Taser death ignites racial tensions

At 1:28 p.m. last Jan. 17, Baron "Scooter" Pikes was a healthy 21-year-old man. By 2:07 p.m., he was dead.

[art]

I don't find this funny, but perhaps if I was in naperville or glendale arizona, and totally ignorant of race issues in the US at the same time...perhaps there would be a greater likelihood of me finding some humor in this...but not much more.

Strike that...no reasonable individual would find this funny, especially given our nation's history. Even Limbaugh will turn his back on this issue, because it is not worth the laugh.

Our bad mark as a country continues to plague us over 400 years later. And now the chorus of "not my fault" turns, which turned to "who cares," is now is about "ha ha."

If there is one last plea - economics got us into this mess...perhaps it can get us out. It doesn't pay to use our tax money to imprison, torture, and kill our own citizens. We can agree on that, can't we? And it is in nobody's best interests even if it is limited to a small town in Louisiana?

[Just me]

I am white! And proud of it! God intended for me to be what I am! My big thing is this: Who cares what color your skin is? Don't you idiots realize that our outside features are the only thing that separates us? We are all the same on the inside! I have many black friends (as well as hispanics, mixed, etc)! I don't see color! Another thing...this business in Winnfield should not be about color. It should be about what is right or wrong. Excessive force/police brutality is wrong. If that's the case who cares what race the cop(s) is/are? Let me assure you of one thing: This black boy isn't alone in dying a wrongful death. He has a white boy who went before him! I hope your stupid racism train gets derailed soon!

[Curious]

gijoe56fa wrote:

Most departments require officers to be tasered themselves before carrying a taser. It doesn't hurt that bad, and their use prevents injuries to officers and prisoners. When someone decides to fight when being arrested, they get what they have got coming. If they continue to fight or resist, they get more. This clown had a warrant for his arrest. A warrant is a court order to take someone into custody, it is not a suggestion. As the comedian says, if the police have to chase you down, they are bringing an **** kicking with them.

Yes. They do have to be tased themselves to be "taser certified." Have you ever been tased? A cop that I know was tased and he said it wasn't anything nice. He absolutely hated it. Just to hear that thing clicking is enough to make you cringe.

[ljones]

gijoe56fa wrote:

Most departments require officers to be tasered themselves before carrying a taser. It doesn't hurt that bad, and their use prevents injuries to officers and prisoners. When someone decides to fight when being arrested, they get what they have got coming. If they continue to fight or resist, they get more. This clown had a warrant for his arrest. A warrant is a court order to take someone into custody, it is not a suggestion. As the comedian says, if the police have to chase you down, they are bringing an **** kicking with them.

Maybe if it was your father or son you would feel different police are trained to take you down without killing you and what about them lying about the drugs....

[art]

gijoe56fa wrote:

Most departments require officers to be tasered themselves before carrying a taser. It doesn't hurt that bad, and their use prevents injuries to officers and prisoners. When someone decides to fight when being arrested, they get what they have got coming. If they continue to fight or resist, they get more. This clown had a warrant for his arrest. A warrant is a court order to take someone into custody, it is not a suggestion. As the comedian says, if the police have to chase you down, they are bringing an **** kicking with them.

Thanks for the definition of a warrant. My question to you, is, does a warrant by itself allow police to effectuate deadly force on someone, i.e. kill that person?

How about a warrant to arrest someone for tax evasion. Can the police taser them until they are dead?

Do all police taser people like this, as part of routine procedure?

I think the answer to all these questions is a resounding NO. Most officers are better than that. Something is clearly wrong in this situation. Also, I don't think it is appropriate to refer to a fellow citizen, killed by a government agent as a "clown." This would be especially terrible if his civil rights are violated.

[ljones]

If the police were doing the right thing WHY the need to LIE ..NO DRUGS in his system I guess they assumed wrong.

[Chill People]

"Pikes turns out to have been a first cousin of Mychal Bell, the lead defendant in the Jena 6 case."

"...Pikes' father, currently serving a prison sentence for a drug offense, who was Tasered by Nugent last year..."

With relatives like that, how innocent could this kid have been?

[****]

You are absolutely incorrect...Gettind tasered is not mandatory in order to be certified by Taser Inc to be able to carry it

Curious wrote:

<quoted text>Yes. They do have to be tased themselves to be "taser certified." Have you ever been tased? A cop that I know was tased and he said it wasn't anything nice. He absolutely hated it. Just to hear that thing clicking is enough to make you cringe.

