Since I started this series on police abuse, I've gotten some rather angry emails and profane comments (all comments are held in moderation) that are not allowed on this blog.  I have been told I don't know the stress level and daily grind of being a Law Enforcement Officer (LEO).  I agree, I don't have that kind of knowledge.  But, I do know if the job is more than you can handle, you need to go into another line of work.  There are far too many LEOs who abuse their authority over the general public.  LEOs are sworn to an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution.  Thusly, they are entrusted with not violating the rights of U.S. citizens.  I can understand when some rookie LEO makes a mistake and violates a person's 1st Amendment right by telling them they don't have the right to video and audio tape them (which is NOT true).   But, what I am witnessing across this great nation is a pattern of police ignoring the constitutional rights of Americans on a consistent basis.  As I said in an earlier post in this series, some police do not care about your constitutional rights.  All that matters is that they look good in front of their peers.  If that means bashing in somebody's head, so be it.  Speaking of bashing in heads....

In Bakersfield, California, police responded to what was reported to be an intoxicated man outside a hospital.  David Sal Silva was supposedly resisting arrest.  Apparently, two police officers initially confronted Silva.  But, these police officers felt they needed more backup. A total of nine police officers than began to beat Silva with batons in the face!  One LEO held a police dog on a leash as further evidence of overkill in this situation.  Silva was beaten savagely as he pleaded for his life.  He was later taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.  In an effort to protect themselves, all the police officers on scene collected the mobile phones from people who recorded what happened.  Of course, the fact the officers had no warrant to confiscate these phones did not enter into the equation with these thugs with a badge.  “When I got outside, I saw two officers beating a man with batons and they were hitting his head; so every time they would swing, I could hear the blows to his head,” said Ruben Ceballos, a local resident. Ceballos went on to say that Silva was on the ground screaming, but police kept beating him. From what witnesses were saying, Silva was not resisting arrest.  

One thing I want to reiterate to people, if you record any encounter with police, you are under no obligation to surrender your phone without a warrant.  Police have no right to your phone or property unless it was used in the commission of a crime.  Now, after witnessing these same police beat a man to death, I'm sure these people were not willing to argue the point.  I don't blame them.  But, if you would simply use an app called "Qik" it will live steam to their site.  You can also live stream to YouTube and Facebook.  So, if the cops take your mobile phone, there will still be a record of what happened.  I am beside myself with anger over what happened in Bakersfield.  Even if Mr. Silva was resisting arrest, he did not deserve to be beaten to death.  I have seen animals treated better.  Hopefully, these cops will never see a day when they will be allowed on the streets of America.  They need to be behind bars with the other criminals.  These cops are more than just your common criminals.  These cops in Bakersfield are murderers.