"It's too bad there isn't sound in that video," Oswalt said. "Because both of our guys interviewed said he was screaming profanities. . . . He was being very aggressive, in your face kind of stuff. Our firefighters felt threatened."

So our heroic firefighters, who routinely put all personal concerns aside and rush headlong into a burning building to check for inhabitants, are such fainting violets that a few bad words are more than they can handle?

And, Jack--not only is the firefighter kicking the poor guy, he's kicking the guy while he's being restrained by another firefighter. Weak.

I lay the fault for this abuse of power in
the lap of Mayor Tom Potter for his poor
leadership in dealing with "manslaughter"
arising from abuse of power in three cops
stomping James Chasse to death over a very
petty infraction and it merely "suspected"
at that. Until we get real leadership in
the Mayor's Office, we'll continue to read
of more and more of such tales as this. Is
Tom capable of effective leadership? Guess
we shall see in how he handles this one!
What will you do Tom? Give us that good ol'
Thousand Yard stare and hope we'll forget it
happened, OR will you actually make these
offending jerks be ACCOUNTABLE for their
actions?

And where is the fire? How many pers pensioners does it take to undo a headache?

If no heads roll on this one, I'm through with Potter.

Oh good. Thumper firefighters.

I worked for a couple of years at 4th and Oak. There were at least two low income places on that corner. Firefighters visited each several times a month. I'm sure it happens at every low income apartment in the city. You've talked several times about Multnomah County's open-air mental health system. These guys have become front line mental health professionals. Probably not the career they thought they were signing up for when they dreamed as a kid of being a firefighter.

Every guy in that lobby has been on that call dozens of times before. This probably isn't the first time this happened. Just the first time it got taped...and sent to the media. The one thing that's going to save every job in that room is the fact there's no audio and *probably* no reliable witnesses.

Who needs witnesses? The video says it all. While the guy was being held down, Mr. Tough Guy went over and kicked him three times. Nothing on any audio would change that.

Where is Sten? He still works here, doesn't he?

Who needs witnesses?

I'm with you. But you and I have both seen this show before.

I thought that when firefighters run into a potentially violent situation, they're supposed to call the cops and let them beat the shit out of people.

seen this show before.

Yeah, they'll just write another six-figure check to make the victim go away, and then it's right back to business as usual.

Watching Fireman Randy retreat behind the thin blue line would be particularly depressing.

they're supposed to call the cops

Actually, you can see the bald fireman calling it in on his walkie-talkie right before he starts doing his Zenedin Zidane imitation on the guy's legs. Probably figured Officer Humphries would respond, might as well save time.

Probably figured Officer Humphries would respond, might as well save time.

The Dean of Portland's mental health first responders...

Watching Fireman Randy retreat behind the thin blue line would be particularly depressing.

Get used to it. As long as Randy gets a sworn affidavit that no trans fats were being used in the lobby, he's cool with whatever.

There are two moments in the tape (beside the obvious stomping portion) that stand out to me. Not only does Baldy McKicksalot try to pick a fight with another witness (1:13:58), but he does something a true professional should never do: at the 1:13:32 mark, he engages in trash talk with the guy who ended up getting stomped. The guy walks past, says something, and then Baldy shouts something to him as he walks away, egging him on.

Something tells me that the Fire Department is going to end up being very GLAD there's no audio, because this guy really looks like a loose cannon, trying to mix it up with every person who so much as looks at him funny. I mean, c'mon: there's the guy with the original medical problem, the guy who he has just stomped, and what does he try to do? Attend to either of them? Naw, he spends another 20 seconds or so yelling and finger-pointing at another resident.

Classy.

The bald firefighter was acting like an angry drunk in a bar after someone just spilled beer on him, not like a professionally trained crisis intervention expert.

Blame also has to lie with the first firefighter who physically went after Terry DeGeorge, starting the altercation. I'm sure DeGeorge was out of control and saying some rude, inappropriate s***. But these guys are trained to be calm in these situations, not to escalate them.

