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Petersberg Cops Are Being Allowed To Physically Assault Citizens Who Record Them Making Arrest! (Video)

Petersberg Cops Are Being Allowed To Physically Assault Citizens Who Record Them Making Arrest! (Video)

by July 11, 2014 8 comments

When Is Enough, Enough?

By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

Snapshot 9 (7-11-2014 7-10 AM)

Every day in the United States of America, the so called police but better known as a legalized street gang whos sole purpose seems to be to make up for a highshool years filled with being bullied and disappointment, assault or kill one of the citizens they are sworn to protect!   What makes this all even worse is that there doesnt seem to be any public outcry or retaliation.

Today I was sent a story which literally made me rethink the whole dynamic of not only citizen to cop but cop to judge.

Ever wonder why the judge, lawyers and cops tend to always take each others side?  Well hell thats easy, thats because they work together.  Its literally like thinking that the prosecution and the defense team dont work together on some cases.  My people suffer for their lack of knowledge and right now its that as well as our lack of action.

Please take a look at the video below of the cops doing way the hell overboard yet nothing is being done.

Can you believe that crap?  And the fact that they were still able to get charges to stick even though it is obvious that nothing was done wrong by neither citizen.  I could see if these guys were one of the dealers or what not but what seems weird is that recording the incident would seem like it would be a welcomed sight for the cops.  I mean a camera can always back up their stories when they claim they are being lied on.

The cops in this story put the people in a more dangerous situation which could have gotten someone killed and that PIG who grabbed that woman by her shoulder like that needs to have his a$$ kicked by her whole family.

There was no need for that type of show of force which is why people hate cops but we do nothing so how does that help?  We are getting to a police state and once we get there, there will be no turning back so it is time for you as citizens to stand up against it NOW BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!!

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PETERSBURG, VA (WWBT) -Another family has come forward claiming Petersburg Police came on their front porch and tried to stop them from shooting video of arrests happening right in front of their home.

The family reached out to the On Your Side Investigators and shared dramatic cell phone video. The incident led to a violent confrontation.

Cell phone video shows JaQuan Fisher, 17, standing on his own front porch recording the arrests happening on Rome Street. In the video, an officer is heard saying, “Unless you want me to take your phone from you,” before there is a struggle and video goes to black.

“I was right here. I pulled out my phone,” JaQuan said, pointing to where he was standing.

Petersburg Police had just busted several people at a home next door. They were handcuffing the suspects in front of Fisher’s home. He walked out onto the porch and his cousin—who was one of the people being arrested–yelled, “Start recording.”

“[The officer] came off the porch and said, ‘You want me to take your phone?'” Fisher said. “I put my phone in my pocket and then when he tried to take my phone, I guess he thought he was going to get my phone and he shoved me. I shoved him back.”

Fisher’s sister also started taking cell phone video. She captured the violence that followed.

“They was trying to grab my son off the porch. I was trying to tell my boyfriend to open the door so we can get in the house,” Debra Fisher said. She is JaQuan’s mother and can be seen on the video wrestling with officers.

A second officer arrived during the struggle. There was an object in his hand. The family says he started spraying mace.

“They maced each other, too. He just started mace-ing everywhere,” Debra Fisher said.

A third officer came rushing in to the chaos and put Debra into a choke hold, nearly pulling her backward off the porch.

JaQuan Fisher was charged with two counts of felony assault on law enforcement. Prosecutors eventually dropped one charge and reduced the other to a misdemeanor. He pleaded guilty to that charge. His mother didn’t have an attorney, and a judge found her guilty of obstructing justice.

For the family, this wasn’t about the fight on the porch. It’s why they were even bothered by police to begin with.

“We have a right to do what we want to do with our phone sitting on your porch. Sitting on my porch,” Debra Fisher said.

Two months prior to this incident on April 10th , there was another confrontation between a Petersburg resident and police caught on cell phone video.

“Get inside now. Inside. You can record all you want to,” an officer yelled in this video from June. Devin Thomas, 17, was recording video of an arrest when officers tried to make him leave a public street.  That also led to a violent confrontation, again with a bystander not involved in the original police arrest.

“When you start having a pattern of encounters like this, regardless of who’s right or wrong, just the pattern and the questions that are raised erodes the public confidence in the police and public trust in the police,” Steven Benjamin said. He’s a prominent defense attorney and also NBC12’s legal analyst.

