It continues: “At 10:45 a.m. defendant Officer Christopher Worley (HPD) contacted plaintiff Anthony Mitchell via his telephone. Worley told plaintiff that police needed to occupy his home in order to gain a ‘tactical advantage’ against the occupant of the neighboring house. Anthony Mitchell told the officer that he did not want to become involved and that he did not want police to enter his residence. Although Worley continued to insist that plaintiff should leave his residence, plaintiff clearly explained that he did not intend to leave his home or to allow police to occupy his home. Worley then ended the phone call.
Mitchell claims that defendant officers, including Cawthorn and Worley and Sgt. Michael Waller then “conspired among themselves to force Anthony Mitchell out of his residence and to occupy his home for their own use.” (Waller is identified as a defendant in the body of the complaint, but not in the heading of it.)
The complaint continues: “Defendant Officer David Cawthorn outlined the defendants’ plan in his official report: ‘It was determined to move to 367 Evening Side and attempt to contact Mitchell. If Mitchell answered the door he would be asked to leave. If he refused to leave he would be arrested for Obstructing a Police Officer. If Mitchell refused to answer the door, force entry would be made and Mitchell would be arrested.'”
Dear Sirs: You have a badge, not a crown.
I owe a hat tip, I forgot who I stole this from.
And the leaders in Washington are……..monkey see, monkey do…… 🙁
Don’t know if it’d apply, but that almost sounds like a 3rd Amendment violation.
Doh just read the article, it does mention that lol
What! I learned in school that the 3rd Amendment was obsolete and pointless in today’s America!
Seriously though, while this awful and egregious abuse of power is stomach churning, I am glad America is still a place where a citizen can seek redress and news about the situation can be disseminated freely.
I hope Mitchell ends up owning that police station.
Figuratively and literally.
If those officers don’t get jail time, justice will be far from served.
Yeah, I think that argument that the 3rd Amendment serves no purpose died with the London Olympics:
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/missiles-roof-london-residents-lose-rocket-launcher-fight-2955905.html
Sounds like the Defense Department is donating those rockets to a civilian cause. Obviously the best bet is to steal them and sell them on a black market.
“What? I don’t know anything about rocket launchers mounted on my building. Why would you do that? Sounds dangerous, someone could steal them.”
As far as I’m concerned, if the police attempted any sort of forced entry without a warrant, it’s Breaking and Entering, and Anthony Mitchell is authorized to use deadly force to stop them.
“Nobody is above the code. ESPECIALLY the king.”
-Dragonheart
Remember the SWAT motto: “we don’t care if we have to burn your house to the ground and kill everyone inside, you are not going to win”. (Gabe Suarez, IIRC). Realize the moment you draw, you’ve signed your death warrant. If you want to die on that hill, fine, but I’m not sure it’s smart. They always have more firepower than you.
Better to die on your feet than to live a lifetime on your knees.
In this case the proffered choice is to die on your feet or die on your knees. If I’m going to die anyway, I’m not going alone. To do otherwise is to give up the greatness of being human.
They may have enough firepower to level a city block. That neither excuses nor justifies the fact they are criminals. Unless SOMEONE stands up to the criminals, they will never stop murdering the innocent.
You’re completely right. Nothing they can do or say justifies that they are criminals.
I just bet that a judge will not do a thing against the police saying the 3rd amendment doesn’t apply to police, only the standing military.
What I’m saying is that I’d rather come up with something more effective than dying on my living room floor, like so many have. They have the jump on you. They have you in their sights when they bust in. So what if you “take a few with you”? – even if you can, it won’t make a difference. You’ll just be the crazy gun nut whose home they raided. They’ll use that as an excuse to shoot more quickly in the name of “officer safety”. The head of the snake is where the emphasis ought to be.
In some martial arts, they teach you that sometimes the smart thing is to take the knockdown so you can come up with a better tactical position. Sometimes the best move is a flanking move where you get the tactical and strategic advantage.
I suppose in many ways, you are right. A better option would likely be to have an extra phone and supplies hidden in strategic places you will always have access to.
“Hello 911, five guys wearing SWAT uniforms just broke into my house, shot at me, shot my dog, and are holding me hostage. I think they’re planning to kill me.”
Or, better yet….”Hello, Channel 5 News?”
MItchell is clearly guilty of contempt of cop. How dare you question them or deny them?
The only *possible* way this could fly (I pray to God) is if the cops were 1 step away from stopping some massive terrorist plot that was about to kill thousands.
I’ve been eagerly watching this as I can *promise* you, “those” cops out there are watching this, too. This will be their level-set on what they can get away with…