Police Abuse
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Police Abuse
Philly Police Harass, Threaten to Shoot Man Legally Carrying Gun
A story in today's Philadelphia Daily News shows why it's so important that citizens be allowed to videotape cops - it can be citizens' only way to fight back against police abuse of power.
This incident happened several weeks ago in Philadelphia to Mark Fiorino, a 25-year-old IT worker who carries a gun on his hip at all times for self defense. He got the gun after several friends were mugged.
But he didn't count on attacks by police:
On a mild February afternoon, Fiorino, 25, decided to walk to an AutoZone on Frankford Avenue in Northeast Philly with the .40-caliber Glock he legally owns holstered in plain view on his left hip. His stroll ended when someone called out from behind: "Yo, Junior, what are you doing?"
Fiorino wheeled and saw Sgt. Michael Dougherty aiming a handgun at him.
What happened next would be hard to believe, except that Fiorino audio-recorded all of it: a tense, profanity-laced, 40-minute encounter with cops who told him that what he was doing - openly carrying a gun on the city's streets - was against the law.
"Do you know you can't openly carry here in Philadelphia?" Dougherty asked, according to the YouTube clip.
"Yes, you can, if you have a license to carry firearms," Fiorino said. "It's Directive 137. It's your own internal directive."
Fiorino was right. It was perfectly legal to carry the gun. But that didn't matter to the cop:
Fiorino offered to show Dougherty his driver's and firearms licenses. The cop told him to get on his knees.
"Excuse me?" Fiorino said.
"Get down on your knees. Just obey what I'm saying," Dougherty said.
"Sir," Fiorino replied, "I'm more than happy to stand here -"
"If you make a move, I'm going to f------ shoot you," Dougherty snapped. "I'm telling you right now, you make a move, and you're going down!"
"Is this necessary?" Fiorino said.
It went on like that for a little while, until other officers responded to Dougherty's calls for backup.
Fiorino was forced to the ground and shouted at as he tried to explain that he had a firearms license and was legally allowed to openly carry his weapon.
"You f------ come here looking for f------ problems? Where do you live?" yelled one officer.
"I'm sorry, gentlemen," Fiorino said. "If I'm under arrest, I have nothing left to say."
"F------ a------, shut the f--- up!" the cop hollered.
The cops discovered his recorder as they searched his pockets, and unleashed another string of expletives.
Fiorino said he sat handcuffed in a police wagon while the officers made numerous phone calls to supervisors, trying to find out if they could lock him up.
When they learned that they were in the wrong, they let him go.
But only temporarily. Fiorino posted the audio recordings on youtube, and now they are harassing him again:
A new investigation was launched, and last month the District Attorney's Office decided to charge Fiorino with reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct because, a spokeswoman said, he refused to cooperate with police... He's scheduled for trial in July.
If one listens to the audiotapes, it's hard to imagine how a reasonable person could charge Fiorino (and not the cops) for disorderly conduct.
Read More: http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/st...#ixzz1Mj6f9OJr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-vUY...layer_embedded
A story in today's Philadelphia Daily News shows why it's so important that citizens be allowed to videotape cops - it can be citizens' only way to fight back against police abuse of power.
This incident happened several weeks ago in Philadelphia to Mark Fiorino, a 25-year-old IT worker who carries a gun on his hip at all times for self defense. He got the gun after several friends were mugged.
But he didn't count on attacks by police:
On a mild February afternoon, Fiorino, 25, decided to walk to an AutoZone on Frankford Avenue in Northeast Philly with the .40-caliber Glock he legally owns holstered in plain view on his left hip. His stroll ended when someone called out from behind: "Yo, Junior, what are you doing?"
Fiorino wheeled and saw Sgt. Michael Dougherty aiming a handgun at him.
What happened next would be hard to believe, except that Fiorino audio-recorded all of it: a tense, profanity-laced, 40-minute encounter with cops who told him that what he was doing - openly carrying a gun on the city's streets - was against the law.
"Do you know you can't openly carry here in Philadelphia?" Dougherty asked, according to the YouTube clip.
"Yes, you can, if you have a license to carry firearms," Fiorino said. "It's Directive 137. It's your own internal directive."
Fiorino was right. It was perfectly legal to carry the gun. But that didn't matter to the cop:
Fiorino offered to show Dougherty his driver's and firearms licenses. The cop told him to get on his knees.
