By Carlos Miller
The most humiliating part of my arrest was not necessarily the way the five Miami police officers slammed me down on the hard sidewalk and bashed my forehead against the concrete. Nor was it the way they tightened the handcuffs on me until they cut off the circulation in my wrists. Nor was it the way one officer twisted my right wrist backwards until I yelled out in pain. Nor was it the way an officer threatened to taze me if I did not shut my mouth.
It wasn’t even the way the sergeant taunted me at the precinct by saying, “I don’t know what police department you’re used to dealing with, but this is Miami PD and we don’t put up with that kind of crap here.”
No, the most humiliating part of my arrest was when I was ordered into a small dark room at the Miami-Dade County Jail and ordered to drop my pants, bend over and spread my cheeks while a jail guard with a flashlight ensured that I was not smuggling any contraband into the jail.
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Fernandez, as I mentioned in a
41 responses so far ↓
1 jorge // Jul 14, 2008 at 8:48 am
What did we learn from that event? Keep you mouth shut and don’t fuck with Miami PD, or any PD for that matter.
Carlos, how long do you think you are going to benefit from this little incident? I mean enough already papa. I see you causing another fracas for attention because this one is wearing out.
2 Carlos Miller // Jul 14, 2008 at 10:32 am
What did we learn from that event? Keep you mouth shut and don’t fuck with Miami PD, or any PD for that matter.
I know you would love to turn this country into a police state, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let it happen so easily.
3 Jeremy Brooks // Jul 14, 2008 at 11:40 am
Jorge:
What did we learn from people who refused to submit to the Nazi regime and were killed because of their principles?
Just because people with authority decide to abuse their power doesn’t mean we should just let them.
4 Jorge // Jul 14, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Jeremy,
Here we go again, comparing apples to oranges.
Carlos Miller is not a Jew and the Miami Police Department is not the German army!
This is a grown man who has nothing to do with his life but take pictures of cops and stir the pot. The Jews were killed just for being jewish. They never contributed to their plight like Carlos Miller has.
You.. Jeremy, and your little friends, are the problem in society today. Don’t make something into what it’s not. Plain and simple, the Carlos Miller saga is nothing more than a overgrown little boy behaving badly because he wasn’t given much attention when he was a child. That’s it…nothing more….finit……..
5 torgeaux // Jul 14, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Jorge:
No one is comparing Carlos to Jews. The nazi’s were also an authoritarian state that strictly limited freedom of the press and freedom of speech. not every victim of nazi oppression was a jew.
You are correct about the Miller saga being about an overgrown boy, but it was the guy with the gun, not the camera, who behaved like a child…the biggest bullies the rest.
6 Jorge // Jul 14, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Lord…..If I can’t be skinny, make my friends look fat.
7 AJ // Jul 14, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Jorge sounds like a man who needs arrested so he can see things from another perspective.
Jorge, police are public servants. Taking a picture of them does not harm them and does not prevent them from doing their job. If they don’t like it, well, they can find another line of employment. I hear Gitmo might be hiring, and they always need more help in Abu Graib.
8 Ben // Jul 14, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Your advice is to not f*** with the police department?
1/10 for formulating a minimally well-written response, troll.
9 MAL // Jul 14, 2008 at 5:07 pm
“jorge // Jul 14, 2008 at 8:48 am
What did we learn from that event? Keep you mouth shut and don’t fuck with Miami PD, or any PD for that matter. ”
That’s exactly what the jews did when they were persecuted. They kept their mouth shut when they weer harassed. They kept their mouth shut when their business were trashed. They kept their mouths shut then they were beaten. They kept their mouths shut when they were herded onto trains. When they finally started to speak out, it was from within concentration camps where it was too late.
Get a clue you pea-brained twit. This IS apples to apples. There are a few rotten ones & they are spoiling the whole bunch. CM & the rest of us ARE the jews. These punk officers ARE the Nazis. Snapping a pic justifies what he claims went through? Hell no. If we don’t speak out now, it will be all of us being herded onto trains headed for the gulag… unless you’re Jorge here, a lapdog of the elitists who sees nothing wrong with what the Miami PD supposedly did.
10 Jorge // Jul 14, 2008 at 5:57 pm
“CM & the rest of us ARE the jews. These punk officers ARE the Nazis. Snapping a pic justifies what he claims went through? Hell no. If we don’t speak out now, it will be all of us being herded onto trains headed for the gulag”
Listen to what you just wrote there. You should apologize to all jews. Wow.
COMEPINGA!
11 Alex // Jul 15, 2008 at 12:29 am
I see only one comep*** here, Jorge. Guess who.
