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| New Jersey cops pummel Emily Weinman on beach |
Police punched a woman on the New Jersey Shore over the Memorial Day weekend, and much of the incident was captured on a video that has gone viral.
Emily Weinman, age 20 of Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, aggravated assault by spitting bodily fluids at/on a police officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstruction and minor in possession of alcohol. The officers involved have been assigned administrative duties while the Wildwood, N.J., Police Department conducts an investigation.
The incident is reminiscent of police brutality here in Springfield, Missouri, against my wife, Carol, where deputies from the Greene County Sheriff's Office left her with an arm broken so badly that it required trauma surgery. The beating of Carol came during an eviction that was unlawful on at least 10 grounds. There are quite a few differences between our experience and the New Jersey incident, and we will address those in a moment. But first, here are more details about the Emily Weinman incident, from a report by Gina Tron at oxygen,com:
The mayor of Wildwood, N.J., said Weinman spit at an officer, as if that somehow justifies the beating that was captured on video. From a report at cbsnews.com:
Notice that the mayor admits cops beat up Weinman? It appears he considers that acceptable.
As for comparisons of police brutality against Carol in Missouri and the Weinman incident in New Jersey, a few issues appear clear:
(1) Weinman apparently escaped with no serious injuries; Carol was not so fortunate, winding up with a comminuted fracture of the left arm, meaning it was shattered in more than two places.
(2) New Jersey police, at least, are making a show of holding officers accountable; in Missouri, cops, prosecutors, lawyers, and judges have engaged in a cover up that has grown more blatant and corrupt in recent days. (Details on that in upcoming posts.) Just one example: Cops have conducted no investigation of the beating, contrary to their own policies, and suggested in both oral and written statements that Carol broke her arm by flailing about in the back of a patrol car. Never mind that Carol was handcuffed and seat belted in the patrol car, and comminuted fractures are caused by trauma, as in a car crash -- and are not the kind of injury one inflicts upon herself.
(3) Both Carol and Weinman face criminal charges that would have to improve to be dubious. In Carol's case, she was charged with "assault on a law enforcement officer," even though "victim" Jeremy Lynn admitted in his incident report that he "knowingly caused physical contact" with Carol -- and under Missouri law, that means Carol did not "initiate" contact, and she is not guilty; Weinman was charged with aggravated assault on an officer, and that smells funny, based on the report from Oxygen:
That suggests Weinman was arrested because she dared question a cop, not because she violated any laws. It also suggests cops instigated the larger incident by following Weinman, rather than just letting her go.
That is in keeping with the dishonesty, intimidation, and thuggery we've experienced in Missouri -- and others have experienced around the country -- in the past three years or so.
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| Bruising on Carol Shuler's arm, moments before X-rays revealed multiple breaks, inflicted by Missouri cops. |
The involved officers have been re-assigned to administrative duty while the investigation is conducted, Wildwood Police said Sunday.
“Chief [Robert] Regalbuto stated that while he finds this video to be alarming, he does not want to rush to any judgment until having the final results of the investigation,” police said.
That video appears to show two officers wrestling a young woman to the ground and punching her in the head on a beach in Wildwood. People can be heard shouting at the woman to stop resisting. A woman who was sleeping on the beach woke up to the disturbance, recorded it on her phone and posted it on Twitter. (Video is embedded at the end of this post.)
The mayor of Wildwood, N.J., said Weinman spit at an officer, as if that somehow justifies the beating that was captured on video. From a report at cbsnews.com:
Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the episode was a "shame," but said police would soon release body camera footage showing officers being insulted and spat upon. Weinman is also charged with spitting at an officer.
"It wasn't just that this officer decided to beat her up," he said. "That wasn't the case."
Troiano declined comment on the use of force, saying he didn't know the whole story, but added: "We don't like to see anyone get hit, period. But then again, when you have someone who's aggressively attacking you or spitting at you. I wasn't there. I don't know."
Notice that the mayor admits cops beat up Weinman? It appears he considers that acceptable.
As for comparisons of police brutality against Carol in Missouri and the Weinman incident in New Jersey, a few issues appear clear:
(1) Weinman apparently escaped with no serious injuries; Carol was not so fortunate, winding up with a comminuted fracture of the left arm, meaning it was shattered in more than two places.
(2) New Jersey police, at least, are making a show of holding officers accountable; in Missouri, cops, prosecutors, lawyers, and judges have engaged in a cover up that has grown more blatant and corrupt in recent days. (Details on that in upcoming posts.) Just one example: Cops have conducted no investigation of the beating, contrary to their own policies, and suggested in both oral and written statements that Carol broke her arm by flailing about in the back of a patrol car. Never mind that Carol was handcuffed and seat belted in the patrol car, and comminuted fractures are caused by trauma, as in a car crash -- and are not the kind of injury one inflicts upon herself.
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| X-ray of Carol Shuler's broken arm, a comminuted fracture. |
In a now-deleted Facebook post, Weinman wrote that before the arrest, she passed a breathalyzer test. Then, she claimed police followed her on the sand.
"I asked them don't they have something better to do as cops than to stop people for underage drinking on the beach,” she wrote on her Facebook, according to New Jersey.com. She said that an officer replied, “I was gonna let you go but now I'll write you up."
She went on to write that she then refused to cooperate with police and didn’t give them her name. As she was backing away, she tripped and fell and she said that’s when one of the officers grabbed her and began tackling her.
Police are asking that anyone present during the incident contact them to assist with their investigation. They should contact Detective Lieutenant Kenneth Gallagher at 609-522-0222.
That suggests Weinman was arrested because she dared question a cop, not because she violated any laws. It also suggests cops instigated the larger incident by following Weinman, rather than just letting her go.
That is in keeping with the dishonesty, intimidation, and thuggery we've experienced in Missouri -- and others have experienced around the country -- in the past three years or so.
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