Follow up: Charges dropped, gun at Pelosi's hotel

[RobNDenver]

OK, I predicted that this would happen when the original story was reported. As I said then, this has nothing to do with Pelosi, it has everything to do with the security theater that the Secret Service and local Police Departments throw up around any National Security event like the conventions. Here is prediction number two:

Mr. Calanchini will get his guns back. He will find it too much trouble to sue because of the unlikely chance of recovery. Everyone involved in this will quietly fade into the background. The government will do this again, the next time a police office perceives a threat real or imagined, from a member of the public.

You can get your panties in a bunch about "filing suit, making the police pay, somebody should burn for this or whatever remedy you feel the defendant should obtain" but in today's environment established post 9/11 that is an awfully big rock to push up a very steep hill.

 

[Guns and more]

The moral of the story is be aware you have no rights.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

And besides, just how often do folks really get much satisfaction out of wrongful arrest suits. Yes, it happens, but it isn't like the process is making a lot of people rich or getting a lot of cops fired.

No doubt the courts, if this comes to suit, will rule it was an injustice and compensate him for an inconvenience. He was not beaten by the cops or anything like that, so the chance for big bucks isn't like. It will likely be one of many bothersome suits filed against the city as a result of the convention.

 

[Soybomb]

So the original reports I heard had him carrying his handguns in his duffel bag, not locked in his rifle case. What are the legal transportation rules like there?

 

[RobNDenver]

The moral of the story is be aware you have no rights.

Uh, yes. As I said in my original post, "you may beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride". I am so happy to have retired from law enforcement, at a time when cops actually had to have taken civics in school. Nowadays, I give cops a wide berth because they make so much up without foundation.

 

[Deanimator]

"you may beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride".

And the corrolary to this is, "If you violate my rights, I'll beat the rap and I don't even WANT to beat the ride. You won't beat the formal complaint(s), lawsuit(s), judgements, wage garnishments, sheriff's sale", etc. And know up front, I WILL NOT accept any settlement which includes a nondisclosure clause regarding the terms of the settlement or the conduct which prompted it. I reserve the unlimited right to impugn your professionalism, character, and to generally talk about you like a dog until the day you die and beyond.

I:

• Hate bullies.

• Hold grudges.

• Have absolutely no sense of proportion.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Deanimator: You da man!

Once in a great while, a person needs an assault lawyer.

No, no, haven't you heard? All lawyers are greedy filers of completely non-meritorious lawsuits - and they don't have real clients. They go around suing companies willy-nilly with completely bogus claims, by kidnapping people off the streets and forcing them to be their ghost plaintiffs with threat of violence. And if the lawyers DO ever have a slightly arguable meritorious claim (fat chance!), that's only because they wrote the laws themselves. They get together and sneak into the state legislatures, hog tie the legislators, and pass the laws themselves which allow those silly maimed & injured people to sue when they are the victims of someone else's carelessness. You must not read the revolver forum. And so, it goes without saying, that section 1983 claims are always a complete sham as well.

Seriously, heads need to roll in Denver.

No, the moral of the story is, some people in law enforcement need to be hung for intentional violation of a constitutional right. Starting with the Denver Chief of Police, who is himself responsible for this. At a bare minimum, fired, tarred & feathered, and forced to pay restitution to the victim.

 

[RobNDenver]

Seriously, heads need to roll in Denver.

No, the moral of the story is, some people in law enforcement need to be hung for intentional violation of a constitutional right. Starting with the Denver Chief of Police, who is himself responsible for this. At a bare minimum, fired, tarred & feathered, and forced to pay restitution to the victim.

Thank you for your coherent mapping between crime and punishment. This country's government is so far gone that you can expect nothing to happen to the officers who violated Mr. Calanchi's rights, the chain of command that authorized the arrest and certainly nothing will happen to the most popular chief of police since Art Dill.

I keep my head down, my garage door closed, my guns concealed and I never talk to the cops unless I am obligated to do so. Don't expect that there will be any manifest expansion of justice in this matter.

