San Jose, CA- Four San Jose police officers are on paid leave for the beating and tasing of an unarmed Vietnamese man. Officers Kenneth Seigel, Steven Payne Jr., Jerome Smith, and Gabriel Reyes were involved in a brutality incident against 20 year old student Phuong Ho, all of which was caught on cell phone video by a fellow roommate of Ho’s. Ho was beaten with a baton by officer Seigel, and tased by officer Payne. Reports show that the officers were called out to the residence of Ho and his roommate Jeremy Suftin on September 3, who were having a domestic disturbance. It is still unclear on what exactly the altercation between Ho and Suftin manifested over, Ho was angry over Suftin pouring soap over his steak, in retaliation Ho grabbed a steak knife and threatened his roommate saying “In Vietnam I would kill you for this”. The threat made by Ho to his roommate came with mixed opinion some fellow students of San Jose State University laughed about it, Suftin on the other hand took the threat very seriously and felt the need to call the authorities.
By the time authorities arrived, Ho was unarmed. Officers report that Ho was combative and unwilling to cooperate with general, direct orders to stand in the hallway so that they may identify him. When Ho refused to follow officers orders, officer Payne restrained Ho so that he could be detained in handcuffs. The video recorded by the fellow student of San Jose State shows a dozen or more hits to Ho with a baton, as well as the use of a Taser gun that some view as extreme force. Police Chief Rob Davis stated in a telephone interview that “Department philosophy is to use the lowest level of force needed, so clearly when I see that video I have concerns.” Davis also stated that what happened before the video was recorded is key to knowing whether such force was justified, if it is proven to be justified then they will decide if the force seen in the video was excessive.
Reports also state that Ho can be heard crying and moaning while on the ground during the beating. The video is said to show that Ho had been in handcuffs before the final blow from the baton was administered against him. Experts find it very disturbing that after he was handcuffed officers continued to brutalize him. The San Jose police department is taking this very seriously, while it was not stated in the report of police brutality in San Jose’s history, Davis said that they are trying to find a solution to concerns off police brutality. They are implementing a pilot program which consists of a group of officers wearing recording devices to keep an eye on officers on the streets. The San Jose investigators are investigating this with an open mind, City Councilman Sam Liccardo stated ” Our restraint from prejudging the situation shouldn’t make Phuong Ho’s cries of pain any less disturbing to our collective conscience.” That statement coming from reports of San Jose police chief and the mayor strongly supporting the rights of the officers.
San Jose police department is clearly taking this seriously, respecting all views and keeping peace amongst the community while trying to iron out the actions of their very own officers. Whatever the outcome may be regarding whether excessive force was used against Ho, or that the officers are justified in the manner of which they chose to restrain him. There is always a consequence for every action, it is now in the hands of San Jose investigators to decide whether the men they work with are guilty of a horrendous brutality case against an unarmed man, or if the men they work with had validity to use such force against the perpetrator of this case. There are many bad people in this nation, at times what seems to be brutally excessive may in fact be the only option left for an officer to enforce. On the other hand there are innocent people out there put into extreme situations that they themselves would normally not be involved in. Innocent men who find themselves in situations like the one Phuong found himself embroiled in. Is he a victim of police brutality or a violent criminal who gave officers no other choice then what we see in the video?
(5 votes, average: 4.2 out of 5)
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5 users commented in " Police Brutality? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI AM SORRY I FEEL THIS BAD, BUT I COULD NOT HAVE ANY MORE COMMENTS ABOUT THIS BECAUSE IF SAN JOSE POLICES FOUND OUT MY COMMENTS ABOUT THEM, I AM WORRIED ABOUT MY SECURES. PLEASE UNDERSTAND IT.
BEST REGARDS,
NO NAME
The video is dark and the actions of all officers cannot be seen. From what I could see, the one standing closest to the door was brutal, but I can’t see brutality in the other two officers. One use the taser which seemed justified on this subject who refused to cooperate. The information the cops had when responding was that there was a man, armed with a knife, who threatened to kill his roommate. Police have no way of knowing whether or not he was armed on arrival so they need to use caution to prevent being stabbed while trying to cuff him for their and the roommates security. One officer watched the man while others went to the bedroom to look for his ID. By this time they would have determined whether or not he were armed, and cuffed him if he were combative. This man was told at least 12 times to roll over on his stomach before he was hit with the baton which was excessive force. He understands English and there was no excuse for his refusal. However, I don’t see any reason why police did not use the physical force needed by simply rolling this guy over and cuffing him. If he was combative, 3 cops can handle him without a baton, unless he were on angel dust or something. There are mistakes on both sides. Police know better but unfortunately, and unbeleivably some people were brought up with absolutely no understanding of police, or misguided information. Since all parents are not competent to raise their children to know what to do and not to do with police, it needs to be brought into the schools and can be addressed in one seminar:
1. Don’t use toy guns and aim that at people or police. Parents are still too stupid to understand that police cannot always tell the difference between a real and toy gun, and when a gun is pointed at them they only have one option - shoot.
2. For your own safety, obey an officer who tells you to:
—Drop the weapon.
—Stay where you are.
—Put your hands behind your back.
—Roll over.
—Don’t resist.
It’s that simple - just follow instructions, don’t fight, and you won’t have these problems!
There will be the occasional brutal cop who needs to be immediately taken off the street, but most of these “police brutality” situations are citizens just being stupid.
I feel a lot of police have become more violent. They also tend to take their bad day out on people or (suspects). I watch COPS all the time and I can’t believe the way some of those cops treat people. I realize they have a tough job. But if they can’t handle it, then maybe it’s time to move on. This situation goes both ways though. Sometimes the person they are trying to arrest just don’t understand why they had just gotten plowed to the ground and keep asking “what did I do” kind of thing. Police are brutal, but so is society. But if there is more than 1 police officer there, it shouldn’t take brutality to get that person down and cuffed. That is going way too far. If 3 cops can’t get them cuffed without using excessive force, then maybe they need more training and more physical training. Some cops who are brutal, just like showing their a$$ and think they are better than everyone else. but all of this is just my personal opinion.
“There are many bad people in this nation”. That is a dead on statement. I agree there are more then enough men and women of the law that abuse their power. I don’t think that all that force was a necessary in this case. I do though think that the writer is correct when stating that sometimes cops have no other choice when dealing with bad people. Its only being a realist to admit that yes there are people out there who make horrible choices and use there free will in a negative, violent, way sometimes they need to be roughed up shown who’s boss. Locked away from innocent people who they aim to harm. I don’t in any way agree with the beating of unarmed people especially after they are restrained in handcuffs. But I am a realist that knows some people ask for what they get, especially where the law is concerned.
These officers are out to find an excuse to show off their power. They are just cowards, very far from peace officers. Had they were no video, they would lie through their teeth. They should not be working in law enforcement. Fights do happen among brothers, friends…That does not mean that every time Police is called, beatings ought to happen.
Only wolves use violence.
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