In a testament to how militarized police have become nationwide, a video from Gainesville, Florida shows a 23-year old veteran being pulled over last month by camouflaged cops driving and armored vehicle after he ‘flipped them the bird’. The cops stated that they pulled him over for making an ‘improper hand signal’ and accused him of engaging in a sexual act with his female passenger.
Gainesville is a college town filled with students attending the University of Florida – the cops were heavily outfitted in gear one would expect to see in Afghanistan so they could keep these ‘dangerous’ students in line while attending a three-day celebration of festivities highlighted by a Florida Gator scrimmage football game.
“I’m really getting pulled over by a tank right now?” Jewell, a Navy veteran, states, to which an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responds “yes sir”.
Jewell refers to a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling which found that a “gesture of insult is not the basis for a reasonable suspicion of a traffic violation or impending criminal activity.”
However, the cop is not interested and instead demands to see the Jewell’s license before making him step out of the vehicle.
The officer then starts to get angry and threatens to arrest Jewell for “resisting” because he is not obeying orders quickly enough.
The cop claims that Jewell performed an “improper hand signal”. Jewell responds by expressing his shock that a “safe community” would need tanks patrolling the streets, stating, “I didn’t know we were in Iraq”.
Another cop then objects to being filmed, claiming that the phone camera could be a firearm, before Jewell is eventually allowed to leave.
“Deputies felt the need to dress up like soldiers because it was Orange and Blue Weekend, a three-day celebration of festivities highlighted by a scrimmage football game between Florida Gator teammates that was free and open to all ages,” reports Carlos Miller.
Concerns about the militarization of U.S. law enforcement have heightened since last year’s unrest in Ferguson, Missouri.
In December, we reported on comments made by a Spokane Sheriff’s Deputy defending the use of an MRAP armored vehicle by saying it was needed to deal with the threat posed by “constitutionalists”.
“I mean, we’ve got a lot of constitutionalists and a lot of people that stockpile weapons, lots of ammunition, they have weapons here locally,” the officer said.
During a New Hampshire city council meeting in 2013, former Marine Corps Colonel Peter Martino, who was stationed in Fallujah and trained Iraqi soldiers, asserted that the Department of Homeland Security was working with law enforcement to build a “domestic army,” because the federal government is afraid of its own citizens. Martino was responding to the city’s Police Chief, who justified the necessity for the acquisition of an armored ‘Bearcat’ vehicle by citing the “threat” posed by libertarians, sovereign citizen adherents, and Occupy activists in the region.
As we have exhaustively documented, the use of armored vehicles is just one sign of how law enforcement authorities are gearing up to deal with civil unrest in America.
Dangerous thugs
Wannabe military copsuckers…
It just continues will there be no end. Improper hand signal and a possible $#%&!@*. What next they just don’t like are care for the bumper stickers on your car. What they wear and drive is rediculus and needs to stop because of the intimidation and the possible scaring of the children. You people are nutcases and you are carrying it to far. I do not believe the man should have flipped off the cops its what statred the whole thing. They rules your world and the streets and they will not let you do this to them.
Sorry but this kid filming is definitely not a Navy vet and completely deserved to be stopped for flipping off the police like a moron. Also, that vehicle is certainly not a tank…
Flipping off the officers is not only protected under the 1st amendment but the officers have sworn an oath to uphold the constitution. They have demonstrated a lack of ability to understand or uphold their oath and should be removed from service as they are incompetent for the job.
stupid at times needs to be addressed! illegal hand signal and probally careless driving if he was getting a sex act!!!!
$#%&!@*ing cops just making up laws as they go along and they should be up to date on laws or get off the police force. It is legal to flip off a cop. So $#%&!@* them pigs.
Mathew Caralle must be one of the most cowardous men i’ve encountered. People like you are the reason for the excessive authority. Pulling a man over for a middle finger is just?!?!?! Its a direct violation of our constitutional rights. Should he have flicked the cops off?? I say yes. Someone needs to let them know theyre being tyrannical and excessive and its b.s. driving an armored battle vehicle around the college town
This is what $#%&!@* did in his day. This is the U.S.A.
$#%&!@* with a badge– some of the cops let all the “surplus” toys get to their heads and think they can pull anyone over and create probable cause or just make up something and then it’s your word against theirs guess who wins because they have the badge sets themselves up on a pedestal — when they wake up in the morning they put their pants on the same way as everyone else 1 leg at a time
O’$#%&!@* is pushing his agenda