Support NeoGAF

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Seriously, who doesn't like girls kissing? Even a majority of straight men love seeing that. You have to be like CRAZY homophobic in order to be bothered by HLA.

It's not a matter of liking or disliking it.

 

[Darth Pinche]

Fuck that officer. He is a bully with a badge,plain and simple.

 

[mollipen]

Someone's asking for an avatar quote.

Avatar quote of me playing a 3DS? Am I looking at hot 3D porn on it?

 

[atr0cious]

Legit thought this was gonna be a story about Russia. How is this happening in our country, what the fuck?

 

[GiantBreadbug]

Guys, the officer used improper and unwarranted force on these gay women because they were kissing in public, and then they stood up for themselves.

That's being arrested for kissing. The officer used force in a situation where he was not legally justified to, and they protected themselves.

If an officer is pushing you around for kissing in public and you resist and are then arrested, then you weren't arrested for "assaulting an officer."

Holy shit.

 

[Future]

Seriously, who doesn't like girls kissing? Even a majority of straight men love seeing that. You have to be like CRAZY homophobic in order to be bothered by HLA.

Don't underestimate prudes

 

[Nephtis]

yeah, "physical assault" from what appears to be at least one, if not two, diminutive ladies that would not ever have occurred in the first place if officer dickbag hadn't acted like a fuckwit.

sorry, I see no excuse for this to have happened.

Whoa wait a second. Officer was wrong and should not have escalated the way he did but let's not throw things around like "diminutive ladies". If we set the precedent while saying things like that, what will we be discussing when a woman DOES assault an officer ? Do we say to ok because she was a diminutive lady? Because she's a woman? Let's not add a whole new layer to this. Regardless of it being men or women, that cop shouldn't have acted like that at all.

 

[Ziltoidia 9]

Guys, the officer used improper and unwarranted force on these gay women because they were kissing in public, and then they stood up for themselves.

That's being arrested for kissing. The officer used force in a situation where he was not legally justified to, and they protected themselves.

If an officer is pushing you around for kissing in public and you resist and are then arrested, then you weren't arrested for "assaulting an officer."

Holy shit.

Well, that's usually how a lot of the current things have occurred. An officer almost "picks" the fight and then nabs them. I believe if you are approached by an officer for a reason that isn't due to a violation, then your interaction with the person shouldn't be as an officer, but as a civilian.

 

[Violence Jack]

This almost happened to my lesbian friends in a mall in Alabama a few years ago. A store manager asked them to leave after she saw them kissing, and said she didn't want their business. Too bad, because they were there to buy a new fridge.

 

[CDX]

They weren't arrested because they were gay, they were arrested for assaulting an officer. The initial contact with them was because of PDA which apparently some asshat employee didn't like and wanted them out of the store.

So it all started because some bigots wanted to get their bigot on, but the actual arrest was due to something else which happened after the buffoonery started.

Just where are you getting that from? I didn't read that anywhere. Maybe I missed it.



As for the charges for assaulting an officer. Those charges were eventually thrown out, so that shows how weak they were.

The officer initially was

threatening to have them cited for trespassing because of their behavior.

so it seems to me he was the one looking for a reason, any reason, to arrest them.

 

[Primus]

Also surprised this kind of thing happens in Hawaii.

Don't be. There's a lot more super-conservative religious folks in Hawaii than people think, has to do with aggressive courting of various Pacific Islander races by the Mormons and other conservative Christian churches.

Pupukea, where the incident happened, is on the North Shore of O'ahu. It's in prime Mormon country, not too far away from the town of Lai'e and BYU-Hawaii. I'm totally unsurprised that something like this happened out there.

EDIT: Also totally unsurprised by the cop's behavior. That kind of "respect mah authoritay" crap is rampant.

 

[Mr. Giggles]

I was expecting Russia :d

Me too.

I hope they sue or that the police officer is charged.

I encourage more lesbians to show PDA....as a form of protest against this kind of bigotry

 

[stump sock]

Whoa wait a second. Officer was wrong and should not have escalated the way he did but let's not throw things around like "diminutive ladies". If we set the precedent while saying things like that, what will we be discussing when a woman DOES assault an officer ? Do we say to ok because she was a diminutive lady? Because she's a woman? Let's not add a whole new layer to this. Regardless of it being men or women, that cop shouldn't have acted like that at all.

this is silly. I only said "women" because that's what they are. "diminutive" is the key here. if you think a cop should react with the same amount of force to people of all sizes, that's ridiculous. I'm having a hard time imagining what deserved a punch in the face and a toss to the ground, especially when it seems clear he had the physical upper hand.

 

[FStop7]

They weren't arrested for kissing.



Still absurd, but read the article.

Pedantry.

