Thursday, June 11, 2009

This is why having video evidence is useful.

And why reflexive "the Powers That Be are evil" (i.e. always supporting individual citizens against the political system/big companies) attitudes are unjustified.

Everyone is capable of iniquity - not just the "privileged", or the dominant class in "power relations":

Great-grandma dared cop to Tase her, so he did

"Kathryn Winkfein was stopped for doing 60 mph in a 45 zone in her pickup truck on a highway near Austin, Texas. After Deputy Chris Bieze finished writing the ticket, he gave it to her and asked her to sign it.

Winkfein refused. Bieze insisted, saying he would have to arrest her if she didn't sign the ticket. When she wouldn't sign, he opened the door to the truck and told her to get out...

The Travis County Constable's Office alleged that she had been argumentative and profane. She denied the charge, telling a local Fox News reporter, "I was not argumentative. I was not combative. Every bit of this is a lie."

In response, the constable's office released the dashboard video of the arrest, which shows Winkfein using vulgar language and daring Bieze to use his Taser. According to the time stamp on the dashboard video, it was at least seven minutes from when Bieze told the elderly woman to get out of her truck until he finally hit her with 50,000 volts of low-amperage electricity and she fell screaming to the ground.

Winkfein has not commented since the video was released. According to the local Fox station, she has hired an attorney.

When Bieze tells her to get out of her truck, Winkfein says, "Take me to jail. Go on and take me to jail."...

"If you don't step back, you're gonna be Tased," Bieze says.

That's when Winkfein said, "Go ahead. Tase me."

Even then, Bieze did not use the Taser he had out and ready. He attempted to grab her, but Winkfein twisted away.

"Step back or you're gonna be Tased, ma'am," Bieze says again.

"I dare you," she said.

Winkfein then decided she was leaving and tried to walk back to her truck.

"I'm getting back in my car," she said.

"You're gonna be Tased," Bieze said, blocking her path.

"I'm getting back in my car," she insists.

"No, ma'am," he says.

That's when he finally fired the Taser and Winkfein went down screaming."


(This TODAYShow.com - which is mostly a description of the video - is a lot more accurate than the other articles I read describing this incident, where just how belligerent the grandma is is not made clear)
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