 

[Guns and more]

"If you violate my rights, I'll beat the rap and I don't even WANT to beat the ride. You won't beat the formal complaint(s), lawsuit(s), judgements, wage garnishments, sheriff's sale", etc. And know up front, I WILL NOT accept any settlement which includes a nondisclosure clause regarding the terms of the settlement or the conduct which prompted it. I reserve the unlimited right to impugn your professionalism, character, and to generally talk about you like a dog until the day you die and beyond.

I:

* Hate bullies.

* Hold grudges.

* Have absolutely no sense of proportion.

You may want to re-read the story of the cops who kicked in the door of the wrong house, shot it out with the homeowner and were then awarded medals for their service.
Complaining probably will do nothing.

 

[bdickens]

I'm with you, Deanimator! I'm the type of person that would push this even if it drove me to ruin. Some battles have to be won no matter what the cost.

 

[akodo]

I'd love to be part of a group that would, say, pony up $100 per year or maybe a 'suggested amount based on your income level' that used that money to help guys like this fight stuff, just to make the grabbers suffer and think twice about it

 

[El Tejon]

O.K., if we are so incensed about this man's civil rights being violated, who wants to set up the legal defense fund?

If you mean it, you will write a check. Anything else is just hot air.

Who's the first in? Anyone? Bueller? *crickets*

Ahhh, the crickets.

 

[El Tejon]

*chirp, chirp*

 

[ftierson]

They got as much anti-gun publicity out of this as they could wring from it...

I'm sure that the resolution will see no publicity.

Friggin' sniper rifles, anyway...

Forrest

 

[rbernie]

O.K., if we are so incensed about this man's civil rights being violated, who wants to set up the legal defense fund?

If you mean it, you will write a check. Anything else is just hot air.

I'll match the amount pledged at the time of this post.

 

[El Tejon]

And I will match your amount by a dozen times. Let's see 12 times zero is still . . . wait, it's zero.

Maybe the legal defense fund should accept hot air and keyboard bile.

Still do not see a volunteer for the legal defense fund. *chirp, chirp*

 

[Deanimator]

You may want to re-read the story of the cops who kicked in the door of the wrong house, shot it out with the homeowner and were then awarded medals for their service.
Complaining probably will do nothing.

You must have missed where I said to sue the individual(s) into homelessness.

The formal complaint is just for fun because I like to write. I can write a letter that'd make him demand the death penalty... for HIMSELF.

 

[Soybomb]

Still do not see a volunteer for the legal defense fund. *chirp, chirp*

Not to steal your thunder but what are we supposed to be defending a guy who has had the charges against him dropped from?

 

[akodo]

O.K., if we are so incensed about this man's civil rights being violated, who wants to set up the legal defense fund?

If you mean it, you will write a check. Anything else is just hot air.

Who's the first in? Anyone? Bueller? *crickets*

Ahhh, the crickets.

I'll pledge $50

I donated to the Cav Aid fund even though I never owned an AR-15

 

[NonConformist]

Now he should lawyer up and sue! As long as we allow our rights to be violated this will continue to happen!

 

[bdickens]

Since the charges were dropped, what's the guy have to defend himself against?

 

[guntotinguy]

This would be the perfect time for 'real media' exposure to the TRUTH of what happened there.Personal rights being infringed...still didnt get personal property back...

I certainly hope this person will step forward and expose this 'for what it was'...

 

[MinnMooney]

Since the charges were dropped, what's the guy have to defend himself against?

Good point!

 

[akodo]

the idea was some unified fund with some sort of board of overseers who would volunteer their time and good sense (based on established long term excellence in firearms related issues) who would direct said funds to help fund lawsuits against people whose rights were violated by police mainly because they had 'evil scary guns'

My original idea wasn't to fund people fighting to prove their innocence, but to take people the DAs decided not to charge, or people the courts had declared not guilty, and then go after anyone who deliberately strong-armed them.

As it stands now cop A throws you in jail for seeing your copy of "Shotgun News" in the back of your station wagon, nothing ever happens to him even if you are later exhonerated.

So he is inclined to continue the behavior.

Make a few overzealous types pay with their career, and others may be less willing to let their personal ideology trump allowing lawful behavior.

 

[deaconkharma]

Thats what the ACLU SHOULD have been for... but alas I have reality to deal with