I also guarantee they would have acted differently if the knew the camera was on. I do wonder how often this stuff happens but goes unreported. Without video, who would believe DeGeorge today?

did you notice at the end how the police officer drags him out by one shoulder?

This just makes me sick. Thank God we have this on video. I admire our first responders but damn, this is effen criminal. I can't think of any good reason why they did what they did.

I'll bet you a dollar right now that those assailants get off with a slap on the wrist. It just makes me sick.

Damn good thing they don't issue guns to firemen. What a bunch of meatheads.

It seems to me everyone here is siding with the guy on the floor without knowing anything about the situation!
You have condemned the fire department without knowing the true situation. Did you see the guy walk by repeatedly? Did you see the others in the lobby getting closer and closer to the situation? Do we know the true nature of the agression or lack of in the room? Or do we know what these same firemen have encountered in this location or with this man in the past?
INNOCENT until proven guilty! You all need to get more information before you trash the guys you are going to call when you need them. without the whole story, the video says very little in this situation.

The system continues to work.

The nickname "Baldy McKicksalot" is so good, I should put it on Digg.

God, that was funny!!!

Of course, I wasn't the human punching bag, either.

Since this guy is so tuff he should volunteer to mix it up with the "Ultimate Fighter" guys. Of course, they might fight back... This fellow is both a bully and a coward, IMHO...

Jerry from (thank Gawd)Wilsonville.

"And where is the fire? How many pers pensioners does it take to undo a headache?"

I think these firefighters are covered by the City's FPDR plan, not PERS.

Yes. More expensive and cushier than PERS.

The nickname "Baldy McKicksalot" is so good, I should put it on Digg.

Thumper, Stomper. Stomper, Thumper.

Let's not get too deeply into the name-calling, please.

Wake up Portland... good character matters. We continue to have CoP leadership lying to us about the cost of projects, lying to us in the appraisals of property, giving away valuable property to fat cat developers and more interested in trans fat and smokers in parks that the real problems in our community.

Be assured, those who work as public servants in Portland hear and see the problems at the top. The servants who already exhibit good character only shake their heads in disgust. But, poor leadership character cannot improve the character of the marginal public servant who also exhibits poor character.

There's a public servant who's about ready for . . . . stress-related disability⁄!

Yeah, so where's the District Attorney's office in all of this? Hmm.... looking the other way because the assailants are in uniform?

I'll bet the kicker's stress-related disability claim has already been submitted by the union attorney.

Randy better just step away from this one or he'll have to file one, too.

Impossible for a conscious, thinking person to believe this episode isn't just the latest in a series involving police and fire bureau employees.

No sound indeed.

Circle the wagons.

Transparency makes it OK. Whatever IT be.

The kicker appears to be Fire Lt. Robert Bedford. You can read his account of the incident (before he knew about the camera, perhaps) in the police report, which is here.

To me, his version does not appear to be truthful. Didn't Vladimir Golovan get indicted for making a false statement in an investigation?

Of course, the police, who saw the video, report no wrongdoing by Bedford. "Lt. Bedford did not want to press any charges." Indeed.

To me, his version does not appear to be truthful. Didn't Vladimir Golovan get indicted for making a false statement in an investigation?

He claimed in his statement that he kicked the guy in order to defend himself. That is on its face a lie, unsupported by no facts whatsoever. It is impossible to believe that a man on the ground being restrained by other firefighters could possibly pose a threat to a guy standing several feet behind him.

I realize this is slightly off-topic in that these are firefighters, but didn't the City's problems with overzealous police officers begin about a decade ago, when the requirement for a four-year degree was eliminated?

I'm kind of surprised we haven't at least heard the obligatory "We're going to look into this with a full investigation" statement from either Potter or Sten (who oversees the Fire Bureau).

Not that the investigation would actually mean anything, but I'm surprised at the silence...

First they have to meet with the union and get their orders.

b!X has this preliminary statement by the Fire Bureau.

PNG is correct. Police departments across the nation have dropped their educational requirements because most college grads find police work way too boring 99% of the time.

Of course, the cops may see a sick guy peeing on the side of the building, outside BlueHour, and then the Game Is On!

INNOCENT until proven guilty!

