Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: Why did Stephen die?

Sofie Bribiesca

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:27:18 +1300

A tiny brief in Sunday’s HoS noted that Stephen’s widow is making a formal IPCA complaint.

Excellent. I really hoped someone that knew him would.

Russell Brown

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 11:39:46 +1300

A tiny brief in Sunday's HoS noted that Stephen's widow is making a formal IPCA complaint. Bomber has some more commentary.

Sofie Bribiesca

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:33:46 +1300

Fingers crossed!! #peace

Hey no need to apologise , we are all put in categories and class is just one but I do agree prejudice is rife amongst our blue Brigade and I even have an ex cop mate who makes me cringe and argue with him because of such…

greenlove33

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:15:20 +1300

My apologies I got the wrong interpretation and should have been clearer. I'm not taking a jab at PA readers as being middle class, I am white and middle class and have noticed the change in police behaviour as I have got older.

I had about 4 years in a…

Sofie Bribiesca

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:59:30 +1300

Pot is treated as a joke and almost de facto decriminalised for the middle class. But it is used as a bludgeon on the working class as Sophie notes above.
Did I? My info was about a very middle class person. Plus I guess because I hang around here ,I…

Rich of Observationz

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:26:16 +1300

I guess they'll need to retrain the dogs. That could be hard.

Kumara Republic

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:46:05 +1300

I also think after 30 if you still smoke pot in your own living room you will not see the issue. If, however, you are young and brown, cannabis will be used as an excuse to search you, arrest you, and further dent your already grim job prospects. Pot is…

greenlove33

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:56:05 +1300

I think a lot of good people find it hard to support some aspects of cannabis law reform for a few reasons.

Firstly, the nitwit activists who don't take Stephen McIntyres peaceful, rational approach but rather take an angry, all consuming stance on legalising cannabis, not realising it is one…

Scott A

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 22:22:06 +1300

...and has this story disappeared amongst all the "will he or won't he" over David Shearer?

C'mon, Public Address, this is important. The cops drove this guy to kill himself, we can't let it go...

BenWilson

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:30:20 +1300

a van load of cops insisting they needed to enter my house when I was having a party because they 'followed a guy who smelled of pot to this address'.

Their story smells of bullshit. They could have searched him then, and since they didn't even invoke the Misuse of…

Kyle Matthews

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 14:25:12 +1300

The Seattle Police Department blog on with an FAQ on the evolving situation with marijuana and the law in Washington State.

With a youtube clip from LOTR on a .gov web site. Somewhat strange!

kmont

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 09:49:18 +1300

I really think retaining the right to search has a lot to do with it. Years ago when I lived off K Rd I had a van load of cops insisting they needed to enter my house when I was having a party because they 'followed a guy who smelled…

Russell Brown

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:51:16 +1300

And this is how things can be when you change the equation.

The Seattle Police Department blog on with an FAQ on the evolving situation with marijuana and the law in Washington State.

Nicely done.

Sofie Bribiesca

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:26:10 +1300

As far as I can see from that account, there was no reason to visit Stephen. They tried to coerce his plea by suggesting it could get worse. Asking who the Lawyer was ,when Stephen didn't readily give his name was only for their benefit to weight up the situation…

Russell Brown

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:35:41 +1300

Bomber has published Stephen McIntyre’s description of what happened.

That’s intimidation.

I don't think it's possible to see it any other way — and I'm certain Stephen's account was honest and factual. A man died at least partly as a result of it. I'm hoping this story doesn't just disappear.

Rich of Observationz

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:59:32 +1300

I'd imagine that depends on the legal status of the bylaw, the policies of council and police (whether the matter's considered an area where council staff take responsibility for enforcement) and the attitude of individual police.

They certainly enforce drinking in public laws.

Jeremy Andrew

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:43:50 +1300

And just as an example of how cops get roped in for more social control, here's Auckland Council considering a smoking ban in beaches and parks.
But it also means cops being tasked to go and hunt out recalcitrant smokers, and a new sub-group of people getting a negative view…

Sofie Bribiesca

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:41:47 +1300

Bomber has published Stephen McIntyre’s description of what happened.

That's intimidation.

Rich of Observationz

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:00:47 +1300

And just as an example of how cops get roped in for more social control, here's Auckland Council considering a smoking ban in beaches and parks.

Sure, it might stop a few from smoking and make things fractionally more pleasant for people who find themselves downwind of a smoker and don't…

Kumara Republic

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:47:44 +1300

TL;DR: the problem here is we have stupid and widely unpopular laws that punish harmless people, including people trying to do real good. This is the inevitable outcome of that.

An out-of-control mob of Sydney cops tortured a terrified young man to death in the street.
So it's a bit…

Peter Graham

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:53:21 +1300

Bomber has published Stephen McIntyre's description of what happened.

Russell Brown

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:46:00 +1300

This seems relevant.

