Denver Policemen Fired Over Antigay Beating

[DSM4Life]

Two Denver policemen have been fired for beating a gay man in 2009 and lying about the action captured on a surveillance camera.

According to Reuters, in April 2009, Devin Sparks and Randy Murr detained Michael DeHerrera and his partner, Shawn Johnson, after Johnson was ejected from a downtown bar. The officers said that force was required to subdue the men, but a surveillance camera showed DeHerrera talking on a cell phone as Sparks tossed him to the ground and hit him with a metal rod.

Although the police chief Gerry Whitman had recommended the officers be terminated, the then-safety manager Ron Perea suspended them for three days in a move that outraged the LGBT and Hispanic communities. Nearly two years later, the new safety manager Charles Garcia said their actions brought “immeasurable harm” to the department.

Sparks was dismissed for “inappropriate use of force” and lying in his police report and Murr was let go for falsifying his report, reports Reuters.


VIDEO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDECq...layer_embedded





Does it really need to read "anti-gay beating?" I think it should just read "Denver Policemen Fired Over Beating." Unless the guys were flamboyant and the cops anger played off of that.

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_N...tigay_Beating/

[Tigershark]

They deserved to be fired. And no they did not need to say "anti-gay." It was a beating plain and simple.

[thegodfather]

Even if they did utter some anti-gay or racist sentiments, that should not change the nature of the crime. "Hate Crime" legislation is an abomination and is completely unconstitutional. It creates "protected classes" of people, and essentially says that a brutal assault on one person, is more 'important' than an assault on a person in a "protected class." It is inherently unfair, and in addition, it attempts to penalize people for their political and personal view points. We have no business in legislating and penalizing someone for their reason for doing what they do, the States only interest should be the ACTIONS of the perpetrator, NOT the "reasons" they committed their crime. The government should not be in the business of assigning higher worth to someones life because of their ethnicity, sexual orientation, and etc...

[DSM4Life]

Even if they did utter some anti-gay or racist sentiments, that should not change the nature of the crime. "Hate Crime" legislation is an abomination and is completely unconstitutional. It creates "protected classes" of people, and essentially says that a brutal assault on one person, is more 'important' than an assault on a person in a "protected class." It is inherently unfair, and in addition, it attempts to penalize people for their political and personal view points. We have no business in legislating and penalizing someone for their reason for doing what they do, the States only interest should be the ACTIONS of the perpetrator, NOT the "reasons" they committed their crime. The government should not be in the business of assigning higher worth to someones life because of their ethnicity, sexual orientation, and etc...

Well i wouldn't go that far. I do support hate crimes bills but they need to be watched very closely. Some "classes" need more protection than others.

[jimmyinkedup]

Well i wouldn't go that far. I do support hate crimes bills but they need to be watched very closely. Some "classes" need more protection than others.

bvllshit.
One of the greatest losses this country ever incured was the assignation of Dr MLK Jr. - imo one of the gretaest men of this century.
No one needs more or less protection , we all need , and are entitled to, the same. Exceptions merley propigate the very prejudice they seek to overcome.
MLK understood this more than anyone....i wonder sometimes where we would be re: civil rights had he not been killed.

[drdeath613]

i remember back after rodney kings beating if a white dude thru a punch at anyone other then a white person it was a hate crime

while I do support hate crimes bills i think they go to far just cause you hit fight someone does not mean your anti anything and there's no sound to that video you cant hear what anyone is saying for all we know he could be saying these ****ing cops should be killed to his friend over the phone

[Times Roman]

They deserved to be fired. And no they did not need to say "anti-gay." It was a beating plain and simple.

it amazes me how the media portray situations...

anytime there is an incident involving a motorcycle, if he wasn't wearing a helmet always seems to get a lot of play.

"Man riding motorcycle without helmet crashes into dump truck at 120 mph and is killed instantly".

...the implication is that somehow the helmet would have saved him?

[Shol'va]

There are overly aggressive cops in every police department. They are only to use enough force to subdue a person. Obviously they feared for their very lives by a gay man talking on his cell phone and had to use every available force to bear to bring the mean, bad, scary, evil looking, dangerous gay man down. It is what it is. Give some men a badge and they think they have the right to be barny badass. Judge, jury, and executioner. So much for the departmental screenings for quality police candidates.

[Times Roman]

There are overly aggressive cops in every police department. They are only to use enough force to subdue a person. Obviously they feared for their very lives by a gay man talking on his cell phone and had to use every available force to bear to bring the mean, bad, scary, evil looking, dangerous gay man down. It is what it is. Give some men a badge and they think they have the right to be barny badass. Judge, jury, and executioner. So much for the departmental screenings for quality police candidates.

I agree. Everyone knows gay guys are some mean sonsabiches and need to be taken down with extreme prejudice. And while they are down, bury the toe of your boot into their kidneys a few times just to soften em up.

And blacks. Damm! they are scary mo' fo's. Let's call Sgt. Stadenko and round em all up while we are at it.

And hispanics! Ho shiit! They may be small, but they are viscious in packs. So maybe we need to lock them up too?

And lets not forget about them dam italians. Every one of em are criminals, so let's haul their greasy assses off.

And Jews! Them damm jews and their non christian luvn assses need to be sent back home. Just ship em off I say.

OK.... who's left?

[DSM4Life]

I agree. Everyone knows gay guys are some mean sonsabiches and need to be taken down with extreme prejudice. And while they are down, bury the toe of your boot into their kidneys a few times just to soften em up.

And blacks. Damm! they are scary mo' fo's. Let's call Sgt. Stadenko and round em all up while we are at it.

And hispanics! Ho shiit! They may be small, but they are viscious in packs. So maybe we need to lock them up too?

And lets not forget about them dam italians. Every one of em are criminals, so let's haul their greasy assses off.

And Jews! Them damm jews and their non christian luvn assses need to be sent back home. Just ship em off I say.

OK.... who's left?

[Shol'va]

And...

[Times Roman]

oh yeah, almost forgot... "native americans" and asians...

see the problem with injuns is they gamble too much and can't handle their fire water, so we need to just lock em up so we don't have to look at em.

and asians? well... let me tell you! everyone knows they are sneaky bastads, so ya gotta lock up all yer shiit. thieves I tell ya! lock em up!

that's it! Im the only one left. And let me tell ya. I can be a real sonufabich sometimes, so maybe I oughta go away too.

[wmaousley]

Hell they have became smart and on just about all Indian reservations you can find a Casino. The seminole indians in florida have a Hardrock Casino north of Miami.

Genius

[Times Roman]

^ Do you blame them? I mean, who wouldn't cash in on a gold mine?

I sure as shiit would.... wouldn't you?