from the when-not-even-a-wrist-slap-is-considered-acceptable dept
On October 27, 2024, Oklahoma City police officer Joseph Gibson assaulted a 71-year-old Vietnamese man while investigating. [checks notes] “non-injury traffic accident.”
The man, Lich Vu, was definitely smaller than the policeman who attacked him. He is very must be older. A discussion about who is at fault occurs, marred by Vu’s limited English skills. Vu’s wife comes out of her workplace and tries to help translate, but Officer Gibson chooses to go beyond her limited Vietnamese language skills, with the end result of the “interaction” being:
Prosecutors said Vu suffered a brain hemorrhage and a broken neck and eye socket.
The body camera footage didn’t help. It mainly shows Gibson being aggressive and throwing Vu to the ground. What is not clearly understood is the “assault” that the 71-year-old man committed that could have provoked this violent response.
But a nearby security camera operated by a local business caught it all. And, thanks to the footage, we can see for ourselves the acts of violence that allegedly caused it Officer Gibson violent behavior:
What the footage shows is something that may seem offensive to the US police (who believe that the only acceptable answer to an officer’s question/request is complete respect) but which is acceptable to people who feel that the police are not. pay attention to his description. The only physical contact here is a light backhand to the officer’s upper arm/chest – a tap to interrupt or direct the conversation. Certainly not an attack on an officer. It’s something that can shock a very small child, but it certainly shouldn’t bother an officer wearing body armor and carrying a small arsenal of lethal and less-than-lethal weapons.
This is an over-response confident looks like an attack. And although it may be difficult to prove that there is no law when the police do it, local prosecutors will at least get away with it.
Oklahoma City DA Vicki Behenna charged Gibson with aggravated assault and battery after surveillance camera footage entered the public domain. But all was lost, thanks to the unexpected and unexpected intervention of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
“As attorney general, I will not allow Oklahoma police officers to face criminal charges for conducting training,” Drummond said in a statement. “While the outcome of this incident will certainly be devastating to Mr. Vu and his family, I do not believe that the officer showed any criminal intent.”
Well, define “criminal intent” then, AG Drummond. Because it’s supposed to be like Officer Gibson to be able to get hurt, even if there’s no incident that requires this power. Is it a criminal act to respond to a small amount of disrespect with a body slam that breaks someone’s neck? Is it a crime to express your anger with physical violence against others?
For all of us ordinary people, it is. It may not be “criminal intent,” but the act is usually considered illegal. At best, it’s a simple attack, rather than a heavier attack. But it appears AG Drummond believes the police should be arrested a below standard.
Not only that, but the statement shows him to be a police shop lapdog. Anyone looking at the footage can see the officer’s actions were illegal. Moreover, he could see that what Vu did was not even comparable to the phrase that the Attorney General used to justify this case from the hands of the local prosecutor.
“Nobody is allowed to hit or push an officer, regardless of whether they don’t speak English or come from a different culture,” Drummond said. “The simple truth is, this unfortunate incident would not have happened if Mr. Vu had not held his own hands.”
This is not a “hit” or a “push”. It was a small tap of the officer’s chest/shoulder by someone apparently just as frustrated by the language barrier as Officer Gibson. Blaming the victim for his own incapacitation is only par for the course of law enforcement, though. And AG Drummond – despite his recent anti-death penalty advocacy – proved he was just one of the boys (in blue).
Filed Under: excessive force, gentner drummond, joseph gibson, lich vu, oklahoma, police misconduct, police brutality
