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Confronted- Sidewalk Parking Cop Claims He Is Above the Law
…or, How to Get Rid of Pesky Speed Traps
The video above was created and sent to us by Andrew Henderson, a Minnesota CopBlocker whose work is a favorite amongst our staff and readers. More from and about Andrew:
Hypocritical Police Issue Seatbelt Tickets and Harass Minnesota CopBlocker (Video)
St. Paul, MN Police Launch Investigation into if Sidewalks are Public or Private Property
Jury Finds Andrew Henderson – Targeted for Filming Police – Not Guilty
In this newest video, Andrew confronts an officer who is clearly parked illegally on a sidewalk. Rather than manning up and admitting his mistake, the cop immediately resorts to insults and becomes irritated and defensive.
Andrew Henderson
“Get a real job,” are the first words he speaks to Andrew.
“What? Is that all you have for me- why don’t I get a real job?” he replies.
After a few more back and forth Andrew asks the cop the quintessential question, “Do Badges Grant Extra Rights?”
The answer- “It does for me.”
Officer S. Roux of the St. Paul Police Department believes that his badge grants him extra rights.
The reason the officer appears to be parked on the sidewalk is that he is conducting a speed trap. The reason given for the enforcement of traffic laws is public safety. Yet time and again police also cite safety issues for obstructing sidewalks. Is there some hierarchy of safety in which it is okay to violate one form in deference to another?
The blind and the handicapped rely on unobstructed walkways for navigating the world. This is why you are not allowed to obstruct a sidewalk, or even to ignore obstructions created by nature (snow), according to the legal reasoning provided to citizens who break this law.
But I guess that safety is not all that important when you are privileged road pirate engaged in revenue collection activities. In fact, it seems, safety is only ever something that citizens must remain aware of. If you have the magical extra right granting badge, the concerns of regular humanity are but a speck of dust in relation to your inflated sense of self-importance.
The officer, butthurt and caught in his hypocrisy, does decide to remove his pirate ship from the walkway. So not only does Andrew provide transparency and accountability in this situation, he also becomes the true champion of public safety.
Kudos to Andrew and all of those who film the police and insist on even application of the law by maintaining that Badges Don’t Grant Extra Rights.
Now, go and check out more of Henderson’s work at his youtube channel- The Drewks.
This photo of a Lafayette, Indiana police cruiser parked in a handicapped spot has recently gone viral, prompting public discussion about the day to day abuses of power endemic to policing in the US.
Dance your mouse this way and press the little button to get your shit all stickered up.
Confronted- Sidewalk Parking Cop Claims He Is Above the Law is a post from Cop Block – Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights
Source: http://www.copblock.org/132227/sidewalk-parking-cop/
