But can we please stop referring to the USA as a police state? Prime examples of real-life police states are North Korea and Saudi Arabia.
I agree. The definition of "Police State" is a stretch.
Let's not forget that once again, we're talking about people who have been committing crime and / or refusing to comply with clear, simple and reasonable requests.
From that people jump to trying to paint a picture of cops driving round randomly gunning people down.
The kids were brats. That being said, none of that was an excuse for a cop to pull a weapon, otherwise his fellow cops would not have stepped in to make him put it away. I wonder what would have happened if they had not. Do young people deserve to be shot for not instantly obeying the commands of a police officer?
He didn't shoot anyone. If you look at some of the links posted earlier it does appear to be in response to someone making threatening poses.
The cop has every right to pull his weapon if he perceives a threat. His colleagues stepped in because obviously they could see things from a different angle like we do on the video. People are aware that the cop doesn't see what we all see ... right?
And what is wrong with young men playing basketball?
There is nothing inherently wrong with basketball ... other than it's boring as hell like most north american sports :) and yes, getting exercise is good.
It just seems to be a waste that people grow up without any skills or any personal drive to acquire the ability to do something beyond throw a ball around. It's not like it's some secret that having any form of skill makes you more employable is it?
Can no one learn how to fix a fence or do something constructive? There has to be more to life than sport. Yes, it's an escape but only a very temporary one for most people. A true escape takes a bit more effort and commitment than playing the game you like to play.
