It seems everyoneis comingto the defence of the Philadelphia police officer who Tasered a 17-year-old boy after he ran onto the filed of Citizen’s Bank Park during Monday night’s game.
I’m not one of them.
Yes, what Steve Consalvi did was stupid, but it did not warrant the officer using a weapon to stop the kid. Would everyone be heralding him if he shot the kid in the leg to stop him? Something tells me no.
He wasn’t drunk, he had all of his clothes on, and he wasn’t out to get any of the players, so why use a weapon like a Taser?
Perhaps the reason it’s so hard for me to wrap my head around the Taser usage is because of the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski after he was Tasered by the RCMP in Vancouver airport. (Ironically the Tasering in Philly came the day before the RCMP announced changes to the rules for Taser usage).
But the main problem I have with the use of the Taser on Consalvi is that it is a weapon, but it seems like we are forgetting that nowadays. I admit, I did not watch the game — and the video above only starts after the chase has begun — but did the police really try to catch this kid enough before pulling out a weapon? Or are we just too willing to use a weapon too easily nowadays?
I mean, think of the other ways the human race has gotten lazy. Too tired to look something up in a book? Google it. No one remembers phone numbers anymore because they’re all in our cell phones. And Facebook is kind enough to send us birthday reminders for all of our friends and family.
The same argument can be made for the over-usage of Tasers. Can’t really catch a guy and drag him down? Just give him a little shock, it won’t hurt him (though Dziekanski’s family is likely to disagree with that statement). Soon instead of the Law and Order detectives chasing their suspect on foot, they’ll just Taser them.
Finally, the cheering reaction of the crowd and reported laughter from the Phillies dugout bothers me. What if Consalvi had died? Or been seriously injured? Would we all still be cheering and laughing?
Do fans belong on the field? Undoubtedly, no. Do they deserve being hurt because they did a stupid thing? Absolutely not.
Rent-a-cop wannabes, says I … there was no need to get the Taser, it’s not like the 6 of them weren’t eventually going to get him down.
P.S., this reminds me of a classic Simpsons (but what does not):
“As you know, it’s been my lifelong dream to be a monorail conductor.”
“Your lifelong dream was to run on to the field at a baseball game, and you did it last year!” (Points to framed newspaper with the headline, “IDIOT RUINS GAME: Sprinfield forfeits pennant.”)
No excuse for use of Taser at Phillies game
It seems everyone is coming to the defence of the Philadelphia police officer who Tasered a 17-year-old boy after he ran onto the filed of Citizen’s Bank Park during Monday night’s game.
I’m not one of them.
Yes, what Steve Consalvi did was stupid, but it did not warrant the officer using a weapon to stop the kid. Would everyone be heralding him if he shot the kid in the leg to stop him? Something tells me no.
There have been numerous incidents of fans (or even non-fans) running onto the field, or throwing octopi on the ice, even fighting a player in the penalty box. This kid was not the first, and he won’t be the last.
He wasn’t drunk, he had all of his clothes on, and he wasn’t out to get any of the players, so why use a weapon like a Taser?
Perhaps the reason it’s so hard for me to wrap my head around the Taser usage is because of the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski after he was Tasered by the RCMP in Vancouver airport. (Ironically the Tasering in Philly came the day before the RCMP announced changes to the rules for Taser usage).
But the main problem I have with the use of the Taser on Consalvi is that it is a weapon, but it seems like we are forgetting that nowadays. I admit, I did not watch the game — and the video above only starts after the chase has begun — but did the police really try to catch this kid enough before pulling out a weapon? Or are we just too willing to use a weapon too easily nowadays?
I mean, think of the other ways the human race has gotten lazy. Too tired to look something up in a book? Google it. No one remembers phone numbers anymore because they’re all in our cell phones. And Facebook is kind enough to send us birthday reminders for all of our friends and family.
The same argument can be made for the over-usage of Tasers. Can’t really catch a guy and drag him down? Just give him a little shock, it won’t hurt him (though Dziekanski’s family is likely to disagree with that statement). Soon instead of the Law and Order detectives chasing their suspect on foot, they’ll just Taser them.
Finally, the cheering reaction of the crowd and reported laughter from the Phillies dugout bothers me. What if Consalvi had died? Or been seriously injured? Would we all still be cheering and laughing?
Do fans belong on the field? Undoubtedly, no. Do they deserve being hurt because they did a stupid thing? Absolutely not.