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So is being knifed, shot, raped, robbed, or murdered. And before the NYPD began its stop-and-frisk policy these were all too common in some areas of the city.
Abuse by others doesn't justify abuse by authorities. We have constitutional rights intended to restrain the state from harassment without provocation. The link between stop and frisk and actual crime reduction is far from certain, but even if the effectiveness of the policy were certain, it doesn't erase the constitutional questions surrounding the practice, nor should it outweigh our freedoms.
Me, too, but in this case why don't we just wait until all the facts are in before we come to conclusions (other than the fact that Mr. George used poor judgment when he resisted). Meanwhile:
Isn't provoking and then assaulting an otherwise non-violent citizen also poor judgment? Officers should be held to higher standards of conduct than citizens, not lower.
Neither should we tolerate uncivil behavior on the part of citizens. You can't demand freedom without accepting the responsibility that goes with it.
There seems to be a massive chasm between what you consider uncivil behavior by citizens versus uncivil behavior by authorities.