An out-of-control mob of Sydney cops tortured a terrified young man to death in the street.

tussock

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 02:54:19 +1300

Legally the police have no choice. One person makes a complaint or it gets in the press and they have to act. It's specific police training that they not have a heart or a conscience about the people they're hassling, they are again required by law to go after everyone,…

TracyMac

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:55:47 +1300

All the more dubious in terms of potential harassment, since I know for a fact that the police typically carry out bailchecks during morning shift (i.e. from around 7am to 3pm, but especially after rush hour, since that's the quietest time of day). Unless they have cause to do otherwise.

paulalambert

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:25:21 +1300

the outgoing labour/dunne/anderton govt gave us these
http://legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2008/0373/latest/whole.html
you may have to reload it a couple of times, it didn't open for me first time around ..
basically it is link to legislation of class d regulations

paulalambert

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:16:46 +1300

i saw stephen for 45mins here in chch a couple of weeks before he died.. all we talked about was what he'd been doing and his upcoming case.
he was very positive – as was i – that his case would eventually be more like a storm in a teacup,…

Sacha

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:16:25 +1300

They wouldn't have it without the connivance of Dunne, Anderton et al in resisting evidence-based policy.

paulalambert

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:11:23 +1300

i think it is more like the police heirarchy wishing to retain their extensive search and seizure powers... cannabis is a door-opener of extraordinary convenience for them.

Sacha

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:18:49 +1300

it seems fair to wonder after all these years, where does all this horrible ongoing internal momentum come from?

From above, largely from silly old men in politics.

greenlove33

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:06:11 +1300

I wish I could identify the causes more clearly. Politicking definitely. Also Stephen McIntyre wasn't even advocating for recreational pot use, he was concentrating on medical marijuana use for chemo patients and the like.

Dying patients should have the right to medical marijuana with a doctors prescription and advice. The…

Joe Wylie

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 10:40:12 +1300

I never thought at 40 years old I would still be looking over my shoulder for police while enjoying my mellow rec drug of choice.
In 1972 the Christchurch drug squad, as part of a sweep through the West Coast checking on likely characters, paid a visit to a flamboyant…

Kumara Republic

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 10:00:36 +1300

Once again I ask: are the guilty parties "just following orders"? Or are they Archie Bunker types who think stoners are a bigger threat to society than al-Qaeda?

greenlove33

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 09:35:29 +1300

I was really upset to learn that Stephen McIntyre had passed on. The guy was a light of being kind and sensible in the somewhat chaotic world of cannabis law reformers.

I was unaware Stephen was operating a medical marijuana clinic. If it was looked at as a second 'Daktory'…

Sofie Bribiesca

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:15:09 +1300

Don’t forget, the Police are just as happy to treat women in the same way, having been on the receiving end myself and one interesting observation is, once they check out your details , any association history quickly becomes an attitude shift in treatment current as happened with my acquaintance…

Steve Barnes

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 14:32:12 +1300

Having grown up in England I have memory of “The British Bobby”, Dickson of Dock Green and Z Cars and such. The British Bobby was a public servant, he was there to ask directions of, to ask the time and who would dash off in hot pursuit of masked men…

Alec Morgan

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 14:28:53 +1300

There has long been a casual relationship between owning and particularly operating a motor vehicle, being youngish, out at night and not down in the daisies “yass Massah” compliant style that will get you intimidated, verbally and physically abused, threathend with pepper, Taser and nasty neck force holds.

Avoid the…

BenWilson

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:51:59 +1300

I've been rather circumspect on the roads today and feeling a little jittery when spotting cop cars – while behaving perfectly legally.

Wearing a helmet? It does cut the 'noids down a lot. Which is, ironically, one of the big things that's dangerous about helmets.

I thought after a certain…

Mike O'Connell

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:30:15 +1300

Wise. You were unlucky – I’ve never been pinged for no helmet, despite coppers directly observing me. They must have really had nothing to do, and probably didn’t like the cut of your jib. Did you get demerits against your driver’s license?

No demerits fortunately. But I reckon if I'd…

Rich of Observationz

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 12:38:39 +1300

it's us against the baddies, and the baddies include everyone who enjoys pot

Or doesn't wear a cycle helmet, has a loud car, drinks in public, is young, is brown, is conspicuously outside the mainstream, etc.

So all these people, and when you union them all together, it's a big…

BenWilson

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:44:22 +1300

I said nothing more than I had to and accepted my fine.

Wise. You were unlucky – I've never been pinged for no helmet, despite coppers directly observing me. They must have really had nothing to do, and probably didn't like the cut of your jib. Did you get demerits…

Mike O'Connell

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 07:54:18 +1300

In relation to my experience yesterday for not wearing a helmet, I had the distinct impression the two coppers were looking for a backchat comment or similar as they said too I could have been fined for riding on the footpath – FFS! I said nothing more than I had…

BenWilson

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 00:20:44 +1300

It's a scary thing when you can't walk away from someone you'd otherwise walk away from, because this time they happen to be a police officer.

Yup, the expected behavior is fear and humility, and complete cooperation. Anything less is provocation.

