I’m sure it will end up a hung jury with one or two people who won’t convict a cop, no matter what they do.

Not like he’s actually going to be convicted he’ll just get a job in Alabama or Mississippi after this farce of a trial.

Well, that explains the sunglasses.

Sam offers some context that both makes this arrest genuinely unusual/surprising, and the prospects of full justice more daunting:

Almost all of them, so I’m not waiting for the verdict. Baby steps, I guess. At least they are actually being charged, now. Maybe one day we’ll see convictions as the rule instead of the exception. And, yes, I’m prejudging because obviously judges and juries have been prejudging to get the type and number of aquitals…

I am legit mildly surprise by how the city has handled this thus far. Expected way more resistance from the city government. Either he doesn’t have many friends in the department, the city has actually learned from previous national examples, and/or they want to head off problems. I’ll take any of these at the moment.

I’m pleasantly surprised but will wait to see the jury verdict. Because a lot of these folks get away with it, trial or not.

It’s getting so a cop can’t even come screaming onto the scene hopped up on adrenaline and spray bullets around with no information or thought anymore. Surely this will embolden the criminals and lead to the downfall of civilization and freedom. /s

Murder? Wow. They typically start with something tepid like involuntary manslaughter. I’m sure his GofundMe will have a million dollars by this time tomorrow.

Uh, yes. That is what this story is about: white students drawing nooses around the necks of other students at school. That is not protected speech.

Is there an outbreak of White students drawing nooses on Black students?

Fighting words have never been protected under the first amendment. Drawing a noose around a fellow student’s neck certainly fits the definition of fighting words as it’s threatening and harassing besides. Expressing racism is legal. Invoking racialized violence against your peers is illegal and always has been.

Your racist feeling of superiority is also noted.

Consider it a valuable life lesson.

Edit* So wait - a noose drawn around the neck of an innocent Black student is not as bad as the humiliation the people who enjoyed said noose had to endure after-the-fact?

Your sensitive White feels are duly noted.

Racism thrives when you accept it as just another, completely legitimate competing viewpoint.

The public shaming aside, high school students do not get unlimited first amendment protections. The school is empowered to limit or punish speech if it has the potential to be disruptive.

I’m sure Attorney General Session will intervene on the behalf of the of the noose-drawers.

I think you could make a compelling argument that the actions, even though off campus, should be considered harassment. What if your child had a Stormfront blog that originated from your home? I think the argument that it didn’t happen on campus would be irrelevant.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

I would…

The precedent is already there. Schools are not “public spaces” and school administrators can take “reasonable actions” to protect the entire student body and create an environment suited to learning. Now, I would say that the “walk of shame” is not a reasonable action, but schools have been allowed to censor students…