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View Full Version : Fullerton Cops Go on Trial for Killing Schizophrenic Homeless Man Kelly Thomas



Cebu_4_2
8th December 2013, 09:30 PM
Check out the jew defense attorney...


http://youtu.be/dvB8-8x_y5k

Fullerton Cops Go on Trial for Killing Schizophrenic Homeless Man Kelly Thomas (http://reason.com/blog/2013/12/08/replay-fullerton-cops-go-on-trial-for-ki) Nick Gillespie (http://reason.com/people/nick-gillespie/all)|Dec. 8, 2013 8:06 pm
http://cloudfront-media.reason.com/mc/_external/2013_12/kelly-thomas.jpg?h=198&w=300

On December 3, Reason's Paul Detrick filed a report from Southern California, where Fullerton cops are on trial for the killing of Kelly Thomas, a homeless shizophrenic they apprehended at a bus depot.

Detrick's earlier reports on the story not only exposed police actions that were at best misguided and at worst criminal; he also underscored the ways in which new media brought the case to public attention.
Here's the original writeup (http://reason.com/reasontv/2013/12/03/kelly-thomas-trial-has-many-battles-to-s) of his dispatch from the start of the trial:

The trial of former Fullerton, California, police officers, Manuel Ramos and Jay Cicinelli began December 2, 2013, in the beating death of Kelly Thomas, a 37-year-old drifter with schizophrenia. Thomas died after a July, 2011, altercation with six police officers in which he was tasered, beaten with batons, and hit repeatedly in the face with the end of a Taser. Ramos is charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree murder and Cicinelli is charged with excessive force and involuntary manslaughter.
Opening statements from District Attorney Tony Rackauckas (http://www.orangecountyda.com/home/index.asp?page=221) detailed Thomas begging the officers to stop.
"He posed no threat at all, to the police or to anyone else," said Rackauckas to jurors. The District Attorney dramatically demonstrated the events of the encounter using a wooden police baton.


http://cloudfront-media.reason.com/mc/_external/2013_12/surveillance-footage-of-the-in.jpg?h=253&w=350

Statements from the defense maintained that Ramos and Cicinelli committed no crimes and were dealing with an uncontrollable and violent person. Michael Schwartz, defense attorney for Cicinelli told jurors in his statements that Thomas's behavior "was consistent with someone with a methamphetamine background" and that his death was brought on by drug-induced heart disease.


The toxicology report at the time of the incident found no drugs in Thomas' system (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/thomas-318320-death-rackauckas.html).
The trial, taking place at the Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana, California, is the first time a uniformed police officer has been charged with murder in the history of the county. The trial may never have happened without a slowly built citizen movement sparked by footage of the beating caught by mobile phone and a horrific hospital photo (http://reason.com/blog/2011/07/29/homeless-man-dies-after-being) taken by Kelly Thomas' father, Ron Thomas.


"Nothing was going on, I tried contacting everybody, nobody cared to do anything," said Ron Thomas to Reason TV in 2011. (http://reason.com/reasontv/2011/09/22/cops-vs-cameras-the-killing-of) "So, I released the picture of my son [in his hospital bed] and that got everybody's attention. When the cell phone video came out, I released that. The audio had their attention again. You put together the picture with the sound of what's happening [and] it's very, very compelling."


The Fullerton community reacted in outrage at the video and photo at city council meetings and at protests outside the Fullerton police department. Then when city surveillance footage was released of the beating, residents pushed for a recall of city officials.


Video produced by Paul Detrick.


For more Reason TV coverage of the Kelly Thomas story, watch below:


Cops vs. Cameras: The Killing of Kelly Thomas and the Power of New Media (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7YFKm9gnKo)
How a Local Blog Broke the Kelly Thomas Story: A conversation with Friends for Fullerton's Future (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlNEUJe4v_s)
Outraged Fullerton citizens react to Kelly Thomas beating tape (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKPiS458ovg)

Hatha Sunahara
8th December 2013, 11:22 PM
I have zero expectation that the cops will be held accountable for this murder. There won't be any 'Rodney King Riots' when they are acquitted.


Hatha

Cebu_4_2
8th December 2013, 11:33 PM
I don't either but at least they are on trial. I am hoping this becomes a trend where eventually they do start being convicted.

mick silver
9th December 2013, 02:49 PM
Fullerton Mayor & City Council Walk Out On Meeting About The .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWJPs2XZxHA

Shami-Amourae
9th December 2013, 02:54 PM
The only reason it got this far is since of the John and Ken Show.

Hatha Sunahara
9th December 2013, 03:06 PM
The politicians aren't going to stop the out of control cops. I'm waiting for the arrival of vigilante snipers who hunt down the killer cops and give them what they deserve. Even that may not stop them. The politicians will just lock down whole cities and dispense mass retaliation against the population at large. Eventually the politicians will be the targets.


Hatha

MAGNES
9th December 2013, 03:11 PM
All you have to do is pay attention to how the forum cop on here behaves.

ROID RAGE !

Comply or else, what do you expect, etc, etc ,

Many of you in these " cop " threads make me laugh , how you ignore certain people here.

Join me and quote them.

You people notice how I stay out of these threads.

STAY AWAY FROM PIGS !

Do not talk to them, do not call them, do not ask anything of them, apply that with all your dealings with the state.

Boycott them as much as possible.

The GANG wants a piece of you, if you give them a reason or excuse they will take a piece of you.

Because they can. Police are uneducated drones in for lust of power and control and a high paycheck.

The Police do have an " us vs them " mentality, and their leadership is corrupt, they do not care.

SHTF ! Police know they will be targeted, they will disappear. Look at how they behave at semi controlled disaster zones, how many examples can we bring up. ? Lots .

Son-of-Liberty
9th December 2013, 03:21 PM
Is the identity of the cops public? I am surprised there has been no retribution for this yet.

Cebu_4_2
9th December 2013, 03:45 PM
All of these bullshit out of control pigs are in Non-Carry zones. I wonder why the gun grabbers are so active?

Spectrism
9th December 2013, 06:03 PM
How are there any Fullerton cops still alive? It sounds like they are completely lawless there. At some point the people need to say enough... and take out the trash.

I would not sign up to be a cop for any amount of money now. There are too many crooks in that line of work and I would not be associated with them. Any good cops had best get their little asses out.

iOWNme
9th December 2013, 06:46 PM
My small tribute to Kelly Thomas......


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iKpEdJGN8Q

Cebu_4_2
9th December 2013, 07:24 PM
How are there any Fullerton cops still alive? It sounds like they are completely lawless there. At some point the people need to say enough... and take out the trash.

Gun free zone.