But if you charge at police with a large knife in the US... you WILL be shot.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/11/13236645-new-york-police-shoot-knife-wielding-man-dead-near-times-square

That guy in Times Square was running away from police, was cornered and shot. Or you could be some guy handcuffed in the back of a police car with a bullet hole in your head, and the police will say it's self inflicted.

Anyways the police around the world are mostly useless. F the police.

Read the article!!! SERIOUSLY READ THE ARTICLE!!!

He lunged at police after being chased and then cornered.

This is what it says:

As the man backed down 7th Avenue, police pepper sprayed him six times to try and disarm him, but the man continued to threaten officers with the knife. Police said that as he neared the corner of 37th Street, he lunged at officers with the knife, forcing them to shoot him.

Alan_static, lol, that was classic. Thanks for the laugh

If it wasn't for people like alan, we wouldn't need the police

This was a brutal unnessary act. I am disgusted!

The miners that lost their lives had attacked and killed other workers at the Mines, they had killed Security personnel at the Mines and they attempted to kill Police Officers by charging them with Machetes. The same machetes they had used to kill fellow miners.

Teaparty Low IQ -- apparently you had to have help with your post because it has nothing to do with this article. Your ability to read "Basic English", which should be required by all those wishing to call America Home, is non-existent.

Looks like this union thugs go exactly what they deserved. This is what happens when you use threats, violence and extortion to try and get what you want. It's high time that we start to roll back collective bargaining rights in this country if we want to see jobs return and our government put its fiscal house in order. It's becoming clear that no business owner in the world wants to deal with these legalized mobs and the quicker we recognize that fact, the better off we'll be. Remember, every unionized industry in this country has either been outsourced, gone bankrupt or is on the verge of insolvency.

Wally-1853299

If it wasn't for people like alan, we wouldn't need the police.

By far, the largest perpetrators of violence are men (police, Union A, Union B, the African Union, whatever). Stop blaming it on "people".

JSF49 can you show any facts to backup for foolish statement. Try to listen to a police radio sometime and see what they have to deal with. Mostly "people" like you that don't have a clue.

I can't believe you're serious Tom.Marvolo. The last thing we need to do is give people less rights. While I do think unions shouldn't be necessary, and I'm a bit against unions as they've cost me a job in the past, we all know that employers will never do the right thing when it comes to how they treat employees. Therefore, the last thing we need is to remove people's ability to get better working conditions, or better benefits, or maybe just simply better hours. Take the mines here in KY, for example. They are still 'cheating' when it comes to the exposure our coal miners are getting to coal dust, which is raising the rates of black lung again. They are cheating because they tell the miners to take off their badges (which measures the exposure to certain air particles), and place the badges near the entrance to the mine to keep them aired out. And when they are told of a mine inspection, they tell the miners to put them back on. This is deplorable what these men are being exposed to!

My husband is from SA, and I've been there a couple of times now. If you knew the conditions that these people work or live in, you wouldn't blame them for striking for better pay. I don't blame the police for protecting themselves, but they could have used rubber bullets and tear gas as opposed to lethal weapons. This is just plain sad and disgusting. Those cops should be charged with murder.

How ironic, now black police officers shoot black protesters, a years back it would have being considered "a murder by the racist apartheid regime".

Can You say Kent State?

If the same thing happened on the Afrikaner watch the whole world would be foaming at the mouth. It is a lot easier to blame the whites for brutality.

@News98,

Sorry but you are describing the GOP agenda. Nice spin though.

This story could have been written 100 years ago is these United States. How quickly folks forget that the same thing happened at the mines here. Google violent mine strikes in US.

Like it or not a freely elected government is the ONLY thing standing between Corporations and Workers when it comes to working conditions. Love them or hate them Unions are what made this country strong and created a middle class that has to now kept this country strong.

Romney/Ryan and the GOP would end this and allow Corporations to run over the workers rights that we take for granted today.

Art does imitate life. Where do you think the ideas for hunger games or soylent green come from? Follow the logical conclusion of where GOP policies are headed. History is full of examples.

How and why people kill other people will alway be beyond my understanding. Just sad all the way around

Lush Limpballs,

Hey! Just because you're a fanatical hate-mongering anarchist who beats his wife while raping his children... doesn't mean that you can judge me as a delusional cop apologist. Sheesh! The audacity of some people!!!

Chris is a wanker.

Hummmmmmmmmmmm RJ-2097803 .... Your implicqation is that US police carry a gun loaded with rubber bullets ..... lol ... US police carry real bullets! .. and shot to kill ...

