Denver Cop Punished For Ripping Up Homeless Man's 'Need Weed' Sign

[The General]

A Denver police captain has been punished for ripping up a homeless man's sign seeking legal recreational marijuana. An internal investigation found Capt. Joe Black violated the man's free speech rights when he destroyed the "Need weed" sign the was holding July 28 near the 16th Street Mall, reported the Denver Post. Black had no grounds to destroy the sign and changed his account of the incident during the investigation, police said.

The homeless man, whose full name was not identified in the disciplinary letter, said Black told him that asking for marijuana was aggressive panhandling. Black said the man became belligerent when he and another officer told him he could not sit or lie on the ground. The officer claimed he took the sign because the man could potentially use it "to swat at members of the public," and he later told investigators that the man swatted him with the sign.

Black, who commands the police department's juvenile division, will lose four days of time off as punishment. The sign incident took place six days after videotape showed Black shoving a fan three times at Coors Field. The fan, Alex Buck, was thrown out of the ballpark but was not charged in the incident — which remains under investigation. Black was working off-duty as a security guard in both cases.

News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Rawstory.com
Author: Travis Getty
Contact: support@rawstory.com
Website: Denver cop punished for ripping up homeless man's Need weed sign

 

[J9BLACK]

The cop changed his account of the incident as the investigation went along? What makes anymone think that a cop's behavior on the murdering gun down of unarmed folks would be any different?

 

[RaysDad]

This goes to show that there are still cops that fit the description of NAZI PIGS. This pig took it to the extreme of violating a persons rights in public!!! As long as there are people like this in a job that shows authority over the public no one is really safe at all.

RD

 

[Shandar]

Too bad that officer gets paid by the City to be such a bully.

Shandar

 

[J9BLACK]

He isn't paid to be a bully but there's an inevitibility to it. Between the Ferguson police responses and other recent examples of thuggery people are becoming more aware of "Big Law Enforcement" including private prisons.

So trust me when I say that privately, police and fire are an expensive pain in the a$$, and these cities wish they had alternatives to the current situation. Also, they become such whiny babies when any sort of pension or benefit reform is put on the table. It reminds me of Zorg saying, "So you are merchants after all."

Words like "public safety", "increased danger to the public" are used like cugels by these powerful unions to pressure concessions from city leaders. But even now they are losing the War on Pot and their temper tantrums in response only confirm our suspicions.

So paid by? Yes. Not paid to.

 

[COorganics]

This does show some progress, though. Years ago this cop would never have been punished, and homeless man would have been searched and likely arrested for MJ possession. The times are changing for the better. Cops are people too, some good some bad, but none friends of mine still.

 

[Peter Parker]

This second case should be delayed. That way if it's determined he made "poor" decisions with the "ball Game incident", that can be used in this freedom of speech issue.

Surely to be an officer of the law the #1 criteria is the ability to properly determine what exactly is happening in terms of "actions" and the laws broken or safety / order protected....and without making shit up.

In other words this cop is showing signs he ain't well in the noggin. Hopefully one of the judges sees this and forces an assessment...by a third party.

 

[J9BLACK]

On the subject of disturbed officers of the law, I think there's a huge race problem in Missouri starting with the governor on down. That's one state this colored man will never intentionally visit.

If power corrupts, cops having the power to invoke summary executions that follow a well prescribed narrative contrived within the thin blue line on how to get away with murder is no doubt corruption.

 

[xtrchessreal]

Incidents like this are gonna happen IMO because the police have had to stop drugs on the street for so long that even now that weed is legal they initially see "WRONG" in their brain. So, its more of a conditioned response. It will take a few years before it balances out I think. There is the law which is immediate but there is the human factor of learning new things too. That being said Denver is under investigation concerning abuse of civil rights, unnecessary extreme force etc. The city council has made a few regulations recently that doesn't help this behavior and that doesn't fare well for protesters such as the new rule about urban camping to circumvent rallies and Occupy movements etc. So, homeless people are being hassled and moved for really no reason. The bottom line is Denver is a hot zone. You don't want to be homeless here, you don't want to be smoking weed in public here, and both of these came together for this guy. In addition to the urban camping they have also changed the public parks rules for times open so no one can protest about anything really and homeless can't hangout anywhere. Denver is a good example of a police state.

 

[gairbud]

He needs to be unemployed[the cop]

 

[J9BLACK]

If the homeless man were smarter, his sign would read "Trying to quit the bottle, need weed." If the cop were smarter and kinder, he'd realize that cannabis might ACTUALLY help get this man back on his feet.