12 Rafael // Jul 15, 2008 at 1:35 am
Jorge, I’m going to feed the troll a little here. I’m a law abiding citizen who’s never had any problems with police. I’m not a trouble maker. I want you to name the the MD statute that makes it illegal to photograph a police officer or any other person in a public setting. I want to make sure I’m treading on the right side of the law.
I also understand some people don’t like their picture taken and I’m guessing you are one of those people. Can you think of a socially and legally acceptable way to respond to someone who has taken your picture without your consent? I’m not sure what third world country had the pleasure of educating you but the law in this country is very clear about the rights of individuals, what constitutes excessive force and what constitutes harassment.
13 jorge // Jul 15, 2008 at 7:29 am
“I’m not sure what third world country had the pleasure of educating you but the law in this country is very clear about the rights of individuals, what constitutes excessive force and what constitutes harassment.”
Now who is a prejudice prick?
Carlos, many of your Kool-Aid drinkers represent exactly what you stand against don’t you think. I’m sure Rafael is one of “your” people….jobless, marijuana smoker who wasn’t given attention by his parents.
Rafael, not everything is a statute book. It’s called discretion. Where in the MD statute book does it say that you can not board a commercial aircraft with a razor blade?
Drop dead stupid
14 torgeaux // Jul 15, 2008 at 9:21 am
Jorge:
At least you qualified it somewhat, “many of your Kool-Aid drinkers represent exactly what you stand against, don’ t you think. . .jobless, marijuana smoker who wasn’t given enough attention by his parents.”
Well, let’s see: torgeaux’s bio: 7 years as a prosecutor, 6 years as a defense counsel, 2 years training prosecutors, 19+ years (so far) in the Army.
I work closely with law enforcement every day. My personal approach to the police is to be polite and cooperative. I take photographs at sensitive locations on a regular basis so I get a lot of questions from MPs. No problems, they’re doing their jobs. However, I also know and defend my rights. I wouldn’t delete a picture I’m allowed to take just because a police officer mistakenly thought I couldn’t take it.
Police are people too, and are sometimes wrong. Starting with the point that sometimes, sometimes, the photographer is in the right would make your arguments more credible Jorge, but you take the position that a citizen must always obey any command of any gov’t official…that cannot be the way our society works.
15 Jorge // Jul 15, 2008 at 11:00 am
“Well, let’s see: torgeaux’s bio: 7 years as a prosecutor, 6 years as a defense counsel, 2 years training prosecutors, 19+ years (so far) in the Army.”
7 years as a prosecutor - In Miami-Dade that means shit. All you’re doing is binding down or dropping cases because you’re overworked. The State attorney’’s office here is a JOKE. Explain that you were a prosecutor to the mother of a child who was gunned down in a robbery and the robber has a filthy past with numerous nolle pross because people like you didn’t want to do their job.
6 years as defense = you’re a scumbag just like the people you defend.
Drop dead.
16 torgeaux // Jul 15, 2008 at 11:22 am
Look closely Jorge: 19 years in the Army should have been a clue, but I’ll be more specific: Those prosecution years and the defense years were in the Army. Still in, in fact. When assigned as a defense counsel, by my superiors, I was proud to do it. The acquittals, I suppose, were also scumbags? well, even those guilty deserved (and got) a strong defense.
Prosecution time was also time well spent, and certainly not “binding down or dropping cases.”
17 mad hatter // Jul 15, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Great post, Carlos. Everyone should print it out or save it and re-read it from time-to-time. After reading that I’d bet that most people would be persuaded to follow the law.
I’m going to save it for my kids to read when they’re older.
18 Coffee // Jul 15, 2008 at 2:51 pm
“While you’re in there, would you mind nipping off any polyps if you see any? I’m due in for a proctology exam and this way I don’t need to pay any deductible.”
19 Jim // Jul 15, 2008 at 3:02 pm
so Jorge, how long have you worked for the Miami PD beating up photographers? Do you still shakedown drugdealers or have you moved on to “protecting” shop owners for cash?
20 mMann Killian // Jul 15, 2008 at 3:26 pm
OK,Ok, I just had to respond to this emotional crap from Jorge. Jorge, you say there isn’t a need for a law but only descretion is needed? My God man, cops swear to uphold the law not make it. I’m guessing all this is OK for you just up to the point of you being subject to a cop’s descretion? When you’re ox is gored I am very curious as to what your position will be.
The seriously wrong thing with the people in this country is that they get caught up in emotion and declare that position is the way things should be. If I feel an emotional bias against people named Jorge and I am a cop you’re telling me it’ll be OK for me to arrest you on a descretionary charge?
