Rodney King found dead in swimming pool

[Quinn]

Also, I do have an idea how strong a six foot three, 250 lb, black man is; my cousin is one. I also have an idea about how strong a group of ten-plus (male) cops can be collectively.

They beat that man because they thought they'd get away with it, plain and simple.

When I was in the army, I saw a white kid who was maybe 5'11 and 175 pounds -- his nickname was "Spankey" of all things -- cut through a room full of guys like they were butter in order to get at another soldier who was talking shit about him. He lacked King's size, had a lean non-muscular build, and was nowhere near the level of formal hand-to-hand training the rest of us had.

To this day, I' never seen anything like it. At the time, I was benching more than twice my body weight, curling more than I weighed, fast as hell, and had years of boxing as well as MMA experience (well before it was popular). It didn't matter, I couldn't stop him, and neither could any of the other guys -- many of whom were considerably tougher than I was.

My point -- and it's not necessarily meant to be exculpatory for the LAPD -- is this: You can never look at a guy and say X number of people should be able to handle him with certainty. The guys I was in the barracks with that night were almost certainly tougher than the cops who beat King, and we couldn't stop Spankey from getting at "Ault" (who deserved the beating by the way). Some people can take one hell of a beating and just keep coming to the point where it almost superhuman. I guess maybe it's something a person has to experience firsthand to understand.

-Quinn

[buttslinger]

You never know what personal demons people have to deal with.

[fastingforlife]

When I was in the army, I saw a white kid who was maybe 5'11 and 175 pounds -- his nickname was "Spankey" of all things -- cut through a room full of guys like they were butter in order to get at another soldier who was talking shit about him. He lacked King's size, had a lean non-muscular build, and was nowhere near the level of formal hand-to-hand training the rest of us had.

To this day, I' never seen anything like it. At the time, I was benching more than twice my body weight, curling more than I weighed, fast as hell, and had years of boxing as well as MMA experience (well before it was popular). It didn't matter, I couldn't stop him, and neither could any of the other guys -- many of whom were considerably tougher than I was.

My point -- and it's not necessarily meant to be exculpatory for the LAPD -- is this: You can never look at a guy and say X number of people should be able to handle him with certainty. The guys I was in the barracks with that night were almost certainly tougher than the cops who beat King, and we couldn't stop Spankey from getting at "Ault" (who deserved the beating by the way). Some people can take one hell of a beating and just keep coming to the point where it almost superhuman. I guess maybe it's something a person has to experience firsthand to understand.

-Quinn

Back in the 1970's, a family member of mine, who happened to be a cop in NYC, was called to a fight in City Island during some Puerto Rican event. A guy by the name of Aponte, a 5'6" 175 lb 35 year old man was throwing people around in a drunken bezerk rage. My family member in trying to subdue him, broke his billy club on Aponte's head, and Aponte broke my family member's arm. It took a number of cops to finally get him under control, and not one cop left without some injury to their person. So I agree, size isn't everything. But, there are some big black dudes that I see here in Newark, that I sure wouldn't want to get angry at me. I don't want to end up like dust on the road.

[trish]

It goes both ways. What is possible and happened in one circumstance isn't what happens in every circumstance. I saw a video once of a bunch of dudes raising clubs high over their heads and bringing them down on one prostate victim, bashing his body and head alike and sending him to the hospital. Wait, that was infamous Rodney King video.

[trish]

Correction, see I do admit to mistakes AND correct them.

It goes both ways. What is possible and happened in one circumstance isn't what happens in every circumstance. I saw a video once of a bunch of dudes raising clubs high over their heads and bringing them down on one prostrate victim, bashing his body and head alike and sending him to the hospital. Wait, that was infamous Rodney King video.

[Quinn]

Correction, see I do admit to mistakes AND correct them.

My own post contained far too many grammatical/typing errors to even bother. Maybe taking part in a heated teleconference while posting on a forum isn't conducive to proper spelling after all. Who would have guessed?

-Quinn

[trish]

Auto-correct is a huge hazard as well. It's screwed me more than it saved me.

[fastingforlife]

The same media that unveiled the Rodney King tape, knowing how that it could cause an entire city to burn, has chosen not to release the Obama tape because it is too incindery and damaging. Had they released the tape of Obama attending a dinner honoring among other things, a Palestinian terrorist, there was no way he would have been elected President in 2008.

[giovanni_hotel]

You think Americans really care about the Palestinian conflicts and who the good/bad guys are??
No one prevented Faux News from releasing the tape, if there is such a thing.

[fastingforlife]

You think Americans really care about the Palestinian conflicts and who the good/bad guys are??
No one prevented Faux News from releasing the tape, if there is such a thing.

I think the LA Times has it under lock and key. It apparently shows the true measure of the man, and he comes up wanting.