Episode 57 – Supreme Court Decision and Police Violence
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In this episode, I discuss the Supreme Court decision reached on June 4 in favor of a baker, Jack Phillips, who refused to customize a wedding cake for a gay couple. While I agree that Mr. Phillips should have the right to not serve any customer, this decision did not go far enough. It stuck to the specifics of this case, saying that the actions of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission were inappropriate. It did not state that people have to right to refuse to serve particular customers. I also discuss the incident on a New Jersey beach last week in which a police officer punched a woman multiple times in the back of the head. I break down the situation and explain how the police officer initiated violence against the woman by threatening her physically by saying, “You’re about to get dropped.” Though she certainly is not the most sympathetic character in this situation, she did not escalate the situation to a violent one; the officer did.
Links:
“16-111 Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Comm’n (06/04/2018)” – Supreme Court
Video: “Wildwood police release body cam footage of woman’s violent arrest at beach (Full video)” by NJ.com – YouTube
Video: “FBI agent under investigation after his gun goes off at Denver nightclub” by ABC News – YouTube
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