To me, there's convincing evidence here that Lt. Bedford (if that indeed is who the bald guy is) committed a criminal assault, and that the report's version of what he told the police officers was not true.

I have great respect and admiration for our city's firefighters. I assume (and hope) that the vast majority of them agree with me that this particular fireman crossed a line and needs serious discipline.

No personnel action has been taken at this time although, if warranted, action will be initiated as the facts become apparent.

Wouldn't want to ruin anyone's weekend, I guess. In the meantime, Lt. Bedford is free to protect and serve the community.

Not to be nitpicky, but isn't the timeline in the PFB's statement wrong? First they say the incident occurred Wednesday, January 11th at 12:15 a.m. The 11th was Thursday. That's excusable since it's just after midnight, but they go on to say that they became aware of the incident at 3:30 on Wednesday afternoon. Presumably they mean Thursday.

It all seems pretty hastily written. The more important question is why it took 15 hours for the Fire Chief to become aware of the incident.

Hey, give him a break, it was a snow day.

Obviously, DeGeorge was being a weird and frankly a schmuck BEFORE he was assaulted. Running around, likely moaning about the noise. But the fact (of the video aka your own two eyes) is, he was kicked three times while restrained. If I ever touched, slapped, kicked, punched, yelled, screamed or furthermore at one of the psychiatric patients I care for while restrained - I would be jobless and likely facing criminal charges. Doesn't matter if they just hit me and broke my nose/neck/arm/leg/ego.

The sickest thing about the Chasse incident and now this one is: We have a former police chief as Mayor right now and another on the city council who also worked in public service. Yet we are seeing no major retributions in the Chasse case nor likely this one either.

Who does the training inservices for PFD on crowd control? Ron Artest?

LocalNewsDaily.com is giving the kicker's name as Bedgood, not Bedford.

No doubt the kicking fireman, at the very least, ought to be disciplined. But I'll say this for DeGeorge: that guy has extremely poor situational and self-protective awareness. Things are not always going to be as they should. The hairless frightened primates we call people are not always going to behave as they should. If he doesn't learn to recognize a bad situation and how to take care of himself, I fear he will spend the remainder of his life being continuously surprised by how and why terrible things keep happening to him.
Everybody on that video has something to learn.

I have great respect and admiration for our city's firefighters. I assume (and hope) that the vast majority of them agree with me that this particular fireman crossed a line and needs serious discipline.

From a safety-of-the-unit standpoint, this fireman really put his crew in danger. What bothers me most about this video is not that he kicks DeGeorge (although I find that appaling), but that he then tries to pick a fight with another guy who (it would appear) complained about how DeGeorge was being treated. Watch the video--the guy comes up and says something, and this firefighter gets up in his face, pokes him in the chest, and then keeps jawing at him for a good 20 seconds. It betrays a certain degree of cluelessness and selfishness, and I can't imagine that such a thing is good for the department.

In reviewing the tape, two PFD personnel appear to have committed assault. The first assault was by the PFD person in the stocking cap who grabbed De George (reaching over and around another person to get his arms on De George) and the second assault was by the bald-headed fireman who kicked him when he was on the floor. Regardless of what De George said and it looks like mutual jaw-boning between De George, the bald fireman and the stocking capped fireman - the only physical violence was from PFD personnel. I hope they're brought up on criminal charges and that it's not swept under the carpet because of De George's socio and economic status in life. Sure, the PFD personnel deserve a fair hearing (i.e. trial), but not sure when physical violence is ever justified based on verbal taunting.

They thought he was carrying a loaded tongue.

In the Oregonian story, the victim sounds a little confused. Do we know whether he is mentally ill? If he doesn't file charges, will anything get done? How would he get representation? Lawyers, any advice?

How would he get representation?

I don't think he needs to be worried about that--they're probably lined up outside his door. This case has "large cash settlement" written all over it.

