L-R, Gabriel Cabrera being handcuffed by Nick Juarez of the Alice TX PD
Last week we helped get a spotlight on Nick Juarez, an Alice (TX) police employee who non-nonchalantly kidnapped and caged Gabriel Cabrera after he realized Cabrera was filming, from private property, a vehicle stop that Juarez was involved in.
Twelve minutes after Cabrera started filming (from a good 60-feet away), a stop that wasn’t “atypical” (it’s unfortunate that a shake-down in plain sight can be normal), Juarez noticed him, approached aggressively, and when Cabrera stated his right to record rather than turn-over his ID, Juarez put him in handcuffs.
Props to local TV outlet KRIS, who’s employees aren’t allowing the attempted deflections by Juarez’s colleagues (really nothing more than PR folks for an organized gang). Though I’d say they still have room to grow as they’re still likening the aggressor and cronies to “authorities.” Please.
It’s clear Juarez was in the wrong. He’s now on “administrative leave” – a doublespeak way of saying “paid vacation.” Is that punishment?
Juarez would likely never have even thought he could treat someone as he did Cabrera but not for the perverse incentives that he was working in. Would anyone claim that this was the first time Juarez ever violated someone’s rights?
It’s probable that before he so callously acted toward Cabrer, Juarez would have long ago been fired at a previous iteration. The lack of competition means a lack of accountability.
Complete meta-post on this situation, including Alice PD contact information: CopBlock.org/NickJuarez
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Nick Juarez, Alice (TX) PD Employee, Cages Man for Filming
January 2nd, 2013
ALICE — The Alice Police officer seen in a viral video that surfaced on YouTube earlier this week has been placed on administrative leave while authorities investigate an arrest he made.
Officer Nicolas Juarez was caught on camera last month arresting Gabriel Cabrera, 25, as Cabrera videotaped Juarez and other officers who were making a traffic stop.
In the video, Juarez asks Cabrera for identification, and mentions that he does not want the video to end up on YouTube.
But in his police report Juarez never mentioned anything about his frustration with being videotaped. Instead, he wrote that he arrested Cabrera after Cabrera refused to identify himself. Juarez wrote that he wanted to identify Cabrera because Cabrera was a witness to the traffic stop. In the video, however, Juarez never says anything about Cabrera being a witness.
It is still not clear why Cabrera was videotaping the traffic stop.
Federal courts have ruled that it is not illegal to videotape police officers.
Ah, the entrenched mafia known as the police union oozes onto the scene and scores a paid vacation for one of their thugs.
Maybe the union can bring him some doughnuts.
youtube has ruined the police profession as a whole.
Boot lickers will soon be by to call this accountability. Stand by.
Nah, its rhetorical, you can have this one. Enjoy.
WOW, Common Sense yields to the fact he knows this cop is a dumb fuck. Fucking moron just cost the city some money that I’m sure will sorely mist.
Common Sense are you just an ignorant police puppet?
In a way, common sense is right. It is rhetorical, if we follow the this definition (given by Merriam-Webster online):
Rhetorical: “of, relating to, or concerned with rhetoric” ; which follows that we then must define rhetoric:
Rhetoric: (again, Merriam-Webster online) “the art of speaking or writing effectively”.
So, this post shows, clearly and effectively, that an officer
of the law arrested an innocent person without cause. The act of filming the police is a clearly established legal act, and is in no way criminal, nor does it rise to the level reasonable suspicion in and of itself. Yet a cop decided to arrest because he didn’t want it to appear on YouTube? There is not even reasonable suspicion here, much less the probable cause to arrest. Where is his sufficient knowledge that criminal activity is at hand? Clearly, there isn’t any.
This is also clear and effective proof of a general lack of police accountability. But wait, this officer is on a paid administrative leave, and might actually be disciplined, and just maybe fired – how
much more accountable can you get? This is a smokescreen; the officer might be suspended or fined, maybe even lose his job, but clearly that is no deterrent. Most likely because he can just go get
a law-enforcement job elsewhere (these kind of things don’t seem to
matter much in that regard); or perhaps it’s because the police unions keep getting the jobs back for the officers – whatever the reason, there is clearly not enough of a deterrent to prevent the reiterations of these issues.
So, what we have here is a rhetorical, or effectively written, essay
on the abuses perpetrated by the police, and why there is a need for greater accountability and oversight of the police. In this case, a police officer, without cause, violated the rights of an individual over a matter that has already been settled by the courts. It is legal to film the police; this is settled law. Yet, an officer arrested based on this. And another officer allowed it to happen.
Both officers should know better, and both should face discipline, yet only one is – and so far, that officer has been given a paid vacation. The arresting officer should be, in turn, arrested – he
deprived the filmmaker of his constitutional rights, his liberty and freedom, without cause. Isn’t that official oppression? Per the Texas
penal code:
Sec. 39.03. OFFICIAL OPPRESSION. (a) A public servant acting under color of his office or employment commits an offense if he:
(1) Intentionally subjects another to mistreatment or to arrest, detention, search, seizure, dispossession, assessment, or lien that he knows is unlawful.
If it is settled law that his actions were legal, and the officers should know that, then his actions are definitely oppressive. The
officers offense is much greater than what he made the arrest for, so why hasn’t he been arrested in turn?
Now, a rhetorical question: why hasn’t he been arrested? Because he’s a cop, and when a cop breaks the law, it’s different. As so many cops claim, there’s not a double standard, so what it is I’m not sure, but it definitely is different. Lets call it a separate set of circumstances involving punishments and deterrents related to illegal activity in relation to law enforcement officers as compared to the general, non law-enforcement employed, public sector. Or, let’s just keep calling it a double standard; It’s rhetorical, after all – clearly and effectively stating the case.
So thanks, common, but this one isn’t yours to give, it’s a freebie direct from the Good Ole’ Boys Club of America; a.k.a. the police.
FIRE OFFICER ASSHAT FOR VIOLATING THIS MANS RIGHTS. After he’s fired then start ruining his life with charges. Let him have to pay a lawyer that he can’t afford. FUCK THE POLICE ! FILM THE POLICE !
FTP2
I’ve got to give a thumbs up to the Alice PD for suspending the guy. When I saw this vid, I thought that the leo might get away with it because the newsgatherer didn’t immediately identify himself, not that he had to, but alot of judges rule against people who don’t give the leos at least a name, even if they aren’t being lawfully detained.