Vince McLeod

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 23:03:48 +1300

The War on Some Drugs has really driven a wedge between police and the citizenry. It's terrible to think that if I saw a shop being broken into I'd just walk on by, because I don't want the police coming round to my house for a statement when I'm peacefully…

Islander

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:51:51 +1300

Annnd- it means a too large number of good ANZ citizens *dont* wholly trust our police force (tax-payer-paid for police force-)

Islander

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:32:06 +1300

Scares us all – because we all know stuff-

Greg Wood

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:16:27 +1300

It's a scary thing when you can't walk away from someone you'd otherwise walk away from, because this time they happen to be a police officer. The same "you looking at my girlfriend?" eyes, the same "you spill my pint?" forward aggression in any other person and you could genuinely…

Islander

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 20:37:39 +1300

Giving people shit that they can’t answer back to seems to be a perk for some of them

As well as positive experiences with ANZ police officers, the family has met some real doozies. Being much larger than normal seems to be a turn-on for aggro (my cousin who stands…

andrew r

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 20:08:24 +1300

That's very sad. Why do the police do this stuff. They do a lot of good grinding shitty work,and then they embark on this kind of thing. Tragic. Quite correct, the Police do not check bail unless an individual is subject to a curfew. Fks sake.

BenWilson

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 19:28:50 +1300

It boggles my mind that Police could behave this way over a small amount of cannabis , whether real or imagined.

I had a cop nut off at me once, bitter that he couldn't find a thing to bust me for, aged 18, driving an old car, full of my…

Sacha

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:36:48 +1300

How did dope get to be so threatening?

Answer somewhere in here?

Lilith __

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:23:51 +1300

It boggles my mind that Police could behave this way over a small amount of cannabis , whether real or imagined. This is not P, or machineguns. How did dope get to be so threatening?

Will de Cleene

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:09:43 +1300

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA5za4VsskM

Sofie Bribiesca

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:55:04 +1300

He really hates police officers being subject to the law.

Well I know of an incident in the last couple of weeks whereby police have gone back to a house to search after saying they smelt cannabis in a car in a carpark after approaching it to suggest someone complained…

Ian Dalziel

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:35:44 +1300

They are a gang unto themselves. :(
...what we need is a ...
War on Thugs!

Russell Brown

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:30:09 +1300

To which I say that’s precisely why you don’t cross the line because when police stick their bloody size 12 shoes in without knowing whats going on there are real consequences and real people get hurt.

I wonder if they'd worked out that this might end up being a repeat…

Islander

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:07:47 +1300

Why is it the Police always make me feel angry. So much incompetence. They are a gang unto themselves. :(

As a family, we've had reason to be thankful for police intervention, paticularly when one family member was the subject of vile lying complaints after a marriage breakup.

But -…

Tristan

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:06:32 +1300

The Greg O'Connor response might be something along the lines of...

"sure the police may have over stepped the line but they had no way of knowing this guy was so fragile...therefore you cannot hold the officers responsible"

To which I say that's precisely why you don't cross the line…

Sofie Bribiesca

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 15:52:30 +1300

I’m waiting too to see what else comes out.

So, is anyone making the formal complaint? There are a number of available options here

Why is it the Police always make me feel angry. So much incompetence. They are a gang unto themselves. :(

Mike O'Connell

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 15:34:13 +1300

This really needs to be picked up on in the wider media. Having just this last hour been pinged by the boys in blue (in this case with nothing better to do) for not wearing a cycle helmet down a back street, yes a bit silly admittedly, I've come home,…

Graham Hughes

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 15:08:02 +1300

Not being a stoner, or recreational user myself, this story just disturbs me from average joe citizen perspective.............there is something in me, and maybe its being ignorant and willfully so, that wants to believe that these kinds of things don't happen, to good people, or to anyone ................but I know…

Kumara Republic

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:54:14 +1300

Do the boys in blue genuinely believe – like Archie Bunker – that stoners are more dangerous than the Crips & Bloods? Or are they just fish in a barrel to fill some kind of arrest quota when the C&B are in the too hard basket? Or is it a case of…

Ian Dalziel

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:49:40 +1300

Better work stories #235
I’m glad this is being written about.
ditto…
May I suggest sending both Russell’s and Bomber’s blog links to the reporters at your local newspaper or other media outlets (TV3 will pick it up won’t they?) and to local MPs – let’s get Tolley on the…

JacksonP

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:44:52 +1300

Thanks Russell. Processing this is so difficult, but discussing it so important, I think.

Joe Wylie

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:38:45 +1300

Thanks Russell.
+1

Jackie Clark

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:37:30 +1300

Oh Russell, how desperately sad. Biggest of my very big hugs, my friend.

Ross Bell

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:34:05 +1300

Thanks Russell.

Lilith __

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:25:26 +1300

How utterly appalling, on all fronts. Don't know what else to say, but I'm glad this is being written about.

Public Address

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:25:26 +1300

Discussion from blog post.