 

[Thaedolus]

Just where are you getting that from? I didn't read that anywhere. Maybe I missed it.



As for the charges for assaulting an officer. Those charges were eventually thrown out, so that shows how weak they were.

The officer initially was

so it seems to me he was the one looking for a reason, any reason, to arrest them.

Here:

They said Harrison, who was off-duty but in uniform, followed them to the checkout along with a store employee, threatening to have them cited for trespassing because of their behavior.

I'm inferring from this that the employee was the one who wanted them gone, because normally a cop isn't going to threaten you with trespassing unless the establishment has asked you to leave.

It's entirely possible what you're saying is true, and this cop really just wanted an excuse to arrest them and was a 100% cockbag. It wouldn't be the first or last time a LEO gaybashed. I'm just not entirely convinced there isn't more to the story at this point, when we only have one side. What did the employees and other observers have to say about it, for example? Internet stories are quick to be sensationalized and outrage-promoting.

 

[linsivvi]

They weren't arrested for kissing.



Still absurd, but read the article.

Is anyone reading the article? Edit: some have.

Yes we read it. It changed nothing.

Except that fact that they weren't arrested for kissing. They were arrested for being gay by a bigot.

Unless you think a cop can randomly assault women and they are not allowed to defend themselves, then yeah they are arrested for something else.

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

Why would a supermarket have zipties on hand? Why was it the job of supermarket employees to physically restrain them? Why did the cop feel it was his duty to berate them for public displays of affection?

 

[diamount]

I thought Hawaii was one of the more liberal states?

I don't think they care about tolerance in the police force.

 

[stump sock]

What did the employees and other observers have to say about it, for example? Internet stories are quick to be sensationalized and outrage-promoting.

I'm pretty sure the legal outcome gives a pretty good idea of who was in the right here.

Worst cop ever.

if only...

 

[Count Dookkake]

Worst cop ever.

 

[John Kowalski]

Avatar quote of me playing a 3DS? Am I looking at hot 3D porn on it?

oh yeah

 

[SpaceWolf]

Avatar quote of me playing a 3DS? Am I looking at hot 3D porn on it?

Haha, for some reason I mistook the 3DS in the picture for some kind of iPad...but sure, that works too.

 

[freenudemacusers]

Were they Hawaiian or just living there?

 

[Thaedolus]

I'm pretty sure the legal outcome gives a pretty good idea of who was in the right here.



if only...

There wasn't really a legal outcome in court though, they simply declined to prosecute. There are dozens of reasons why that makes more sense in this case than trying to throw the book at them. There will probably be more details forthcoming in the civil suit, which I'm sure we'll all forget about long before it happens. Or it gets settled out of court.

 

[GiantBreadbug]

Well, that's usually how a lot of the current things have occurred. An officer almost "picks" the fight and then nabs them. I believe if you are approached by an officer for a reason that isn't due to a violation, then your interaction with the person shouldn't be as an officer, but as a civilian.

Yeah, otherwise cops are allowed to come up to you and beat the shit out of you for literally no reason. Fuck probable cause, just poke and prod civilians physically for whatever reason you want, and when they retaliate, boom. You got em.

 

[Seesaw15]

Sounds terrible. Hopefully it wasn't a situation like with that actress from Django where both parties were being assholes.

 

[stump sock]

There wasn't really a legal outcome in court though, they simply declined to prosecute. There are dozens of reasons why that makes more sense in this case than trying to throw the book at them. There will probably be more details forthcoming in the civil suit, which I'm sure we'll all forget about long before it happens. Or it gets settled out of court.

or it's a baseless violation of rights that would be indefensible in court

I'm not sure why people are playing the "we don't know all the details" card here

 

[Mr. X]

That was pretty gross to read. Hope he's reprimanded.

 

[andythinkpad]

I thought this was Saudi news.

 

[Instro]

That second story is pretty damning. Crazy.

 

[Finn of Ooo]

Somehow "Lesbian couple arrested for assaulting an officer who was off duty but still harrased then verbally, then accused them of trespassing and then engaged one of them physically" doesnt sound very concise as a news title. Im not a journalist tho.

How about "Cop assaults lesbian couple "

 

[Thaedolus]

or it's a baseless violation of rights that would be indefensible in court

I'm not sure why people are playing the "we don't know all the details" card here

Maybe because we literally don't know all the details, we have one side making accusations without a response or counter argument from the other party. Let's be clear: I think the initial reason to contact the girls sounds really stupid, unless they were finger banging in the aisles or something. But that doesn't make it right to assume what happened was 100% black and white tyranny of the police or some shit.

Just look back to the aunt who sued her nephew for medical bills. Everyone ran with it like she was some psycho bitch, but when the details came out it was a technicality/hoop she had to jump through to get an insurance payout.