Mann Killian
21 Rafael // Jul 15, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Jorge I agree that discretion is important. I didn’t mean to insult you when suggesting that you might have been educated in another country. I’m sorry you took it that way. As for bringing a razor blade onto a commercial flight, that’s clearly against TSA guidelines.
22 TheDeep // Jul 15, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Come on, people. Stop wasting your rational and well thought out arguments on Jorge. It’s apparent he’s a cop a cop wanna be or maybe just a general bootlicker for those in positions of authority. Reasoned intelligent well thought out facts simply will not sway him. He claims to have respect for law but then calls ALL defendants scumbags undeserving of counsel. He think s ALL commands and demands should be instantly obeyed, always. That should tip you off right there to the guy’s mindset. According to his way of thinking the people who founded the U.S. were seditious traitors who deserved death.
23 Jorge // Jul 15, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Jim,
I am not a cop. However I was taught by my parents to respect policemen as they one day may save your life. They have a tough job that no one appreciates.
I have said this dozens of times before on this dumb blog. I believe in the first amendment. However, I truly don’t think that our founding fathers intended for the 1st amendment to include harrassing policemen. Sorry but no one here has come up with a good, clear argument. People are just pissed at cops because they like to tell them what to do. By nature, people don’t respond well to authority. However, we need that authority, otherwise there would be chaos on the streets and the same people who are dissing policemen on this site will be the first ones in line complaining that there was no policeman to protect them from the bands of thieves and pillagers.
Drop Dead
24 Carlos Miller // Jul 15, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Jorge,
So you think the guy who filmed the Rodney King beating was “harassing policemen”?
25 Texas Little El // Jul 15, 2008 at 7:45 pm
I hate to inform Jorge that Police have zero discretion when following the law. Either they are upholding the law or they are breaking the law.
If I have the legal right to be on a piece of property, and I have the legal right to take a photo, as long as the photograph isn’t being used for commercial purposes then the police can’t do ANYTHING about it.
Any harassment, threats or arrest for doing so is called “Official Oppression” and is a misdemeanor.
If the officer knowingly arrests a person that hasn’t committed a crime can be charged with False arrest, Kidnapping or Assault.
In the case of the officer enforcing a cease and desist order, the crime at best is a misdemeanor and is ONLY ticketable, That means the officer can stop the person only long enough to issue a summons to appear in court.
Officers have ZERO authority to jail a person on a non criminal misdemeanor charge.
Learn a bit more about the law before you defend the cops.
26 Aurora // Jul 15, 2008 at 9:10 pm
I happened to stumble across your site after reading the absurd BS about the UK Dad. (total crap)
While I agree that it is freedom of press and expression, on an individual basis a person does have a right to say “NO” to a picture. When taking a picture of some one, knowing upsetting them, it’s a violation of personal privacy and their right to the pursuit of life liberty and happiness. If you are upsetting them by taking a picture, you are just as much in the wrong.
The laws are written loosely for a reason. They are there to help us.
When you take advantage of a freedom, they tend to be taken away.
Take a step back.
Not everyone wants their picture taken.
And it’s about respect.
When I was on the Hopi reservation, we did not take cameras, or cell phones (not that we could get any reception) Why? Because the Hopi believe that by taking a picture of them you have imprisoned part of their soul.
Be free, but be respectful.
~Aurora
27 Green Thumb // Jul 15, 2008 at 9:17 pm
At least you qualified it somewhat, “many of your Kool-Aid drinkers represent exactly what you stand against, don’t you think . . .jobless, marijuana smoker who wasn’t given enough attention by his parents.”- Hey not every one who smokes weed is a dead beat.
I make plenty of money; I am green, and NOT BROKE. And my parents loved me….too bad yours did not
So take it easy on your generalization there chief.
Just because you’ve had negative responses doesn’t mean we all drink Cherry kool aide. (I’m assuming you are referring to the Heaven’s gate group?) You might want to add into that group, any one who wears Nikes…if you are going to use that comparison correctly. Why is it people group Zionist Heaven theorist with Hippies?
Geezzz.
28 Jason // Jul 16, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I love how you DUmp monkeys take any police action and/or legal judgment against you as evidence of a “police state.” 99.999% of you idiots don’t even have a clue what a true police state actually would be like. (Here’s a clue: you wouldn’t be here right now bitching and whining.) Judge Fernandez’s observations about you and his subsequent ruling based on those observations were spot on. Your continued obsession with and stalking of Judge Fernandez should result in a most amusing outcome.
