Thabo's persecution...

[Dejay]

I'll just leave this right here. I'm still boiling mad over what could've been....

http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/14379532/how-atlanta-hawks-forward-thabo-sefolosha-became-civil-rights-symbol

[AHF]

Good read.  Wish they would have covered this more significantly when it was going on.

[Vol4ever]

Bad decision by those guys.   Had they not been there it would not have happened.  In addition if Thabo would have walked away, got in the suv they would have been good.   But no, he had to go back and get smart with the cop, he asked for the confrontation and got it.   IMO this is on him.   The cop was out of line too, but this was a crime scene and Thabo chose to insert himself in it, where he had no business.   

 

[AHF]

Thabo put himself in a riskier situation by being out that late and calling a cop a midget, etc. but the biggest responsibility falls on the cops here.  No question about it.

[Lurker]

Read about half of it. Nothing really to add but except that's a very very weak arrest, smh at the NYPD.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Lurker

[AUhawksfan]

1 hour ago, Vol4ever said:

Bad decision by those guys.   Had they not been there it would not have happened.  In addition if Thabo would have walked away, got in the suv they would have been good.   But no, he had to go back and get smart with the cop, he asked for the confrontation and got it.   IMO this is on him.   The cop was out of line too, but this was a crime scene and Thabo chose to insert himself in it, where he had no business.   

 

May have not been the best decision but that still doesn't stop it from being the NYPD's fault entirely.  If he wants to go out before a game that's his decision, he's a grown ass man.

This is like saying "she was raped, but she was asking for it because of what she was wearing."  What she's wearing may attract some negative attention but that doesn't mean anything that happens from it is her fault.

Use some reasoning buddy.....

[Vol4ever]

40 minutes ago, AUhawksfan said:

May have not been the best decision but that still doesn't stop it from being the NYPD's fault entirely.  If he wants to go out before a game that's his decision, he's a grown ass man.

This is like saying "she was raped, but she was asking for it because of what she was wearing."  What she's wearing may attract some negative attention but that doesn't mean anything that happens from it is her fault.

Use some reasoning buddy.....

So it's the NYPD's entire fault that Thabo engaged in a argument with the police officer and called him a midget?   Btw I did read the entire article.   I will also add where were the rest of the Hawk players?    This is a team that had the number one seed in the east.   NBA players play at the highest level and he is out a 4am drinking?    

I will stick with bad decision.  

[Vol4ever]

25 minutes ago, hawksfanatic said:

He hasn't even read the freaking article as he contends that the events of the NYPD attacking Thabo happened at a crime scene. Nope, the totally unrelated Copeland stabbing was well away from where Thabo was assaulted and this was established by a court of law. Oh and video evidence and admitted by the police under oath ... etc.

Keep in mind that you're attempting to engage in a discussion with the same intellectual maven who had this to say in a thread, well after the incident and TMZ video was released, which was meant to update the status of Thabo:

Intellectual maven?????    Haha.   You don't even know me and resort to name calling.   It is my opinion that bad decisions were the main reason this happened.   You don't have to agree with me and that is fine, but drop the name calling.  

[Vol4ever]

31 minutes ago, hawksfanatic said:

I think it's pretty obvious when you think "intellectual maven" is an insult that...well yeah. You can't really pick up on sarcasm.

Yep I took it as a insult...........if you didn't mean it that way........then I apologize.  

[AUhawksfan]

3 hours ago, Vol4ever said:

So it's the NYPD's entire fault that Thabo engaged in a argument with the police officer and called him a midget?   Btw I did read the entire article.   I will also add where were the rest of the Hawk players?    This is a team that had the number one seed in the east.   NBA players play at the highest level and he is out a 4am drinking?    

I will stick with bad decision.  

I'm not arguing it was a bad decision.   Nor would I be out at a club the night before a game, hanging near a cop that's looking for trouble or calling him a midget.  I'd say yes sir and get out of dodge to avoid a situation.

Thing is I'm not trying to judge someone's personal decision.  If you look objectively you'll see he did nothing illegal and regardless of what he said or where he was there is no way in hell he deserved to be treated like that. Complete abuse of power and some cops that can't keep their composure.

[AHF]

8 hours ago, AUhawksfan said:

I'm not arguing it was a bad decision.   Nor would I be out at a club the night before a game, hanging near a cop that's looking for trouble or calling him a midget.  I'd say yes sir and get out of dodge to avoid a situation.

Thing is I'm not trying to judge someone's personal decision.  If you look objectively you'll see he did nothing illegal and regardless of what he said or where he was there is no way in hell he deserved to be treated like that. Complete abuse of power and some cops that can't keep their composure.

Good summary.  Walking through a bad neighborhood is not a smart decision, but the responsibility if you are mugged falls hardest on the mugger.  In this case, the cops were the mugger.  Hope Thabo nails them to the wall.                

[hawkman]

1 hour ago, AHF said:

Good summary.  Walking through a bad neighborhood is not a smart decision, but the responsibility if you are mugged falls hardest on the mugger.  In this case, the cops were the mugger.  Hope Thabo nails them to the wall.                

I agree. Getting your leg broken/ligaments shredded should never be a part of getting arrested, especially if the person getting arrested is offering little to no resistance. There's been this disturbing 'understanding' lately that it's ok for the police to inflict serious bodily harm on a suspect. I'm seeing a lot of, "he/she shouldn't have talked back",  "he/she should've moved faster", or "he shouldn't have ran" to justify everything up to and including murder. On what planet is choking people to death, severing spinal cords, breaking legs, and shooting people multiple times in the back acceptable by those who we pay to protect and serve? 

[HawkItus]

Remove the labels like Cop, officer, authority.  If any other citizen did this to another citizen, with all the facts being the same, you would go to jail.  

[AHF]

Just now, HawkItus said:

Remove the labels like Cop, officer, authority.  If any other citizen did this to another citizen, with all the facts being the same, you would go to jail.  

That goes for a lot of things that cops legally do.  They do have more authority and responsibility than private citizens.  They didn't have authority to do what they did to Thabo, but their exposure is more limited than it would be for you or me because they are somewhat protected by their role even in this situation.  In Thabo's favor, that does mean deeper pockets if he chooses to sue.