Unlike the death of Mr. Chasse, I don't really feel sorry for the jerk/"victim" that got kicked on this one. There's a part of me I'm not very proud about who sort of rejoiced in the fact that the jerk got the snot kicked out of him for griping about his sleep being interrupted (he's unemployed and it's not like he had to wake up early to go to work)while some poor guy needed emergency medical attention. The reasonable and sane part of me however, knows that PFD mangement needs to come down like a ton of bricks and FIRE the guy who did the kicking. It was WAY out of line and over the top, and then he lied about it in an official report. No doubt the kicker was totally blindsided by the fact that the whole thing was being videotaped, and now he's got to pay the price for what he did. If the guy is a Lieutenant maybe he's part of management and non-union member...not sure how that works. I'm with Jack, if Potter doesn't cause at least one head to roll in a major way on this one he's pretty much inept as it gets.

You know Potter doesn't dare touch the union lest they bring up any of his untoward history up like they did with Foxworth (and he was not that bad). He will let it fade to the back of the paper.

Again - this Mayor is compromised when it comes to dealing with any of the public employee unions.

If this is swept under the carpet, it is not the fault of our local government. It is the fault of the citizens of Portland. We have the power of the pen. We have the power of free speech. Portlanders can write letters to the editor, write blogs, and write letters to the people who supposedly represent and serve them. Portlanders can make phone calls to offices of those in power and can spread the word about these violent acts to their friends and family. We have the power to be so relentless in our pursuit of real change and real justice that these types of problems, and the sources of these types of problems, will go away.

The bigger problem in Portland is the apathy. It’s too much work to try to change anything and results will not be immediate – so why bother? Portland has a low tolerance for frustration and gives up too easily. We get the leaders we deserve sometimes.

If the "victim" was refusing to comply with the firefighters verbal command to leave the area, or verbally threatened violence to either the firemen or EMT, then he likely committed a crime. If the fireman informed him that he would be placed under arrest if he continued to threaten/interfere with them, then he received fair warning. He could have returned to his room or stayed outside: he did not.

Neither a member of PFB or PPB has to be physically assaulted to justify the restraint or detention of a hostile and/or emotionally unstable "victim". The video did not indicate if the "victim" had been sucessfully handcuffed/restrained: to the contrary, it appeared several firemen had wrestled him to the ground, but they were at an impasse.

If Lt. Kicker observed that his subordinates were unable to restrain the "victim" it would be perfectly appropriate to escalate the use of force.

At least accord the PFB employees the same courtesy you would extend to the Portland Seven: innocent until proven guilty.

Mister Tee: The presumption of innocence is not a courtesy: it is a fundamental principle of our criminal law. However, as such it applies in court criminal proceedings, not in public discourse. People are free to draw, and express, their own conclusions and opinions about guilt based on their appreciation of the facts.

I fully agree with UsualKevin, and especially with Gretchen. I know that it's easy for me as an outsider to talk big, but seriously: you guys need to do more than just vent online. The tram needed a sit-in aimed at delaying construction. Chasse deserved a march on city hall, with optional torches and pitchforks.

If this gets swept under too, then you'd better start standing up for yourselves, because it'll be clear that no one else will. Remember that you own the place, and demand - demand - better from your public servants. Otherwise it's no wonder the City keeps abusing you.

"People are free to draw, and express, their own conclusions and opinions about guilt based on their appreciation of the facts."

Very well said.

Now, what will the good people of Portland express next?

Hmmmm?

I hope not just:
"Oh well, pass the Brie. Rather nice Pinot, don't you think?"

But my hopes have been dashed before!

Portland - The City That Works You Over.

I laugh everytime I hear somebody bad mouth THE MAN (FBI/CIA/DOD/LAPD/NYPD/PPB/PFB) as breaking news develops.

The video tape is hardly conclusive, unless you believe that Portland Firefighters would rather assault an innocent bystander instead of going back to a quiet night at the firehouse.

Those who generally distrust the establishment are quick to rise to the defense of the accused (aka dozens of free spirited Oregonians chanting "Free Mike Hawash" just before he copped a plea), and twice as quick to accuse the establishment.

Ironic, don't you think?

Alan: I hope you'll agree that the legal principle extends into the philosophical and public policy domains as well.

Alan: I hope you'll agree that the legal principle extends into the philosophical and public policy domains as well.