This story is stupid. Didn't you people hear the news, the blacks run South Africa now. That means all the bad stuff and evil government killings of people are over. Grandpa Mandela was elected president and South Africa instantly was transformed into Heaven. Look at the pictures, they show black police threatening people. Obviously fake, why would black police oppress black people, only whites do evil stuff, everybody knows that. Stupid racist reporters, this story is obviously made up by a white racist writer. You're just mad that everything is so wonderful in South Africa now that the blacks are in charge.

Ummm...Since when did pacifists start wielding guns?

"Ummm...Since when did pacifists start wielding guns?"

Around the same time that "nonviolent protesters" started bringing machetes... don't assume that the word pacifist means "wuss who will let somebody murder them" - even a pacifist will do a good double tap if absolutely necessary. Others do it for fun at any opportunity and try to pretend it wasn't murder - that would be the difference.

Such a sad event in South Africa - this reminds me of the dark days of Apartheid where they would bring out the water cannons, rubber bullets, dogs, etc...

As much of Africa is beautiful, you couldn't pay me to visit that place.

I Hate To Say It But:

Pacifists started wielding guns when we all read the news, daily to weekly instances since President Obama has been elected that right-wing Tea Baggers and other ppl who predict/plan to start a "race war" began buying guns by the 1000s and stockpiling them, starting new and exciting hate groups and planning "what they'll do when the race war starts", which BTW involves them actually starting what they hope will end up as a race war with their overbought arsenals but is actually just nutty, paranoid, angry bigots taking out their failures on every group of folks they hate. Those groups which they hate consist of every person who is not a Republican/Libertarian, white, straight Christian man, woman or child. Every other color, every other sexual orientation, every other religion and creed is in danger from these people and liberals, moderates, sane people, Atheists, Wiccans, Mexicans, Latinos, Muslims, Sikhs, people with dark tans, gays, blacks and non-right-wing Jewish people especially had better be able to protect themselves even if they don't believe in violence.

I used to work with four of these nuts in one building in NORTHERN Ca. Liberal N California isn't even free of these people and it's no joke: it's gotten worse, THEY'VE gotten more radical since we elected a black President. Be safe with, responsible with, legal with, well versed with and trained with, but definitely WITH, reasonable and effective weapons of self defense. That is my advice to all sensible folks especially fellow liberals, no one is saying 'attack' on our side but many on their side are....it's just a sad fact we must keep our families safe from. I hate to say it, too BTW.

Wow dude. Personal insults are certainly NOT in order. No one said anything personal to you. Why don't you crawl back under your rock?

"you started it"? I haven't heard that since second grade.

Buffaloes, that's because all conservatives have only got a 2nd grade education, they couldn't pass to 3rd grade. :)

People with machetes are not unarmed protesters. Charging at any person, cop/civilian, with one should not be construed as a peaceful protest. O_o

Newswinner101

I agree with this is disgusting. But after reading why voter IDs shouldn't be allowed, because Democrats don't know how to get one, an IQ statement should be withheld.

It's not a matter of can't get one, it's a matter of can't get to one. Accessibility is a big problem for minorities as they often work longer hours, get paid less, and often have to drive WAYYYYYY out of the way to get to it. Not to mention the fact that the city bus systems often suck. Who's more inclined to vote for Obama? Blacks and Latinos. THAT is why there is voter ID laws made by your GOP colleagues. There is more cases of shark attacks than voter idea fraud, that's a fact. In fact, most people who are charged with voter fraud are ex-felons who didn't know that they couldn't vote at the polls. (another ridiculous law made by Republicans) So hey, if you enjoy oppression and the removal of your rights, just keep voting Republican...clearly it has worked out REALLY well.

LiberalWIYSD it's people like you that are turning this country (USA) into a complete piece of @!$%#. I'm not going to hurl personal insults your way, because I'm not stooping to your level (i.e. I'm a better person than you are) but it's people that act like you do (bringing up "what I did to your mom last night" while trying to debate someone over something as serious as police brutality and people DYING) that seriously jeopardize our ability to have any kind of meaningful conversation on serious issues. It's more than simply 'go crawl back under the rock you came from' as pullmyfinger13 suggested, it's get the @!$%# out my country before you completely bankrupt it with your misguided hatred and ignorance.

Well Mr. Troll, unfortunately you are right on that one. Apartheid isn't the issue here, but it is the same one you are seeing around the world. Whether in Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, or the US, people are getting fed up with big business oppression of working people.

