Baton Bob Strikes Back Against Police That Coerced Facebook Post From Him 203
McGruber (1417641) writes "In June 2013, Atlanta police arrested costumed street performer "Baton Bob" during the middle of a street performance after Baton Bob was allegedly involved in a verbal altercation with mall security guards. Now, a year later, Baton Bob has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Atlanta police of violating his constitutional rights, assault, discrimination, privacy violations and identify theft. Atlanta Police allegedly forced Baton Bob to make a pro-police statement on his Facebook page before officers would allow Bob to be released on bond. According to the lawsuit: "At approximately 3:40 p.m., while Plaintiff sat handcuffed and without an attorney, he was told to dictate a public statement to Officer Davis, who then typed and posted the message to the Baton Bob Facebook account. The message read: 'First of all, the atl police officer that responded to the incident thru security has been very respectful and gracious to me even in handcuffs. So, the situation escalated from a complaint from a security officer in the area and for some reason she rolled up on me like she didn't know who I was and like I had not been there before. For them to call police to come to intervene was not necessary. So, out of it, because of my fury, the Atlanta police officer did not understand the elements of the situation, so he was trying to do his job, respectfully and arrested my ass!!!!!!!!! I'll be out tomorrow so look out for my show at 14th and Peachtree. So now I'm waiting to be transported so I can sign my own bond and get the hell out of here. I want to verify, that the Atlanta police was respectful to me considering the circumstances. See you when I see you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' As promised, Plaintiff was then given a signature bond and released from jail."
Seriously? (Score:3, Insightful)
Is there so little happening in the world right now that the best "story" you can come up with is a guy with obvious mental issues claiming police made him post Facebook comments?
He's lucky they didn't kill him. (Score:5, Insightful)
He's lucky they didn't kill him.
In our state the cops have killed people with their batons, tasers, pistols and assault rifles for less than this. Of course, every time this happens the cops get off scott free without even a reprimand and with full paid leave during the "investigation" into the "incident". Cops are killing citizens left and right. These are not isolated incidenses but a problem with police mentality. Kill first, ask questions later.
Re:lol mimes (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:News for not nerds, stuff that doesn't matter. (Score:2, Insightful)
Great post McGruber, thanks for selecting it timothy.
If you don't like the stories you're reading here, then submit a better one!
Re:lol mimes (Score:5, Insightful)
They are a public nuisance with the same rights we afford assholes like myself and yourself. No one, even a mime, can be coerced into a public statement like this...
This is a highly illegal method of reputation modelling by the Atlanta PD.
South, black gay... luck he's not dead (Score:4, Insightful)
This guy's first mistake was to assume he had any "rights". Is he "Baton Bob LLC"? Only corporate rights are respected by the law. Individual's rights are whatever the police feel like letting you get with at that moment, which is rapidly less and less.
Secondly, this is Atlanta Georgia, the deep south, and this guy is black and probably gay as well -- two strikes against him in the eyes of the police. Georgia is notoriously gun-happy as well, the governor having just recently signed a bill that allows open carry just about everywhere.
Frankly, this guy's lucky he wasn't shot dead on the spot for "resisting arrest". He seems to think we are living in a free country where the people have guaranteed rights. That hasn't been the situation for some time, he'd better get with the program or he'll be assigned to a gulag.
Re:Seriously? (Score:5, Insightful)
What amazes me is that after everything else is proven a lie, they still took the convicted criminal's words for the sequence of events.
Re:Seriously? (Score:3, Insightful)
No, fuck your perspective. When a paramilitary raid is launched on a person's home it tends to elicit a response indicative of someone who doesn't want to die. Their justification for returning fire is predicated on the erroneous justification for being there in the first place.