I hope the first amendment does, too.

there are persistent and troubling rumors
that all of the firement shown in this film
are longtime members of the Brotherhood of
the Strong, and are socially involved with
a number of PPB's troublesome Young Turks.

Even rumors that some are involved with the
health clubs where steroids are part of the
daily routine.

If these rumors are true, and private in-
vestigations prove them out, the City of
Portland will be bankrupted and their image
will be shattered beyond redemption.

This case is NOT over and the full story
is yet waiting to be told. Stay tuned...

Speaking of the 1st Amendment, is anybody familiar with the current status of the "fighting words" doctrine under ORS?

Speaking of the 1st Amendment, is anybody familiar with the current status of the "fighting words" doctrine under ORS?

You do realize that the "fighting words" doctrine is NOT about "he uttered fighting words and so I legally kicked him", yes?

The "fighting words" doctrine is about a very narrow exception to free speech, and it says that words likely to, for example, immediately incite a breach of the peace can be prevented or punished. But that would mean arresting someone for saying them, not kicking the crap out of them.

Honestly, I don't care if the guy was yelling, "All you mofos should have died when the Towers came down." You still don't get to just beat on him under the color of law established by your city uniform.

Also (at least the way Wikipedia describes it): "In more recent decisions, the court has held that fighting words must 'reasonably incite the average person to retaliate' and risk 'an immediate breach of the peace' or they could not be prohibited."

Now, you could argue for the first part of that equation, but in this instance the only risk of "an immediate breach of the peace" would be the Kicker feeling like kicking someone. Normally, the notion of risking "an immediate breach of the peace" is about a speaker inciting others into doing something violent -- not about a speaker pissing someone off.

INNOCENT until proven guilty!

Sorry, thats only in a court of law.

While the time preceeding the start of the video clip has not been accounted for, it seems clear that the PFB had been on the scene for a few minutes prior to Mr. McGeorge pacing in and out of the building.

McGeorge walked past the PFB Lieutenant 4 (FOUR) TIMES IN 27 SECONDS, at which point another PFB member (not the kicker) sought to restrain McGeorge. Portland Police Bureau's policy manual makes is very clear that a police officer doesn't have to wait to be physically assaulted before taking action against a person who is threatening them. It also justifies the escalation of force when taking ANYBODY into custody. I don't know if these codes apply to firefighters as well. I believe ORS grants both firefighters and other public servants certain priviledges in the exercise of their duty.

I know it frustrates the civil libertarians to no end, but law enforcement doesn't get paid to let the bad guys threaten to wallop them.

From ORS 163.190 Menacing. (1) A person commits the crime of menacing if by word or conduct the person intentionally attempts to place another person in fear of imminent serious physical injury.

(2) Menacing is a Class A misdemeanor. [1971 c.743 §95]

163.208 Assaulting a public safety officer. (1) A person commits the crime of assaulting a public safety officer if the person intentionally or knowingly causes physical injury to the other person, knowing the other person to be a peace officer, corrections officer, youth correction officer, parole and probation officer, firefighter or staff member, and while the other person is acting in the course of official duty.

(2) Assaulting a public safety officer is a Class C felony.

Five firemen and two paramedics came to my neighbor's apartment on a medical call. She is in her seventies, and about 90lbs, I would guess. It was 2:00 am, she had fallen, was injured, and disoriented. The firemen came first. They were doing their job, I suppose. Four towered around her as one knelt to check her. Then the paramedics arrived and took over. One paramedic proceeded to question her. I would describe his behavior as hostile and abusive. When she didn't answer his questions properly the first time he asked, instead of patiently and clearly asking again, he mocked her, then asked again in a hostile tone. He argued with her as if he believed she was being purposefully difficult. She wasn't doing that. She was very afraid for her health. She wanted help. But she was old, frail, injured, hard of hearing, and frightened.

I'm not surprised by this story in the Oregonian. And I didn't feel my neighbor was in safe hands when they closed the ambulance door and drove off with her.