If you follow the story of these miners, they are fed up with low pay, unsafe working conditions and poor treatment at the hands of the all-white owners who run these mines ( this one happens to be a platinum mine )

History is full of many examples of what occurs when the many have nots finally tire of the few that have and their greed. It usually isn't pretty because yes, these poor folks only have sticks and rocks and maybe a few machetes.

Do you ask yourself why these folks would feel the need to arm themselves for a protest? Check out what's happening in Bahrain, where the government opens fire on unarmed protestors, or what was occuring in Syria prior to the revolts.

Hypocrisey. First its the White People's fault because they ran South Africa. Now, its ran by Black People and everything has gone to hell. Those are Black Police shooting Black People.

Now, you say, in your RACIST Hatred, that the problem is White People "owning something" in this case the platinum mine. White People are not allowed to own anything on the Continent of Africa?? Now, who is the Racist here. YOU.

How do you know conditions are bad? How do you know White People own the minds. You can bet these White People are paying out the a s s to do business with Jacob Zuma. Jacob Zuma, murderer and criminal now the President of South Africa. He bragged about killing White men, women, and children. Hacked them to death with a Machete.

So Called Community Organizers are appealing to the Greed and Avarice of Black Workers. Making them think they can have a Rolls Royce , Free Food, Freee Mansions, Free Virgins, if only they could get rid of the White People who keep them from having untold Riches.

These Black Racists preach Black Liberation Theology, Black Racist Apartheid, preach the White Man is the Devil, evil, and has taken everything away from the Blacks. When actually, the White Man provided jobs, homes, education, and upward mobility.

But, for lazy con artist criminals, they can organize Blacks, promise Blacks the world and destroy the Whites and take their property. Power and Money for Crooks is what Apartheid is all about. Its about Murder and Criminals taking Power.

Zimbabwe was the Bread Basket of Africa. A Garden of Eden. 150 years ago White Settlers settled the area and built farms. NOT a Black within 100 miles. As the Gardens grew larger, turned into Farms the Farmers needed Man Power to work the Farms. The White Farmers recruited Blacks to the area, built them homes, provided all utilities, and paid them to work the Farms. Zimbabwe became the Bread Basket of Africa and even exported food all over the World. Every thing was just fine...until

Black Liberation, Apartheid, Black Racists, Community Organizers, intimidating Blacks working on Farms, saying "why are you working in the Fields, you should be living in the Farmers house, you should be running the Farm, Whites stole your land, whites hate you, whites make you their slaves, and their Land, property, and wealth is YOURS.

President Mugabe of Zimbabwe proclaimed Blacks could take over WHITE FARMs and expell the Whites and take all their property, Farms, tractors, horeses, pigs, cows, crops, homes, everything that Families had worked for for years and years.

Now, Zimbabwe is a disaster area. People are starving, can't even feed themsleves. Now, Zimbabwe has to depend on International Charity to survive.

You say this couldn't happen in the USA? President Obama is doing the same thing Mugabe and Zuma are doing. Just look at the President's Amnesty Plan which has defied the Law of the Land, Congress and the Supreme Court. Obama is building a poor ignorant class of illegal aliens and Blacks to create his Apartheid, his Black Liberation Army, his Army of ignorant left wind Liberal Democrats to destroy "whites" and take their property for the same reasons Mugabe and Zuma preach. It just lies based on greed, based on avarice, based on ignorance to villify and create hate against Whites.

.

jimmyfox====

You say this couldn't happen in the USA? President Obama is doing the same thing Mugabe and Zuma are doing. Just look at the President's Amnesty Plan which has defied the Law of the Land, Congress and the Supreme Court. Obama is building a poor ignorant class of illegal aliens and Blacks to create his Apartheid, his Black Liberation Army, his Army of ignorant left wind Liberal Democrats to destroy "whites" and take their property for the same reasons Mugabe and Zuma preach. It just lies based on greed, based on avarice, based on ignorance to villify and create hate against Whites.

LOL!!!! Some of YOU people are so far out in "right" field it's pathetic.

Are you White South African?

Far Out? The Obama Administration is playing the RACE CARD right now. The Vice President of the United States, told a crowd of mostly Black Americans in VA, that the Republicans were going to "Put Ya'll BACK in Chains". The Vice President. How despicable.

Obama would not disclaim the statement nor would any of Obama's Campaign members or Democrats who support Obama.

Obama's Class warfare against the Rich is right out of the Communist Manifesto.

Obama's economic policies is destorying the Middle Class.

Obama's illegal back door amnesty essentially rewards illegal aliens for violating our borders and creates another poor underprivileged class to wage war against hard working Americans.

Bill Mahar in an interview claimed voter ID was just Republicans preventing poor Blacks from voting, just yesterday.