29 Rafael // Jul 16, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Jorge is a troll. He shouldn’t be getting this much attention. I really didn’t feel a need to defend myself from his off-the-mark generalization of my character. The only reason I engaged him initially was because I though there might be a possibility that he worked in law enforcement. Now that he’s admitted he doesn’t, that he’s just some poor confused sap that really doesn’t understand the law or the role of law enforcement in the US we can all ignore this person. Sure his opinion matters but if you notice in this thread I was the only person who offered him any semblance of respect and he responded by calling me a stupid hippy.
Carlos you should be able to do a couple of things with all of this person’s posts. Trace the IP’s that Jorge is posting from. If all his posts somehow originate from an IP controled by MDPD you might have a story there. Otherwise you can just block this guy from being able to post or even see your blog. Contact me if you need any help doing this.
30 Jorge // Jul 16, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Rafael
Now I see that you are a certified comepinga. First of all, Carlos doesn’t have the authority to trace anyones IP address unless he mysteriously obtained a subpeona.
Secondly, my IP address is not a static IP address so al your going to get is that it belongs to my DSL provider.
Carlos is not going to ban me because then it would make him a hypocrite. Call me a troll, call me what you like, but my opnion stands.
PS: Try the stupid scare tactics somewhere else, we’re all stocked up here.
Stupid Hippie
31 Kathy // Jul 17, 2008 at 1:07 am
Miami PD is garbage, they pull shit like this regularly. And Jorge is just another asswipe welcoming the abuse of police power. Like if Miami needed another dimwitted fucker to begin with.
32 Momoko Sudo // Jul 17, 2008 at 10:45 am
I think Carlos’ jail stay was quite pleasant compared to the other stories I have heard of. The cell Carlos was in was air conditioned and had a toilet. There was even something to sit on!
There are jails that have no toilet, no AC, and no windows. Feces are left on the floor. Nothing to sit on. Just a room full of inmates so jammed they don’t have a room to sit down, and the floor is a layer of feces and vomits. Inmates are kept there 23 hours per day. They are allowed to get out only once a day just for an hour, and when they are back into the shit room the room is not cleaned. They have to stand on their own feces that have been sitting there for days.
That’s how the government treats “people” here in free country, America.
33 Jorge // Jul 17, 2008 at 11:17 am
Thank you Momoko!
I have a new found respect for you. Maybe we should all appreciate the good ol US of A!
One more question for you Momoko, what would happen if someone took a picture of a policeman in that country your are speaking of? What would happen if that officer did not want his photo taken? hmmmmmm.
34 Joel Rosenberg // Jul 17, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Yup. The US has higher standards than many other countries, and we have the right to expect that the well-trained and dedicated civil servants not act like jackbooted thugs. (Although, alas, such expectations are all too frequently too much for some of the well-trained and dedicated civil servants.)
Thank you, Mr. Obvious.
35 KwZ // Aug 3, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Man, you just don’t fuck with the police. Some of these guys are really crazy. Just don’t fuck with them.
36 Dirty Hippy // Aug 3, 2008 at 9:12 pm
The police not wanting their pictures taken doesn’t give them legal grounds on which to arrest someone, unless I missed some new law that allows the police to do whatever they want. The police are, as previously stated, public servants. Meaning that their primary purpose is to serve the public. I don’t believe that arresting photographers for taking pictures qualifies as serving.
37 jorge // Aug 14, 2008 at 3:14 pm
hi! I’m jorge and I was totally wrong! im a douche and should probably get slapped in the face. everyone here at this office is reading my posts and laughing at me. everyone in miami knows i’m a douche but me. kill me someone! please kill me!
38 Loser with a badge // Aug 14, 2008 at 11:16 pm
What did we learn. The reason police are a-holes is because they can be. Loser in life join the Miami PD.
39 Doug // Sep 2, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Jorge,
You must be one of those assholes. Punk cops break they law every day and get away with it. THE ONLY DEFENSE ONE HAS AGAINST THE LAWBREAKING CRIMINALS IN UNIFORM IS SOME KIND OF RECORD, some call that a photograph. In case you are too idiotic to know, cops dont turn themselves in when they break the law, that is why we have cameras. Taking pictures of police or anyone else on the street is no crime.
40 Ray // Nov 21, 2008 at 2:57 pm
For the small percentage of cops that are idiots we need the small percentage of people with cameras who are idiots to film them. That’s all!
41 aceblade // Nov 28, 2008 at 11:08 am
The officer on the left side of the picture looks like he’s happy to have his picture taken. If I’m not mistaken, it looks like he’s posing!
The officer on the far right looks like he’s ready to bust some heads though. Definitely avoid that one.
…well, avoid him from now on.
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