“Let’s be real clear. You have the absolute right to stand on your front porch and record what’s going on in your front yard,” Benjamin said.

He has no inside knowledge of the cases and doesn’t know what information police had. He can only see what you do, what’s on the videos. He says what he does see raises some red flags.

“Because an officer decided to prohibit what was the video recording being made on the porch, you then had the police creating a separate encounter that very quickly got out of control, putting the other officers at risk,” he said.

He also questions the use of the choke hold.

“It’s a dangerous procedure and it’s very far along that continuum of force, that gradual increase of force that officers are allowed to use to protect themselves. It can be very dangerous to hold a person in place like that,” Benjamin said.  What’s captured on video suggests, “That there is a need for training, additional training, perhaps a different approach to their policing and perhaps some discipline.”

We gave Petersburg Police a few days notice and requested an on camera interview. We wanted to find out the agency’s perspective as to what was going on in the video.

The agency pointed out Debra Fisher was charged with obstruction and found guilty in a court of law.  The agency went on to say, “All subject resistance reports are reviewed by the department and no officers were disciplined or transferred to other positions within the department because of the case. Officers are trained to use the least amount of force. No complaints have been filed and the event happened nearly 3 months ago. Officers do not hinder the public from recording video as it is their right to do so.”

Debra Fisher says she’s looking for an attorney and may appeal her conviction. She also says she did not file a formal complaint with Petersburg Police because she no longer trusts the police department.

Copyright 2014 WWBT NBC12. All rights reserved.

8 Comments so far

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  1. ofcourse
    #1 ofcourse 11 July, 2014, 10:02

    I was in a discussion earlier this week regarding law enforcement officers acting in this manner. I told my associates officers will begin “nationally” removing evidence of their misconduct & unprofessional behavior. My question is how is it tolerated that officers can assault people & not be prosecuted the way any other person would be? This is a complete double standard & absolute disregard for justice. These actions are reminiscent of Communist & Imperialistic governance.

  2. Darryl Isaac
    #2 Darryl Isaac 11 July, 2014, 11:00

    We need to do something about this bullshit! There needs to be a very serious reform of the criminal justice system! And only college graduates who want to pursue a career in Criminal Law should be allowed into the police force! If an education and weekly psychologist appointment requirement was put in place and public video recordings were made to monitor the officers, a police state would be non-existent.

  3. Art Vandelay
    #3 Art Vandelay 11 July, 2014, 16:48

    The problem is that the good cops don’t like the bad cops making all cops look bad, but since the good cops refuse to do anything about the bad cops it makes all cops, in fact, bad.

  4. meekodk
    #4 meekodk 11 July, 2014, 17:52

    it all balls down to respect if they had respect for the community in which they work in they would not have treated them this way and on the reverse side know the police who works in your community acknowledge him as a public service and he’ll acknowledge you as a citizen

  5. Ras T
    #5 Ras T 11 July, 2014, 20:46

    How can law enforcement think it’s OK to accost someone recording activity that is occurring on their property? Tommy, you brought up Amadou Diallo, whom I remember vividly because those so called men in blue were acquitted on all charges, which made me think of Abner Louima who was severely beaten and sodomized in a Brooklyn precinct after him and some friends tried to break up a fight between two women outside of a night club. This is exactly why I will never live in New York again. When I hear about stories like this it makes me physically sick. Most of these cops have no proper training and no social skills. This has got to stop. I can’t tell you how many rallies I went to back in the 90’s regarding police brutality. I don’t know it just seems like a lost cause. SMH in disgust.

  6. robthom
    #6 robthom 11 July, 2014, 22:19

    One the one hand they’re obviously wrong and abusive.
    (Your not the only one.)

    On the other hand,
    dont attract them to your community.

    Put them out of work because their work aint right.

    What are cops gonna do,
    if you dont give them nothin to do?

    (They want you to do that…)

  7. Christopher Montgomery
    #7 Christopher Montgomery 12 July, 2014, 17:19

    smh thats my hometown too Tommy!! Havent been there for 10 years and its getting worst

  8. Rahsaan Woods
    #8 Rahsaan Woods 2 August, 2014, 17:42

    Pres Obama has nothing to do with the police that is a city controled organization. the POTUS controls federal organization. That why the POTUS execitive orders can only affect federal jobs and not local jobs. Its the state governemnt that are allowing the police to violate people rights not the federal, in this situation

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