Initial kneejerk reactions are almost always wrong.

 

[ApharmdX]

They weren't arrested for kissing.



Still absurd, but read the article.

I did read the article. And they were arrested for kissing, essentially. The "assault on a police officer" was just an excuse to arrest them by an off-duty homophobe.

I guess what I'm wondering is why you're trying to justify it?

 

[Cagey]

I did read the article. And they were arrested for kissing, essentially. The "assault on a police officer" was just an excuse to arrest them by an off-duty homophobe.

I guess what I'm wondering is why you're trying to justify it?

The thread title is, quite literally, incorrect. That doesn't make the situation better but there's no claim of that.

It makes the situation worse given the officer is (likely) willing to trump up the situation into assaulting an officer charges because he was so aggravated by them kissing.

But seriously, it's factually incorrect.

EDIT: on second thought, not worth the snark. Your statement is wrong, see above.

 

[Verano]

I've been to Oahu and I've seen gay couples roaming around holding hands, kissing and whatnot publicly without being arrested for it. So its weird they'd be arrested for kissing. Perhaps the cop thought it was offensive to his religious beliefs and acted accordingly to his faith.

 

[CornBurrito]

Seriously, who doesn't like girls kissing? Even a majority of straight men love seeing that. You have to be like CRAZY homophobic in order to be bothered by HLA.

DEA LESBIANS ARE SO HAWWWWWT *licks lips*

Though I guess thank goodness for lesbians, because I doubt homosexuality would have gotten the same support from the straight male community without them.

 

[FStop7]

I've been to Oahu and I've seen gay couples roaming around holding hands, kissing and whatnot publicly without being arrested for it. So its weird they'd be arrested for kissing. Perhaps the cop thought it was offensive to his religious beliefs and acted accordingly to his faith.

I don't think we have mutawwi in the USA quite yet.

 

[Mr. X]

Huh assaulting an off-duty cop is still assaulting an officer charge or am I interpreting wrong?

 

[stump sock]

Huh assaulting an off-duty cop is still assaulting an officier charge or am I interpreting wrong?

I believe so. I don't know if it changes if they're off-duty and out of uniform.

 

[Captin Quacker]

I see were up to the "the OP title is wrong" with sprinkle of "we need more details" part of the thread

 

[Alienous]

'Arrested' should be 'Thanked'.

This world, man.

 

[Team Alucard]

I see were up to the "the OP title is wrong" with sprinkle of "we need more details" part of the thread

Anything to deflect the discussion away from the real issue.

 

[ApharmdX]

Yeah.

This seems horrible.

If you don't mind, I'll add this to OP.

 

[Apathy]

On the bright side, these women are going to get a deservedly huge amount of cash over this

 

[djplaeskool]

Missed the assault stuff.
And yeah, that doesn't fly.

The two were arrested for assaulting a police officer and had to use the money they came to the islands with to post bail.

As a condition of their release, they couldn't leave Oahu and wound up sleeping in a park.

After five months, prosecutors threw out the case, said their attorney, Eric Seitz.

Yikes.
This is just a amalgam of bad things.

 

[CadetMahoney]

Yeah, otherwise cops are allowed to come up to you and beat the shit out of you for literally no reason. Fuck probable cause, just poke and prod civilians physically for whatever reason you want, and when they retaliate, boom. You got em.

the old "resisting arrest", a crime in and of itself regardless of anything prior, usually cops will antagonize and try and get a reaction, anything physical, no matter how minor would suffice.

"Oh she slapped his hand away, slam dunk".

 

[TheSlySoul]

So shoving a police officer to give you space is assault now? WTF?
Poor girls.

Edit: Nope, cop shoved her and I guess her leg touched him. Screw the cop.

 

[stump sock]

So shoving a police officer to give you space is assault now? WTF?
Poor girls.

never, ever even touch a cop.

 

[Cagey]

So shoving a police officer to give you space is assault now? WTF?
Poor girls.

the old "resisting arrest", a crime in and of itself regardless of anything prior, usually cops will antagonize and try and get a reaction, anything physical, no matter how minor would suffice.

"Oh she slapped his hand away, slam dunk".

Touch the officer at all during an interaction with them and they've got plenty of leeway to spin it as resisting or assault and haul you in.

Here, sounds like the woman got pushed to the ground and while doing so she "kicked" the officer, which likely means her foot touched him while she was falling from the officer's initial assault.

 

[djplaeskool]

So shoving a police officer to give you space is assault now? WTF?
Poor girls.

An intentional act by one person that creates an apprehension in another of an imminent harmful or offensive contact.

Any sort of unwanted physical contact, or threat of physical contact, could be construed as assault.
If the officer started it, they're probably going to be healthily recompensed for the BS they had to endure.