Rev Phil Tasered

All of you who've Zoobombed probably know Reverend Phil, loved by all. This is fucked and I am angry, not that I haven't been angry every time I hear about this kind of shit that happens way too often, but being someone I know, that under no circumstances would provoke being tasered really doesn't help. On the ZB forums a couple people have suggested protests, everyone knows Phil so this could finally be a case of Portland Police tasering the wrong person and getting a giant horde of pissed of bikers (and skaters) on their ass about it.

http://bikeportland.org/2008/06/11/man-on-a-bike-is-tackled-then-tasered-by-portland-police/

That's shity. How long before skaters start getting tasered? I'm not looking forward to that. Perhaps we need to start organizing with some of the bike community and try to fight this problem before it becomes ours. Ideas anyone?

This is outrageous. Unfortunately this has been a common trend in Portland since I moved here 2.5 years ago. 2 summers ago a homless man was beaten to death by officers downtown in the pearl disctrict, when his only crime was taking a leak in public. The only course of action so far has been to temporarily suspened with pay (payed vacation that does take away from there yearly paid vacation,) the officers involved. http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121089424989387600 Again last summer a suicidal homeless person was shot to death by an off duty officer without having committed any violent crimes beforehand. This officer was also suspended without pay until the issue blew over. http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2007/10/366560.shtml What I want to know is it truly legal for an officer to use force when arresting someone of a non violent crime. The examples so far suggest that this kind of action is legal. I think that this is one of the major issue that needs to be addressed. When officers are legally allow to use force to detain citizens who have committed, or are suspected of having committed a non violent crime then we are a society that is being ruled by force. This is an oppressive form of government that we as citizens of this "free" nation should not stand for. Something has to change before we all become victims of this kind of brutal force.