MisterTee...yo dude...the a-hole/"victim" was pinned to the ground by someone else and THEN he was kicked by the esteemed lieutenant. No need for the lieutenant to defend himself or others at the point that his boot met a-hole's/"victim's" body. Sorry, but I don't see any way for the jack-booted fascist making a high five figure salary plus benefits to wiggle off the hook on this one.

If they were trying to handcuff McGeorge and/or if McGeorge was continuing to fight it makes perfect sense that Lt. Kicker would escalate the use of force to demand compliance.

You all must have grown up in a much nicer neighborhood than me. We never thought it wise to let the other guy hit us first, and we never witnessed a "fair" fight. If that meant 4 on 1 so be it. If that meant you might be kicking while somebody else is punching, that's just fine. We weren't trying to cause permanent damage (or kill anybody), but it becomes increasingly difficult to restrain oneself when the other guy is pounding on you.

We also understood that taunting men in uniform was a uniformly stupid thing to do. It really didn't matter what uniform they were wearing, either.

but they were at an impasse.

Get a hold of yourself, man! The more you try to paint with this bull----, the sillier you look.

Two or three of them had the guy down on the ground. It was only then that the "brave firefighter" decided to act out. Bob Bedgood's three kicks to this man's a*s had nothing to do with restraining him. It had to do with Bedgood's own problems.

I certainly respect your opinion (and recognize this is your "living room"), but it seems premature to conclude that "Lt. Bedgood" exceeded reasonable escalation of force tactics. Why? Because I know that there, but for the grace of God, go I.

I have been one of 4 LARGE MEN trying to subdue a well muscled and emotionally charged 17 year old. One of those large men had a heart attack (that effectively ended his career) during the 6 minute long struggle/fight which ensued. It was only when the teen realized that somebody might dying on top of him that he settled down enough to be cuffed and put into a holding cell. While I don't recall anybody kicking him, I certainly would have done so if I had thought it would have subdued him. Kicking him in the wallet seems like a low yield strike zone, but knocking the wind out of him certainly would have helped.

In closing (and in deference to the owner of the blog), let me say that a picture without context (or sound) only tells half of the story. A career full of good deeds should not be sullied by one act of aggression in the heat of a struggle.

Six minutes is a really long time if you're not in the habit of fighting.

From the available video, it appears that McGeorge passed by Lt. Bedgood three times, and then spun on his heals to approach him for a 4th time before the fireman in the yellow caught sought to restrain him. From the body language, it seemed clear that McGeorge was intent on striking Bedgood, but his buddies decided to intervene.

I would guess that Bedgood has worked on dozens of fires and hundreds of medical calls during his career. He's helped a large number of people, not all of whom behaved appropriately or kept their emotions in check. If this single example of him using "inappropriate tactics" stands in stark contrast to a lifetime of service, would you really like to see him punished? Just as it would be unfair to judge the Clinton Presidency by the Lewinsky Affair, I believe the answer is no.

Why wouldn't this guy be punished? Whether through loss of his job, pay cut, suspension or otherwise. Mister Tee, I think you're taking an extreme angle because everyone is saying he needs to be seriously punished.

Sweeping an anger problem under the rug = bad bad idea. Especially when a person is a firefighter working with the public. 99 times out of a 100, there will not be video evidence.

The fact is, Lt. Bedgood stepped several feet towards the restrained man to kick him then went after the other guy. If he was that concerned about the guy on the ground hurting his buddies, he would have been on the floor trying to help restrain him. BTW, since when was it considered a good idea to poke people in their chest as a means of crowd control? That sounds (and looked) like a conscious decision to make a bad situation much worse. Potentially riot inciting behavior.

(2) Assaulting a public safety officer is a Class C felony.

(3) Assaulting/killing a private citizen is a Class C fringe benefit of union protected public safety officers.

it seems premature to conclude that "Lt. Bedgood" exceeded reasonable escalation of force tactics.

That's where I stopped reading. You're delusional, although not as bad as George Bush.

He kicked the guy when he was being held down by three other people. Criminal assault.

