Quote from AAAintheBeltway:
What was your job, counterman? Or cop?
It's easy for you to say he could "effect an escape". He was behind the counter with two extremely hostile people after him. And it's certainly not the law everywhere you have to flee. In most states, you certainly do not have to retreat or flee if inside your home or in some states your yard.
He probably did overreact, but I am prepared to give considerable leeway to the innocent party in this type of situation. He was minding his own business, doing his job, when he was attacked.
I am frankly amazed at the pimp video. Here was a guy, who I take it is a martial arts instructor, who clearly was under no threat and could easily have retreated. Apparently a group of cops were there as well. Instead, he viciously assaults a guy who was clearly out of his mind on drugs with a potentially lethal blow to the throat. He was clearly showing off for his cop buddies. He gave no warning that i could tell, just blindsided the guy. He should have been prosecuted in my view.
It's just that type of attitude from cops, the "give me an excuse" crap, that turns citizens against the police. You might recall that the London riots were triggered by a claim of police brutality.
Marxist class struggle fantasies do not wash as justification for anarchy, rioting and looting. Many of the london rioters were realtively well off. They just wanted to loot, having been raised in a society that mocked property rights and made envy and classe warfare political virtues.
I took it more in the context that gelded self-defense laws invite a fertile stomping ground, as opposed to racial pejoratives, or whatever. Canada has similar "retreat" laws, which hamstring victims, with dangerous effect.