Obama has let the Black Panthers run wild; The Black Panthers just announced their vile and hate filled intentions of attacking White Republicans in Tampa during the RNC. Obama and Holder have said nothing.

Obama and Holder also permitted the Black Panthers to put a wanted dead or alive reward of $1,000,000 on a US Citizen. Unheard of. Completely disgraceful. Its all part of Obama's WAR on Whites and the so called Rich. Intimidate and villify. All part of Obama's plan.

Van Jones was hired by the White House as the Green Energy Czar. Valarie Jarret hearled Jones arrival to the White House as one of the most impressive leaders she has ever met. Really. In 1992, Van Jones claims he is a Communist. His book, filled with radical militaristic Communist actions against the USA, tells blacks they need to set the streets on fire.

Van Jones was fired right away from his green energy job, but still supports President Obama as they share the same values. Recently, Van Jones was a guest on ABC's George Stephanopulos Sunday News round table. Van Jones Represented Barack Hussein Obama and the Democrats. What? Van Jones espouses liberal democrat values? That right there should be enough to Vote Obama out of Office.

Obama's Promise to poor people, to lower middle class, of taking over the wealth of "rich white folks" is just a lie. Its just a lie. The masses never get anything but poorer, more suffering, death, slavery. Look at the Communist Revolution in Russia which became the USSR which imploded. the people only suffered and died and lost everything. They never saw one bit of Gold from the Czars. Look at Cuba. same promises, same lies, and same horrible existence for the people who only got poorer with more suffering.

Obama lives the Lie of Communism. It has never worked. Black Liberation is based on Communism. Black Studies is a good example of institutionalized Socialism being propagandized in a college degree program to incite a base, to radicalize the masses into Revolution. Against who?? Its got to be against someone. Who can they villify? Whites, the Rich, Christians, Jews. And Obama is making it all happen.

Everyday Obama claims Whites hate women, hate young people, hate mexicans, hate illegal aliens, hate Blacks, hate kids, hate Seniors, hate medicare, hate poor people, hate, hate, hate. and its all lies. Why? To villify Whites. To make Whites into Monsters. Why? Can you kill a real nice person? No. But, you can kill a monster that's attacking your family. Obama is making Whites into Monsters.

Dumb rednecks OUT of USA now!

This means YOU !

History is replete with this. It could just as easily be whites shooting blacks, blacks shooting whites. Being from the working class is a bitch. Always has been and always will be.

Machiavelli said, and I'm paraphrasing, "War or peace, the poor are always under seige."

RJ: A reported peice of news usually gives the reasons for the headlined action of the article or you can google search for other articles on the same instance that will give those reasons, so I must implore you to find out, rather than "asking questions" on a message board. The message board can't answer you, but you have a computer in front of you that may help you answer your own questions. It just seems like a cop-out when you have access to the answers you seek, but ask "were the cops justified". And as far as "dumb guy" goes: he's just a right-wing hater troll trying to get a reaction from you and me and anyone else he can because no HUMAN will actually discuss any important issue with him, probably because he isn't fundamentally able to have honest and calm discussion due to his personality disorders, ignore him. Peace.

P.S.: It seems to me that this crowd startled the cops with their size and "lost it", I looked at the pictures of the crowd taken by the AP photog and I see no machetes in any hands of any of the protestors, nor near the bodies, nor in the hands of police after "recovering" them from the dead, that leads me to believe that the cops lost their composure and overreacted BIGTIME. And, that the cops lied about machetes.

Your right? This was horriffic!

THIS is the very reason U.S. citizens need to maintain our Second Amendment rights.

Debi you're absolutely right, what this situation needed was more weapons! Just think - if they were able to 'defend' themselves, more people could have been shot! Yaaaay!

I agree this won't happen in the U.S. due to 300 million gun owners and a lot of military style weapons with high capacity clips will deter anyone from trying to steal your rights.The day this sort of tragedy does occur in our country look out!!

Astute Observor - that wasn't a very astute comment. You must be a have not. As such, you'd be one of those laying face down in the dirt.

Astute Observor:

...if they were able to 'defend' themselves, more people could have been shot! Yaaaay!

If they had guns and were able to "defend" themselves, there's a high probability they wouldn't have been shot at in the first place.

I agree this won't happen in the U.S. due to 300 million gun owners and a lot of military style weapons with high capacity clips will deter anyone from trying to steal your rights. The day this sort of tragedy does occur in our country look out!!

Are you completely insane? This DOES happen in our country... routinely!! The only difference is that instead of cops shooting machete-wielding workers, it's citizens shooting other citizens. Have you even read the news in the last 20 years?

