Police Beat & Stun Innocent Deaf Man, Claim Sign Language Is "Threatening"
The police of California's South Bay, who are so beloved that they were found not guilty of blatantly murdering Kelly Thomas, are at it again!The injustice of the day centers around the Hawthorne police responding to a report of "suspicious activity"...namely someone loading items into his car, that he owned, from an ex-roommate's apartment. However, their investigation of this incident took a turn for the worse when the mover of said items - one Jonathan Meister, who is deaf - noticed the arrival of the police. From CBS LA:
The problem began when police reportedly misunderstood Meister’s attempts to speak in sign language as threatening gestures.Moreover, officers didn’t realize that when they handcuffed Meister, who is “profoundly deaf” and non-verbal, they took away his ability to communicate.Officers met Meister on the sidewalk, where he “tried to tell them that he was deaf, using gestures to explain that he was there to pick up his stuff, but it didn’t seem like they understood,” Meister’s attorney Anna Rivera said.Police put Meister in handcuffs and officers say he began struggling.“If the primary way you communicate is to use your hands, and you’re looking at somebody when you speak, when you go to grab somebody without explaining what’s happening and take that method of communication away from them, Mr. Meister became afraid,” Rivera said.The suit claims the officers’ response was excessive. The suit alleges police used a stun gun to bring him to the ground and beat him.
I would tend to agree with Meister's lawsuit that being handcuffed, beaten, and stun-gunned is a pretty excessive use of force against someone who had done nothing aggressive or illegal in any way. I also have seen my fair share of sign language, and in no way can signing be perceived as "threatening gestures" by anyone with half of a brain, no matter how quickly or desperately the signs are conveyed.Unfortunately, police effectively perceive themselves as above the law in their role as enforcers of the State. With the very sad affirmation of this unspoken pact, so recently ratified by the jury in the Kelly Thomas case, police have no reason not to be bold, careless and cruel. Even the police officers in Los Angeles who shot over 100 bullets at two innocent women without warning, got off scot-free just last week.There seems to be no punishment for the crimes of the State - and that is something that has to change, and change quickly.Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!