The Brazilian guy shot in London - Page 4

parappa · #31 07-26-2005, 08:08 AM

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I believe the paranoia surrounding terrorism at the moment to be much more dangerous than terrorism itself.

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I honestly don't know whether to agree with you or not. One of last week's attempts (detonator went off, faulty bomb) was about 200m from my house--streets were cordoned off, people not allowed back into their homes, the whole thing.

As a gambler, I'm used to sizing up probabilities, figuring out the chances, etc. Even though I walk past the station every day at roughly the same time that the bomb went off, I still estimate my chances of dying in the explosion if it had gone off at something like 10,000:1. But I'm not sure if these numbers have anything to do with realtiy because I'm, well, terrified and have no idea how much of my paranoia is justified and how much is not.

xniNja · #32 07-26-2005, 09:03 AM

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Facts: your staking out an apartment in an investigation related to recent bombings. your looking for people with light brown skin. such a guy emerges. He runs when confronted.

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This is all wrong on so many levels. "Looking for people with light brown skin" is a terrible criterion. He runs when confronted? If 5 mean looking guys confront you (not wearing police uniforms) on what could be anything from a robbery to a hate crime, wouldn't running be a reasonable option?

I truly hope his family gets a large settlement and the UK police realize how stupid a "shoot-first-ask-questions-later" policy is.

etgryphon · #33 07-26-2005, 11:06 AM

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True -
but there is a fdiferent level of danger that they faced. A less immediate one than what many people face on a daily basis- people that have to put up with abhorant [censored] just to survive.

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By signing the Declaration of Independence and/or being a part of the Fight for Independence, B. Franklin was risking being Hung, Drawn and Quartered which was the normal punishment for High Treason at the time. He was risking the legacy and the care of his entire family.

Now, ask yourself again if you think that Ben Franklin or any of the other leaders of the American Revolution were "risking" anything.

-Gryph

mackthefork · #34 07-26-2005, 11:49 AM

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Quote:
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True -
but there is a fdiferent level of danger that they faced. A less immediate one than what many people face on a daily basis- people that have to put up with abhorant [censored] just to survive.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By signing the Declaration of Independence and/or being a part of the Fight for Independence, B. Franklin was risking being Hung, Drawn and Quartered which was the normal punishment for High Treason at the time. He was risking the legacy and the care of his entire family.

Now, ask yourself again if you think that Ben Franklin or any of the other leaders of the American Revolution were "risking" anything.

-Gryph

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Yep he was a great man, people who try to discredit or ridicule what he means and what he acheived just have no clue, and I say this even as an Englishman.

Mack

andyfox · #35 07-26-2005, 05:14 PM

Times of London today said the family would likely get "hundreds of thousands of pounds," or something like that. [Read it in the airport in Naples, can't remember the exact quote.] Last similar case the victim's family got in the neighborhood of 120,000 pounds [again, might be slighly off here]. But I was surprised by the small amount of money, compared to the numbers we're used to seeing in the U.S.

Trainwreck · #36 07-27-2005, 05:14 AM

Basically, if he doesn't freeze and drop to the ground when asked to by the police, it's his own damn fault he got fragged, and it is within the job details to frag him, so I am wondering WTH all the fuss is about, making me think there is a LARGE piece missing to the story.

Mind you I understand the poor family getting pissed and all the police brutality accusations, they come with the territory, unfortunately.

The guy screwed up and it cost him his life is what I got out of this, act like it's happened before...

Not sure why the Brits want to pay off the family, if my first statement was true.
Just imagine all the old cases coming forth wanting paid! BAD PRECEDENT! (as opposed to BUSH: BAD President [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img])

>TW<

xniNja · #37 07-27-2005, 05:16 AM

How about they weren't wearing police uniforms and could have been anybody?

Trainwreck · #38 07-27-2005, 05:45 AM

That's a new wrinkle, thanks.

Haven't heard that in news reports here though.

Expired visa was news to me too. 8(

>TW<

mackthefork · #39 07-27-2005, 06:31 AM

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The guy screwed up and it cost him his life is what I got out of this, act like it's happened before...

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The fact is it really doesn't happen here, the police shot a guy who was mildly drunk walking home from a DIY shop with a new leg for his table, the fact is most of the police don't bear arms, most of the ones who do have never shot anyone. The government and the met tell us these guys are highly trained, but in truth most of them have never shot at anyone. FWIW even though I was the OP, I had no intention of suggesting police brutality, implied or otherwise.

The main problem I have is that they say it will happen again, thats not good enough, in essence the facts that turned out to be the truth after the event, were much more likely than what was suspected when they killed him.

Regards Mack

xniNja · #40 07-27-2005, 06:42 AM

Does anyone else think if the guy weren't Brazilian & his relatives hadn't spoken up, they would have claimed they had stopped a terrorist?

Honestly, say he was of Arab descent and same thing happens. I'm willing to bet they would write it off as tax payers money well spent.

The state of affairs in the world today is pretty sickening.