OFFICIALS IN SAN
ANTONIO TEXAS HAVE DECIDED TO
FIRE A SCHOOL POLICE OFFICIAL NAMED JOSHUA WHO WAS CAUGHT IN A
VIRAL VIDEO ONLINE.
HE BODY SLAMMED A MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT
AT A
SCHOOL.
WE DID COVER IT AND WE DO HAVE THE VIDEO IN QUESTION.
I
WANT TO GIVE YOU A WARNING, IT
IS GRAPHIC.
>> VANESSA.
CHILL.
>>VANESSA, ARE YOU OKAY?
>> VANESSA, ARE YOU OKAY?
SHE LANDED ON HER FACE.
VANESSA?
VANESSA, ARE YOU OKAY?
VANESSA?
>> ALL RIGHT, OFTEN TIMES WHEN WE DO THESE STORIES THERE IS
USUALLY NO JUSTICE, NO REAL CONSEQUENCE
FOR THE OFFICER IN QUESTION.
THE INVESTIGATION DID TAKE PLACE,
AND AUTHORITIES DECIDED THAT IT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA TO EMPLOY
THIS
GUY AS A SCHOOL POLICE OFFICIAL.
THE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS THE
FOLLOWING.
THEN IT TURNS OUT THAT MARTINEZ SAID HE REPORTED
THAT THE GIRL HAD FALLEN DOWN.
OBVIOUSLY THE ACCOUNT FROM THE POLICE WAS VERY DIFFERENT
FROM WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
>> OKAY, WHAT IS THE LEAST SURPRISING FACT ABOUT THIS?
THE
FACT THAT THE VIDEO CAME OUT, I FEEL LIKE THAT IS THE ONLY
REASON WHY THEY HELD THE POLICE OFFICER ACCOUNTABLE.
DO WE NEED
ANY MORE EVIDENCE THAT IT IS AMAZING TO HAVE SOME SORT OF
SURVEILLANCE ON POLICE OFFICERS ON DUTY?
THINGS LIKE THIS COME OUT ALL THE TIME.
>> IT IS THE BENEFIT OF KIDS HAVING CAMERA PHONES THESE DAYS.
YOU HAVE TO HOLD OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE.
THESE GIRLS ñ
WHOEVER WAS FILMING, THEY PROBABLY DIDN'T REALIZE THE
IMPLICATIONS OF JUST HAVING
VIDEO EVIDENCE.
OTHERWISE IF THIS HAD BEEN 10 YEARS EARLIER,
I CAN SPECULATE THAT THEY WOULD'VE BELIEVED THE REPORT
FROM THE OFFICER.
I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT THIS WAS CAUGHT ON
VIDEO SO HE IS NOW RESPONSIBLE.
HE HAS TO ANSWER TO WHAT HE DID.
THERE IS NO WAY TO LIE AROUND IT.
>>THE SECOND THING THAT REALLY UPSETS ME, WHAT COMPELS SOMEONE
TO BODY SLAM A 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL?
IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT HE IS A
POLICE OFFICER.
ANY HUMAN WITH A BRAIN SHOULD NOT THINK, I AM
GOING TO BODY SLAM A 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL THAT PROBABLY HAS ñ
IS 100 POUNDS SKINNIER THAN I AM, INTO THE GROUND, FACE FIRST.
>>I THINK THIS WAS A VERY CLEAR EXAMPLE OF EXCESSIVE FORCE.
I
JUST WANT TO CLARIFY A FEW THINGS, I THINK ORIGINALLY TO
THESE STORIES THERE IS A LITTLE
BIT OF PUSHBACK.
PEOPLE THINK WE HAVE THIS ANTI- COP NARRATIVE.
IT'S NOT, IT'S ABOUT HOLDING PEOPLE WHO ARE PAID BY OUR TAX
MONEY ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR
ACTIONS.
WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO LIVE IN A POLICE STATE.
WE ARE
NOT SUPPOSED TO LIVE IN A COUNTRY WHERE IT IS ILLEGAL TO
SAY SOMETHING DISRESPECTFUL TO
AN OFFICER.
YOU ARE A MALE POLICE OFFICER, YOU ARE AN
ADULT.
YOU ARE BIGGER, STRONGER, MORE MATURE THAN A 12-YEAR-OLD.
THERE IS NO REASON FOR HIM TO
BODY SLAM HER.
SHE SEEMS TO BE RESISTING ARREST.
THERE ARE
OTHER WAYS OF RESTATING HER OTHER THAN BODY SLAMMING HER TO
THE FLOOR TO THE POINT WHERE SHE HIT HER HEAD.
SHE COULD'VE
SUFFERED A SERIOUS CONCUSSION OR
DIED FROM HER INJURIES.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO BRING
ATTENTION TO THESE CASES BECAUSE YOU WANT
TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM.
NOT ALL COPS ARE BAD.
THERE ARE A LOT OF
GREAT COPS OUT THERE.
I HAVE A
GREAT FRIEND WHO IS AN AMAZING COP.
YOU ARE PAID TO DO A GOOD
JOB.
JUST LIKE WE ARE PAID TO DO
A GOOD JOB.
I DON'T CRITICIZE OTHER JOURNALISTS THAT ARE NOT
DOING
A GOOD JOB.
IF SOMEONE IS NOT DOING A GOOD JOB, THEY DESERVE
TO BE CALLED OUT ABOUT IT.
FOR SOME REASON COPS ARE THE ONLY
PEOPLE ñ WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CRITICIZE THEM, RIGHT?
BUT YOU
HAVE SOME MEMBERS OF YOUR
DEPARTMENT, AND DEPARTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY WHERE
THEY ARE NOT DOING THE RIGHT
THING.