"Excuse me?" Fiorino said.
"Get down on your knees. Just obey what I'm saying," Dougherty said.
"Sir," Fiorino replied, "I'm more than happy to stand here -"
"If you make a move, I'm going to f------ shoot you," Dougherty snapped. "I'm telling you right now, you make a move, and you're going down!"
"Is this necessary?" Fiorino said.
It went on like that for a little while, until other officers responded to Dougherty's calls for backup.
Fiorino was forced to the ground and shouted at as he tried to explain that he had a firearms license and was legally allowed to openly carry his weapon.
"You f------ come here looking for f------ problems? Where do you live?" yelled one officer.
"I'm sorry, gentlemen," Fiorino said. "If I'm under arrest, I have nothing left to say."
"F------ a------, shut the f--- up!" the cop hollered.
The cops discovered his recorder as they searched his pockets, and unleashed another string of expletives.
Fiorino said he sat handcuffed in a police wagon while the officers made numerous phone calls to supervisors, trying to find out if they could lock him up.
When they learned that they were in the wrong, they let him go.
But only temporarily. Fiorino posted the audio recordings on youtube, and now they are harassing him again:
A new investigation was launched, and last month the District Attorney's Office decided to charge Fiorino with reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct because, a spokeswoman said, he refused to cooperate with police... He's scheduled for trial in July.
If one listens to the audiotapes, it's hard to imagine how a reasonable person could charge Fiorino (and not the cops) for disorderly conduct.
Read More: http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/st...#ixzz1Mj6f9OJr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-vUY...layer_embedded
:angry: 
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From: Pflugerville, TX
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Time for a good civil rights lawyer to poke his head out of the woodwork. Personally I would say to the lawyer: Keep whatever cash damages you get out of the City, but I want all those dumbasses to go through training that this is BS so it doesn't happen again.
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From: Huntsville, AL
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And in big print on the sides of all police cars (and on that clip): Honor, Service, Integrity. I. DON'T. THINK SO! Those IDIOTS need to be removed completely from the LAW enforcement system, if not removed from society, if not having their heads removed from their bodies. How DARE they call themselves LAW enforcement when they don't even know the laws. How DARE they say they have any HINT of integrity when they act worse than a bunch of the criminals out there.
So now I'm confused. When there's a "criminal" in your house and the police show up, do you hide from the criminal, or do you hide from the police? When you get mugged and the "law enforcment" shows up, do you run from the police or the mugger?
Police seem to have no morals, no standards, no thought of serving with honor and integrity. They are a law unto themselves, and care little about the law they're supposed to be upholding. If the law benefits themselves, they'll uphold it. If it doesn't, they don't care about the law. Then they have cowards like that District Attorney to cover them in court, and make honest, good citizens, such as Fiorino cower in fear from our own "protectors".
So now I'm confused. When there's a "criminal" in your house and the police show up, do you hide from the criminal, or do you hide from the police? When you get mugged and the "law enforcment" shows up, do you run from the police or the mugger?
Police seem to have no morals, no standards, no thought of serving with honor and integrity. They are a law unto themselves, and care little about the law they're supposed to be upholding. If the law benefits themselves, they'll uphold it. If it doesn't, they don't care about the law. Then they have cowards like that District Attorney to cover them in court, and make honest, good citizens, such as Fiorino cower in fear from our own "protectors".
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Posts: 9,533
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From: tacos
Vehicle: 2000 Elantra
My problem with stories like these is no one ever puts up videos of cops who don't abuse the system
Don't get me wrong f*ck the police but I myself had a open carry cop situation
I was at a ihop with my sister and had cz open carry on my leg, the waitress never even mentioned it but called 911 on me
The cops (plural) showed up and escorted me outside
Checked my id and made sure I wasn't a felon then brought me back inside and told the waitress off for trying to violate my constitutional rights and needlessly calling 911
Was probably the only time I was ever ok with cops
Don't get me wrong f*ck the police but I myself had a open carry cop situation
I was at a ihop with my sister and had cz open carry on my leg, the waitress never even mentioned it but called 911 on me
The cops (plural) showed up and escorted me outside
Checked my id and made sure I wasn't a felon then brought me back inside and told the waitress off for trying to violate my constitutional rights and needlessly calling 911
Was probably the only time I was ever ok with cops