel that they were in the right because she was resisting arrest, the courts did not agree).

    Thirdly, when she sued, the courts sided with the police officers, they also ruled that she could not sue them for using excessive force (only because the taser laws at the time were unclear). 

    This appeal is actually being brought in front of the Supreme Court by the police officers, not by the woman. They are the one who is bringing this all up again, not her. They are looking for confirmation that the use of tasers in that instance was appropriate (even though they were not successfully sued, and none of them were brought up on disciplinary charges). 


    community-manager


  • CanadianMamaCanadianMama
    Posts: 9,614Administrator, Moderator
    @BigBird I agree with you that the charges laid against her were justified, I do not agree that the use of a taser was either necessary or appropriate. You say the police officers used the taser to get the matter dealt with efficiently? I don't think that police officers should be more concerned with the amount of time an incident is taking than the welfare of a citizen (a pregnant citizen with a child in the back seat). 

    I gave her reasons for why she refused to sign the ticket: She was a 7 month pregnant woman who felt that she was being unfairly pulled over and that by signing the ticket she would be admitting guilt (and the large insurance increase and most likely demerit points that would come with that). She was arguing the ticket (as I think a lot of us would). They put her under arrest for (in her mind) for arguing the ticket. Now in actuality, she was breaking the law. They absolutely had a right to arrest her. But looking at it from her position, and understanding the miscommunication, I can absolutely understand her actions in this situation. 

    I think the police are partly responsible for the way the whole situation escalated, and that they had other means to end it that didn't include tasing a pregnant woman. And I really don't understand why they are bringing this in front of the Supreme Court, they won all of the trials! 

    This is a really interesting conversation. I understand why there's such a debate about this, there are a lot of grey areas. I can absolutely see the benefits of tasers as a less-lethal weapon, and it's hard because people have died from being tased, and there have been times when tasers have been used that have seemed unnecessary and excessive. It will be interesting to see if the Supreme Court agrees to hear this case.

    community-manager


  • CanadianMamaCanadianMama
    Posts: 9,614Administrator, Moderator
    No worries @BigBird. I'm really enjoying this conversation, you have some great insights! I enjoy reading alternative views of a situation. 

    I'm not sure I even understand their motives for bringing this in front of the Supreme Court. They're opening up a big can of worms to prove they were right.

    community-manager


  • AnonUser28
    Posts: 2,083Guest
    @CanadianMama, lets be best friends!

    I just wanted to add that this idea that the police are justified in using force against peaceful, or non-violent citizens who are not immediately compliant is crazy! Hello police state!
  • AnonUser28
    Posts: 2,083Guest
    IMO, force should NEVER be used, unless someone's safety is at risk. 
  • shadylaneshadylane
    Posts: 3,037Member


    I just wanted to add that this idea that the police are justified in using force against peaceful, or non-violent citizens who are not immediately compliant is crazy! Hello police state!
    Exactly
    ~slim shady~
  • shadylaneshadylane
    Posts: 3,037Member
    She still didn't get out of the car after being tased 3 times hmmm I wonder why maybe cause she couldn't fucking move
    ~slim shady~
  • sissy
    Posts: 4Member
    Wow! Just, wow.
  • AnonUser30
    Posts: 1,916Guest
    I'm on the cops side ere. She wasn't dangerous? She was in a vehicle - that vehicle could become a weapon and injure them. Also, they do not know if she has a weapon IN the car itself that she could obtain. Being pregnant or female does NOT exempt you from the law. Having been pulled over in Seattle, and trying to refuse to sign they explain it to you. Then you sign.

    As to dealing effeciantly with routine calls, wait until your house is being broken into, or someone being assaulted or shot and you did out that 4 officers were unable to respond because they spent 45 minutes waiting for a woman to comply.

    Also, one reason the officers may be bringing it up is internal discipline that is keeping them from being promoted.
  • CanadianMamaCanadianMama
    Posts: 9,614Administrator, Moderator
    Pretty sure Seattle has more than 3 police officers....... I was also under the impression that police forces had different roles ie traffic police.

    If the Supreme Court hears this case it's going to decide on a national level if tasers are excessive use of force. Also, since the courts sided with the police, and their supervisors gave the okay, why are they facing disciplinary charges? And how would the Supreme Court absolve them if that? Their decisions aren't usually retroactive.

    community-manager


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