Mister Tee,

You say "...that a picture without context (or sound) only tells half of the story..." in order that we benighted souls should step back and doubt the evidence of our own eyes. In the next breath, you assert that Bedgood has had "A career full of good deeds...", as if we should accept your assumption as true.

Next, after your admonition about pictures being so unreliable, you rely on those same pictures to reach your unsubstantiated and (IMO) unsupportable, conclusion: "...From the body language, it seemed clear that McGeorge was intent on striking Bedgood...". Then it's off to the races with more "guesses" about Bedgood's record and helpfulness.

What's it gonna be - only YOU can interpret the video correctly?

Here's my interpretation - which has as much validity as does yours:

(even if I'm not a member of the "LARGE MEN" club)

Bedgood obviously is standing around looking for trouble in the video. I don't know why, but it's obvious to anyone without a 360 degree blind spot. He's hassling any and all of the passers by like a self-important jerk. He's standing in the doorway and blocking it so that he can be in control - I think we all know the type. He's not paying any attention to the guy he came to "help".

And, the fact that "...McGeorge walked past the PFB Lieutenant 4 (FOUR) TIMES IN 27 SECONDS..." (Oh, the humanity!), is absolutely no threat to anyone without a major case of a**hole disease.

If you know any, ask his co-workers about Bedgood.

"I would guess that Bedgood has worked on dozens of fires and hundreds of medical calls during his career."

rr: what part of "Guess" don't you understand? I never pretended to know the actors in this drama (while it sounds like you disliked Lt. Bedgood before he kicked anybody).

Look at the expression on the assembled faces BEFORE it escalates to violence: they were several people that are visibly concerned about his behavior, then we have McComplainant spinning on his heels to do a 180 degree turn and lunge provocatively towards Bedgood, which prompted his buddy to restrain McComplainant.

Y'all have have picked the winner in the 5th inning with a tied score and the bases loaded. Nobody knows how this story will develop. I'm not suggesting I can conclude what happened DIDN'T demonstrate excessive force or anger management issues. I'm suggesting it's too early for everyone to be quite so pithy.

I'm suggesting that you're blind.

Y'all have have picked the winner in the 5th inning with a tied score and the bases loaded.

What an unfortunate metaphor - there will be NO winners in what is anything but a "game". I doubt DeGeorge thinks so and I sure as hell HOPE Bedgood doesn't think so.

No, we've seen incontrovertible, damning evidence of official misconduct. If you and other revisionist apologists for this guy (and some others, recently) want to play the part of the three monkeys, be my guest. Just don't expect reasonable people to agree with you or to refrain from discussing their reactions and opinions.

The story in The Oregonian this morning noted that the statements of the ass-kicking lieutenant were contradicted by the surveillance video about some really, really basic stuff, such as whether the allegedly threatening guy was approaching the sick man or moving the other direction. Bad memory on the lieutenant's part? The "fog of battle"? A lie? Beats me. But one thing we all know is that the Fire Bureau lieutenant kicked a guy being held on the floor.

Unsurprisingly the head of the fire fighters' union immediately jumped in to defend the ass kicker. You know, I can understand the union president has a duty to be an advocate for the members, but geez louise, kicking a guy being held down?

It doesn't matter to some (Mr. Tee) that video evidence is incontrovertible in this case. John Delorean, Marion Berry, and now this little putz of a public "safety" official. Someone will always try to point out that we're not seeing the whole picture.
A man taunted someone...but ONLY taunted someone. If he had as much as raised his hand (he did not) people then have the right to defend themselves. This little piece of shit, this coward, waits until his thugs have Mr. DeGeorge pinned, THEN he kicks him, then he kicks him again, and then he kicks him yet again. Then he withdraws...only to slam his finger into an onlookers chest who has merely
questioned his cowardly use of force. The THREAT, if there was one, was OVER when he was on the ground. Kick a man when he's down?? Lt. Goodhead has not by now, nor will he ever, get past his own stigma of being vertically challanged. He needs to take his disturbed act on the road, permanently. I hope he does time, then HE will see what it's like to be pinned down...and then some.

...Oh, and is Lt. Goodhead kicking Mr. DeGeorge with house slippers?? Hardly!!