Thinkforyourself:

If I may speak for newsjunkie42, I don't believe they were referring to "citizens shooting other citizens". Murder, using whatever method, is in mankind's DNA.

Apartheid-like domination of American citizens by the government will not occur as long as the citizens are armed.

And guns are just THE MOST fun!

It is also important to notice that the police in South Africa have "traditionally" attacked protestors WITHOUT provocation. Interesting how you choose to just ignore that.............

It's not racial, it class. It's capitalist owners against workers. This is the same sort of thing that happened in the early 1900's and the 1800's in the states when owners wanted to break strikers. How many people do you think Rockefeller killed when he was consolidating Standard Oil?

I thought I saw a white guy in the group. He shot two, which was more than his share.............RACISM !!

you will notice the police are black, so there can be no cries of racism.

And I'd bet your life, their Commander is WHITE who was ordered by the WHITE mine owners, to open fire, and put this strike to an end. That I guarantee you!!

How many people do you think Rockefeller killed when he was consolidating Standard Oil?

Didn't Rolla C. Payne work with Rockefeller and Prescott Bush back in the 20's/30's on Wall Street?

Culheath-Bingo. It's a class thing not a race thing.

So Agnon , a group of 3,000 angry protesters w/ clubs and machetes charging you isn't a provocation?

I bet if you were there in that place as an officer , you would've shot. Unless you value getting hacked by a machete or a club more than you do life.

All of that is true, but they are just a recapitulation of what we have already been through but on their own cultural terms...some things we do not readily understand that they take for granted. I am not saying that these men were not murdered, they were...but I think there are workings of their machine that we are missing.

How can this happen in a nation shaped by Mandella?

I Am from south africa and rustenburg is less than 100 ks form me before saying they should use tear gas and ect you should do your home work first . Tear gas water hoses rubber bullets where all used first and and even that did not work only once the police where in direct danger did they open fire self defence is all that it was . you should come visit and see a mass deadly strike with your own eyes and then tell me you wouldnt do the same

And that is why in my first line I posted "I think there is more to this". Gotta read it all. But in that case it does make more sense, still not great but somewhat more understandable.

Deadwood and Hearst.

And waited for them to kill half the police first.....duh!

My only response to your comment is: NO "poo poo" !! I'm stocked up , hope you are too.

I'm stocked up

LOL!!!!

I love all you people who are "stocked up." Do you believe a full blown American revolution will be in civilians favor? You do understand if drones are unleached on your ass from a thousand miles away flown by some 22 year old Military guy, you won't be good for anything, infra-red, night-vision, heat seeking missles, where will you hide?

A revolution will leave the Military in control, and MANY 10's of millions of civilians dead, than, IF YOU live, you'll be forced to dispose of the bodies.

moshuluu,

Too bad you weren't around to tell the VC in Nam that they had no chance against the mighty U.S. Military! Anyway, get the word out to the Taliban so we won't have to turn tail and run in Afghanistan!

Yeah, the military wasn't nearly as advanced 40-50 years ago as it is today, wise guy. I agree with moshuluu. All you gun-toting "from my cold, dead hands " jingoists seem to think your little collection of pop guns would seriously have a chance against the full wrath of the US military. It's cute, really. I'm sure it's all you guys with your handguns that are keeping our government in check.

The thing you forget....There are a lot of military men who will not fight their own blood.

Thus, some of that military might will be turned back upon itself.

killers for hire

maybe to protect and defend their lives do they not have a right

It is just horrible. Both sides are hurting. Most humans do not want to kill another.

At no point did I see in the article that they were "smart" strikers / workers !!

Alan_static; You come at me with a machete or a club and this old man will not even blink at the thought of shooting you. So accept it; because if you are that foolish you will deserve whatever is given to you, From what I have read those officers had no recourse. I wonder what you would do if a couple of dozen (let alone possibly thousands of people who had just killed others) screaming people with machetes were running at you. Unacceptable my A** I have a son who for over 20 years in NY City put on his uniform every day to protect and serve sensless twits that could not or would not protect themselves. But when he risked his safety to help others they did not say it was UNACCEPTABLE

If you bothered to gather information before commenting you would have found it was reported...

1. The protesting miners had killed other miners attempting go to work in the mines earlier in the week.

2. Teargas was fired first to try and disperse the killers and when that didn't work, a group of the protesting murderous miners gathered to attack the police.

Machetes are a very effective weapon when used to attack an unarmed man. Or have you forgotten 1994 in Rwanda?