User Comments

1. 

   4/14/08

   timethief

   Threatening and extortion are both criminal offenses. I would call the police without delay and I would give them copies of all the documentation (evidence) that I had from the offender.
   
   Threatening and extortion are both criminal offenses. I would call the police without delay and I would give them copies of all the documentation (evidence) that I had from the offender.
   
   First of all I would be cautious about throwing around words like "threat". It has a legal definition. When you blog and invite opinion you ought to be prepared to receive it.
   
   For example: "What a waste of time you are, no wonder you got arrested and the crap beat out of you, sounds like you deserve it. As much as you want the ACT teams to be responsible for all these incidents you are just using them as a scapegoat so you have someone to blame."
   
   Where's the threat?

   [reply]
   1. 

      4/14/08

      Packratt

      Thank you for the thoughtful reply, I appreciate it.
      
      Hypothetically, though... What would you do if it was the police who were threatening you?
   2. 

      4/14/08

      timethief

      I apologize for the duplication above. Sorry
      
      Hypothetically, I would never have a blog that is focused on what yours is focused on so I really cannot answer you. Moreover, I lack the skill set required to investigate cases of alleged abuse.
      
      "This site is devoted to reporting cases of police misconduct and detainee abuse in Seattle, Washington. If you or someone you know has witnessed abuse or has been abused, please let us know."
   3. 

      4/14/08

      Packratt

      No problem... I didn't consider that one a threat either. Sure, a bit disturbing to know a police officer feels you should be beaten and arrested for what you write, but not a threat...
      
      What are your feelings about the one from Chicago though?
2. 

   4/14/08

   Jabonsoaps

   Hunt them down, kill them all, and let God sort it out...(I'm only kidding...really!)
   I honestly don't know. Never had it happen before. I'll have to think about that.

   [reply]
3. 

   4/14/08

   timethief

   Please note that I mean this to be read in the most kindly way possible. I have no feelings about the one from Chicago. [shrug] I have received and seen much worse commentary than what you have presented in your blog. I see no threat and I'm not qualified to give anyone a legal opinion on anything. I am not a laywer and you are not my client.
   
   The bottom line here is that if you have deep pockets and you are prepared to hire a legal counsel then you can receive a legal opinion on this matter. If you don't have deep pockets and don't want to hire a legal counsel then I would strongly recommend that you consider finding some other blogging niche to pour your time and energy into.

   [reply]
   1. 

      4/14/08

      Packratt

      Understood, thank you for your opinion none the less.
4. 

   4/14/08

   MadameX

   Honestly, your post seems a bit disingenuous to me.
   
   To put this in perspective, I'm a former criminal defense attorney and worked on a long-term contempt petition related to prison abuses. I am very aware of rampant police corruption and don't doubt for an instant that there are police officers out there who would threaten someone trying to bring such issues to light and even act on those threats.
   
   That said, the line you clipped didn't say that you'd deserved to be arrested and beaten for what you'd posted--it said it sounded like you'd deserved it. I don't pretend to know, out of context, what that was in reference to, but it sounded a lot more like it was a response to your description of the event than like a reaction to your posting.
   
   And then you move from there to the cartoon issue. If the cartoon was copyrighted, the organization had every right to request that you take it down. It also has every right to choose to allow other sites to republish it. There is nothing suspicious about blogger shutting down your blog temporarily if copyright violations were reported--that's standard procedure.
   
   Given my background, I went to your post expecting to wholly support your position. After reading the first few items in which you attempted to present something as more than it was, I began to question.

   [reply]