[Susie Q]

Why can't reporters get the story right? Doesn't a reporter have any responsiblity to tell the whole story?

First off, the reporter wants the nation to think this is a racial issue, but he forgot to mention that the Police Chief that was ultimately responsible for putting that taser in that young man's hand and letting him out of the street under-trained is BLACK.

Secondly, the old Chief that committed suicide DID NOT do so because he lost an election. He made it sound as if it happened right after the election and it did not.

Furthermore, the parish Coroner that he is quoting is a drunk that can not tell you his name most of the time. He is also a paranoid, delisional idiot who most of the time, doesn't even know he is in the world. His garage wasn't blown up, oh my goodness.

Where is the responsibility of the reporter? If you are going to come down to the backward, corupt south, please get your facts and the story half-way right.

[Charlie]

Our black chief of police hired the guy that did the tasing, then let him keep working until the city council fired him, then ran out of town when CNN showed up. The racial tension should be pointed at him to get some justice for Collins.

[fed up]

Can't we all just get along. Let's not hate our fellow American's whether they are black, white, asian...
We can all equally hate Canadians. Those lazy SOB's and their snow. THEY can go to hell.
Perhaps a fence is needed to keep their low cost prescription drugs out of our country.
Much love to my peeps up North of the border.

[mom]

why did the Chief kill himself? What happened to Dr. Williams garage? How do you know?

[Rodolfo]

Modern day lynching! Thats ok, what goes around, comes around.

[Pepper]

This is very sad that cops are doing this to people. All it does is undermine the trust that they are trying to build in the community.

http://www.joboja.blogspot.com

[Rodolfo]

Just me wrote:

I am white! And proud of it! God intended for me to be what I am! My big thing is this: Who cares what color your skin is? Don't you idiots realize that our outside features are the only thing that separates us? We are all the same on the inside! I have many black friends (as well as hispanics, mixed, etc)! I don't see color! Another thing...this business in Winnfield should not be about color. It should be about what is right or wrong. Excessive force/police brutality is wrong. If that's the case who cares what race the cop(s) is/are? Let me assure you of one thing: This black boy isn't alone in dying a wrongful death. He has a white boy who went before him! I hope your stupid racism train gets derailed soon!

We need more people like you in this nation.

[Susie Q]

mom wrote:

why did the Chief kill himself? What happened to Dr. Williams garage? How do you know?

I know because this is small town America. Why the Chief killed himself is none of yours or America's business. It was well after he was out of office and was not because he lost the election is all that needs to be said on here.

The garage blew up or burned because of a mailfunction in Dr. Williams motor of his car. There was an investigation.( He probably spilled some of his alcohol on the hot motor.) He is also very vendictive and not above telling a story.

[Susie Q]

ljones wrote:

I know why white people don't understand this is wrong because they are getting away with murder themselves EVERY day a white woman ''Goes missing'' and the husband did it and they KEEP doing it and getting away with it.BUT let's not forget the white woman with her lover/stepson killing her husband for the insurance money if the husband don't kill her AND the kids first

You poor thing......you have serious issues.

[Amy]

Wow, talk about a good plot for a movie....because its almost unbelievable and absolutely ridiculous. I'm sure the Louisiana Grand Jury will take care of the crooked cop.

[Charlie]

art wrote:

<quoted text>
Thanks for the definition of a warrant. My question to you, is, does a warrant by itself allow police to effectuate deadly force on someone, i.e. kill that person?
How about a warrant to arrest someone for tax evasion. Can the police taser them until they are dead?
Do all police taser people like this, as part of routine procedure?
I think the answer to all these questions is a resounding NO. Most officers are better than that. Something is clearly wrong in this situation. Also, I don't think it is appropriate to refer to a fellow citizen, killed by a government agent as a "clown." This would be especially terrible if his civil rights are violated.

Cops can't be trusted with tasers. In this case it appears that Scooter was tortured. The article didn't tell you that our chief is black. They did tell you he was a convicted drug dealer, pardoned by Edwin Edwards, a former governor who is in prison for corruption. The black population here elected this guy. I'm white and disgusted with all the crap going on here. Don't paint Winnfield regular citizens with such a broad brush. Blame the cops and the chief and the DA and the coroner. No one I know likes what happened. I think the other racist comments made in this thread are from your people in Illinois. Ban taser today!!

[John Doe]

rose wrote:

you sound like a blind fool
<quoted text>

Good to see we have a mental giant here with the rest of us! Very intellecutual comments Rose! Are you Rose from the Golden Girls? That explains it all right there!