I think they're right. This so-called "beating" claim is without merit, as is the lawsuit. Why give it any more attention than you've already given it?

Matt, stop trying to create a huge uproar over a "beating" that wasn't a true beating, and a threatened lawsuit that is a sham.

I already ranted about this on the last thread.

I'm all ranted out.

Frickin' media elites, now at the O, trying to have it both ways - "all opinions must be represented" vs. "our opinions don't matter".

Ugh.

I agree with their decision. There is a higher threshold for the use of force in jail by necessity, which is one of the bigger points Matt is missing.

Boy I gotta say I agree with the Oregonian's editorial position too. The more their "editors" tie up Max Bernstein with puff pieces to "balance" their cop coverage, the better for the Mercury to capture valuable market niche, especially for the print-disengaged youthful impulse-purchasing Portland newcomers. A big yay should come from the Mercury ad sales staff about this decision.

Matt, please stop. You're doing a disservice to people who truly have been victims of abuse.

The guards at Abu Graib are doing time in a federal prison for putting panties on suspected terrorist heads and making them look at naked women.. . .and the prison was shut down, The O weighed in on that one. So here in the US if one is arrested the presumption of innocence no longer applies and the officers are at liberty to do whatever. WAIT.. .isn't that why
Saddam Hussein was hanged and one of the reasons we have troops in Iraq? His goon squads were "arresting" people and doing what ever they felt like dong to them without due process? Again it's not ok over there but is here? No one finds 6 people beating and kicking one person a bit excessive? Why did the officers all lie in their reports, which don't jive with the video. So apparently doing the deed and then lying to CYA is acceptable also. If the beating was legitiment why falsify a police report?

Jesus, people. Regardless of how it falls in the courts - it's a freaking news story. Good work Matt!

A little trace route action would be interesting to see on some the comments here.

I smell sockpuppetry...

I agree that the Oregonian should cover it. Just because they cover it, doesn't mean they have to make a judgment like Matt does above ("unprovoked beating").

I watched the video the last two times it came up and while I think there was one point where the officer on the right arguably stepped over the line, throwing a couple wild punches, for the most part it was provoked, in that while a prisoner is in custody he needs to comply with the orders of the officers. He can't pull away or push off as an officer tries to grab his arm.

He obviously continues to resist as they're trying to secure him on the ground. After the initial series of blows as they try to subdue him, there are really just three or four officers holding him and his limbs. At around 2:50, it appears they're trying to pull him away from the counter and get him to a position they can get him under control, but he pulls away from them again. It would be useful to have better sound, but "unprovoked" is an overstatement as is "beating" since it appears that most of his injuries are probably from his face scraping against the floor as he wrestles with the officers.

Matt, what do you think officers should do if a prisoner starts pulling away, refuses to be frisked, refuses to be handcuffed, or whatever?

For that matter, Matt, what should a reporter at the Oregonian do when her editor tells her no? Stamp her little foot? Threaten to quit? Take over the presses with an Uzi and FORCE the paper to cover the story?

I'm assuming the reporter argued for the story and lost the argument. That's life in the biz. Editors decide what runs and what doesn't. Reporters don't. Reporters who push too hard wind up with no story and no job. And guys with multiple assault charges on their rap sheet risk getting their heads thumped if they mouth off while in custody.

Reality isn't pretty sometimes.

Would any of the those who believe that this is not a "beating" like to in the name of science do a reenactment of the the video.
I will play the part of deputy and you play the part of the incarcerated man and I will hit you with "force" blows as described by the deputy.
Then!
I will give you a objective survey on as to the attributes of your experience in multiple scale questions where 1 being a "pleasant experience" and 10 being a "brutal beating".
All the while I will deny you medical care for your lacerations.

Ok, comedy aside.
In my opinion it's simple, once you have a guy arrested and he/she is surrounded by officers there are VERY FEW reasons why a deputy/officer/law enforcement, etc should ever hit someone with a closed fist.
Take for example those who care/babysit the insane - when is it acceptable for a n orderly to use a closed fist attack on an mentally unstable person. I think NEVER.

sorry for the bold tag there... forgot to close the tag.
whoops

Commenter 8: "Sockpuppetry" is indeed rife! I didn't know what it was until I read about it in the New York Times business section this morning...

Matt,

You're just learning about Internet sock puppets? You're slower than I ever imagined.

I'm nobody's sock puppet.

The lawsuit, if it's filed, will force the Oregonian's hand soon enough. I doubt it will ever be filed, however. The facts as stated by the O's editors (and that poor unnamed reporter) will carry the day; no one wants to file a lawsuit that's guaranteed to fail....

No worries -- there will be new outrages for you to screech about soon enough.

You're cutting me to the quick here Will.

Gosh, that's too bad.

Here's the substantive question, one more time: "(W)hat should a reporter at the Oregonian do when her editor tells her no?" Any thoughts on that? Or is the "fascist overlords" thing as far as you go?

"A big yay should come from the Mercury ad sales staff about this decision."

Perhaps, if the Oregonian was filled with ads for escorts and lingerie model technicians.

And as far as sockpuppetry goes, perhaps it is easier to assume that others are disagreeing because of ulterior motives. But the fact of the matter is, I have a different opinion because it makes logical sense to me based on experience and my version of common sense. The sockpuppetry slur is not unlike calling somebody who disagrees with the president as "unpatriotic". Stop it.

Because the Mercury could get by just with escort ads... That one is getting pretty tired.

It's not a "beating" just because one guy loses.

The reason a prison guard or whatever law enforcement might hit somebody with a closed fist is because if they don't they likely risk getting punched in the face themselves. See, they don't have to wait until an out of control inmate punches them, because that would be stupid. They are allowed to take the initiate to control a guy who is out of control.

That is also why you always see six cops jumping on one guy. It may look unfair, but if you think about it makes sense. The police are protecting both themselves and the guy by not letting any physical altercation drag out or escalate. In cases like these reasonable force is not supposed to be "fair" or "reserved" because that would actually be more dangerous.

And yeah, I see the one deputy that is acting all cocky and pacing around. He is obviously waiting for an excuse to pop the guy, and he got one. Still, a couple punches to the face, although maybe just a smidge over the line, is nothing to get too excited about. It hardly qualifies as an "unprovoked beating". Talk about trying to tell your audience what to think.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

The inscription outside the justice center.

some guy, people trained properly and who are in force (4 cops would count as "in force" in my opinion) do not need to punch someone to restrain them.

"The guards at Abu Graib are doing time in a federal prison for putting panties on suspected terrorist heads and making them look at naked women.. . .and the prison was shut down,"

if you think that's the worst they were doing, you haven't read Taguba's report.