Terrence Jones arrested for stomping on a homeless man

[Celtics18]

Well, before we all go casting this guy as some sort of "scum of the earth", just remember he is a young man, who was likely rather impaired at the time.

I don't mean to excuse his actions, or diminish the dastardly nature of them, but they should be taken in context.  Fact is, immature, drunk persons do stupid things every day.

Should Jones be punished, absolutely.  Should he be excoriated, and made out to be the biggest of loser ever, no.  Quite frankly, I'm more interested in how he handles the situation from here.

If Jones owns up to this, apologizes, and shows he's taking steps to learn from this and become a better person, I'd be willing to chalk this up to youthful indiscretion.  Absent that, sure, his character probably needs to be seriously called into question.

Alcohol makes you less inhibited from doing the things you would like to do, it doesn't make you a completely different person. Sorry. The guy is scum. Drunks don't just get a wild hair to stomp down a homeless guy.

If Terrence Jones indeed despises the homeless and wants to go around physically abusing any one he sees, then I will join you in not thinking much of him.  I'm going to wait, though, to see if there might be something more to the story than what I know based on that really small tidbit that was posted here. 

I find that rushing to judgment based on extremely limited pieces of information is generally not the most intelligent or thoughtful way to proceed.

[KGs Knee]

Alcohol makes you less inhibited from doing the things you would like to do, it doesn't make you a completely different person. Sorry. The guy is scum. Drunks don't just get a wild hair to stomp down a homeless guy.

I also don't buy the point of view that he was drinking and if he apologizes it is OK.  What?  Drinking doesn't make you a different person, it reveals the person you are.  And to attack a homeless man just because you "think you can" is pretty revealing about a person's character.

Not at all saying I think what happened here is ok, it's not.  But talk about blowing things out of proportion.  Some people here just make me sick with how absurd they are.

My point is, drinking in copious amounts absolutely does make people sometimes do things they wouldn't if they were otherwise sober.  Alcohol alters the mind, and impairs judgement.  If you don't believe that, your nuts.

Suffice to say, I'm gonna exit this conversation.  Way too many holier-than-thou people for my taste.

[Yogi]

I'm just going to throw this out there, but how do we know the homeless guy wasn't black, or the cop for that matter?

I also don't buy the point of view that he was drinking and if he apologizes it is OK.  What?  Drinking doesn't make you a different person, it reveals the person you are.  And to attack a homeless man just because you "think you can" is pretty revealing about a person's character.

Naturally we are ignorant of a lot of facts.  Which is why we should withhold judgement.

It's amazing how the word "stomp" became attack.  What if the word nudge was used? or a poke?  Reality could range from nudge to poke to kick to stomp. 

The homeless person would claim stomp because that would get him the most money.

Jones would claim nudge because that portrays him in the best light.

The officer might choose his own word depending on his personal bias. 

Since we have almost no knowledge of what actually transpired, it would be best to stop passing judgement.

[Roy H.]

I find that rushing to judgment based on extremely limited pieces of information is generally not the most intelligent or thoughtful way to proceed.

While true, I'm not sure what other side of the story there is to "guy stomps on sleeping homeless guy".  I think it probably does say something about somebody's character.

I'm pretty skeptical that the cop just randomly made this story up, especially when there was apparently a group of people with Jones.  I'm sure Jones will escape this without any consequences, but I'm guessing the officer's account is pretty close to the truth.

[EJPLAYA]

Try and back away from it all you want, but your reaction was to disbelieve them and say you needed more "proof" because cops were known to be liars and the reason YOU threw out there was because the guy was black. That the homeless man was wanting to score a big payday so that is why HE would lie... Come on. You don't like the way you look in the discussion so now you're trying to turn it around. If the first thing thrown out there wasn't race, then we wouldn't have as big of an issue surrounding it. YOU threw it out there. Own it.

1. I cannot back away from your incorrect assumptions.
2. Terrence Jones plead not guilty.  Someone is lying here.  Chances are two or three people are lying.
3. All three parties might have a reason to lie.
4. Racism is a very real part of our existence, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.  It may or may not have been at play in this particular incident.
5. 13.7% of the U.S. population is black.  39.4% of the prison population is black, and that is excluding hispanic blacks.  Hispanics make up another 20.6%.  Obviously it is not irrational to suspect that race played a part.

