this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2024
436 points (99.3% liked)

News

23274 readers
3409 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

DENVER (AP) — A police recruit who had to have both of his legs amputated after losing consciousness and repeatedly collapsing during fight training at Denver’s police academy is suing those who allegedly forced him to continue the “barbaric hazing ritual” after paramedics ignored warning signs.

Victor Moses, 29, alleges in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that aggressive officers knocked him down multiple times in the second round of “fight day” last year, with one of them shoving him off the mat and causing him to hit his head on the floor. He said he was pressured to continue, with officers picking him up and setting him back on his feet, before paramedics standing by were asked to check him out, the lawsuit said.

Moses told them he had the sickle cell trait, which puts him at an increased risk of medical complications from high-intensity exercise. He also said he had very low blood pressure and complained that his legs were cramping, according to the lawsuit. The symptoms are danger signs for people with his condition.

Nevertheless, paramedics cleared Moses to return to training, which the suit alleges was a decision made to support the police.

all 43 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 172 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

Minor injuries are common and occasionally recruits die

Just ordinary "new job" stuff then. Like any other employer.

The legal action alleges the practice is an unnecessarily violent rite of passage that recruits have to endure to be accepted into the police “fraternity.” It notes that other recruits suffered injuries before Moses started his drills, including one person whose nose was broken.

The lawsuit also claims that training teaches recruits that excessive force is “officially tolerated, and indeed culturally expected.”

Moses’ lawyers, John Holland and Darold Killmer, say that mindset has nurtured a violent police force and led to lawsuits costing Denver millions of dollars.

“Fight Day both encourages Denver police to engage in brutality and to be indifferent to the injuries they inflict,” Holland said.

A culture of violence, bullying, and not caring when they hurt or kill people? Surely not. What an utterly absurd accusation to level against the police.

[–] [email protected] 95 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Sure sounds a lot like a gang initiation too.

[–] [email protected] 54 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 months ago

Biggest gang in America.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 3 months ago

Minor injuries are common and occasionally recruits die

Even worse, this quote comes from an assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina. Also, the start of the quote states:

The type of training described in the lawsuit is common in the United States and helps prepare recruits for scenarios they could face on patrol [emphasis added]

Maybe I'm being misreading, but I read this as the professor is condoning this type of training. This type of training seems to support the whole "Warrior Ethos" and I know when I left the Canadian Army almost a decade ago, they were trying to eliminate this type of training as higher ups recognized how toxic it is.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 months ago

B-B-But "Defund the Police" = Bad!!!

-- weird #maga

[–] [email protected] 88 points 3 months ago (1 children)

For a group that wants to distance itself from gangs, it sure doesn't help their case when they jump in new recruits.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 3 months ago (1 children)

When have they wanted to distance themselves from gangs?

[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 months ago

I mean, every piece of copaganda is like: "look, see? We're just your friendly, neighborhood guys! We like playing basketball with black kids! Isn't that cool??"

I don't know that they specifically had a campaign that said: "we're not a gang", but that's kind of the subtext of all of the PR they do.

[–] [email protected] 69 points 3 months ago

If this is what they do to their own, imagine what they want to do to you.

[–] [email protected] 61 points 3 months ago (2 children)

The lawsuit claims paramedics cleared Moses to continue the training on Jan. 6, 2023 even though he was not able to stand or walk to the next round — wrestling. Instead, a trainer came to Moses and got on top of him. The recruit soon said he could not breathe, became unresponsive and was taken to the hospital, according to the lawsuit.

I have to assume this wasn't actually attempted murder because they did take him to the hospital after he became unresponsive... but I can't imagine any other reason to "wrestle" someone who can't stand. Haven't we seen over and over that this leads to suffocation and death?

[–] [email protected] 43 points 3 months ago

I can't imagine any other reason to "wrestle" someone who can't stand.

Congratulations! You're officially too smart to be a cop.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 months ago

they did take him to the hospital after he became unresponsive

Well sure ... he was a recruit, not a perp.

[–] [email protected] 57 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I thought “barbaric hazing ritual” might be a little clickbaity, but then I read the story. No, it’s completely accurate. Damn.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Minor injuries are common and occasionally recruits die, often because of an underlying medical condition.

What. The. Fuck.

Moses told them he had the sickle cell trait

How was he even cleared for police training in the first place? This is a serious medical condition.

This sounds like an entire chain of lethal fuckery going on

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago

I knew people in the military who had sickle cell. It was a really long time ago, but I can't remember anyone being processed out because of it

[–] [email protected] 40 points 3 months ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 42 points 3 months ago

The man has Sickle Cell Anemia, if those medics were aware of that and didn't pull him out the first time he complained of cramping, they're just as shitty as the abusive aggressors.

No one should EVER be hazed like this, but I would absolutely sue any person who was aware of this practice if I were him. I cannot imagine the pain he felt or his loss he's currently feeling. Fucking egregious. Throw those cops and medics under the courthouse.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

Yeah, the overwhelming majority of people with sickle cell disease are black.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

What a coincidence.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 months ago

Not a single cop I have encountered could fucking endure what was listed here

[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This is what you get for joining a gang.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This is my first reaction, but it isn't the right one, and it won't fix anything. I'm not saying that all cops are not bastards. They fucking are. Does that mean a new recruit doesn't deserve a second chance? That we should write him off entirely and not give him an oppurtunity to repent? Off with his fucking legs I guess.

I know someone (that I do not care for) that joined the force to 'be one of the good ones!' He is in IT now. I'm doing my best to believe he meant well, realized how in over his head he was, and got the fuck out. It isn't easy, but we won't solve this with 'told you so'

[–] [email protected] -4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

'be one of the good ones!'

There is no such thing.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

As some point the USA needs to have a talk about police and their steroid usage.

Because it is a huge drug problem that the DEA refuses to act on for obvious reasons.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

Everyone from their co up to the commissioner should be replaced, hazing only happens when the people in charge ignore it.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

The lawsuit also claims that training teaches recruits that excessive force is “officially tolerated, and indeed culturally expected.”

Moses’ lawyers, John Holland and Darold Killmer, say that mindset has nurtured a violent police force and led to lawsuits costing Denver millions of dollars.

“Fight Day both encourages Denver police to engage in brutality and to be indifferent to the injuries they inflict,” Holland said.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

Person wants to join the bastards, is shocked to be abused by bastards.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

Something something leopards and faces.

Seriously fucked, though.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 months ago

Associated Press Media Bias Fact Check Credibility: [High] (Click to view Full Report)

Associated Press is rated with High Creditability by Media Bias Fact Check.

Bias: Left-Center
Factual Reporting: High
Country: United States of America
Full Report: https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/associated-press/

Check the bias and credibility of this article on Ground.News


Thanks to Media Bias Fact Check for their access to the API.
Please consider supporting them by donating.

Footer

Media Bias Fact Check is a fact-checking website that rates the bias and credibility of news sources. They are known for their comprehensive and detailed reports.

Beep boop. This action was performed automatically. If you dont like me then please block me.💔
If you have any questions or comments about me, you can make a post to LW Support lemmy community.