'You Don't Bring A Gun to A Snowball Fight'
Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 12:00PMOne of the recurring jokes I have with my friends since first visiting and then moving to Washington, D.C. is how because we live in the Nation's Capital it's a bit like living in a constant police state. It's understandable, to a point. I really don't get why the cops think they need to have the lights flashing all the time or why there was a giant spotlight beaming into the night's sky on Friday at the 7-11 on Eighth and Maryland, but, whatever. I'd lived under the "shoot first, ask questions later" regimes of cruel Kern County Cowboy Justice in Bakersfield, Calif. and the "shoot you in the back just 'cause" justice of St. Louis, Mo. What really could be that different? Cops are cops everywhere, right? Right?
Then I learned of the Great Snowball Fight on 14th and U Streets Saturday and how one off-duty cop thought it was appropos to get out of his Hummer and start waving around a gun over an effing snowball fight. Granted, it was a big snowball fight, but SERIOUSLY! Guns KILL people. Snowballs don't.
Enjoy the various videos I found on YouTube of the snowball fight and the gun toting aftermath and the crowds of frost-bitten people chanting "You don't bring a gun to a snowball fight" and "(DC Mayor) Fenty killed Christmas."
Reader Comments (30)
You can no longer just have fun with snowballs in this country? Time to renew that exit strategy. And where were these oficers when I used to get my behind beatdown with snowballs?
I am so glad they got him on tape. He was just pissed because they hit his big ass hummer. And I heard the people saying they're going to get him fired. Well, thanks to all the video, they might be successful.
I was home watching this, and my mouth just dropped open. I live in Northern VA, and just looked at my son and said - this is why you have to be careful in this world, because people will kill you over something STUPID.
this was a crowded city intersection, not a park. if you hit a police car with a snowball, what do you think is going to happen? because that's what his car was. he was an undercover cop. that was his transportation. not that i think it's ok to brandish a gun at civilians at a snowball fight. but that's all it was, because i strongly doubt he was going to shoot someone.
That cop was hit in the back of the head with a really big snow ball as a child.
Talk about overkill. That was potentially a Boston massacre (in DC).
Why did the black cop have to be the a-hole this time?
I Remember All The Fun WE had Back in The Day having SNOWball " fights ".
'He pulled out a gun on a fucking snowball fight', 'You don't bring a gun to a snowball fight', 'Fenty killed Christmas' lollll!!!
Nice video, it looked like they had fun out there and thank God things didn't get out of hand..
I do not agree at all with the cop unholstering his weapon over this event. That was clearly over the top, and a major overreaction. But, I can't help but think that if this was a hundred black youngsters taking over a corner with some spirited snowball hijinks, there would be a different reaction among some observers. A lot of commenters on the DC area blogs are on the side of the snowball kids. But if those kids were black, I have a feeling the conversation would be more about young "thugs" who don't have respect for authority and property, and how they could have killed someone by hitting their car with snow. Black kids never seem to get the benefit of the doubt that these white kids believe they were owed.
Sad but true.
ChristinaS~ I live one metro stop north of the fight. You are 100% correct. Even though I know that cop overreacted, the fight should have taken place at the park up the street, and throwing a snowball after the gun was established was stupid, I can't help but think..."must be nice to be white."
& yes MPD are DIRTY as hell. ALL of them. The black cops (inc. females) are some of the worst.
Black cop, black cop
LaJane, I live two metro stops north! Green Line represent! ;-)
If these had been black kids, I bet the reaction of the cops (black, white, whatever) would have been different, too. So thank heaven for small favors, I guess.
Why is ti always about race?
@ John D
Because that is the sad reality of how people still respond to blacks in this country.
First -this is a really really stupid conflict. Yes, the cop definitely overreacted but who throws snowballs at a hummer?! Only jackasses drive hummers so you're just asking for an altercation.
Second, this is a classic case of white entitlement. Just because they are being playful doesn't mean others have to play along. And as others have said, had this been a white cop or black kids the whole respect for the law thing would've been the primary issue.
As a black person, i wish it wasn't always about race either, But that does not mean i will turn a blind eye to reality...
"Because that is the sad reality of how people still respond to blacks in this country."
or is it the sad reality of how blacks respond?
I'm not sure of what you're trying to say, swiv and John D. I wasn't trying to make any kind of large sweeping point other than that if this were a mostly black crowd of 100 young adults (have you seen the video? It was a *lot* of people) out there throwing snowballs and engaging in petty vandalism, I believe the reaction from the public would be less "those wacky kids! That bad cop!" and more "That's dangerous! What did they think they were doing?"
I don't think I have to cite too much evidence to prove that black people tend to be thought of as dangerous, and tend to be disproportionately punished by the legal system even when committing the same crimes as non-black people. I think reality is on my side with that one. So if we disagree...I'm not sure what else I can say.
I'm glad they caught that rogue, trigger happy cop on tape. There are some decent police officers but most of them are power hungry, control freaks, who get off on scaring others and wielding a weapon.
Those white folks looked like they were in shock, lol...they couldn't believe a cop would walk up on them with a gun like that...well welcome to reality of millions of young black men in the inner city, where not only do the cops pull the gun but they actually shoot and kill.
ChristinaS:
Why are you trying to turn this into something about black youngsters or race? Race is irrelevant here. The bottom line is that the cop showed poor judgment by drawing his weapon and should be punished for it.
Hey Snob, you just did a shout out to my 7-11 I think! The one in NE right? Are we neighbors? I just heard about this on the local NPR station, too crazy. I'd be ticked if someone hit my car with a snowball, while I was in it but, that cop was just way OTT, and sadly that happens way too often with law enforcement. They should seriously psychologically analzye every single law enforcement person to see if they are equipped with the right kind personality to handle such a dangerous job and to have a gun. And yes, though I am a very law abiding citizen and I've gotten one traffic ticket in my life all these cops in DC make me very nervous in general and I nearly have heart failure whenever one pulls up behind my car. LAWD I almost died one day when one flashed his lights at me, pulled up next to me and addressed me by my name to tell me to turn my lights on. It was like Big Brother! Thank goodness he was nice. It took me awhile to wind down from that one.
@ChristinaS I know where you are coming from and I don't see any problem with what you had to say especially b/c it is true. And this is a site where racial issues are discussed so.......I don't get the beef.
"this is a site where racial issues are discussed"
even if there is not actual racial issue pertaining to this incident? sounds like missing the forest for the trees.
@swiv:
do you live here? for if not, you are forgiven. if so, you must realize that we are also discussing the forest. we live in said forest. and that same intersection in the U street corridor is just as likely to play host to hundreds, nay thousands of happy black kids as happy everybody-else kids. i say this because i was there the last time that happened en masse, the night of november 4, 2008. there was bedlam, traffic stopped, folks climbing on cars waving flags, dancing, drumming, fireworks, more dancing, cops, firefighters police and fire equipment, etc. no one wasa arrested, no one got hurt, and no one brandished a weapon because some folks got happy. there was PLENTY of happy going on down there that night. the gun-wielding official was OTT as other posters have said, and yes, there is enough racial tension in existence here that if the crowd had been a just a little bit browner (i understand that a couple of the youth who were threatened with arrest were brown) the conversation would be VERY different.
I think the pot just called the kettle black.
so you're going to compare election night to a snowball fight and say they're the same thing? really? LMAO. please tell me you're joking.
you can focus on what's NOT the issue. i'll stick to reality. maybe you should organize a big snowball fight at HU and see what happens.