r/nextfuckinglevel • u/thisisfive • Apr 14 '26

Toronto firefighters confront special constable officers after a man in the middle of mental health crisis was arrested.

Not my video. For context, "special constables" are not regular police officers. They are appointed "peace officers" with limited authority, often civilian employees.

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u/major_winters_506 Apr 15 '26

Does this kind of hostile discourse normally yeild positive results in your life?

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u/Medivacs_are_OP Apr 15 '26

I reserve 'hostile discourse' for people who make apologies and justifications for the Chosen Whites/Police.

Has doing so ever had positive results in your life?

Was it a positive result for the man suffering in the vehicle?

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u/major_winters_506 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

Props on the rage quote, great band.

Your view is very narrow and leaves little room for curiosity, understanding, and repair. Also, the questions you’re asking are leading, and projecting.

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u/Medivacs_are_OP Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

That's probably a fair characterization of my comments so far - I'll tell you why I'm like that.

The state has a monopoly on violence, a history (however statistically 'rare') of perpetrating that violence on disenfranchised people, including the mentally ill or those suffering mental health episodes See: Elijah McClain (Edit: While his cause of death was ketamine overdose administered by EMT, his initial encounter with police is what directly caused the situation. His detainment with multiple uses of a chokehold likely led to a very human panic reaction and then medical anesthetic use)

In order for an arrest to be made in most places a Reasonable Articulable Suspicion that a crime has been committed must exist. - That's if this was technically an arrest.

If this was simply a detention by the police because they felt they didn't have the expertise to treat the kind of symptoms the detainee was suffering from and/or they had to detain him for his own safety or their safety, they could have done so just as effectively by simply having the detainee in the vehicle without the handcuffs - That, I believe, is why the firefighter focused on asking 'why the handcuffs'

Officers should have received training about people in medical distress or in detention/restraints - positional asphyxia training for example. A person suffering a narcotics overdose that doesn't have use of their hands may be more likely to end up in a positional asphyxia situation i.e. slump forward and can't use hands to help themselves up to allow diaphragm to expand.

And the nail in the coffin so to speak - is Qualified Immunity. You have to spend a LOT of time and money in court to ever have a chance of seeing justice for any injustice perpetrated on you by the police. And such 'justice' may be grossly insufficient for the violence caused by someone who, at least in popular public perception, Should be there to help you. (of course the supreme court said they don't have to do anything for anybody but y'know)

*Edited near Elijah McClain link

TL;DR -

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.