It finally comes to an end - "Offer of Judgment" reached with Philadelphia

[phillyd2]

I don't intend in any way to start a trolling, "WTF?" pile-on.

On what sad day exactly did posting statements others may disagree with become 'trolling'?

Anyways, +Rep inbound.

[D10]

however if Mark is satisfied then so am I.

Well let me add to that that if you are satisfied, you do not really care about your gun rights. A financial settlement is in my book not a win........it is what it is.....a settlement. PPD has not admitted they were guilty, but merely threw in a settlement to stop the case from dragging on and on and on and on.

Give it a couple days.....you will hear about someone else being violated the same way.

[OwnTheRide]

I think you should have countered their offer to push for something like an admission of guilt, or a public apology, or something. Of course, it's very easy for me to suggest such things from behind the comfort of my keyboard.

Congrats, Viper.

[internet troll]

I can understand the disappointment that many have, the result for many is kinda like getting half a blow job. In the end if you are happy with the results, I can't blame you for wanting to get on with your life and leaving this behind you. I hope your efforts wind up making a serious change.

[ThomasJ]

I've updated the top post. Please go to post number one in this thread for more details.

Wow. What a colossal waste of time and what a wasted opportunity. As with your other encounters, the end result is that your rights were violated, and you don't seem to care.

[ThomasJ]

The other question is if monetary compensation were never a factor, then why settle?

[Retired One]

Rep is on the way, Great Job

[D10]

Wow. What a colossal waste of time and what a wasted opportunity. As with your other encounters, the end result is that your rights were violated, and you don't seem to care.

^^^
This..

The PPD will never put out a press release, or even an apology, that states they were wrong. The officers involved will likely never say they are sorry, but that's okay in the grand scheme of things, in my opinion.

My opinion would be that it is not OK. Like I said before, taking a settlement is not a win. I don't know about others but I would have fought the shoelaces out of my shoes to see that justice would be done. Neither PPD or any department for that matter is in need of LEO's that run around making their own set of rules. In the long run PPD never admitted the LEO's in question were wrong. I fail to see where this is a win for OC'rs

[soberbyker]

No Chambered......you and Streaker are not a minority with this opinion. A lot of people share the same opinion but were probably waiting until someone had the balls to post about it. Why fight for your right and then to settle for 25K. Justice has not been served in my opinion.

I was only hoping to see the officers that violated his rights, the DA that maliciously charged him with crimes committed by those officers and the PD Administration that allowed the systemic infringing of rights be punished in some way. Whether it be by suspensions without pay, or firings, but it would seem the only people that were punished by this is the tax payers.

I realize that may not be the popular opinion of this, but that's how I feel, take it for what it is.

I guess we'll see if anything has changed in the future, when it happens again, the the PD administration can come out and say that they're working on getting their officers properly trained, but it just takes time. I guess another 10 years or so, they'll get it done.

First let me say up front, I would never had been able to take it as far as you did Mark, for that, I commend you.

That said, I have to say my immediate thought when I read you settled was "He sold out".

Like Streaker, CR and a few others I would have liked to see punishment, especially since they arrested you AFTER you posted the audio of the event on youtube, what a couple weeks after, right?

Like I said I couldn't have done it, but why take the role of martyr if you didn't plan to finish?
.

[Glock9mm]

ImHO I think the $25,000 is the best way to say he wasn't in it for the money. This case should never have been about the money, and for anyone that thinks that $25,000 is really somehow a win must really be out of touch with reality. The amount of hours Mark has spent on this, if it were compensation for time, he would be eligible for food stamps.

By taking a settlement, the case is over, and the mandated training updates are what will protect the next person further. It usually takes more than 1 major occurance to really change a flawed system, especially with something as polarizing as gun rights. Many people who hold their constitutional freedoms so dear truly don't accept that gun rights are that big of a deal also, unless they have firearms, so its a smaller community that would be outraged. It will take a little more time.

By taking the settlement, Mark also avoided a pissing match with the city were both sides would have to hire (expensive) experts and enter into a three ring circus in the Philly court system. The same system that arrested mark for essentially the equivelant of school yard name calling. If Mark had lost that case, and possibly if not he may be responsible for paying for that entire defense and possibly some of Philadelphia's costs also.

So, IMHO, the chance of spending 10s of 1000s of dollars and maybe not getting any mandatory training (I think 50/50 chance at best, keep in mind, the founding fathers aren't ruling on the case, its the perverse philly court system) or taking the offer of judgement and now adding one more rung in the ladder to get to a level where gun laws are more widely accepted and known by police officers in the city, and the state.

Keep in mind, Rosa Parks bus ride was not here first civil rights protest. Its a slower process than some would like, but this is still a very big win. A loss further down the line would be FAR more damaging to everone in Philadelphia that carrys a gun. This was never going to be bigger than it ended, and again IMHO its just about the best outcome it could be.

GREAT JOB Mark and the legal teams!