THEY NEED TO BE CALLED OUT ON IT, AND YOU SHOULD NOT
PROTECT THEM.
>>IT'S AN INCREDIBLY TENSE SITUATION TO BE A POLICE
OFFICER.
I DO GET THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS ARGUMENT.
WHEN YOU ARE A
POLICE OFFICER, EVERY DAY IN THE
LINE OF DUTY BECAUSE OF YOUR JOB YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY DANGER.
YOU NEED TO ENFORCE SOME SORT OF
AUTHORITY.
I HAVE ACTUALLY WRITTEN A RESEARCH PAPER IN
COLLEGE ABOUT THIS.
THE USE OF AUTHORITY FOR POLICE OFFICERS IS
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOLS.
THAT AUTHORITY WILL ALLOW THEM TO ENFORCE THE LAW AND MAKE
SURE HE DOESN'T ESCALATE TO A SITUATION WHERE GUNS ARE
INVOLVED.
>> I THINK YOU HAVE A GOOD POINT ABOUT TOOLS.
THIS OFFICER SHOWED
THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO USE THOSE
TOOLS CORRECTLY.
I HEAR WHAT BOTH OF YOU ARE SAYING.
THEY
NEED TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE
SITUATION AS IT ESCALATES.
SHE IS 12 YEARS OLD, BUT IF THE
OFFICER CANNOT CONTROL THE SITUATION IN A WAY THAT IS
RESPONSIBLE, THEN HE SHOULD NOT
BE IN THAT POSITION.
THAT SHOULD NOT BE HIS JOB IF HIS RESPONSE
IS
TO BODY SLAM A 12-YEAR-OLD.
THE SEVERITY OF THE SITUATION IS SO
IMPORTANT.
THIS PERSON HAS A GUN IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL.
IF HE IS
ENACTING THIS KIND OF DECISION-MAKING IN A MIDDLE
SCHOOL, WHAT KIND OF OTHER ñ I AM GLAD THIS WAS CAUGHT ON
CAMERA.
I'M GLAD HE IS HOPEFULLY GOING TO FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES.
I'M GLAD HE IS OUT OF A JOB.
WHAT COULD THIS HAVE ESCALATED
TO WITH A GUN IN HIS HAND?
>>WE KNOW, WE COVER THOSE STORIES ON A REGULAR BASIS.
UNARMED INDIVIDUALS GET SHOT AND KILLED.
A 12-YEAR-OLD
LIKE TAMIR RICE, CAN BE AT THE PARK PLAYING WITH A TOY
GUN, AND A COP SHOWS UP WITHIN TWO SECONDS AND SHOOTS HIM.
>>FROM THE CAR, RIGHT?
>>YES.
FOR THE COPS THAT WATCH THE SHOW AND GET UPSET, AND YOU
WANT US TO HIGHLIGHT STORIES OF COPS DOING A GOOD JOB.
WE GET
IT.
THAT IS NOT A NEWS STORY BECAUSE COPS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO
A GOOD JOB.
JUST KEEPING IT 100.
I LOVE WHEN THESE ANECDOTAL
EXAMPLES ARE SAID TO ME.
LOOK AT THIS COP, LOOK AT THIS RESTRAINT
HE'S SHOWING.
GOOD, THAT IS YOUR
FUCKING JOB.
WHEN WE HAVE STORIES OF SOMEONE BODY SLAMMING
A 12-YEAR-OLD, OR A 12-YEAR-OLD
GETTING SHOT AND KILLED, IF THAT OFFENDS YOU I AM SORRY.
YOU
SHOULD BE MORE OFFENDED BY THE FACT THAT THERE ARE INNOCENT
PEOPLE DYING BY THE HANDS OF POLICE
OFFICIALS RIGHT NOW.
I GOT A LITTLE FUCKING HEATED RIGHT THERE.
>>YOU BRING UP AN AWESOME POINT.
THE MORE COPS GET THIS BAD RAP,
THE MORE TENSION THERE IS, AND IT WILL LEAD TO THEIR JOB BEING
A LOT HARDER.
IT'S A DUTY OF POLICE OFFICERS TO HELP THESE
INDIVIDUALS AND TRY TO SELF ENFORCE WITHIN THE POLICE
COMMUNITY.
>>THAT IS RIGHT.
HERE IS THE THING.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO DRAW
PARALLELS.
BILL O'REILLY GETS CRITICIZED ALL THE TIME BECAUSE
HE DOES A SHITTY JOB.
I AM NOT GOING TO COME ON THE SHOW AND
SAY HOW DARE YOU.
LOOK AT ALL THESE JOURNALISTS DOING A GREAT
JOB.
NO, THERE ARE JOURNALISTS THAT DO A SHITTY JOB, AND SOME
THAT DO A GREAT JOB.
I AM NOT GOING TO DEFEND PEOPLE THAT ARE
DOING A SHITTY JOB.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS WHOLE
BROTHERHOOD THING.
I GET IT, YOU GUYS HAVE A HARD JOB.
YOU ARE IN
A DANGEROUS SITUATION MORE TIMES
THAN ANYONE ELSE.
BUT THAT IS A DECISION YOU MADE FOR YOURSELF.
YOU ARE APPLAUDED AND
CELEBRATED.
AT THE SAME TIME, WHEN THERE IS A VIRUS WITHIN
THAT SYSTEM, IT IS NOT JUST OUR
RESPONSIBILITY, IT IS YOURS AS WELL TO CALL OUT THAT VIRUS AND TRY
TO SOLVE IT.