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What would you do if a police officer ordered you to put your baby down and submit to arrest?

Asked by SaganRitual (2072points) June 17th, 2019

Although this question is inspired by the recent incident in Phoenix, I’m asking more generally. Imagine any situation, gun or no gun, hot asphalt or comfy lounge chair, you did something wrong or you didn’t. Any context; a police officer orders you to put your baby down, get on the ground face down and spread-eagled, and allow him/her to handcuff you.

What do you do? Is there any circumstance in which you’d comply? Any in which you would not? Can you describe how you’d distinguish the two?

If you refused to comply, would you become more likely to comply if the officer started screaming at you to get on the ground? Or again, if he continued screaming and pointed a weapon (gun, taser, baton, whatever) at you? Or if other officers arrived and joined in the call for your submission? What effect might it have for one of the officers to calmly and kindly approach and offer to assist you with the baby (I couldn’t watch the whole video; I don’t know whether any such proper behavior took place.)

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