At least you are going back to your original thought and attitude. Clearly a person who is black and accused of doing something wrong is being accused only because they are black. (based on your argument) No one said that there isn't racism, however when you throw out things like this where there was absolutely NOTHING giving any indication of racism you only make things worse. It also lessens the credibility of your argument.

[LooseCannon]

Also, why do things like this always have to devolve into a "race relations" debate?  It's nonsense, and shouldn't have anything to do with the topic.

Come on guys.

It shouldn't have anything to do with the topic, but in America it's hard to realistically talk about crime and punishment without understanding that race is a significant factor.  It's so significant that it would be reasonable to automatically ask "would the same thing happen if he were white" as the first question any time a black man is accused of any crime.  There's an unwillingness for some parts of America to admit that there is a level of racism more subtle than white hoods and burning crosses.

[Yogi]

Can ANYONE on here please give me ONE possible reason that the policeman would have to make up this story?

My suggestion to you is not to use the words "ONE possible reason" if you are not capable of discussing in abstract terms.  I gave you one possible reason.  I did not say that was the case here. 

Here are other possible reasons:
1. The policeman bet against Kentucky in the NCAA championship 2 years ago.
2. Terrence Jones had a one night stand with his baby sister.
3. The homeless man was his secret lover.

There are a million reasons why the policeman could lie, racism being one.

[timobusa]

He should be suspended, with no pay, and sleep on the streets for at least a week.

[danglertx]

I'm just going to throw this out there, but how do we know the homeless guy wasn't black, or the cop for that matter?

I also don't buy the point of view that he was drinking and if he apologizes it is OK.  What?  Drinking doesn't make you a different person, it reveals the person you are.  And to attack a homeless man just because you "think you can" is pretty revealing about a person's character.

Naturally we are ignorant of a lot of facts.  Which is why we should withhold judgement.

It's amazing how the word "stomp" became attack.  What if the word nudge was used? or a poke?  Reality could range from nudge to poke to kick to stomp. 

The homeless person would claim stomp because that would get him the most money.

Jones would claim nudge because that portrays him in the best light.

The officer might choose his own word depending on his personal bias. 

Since we have almost no knowledge of what actually transpired, it would be best to stop passing judgement.

You don't get arrested for "nudging" a person.  And stomping someone is attacking them, just like punching someone would be attacking them.

I also didn't say he did it, I said a person who does it shows something about their character.  I'm willing to wait to see the facts, but the facts that have been presented so far shows a person with a serious lack of character.  If it comes out that he didn't really does this, I'd still say if you stomp on a homeless man because you can it shows a real lack of character and being drunk isn't an excuse.

[EJPLAYA]

Can ANYONE on here please give me ONE possible reason that the policeman would have to make up this story?

My suggestion to you is not to use the words "ONE possible reason" if you are not capable of discussing in abstract terms.  I gave you one possible reason.  I did not say that was the case here. 

Here are other possible reasons:
1. The policeman bet against Kentucky in the NCAA championship 2 years ago.
2. Terrence Jones had a one night stand with his baby sister.
3. The homeless man was his secret lover.

There are a million reasons why the policeman could lie, racism being one.

My suggestion to you would be to own up to the fact that you clearly have a major issue with race and policeman, and you need to assess whether or not that is helping you in life or hurting you. I can promise you that claiming racism over evrything does nothing but further divide things. We have made HUGE strides as a country when it comes to racism and this type of thing doesn't help. I am judging the man based on the content of his character vs his skin color just like the good Reverend would hope we would do. Is it POSSIBLE that this didn't actually happen the way the victim and the cop said? Sure. It is also possible that OJ was really innocent as well... 

[indeedproceed]

Terrance Jones should have the headline, 'suspended for the year for being a cruel hurtful SOB.

(Son of a biscuit)

[indeedproceed]

Also, why do things like this always have to devolve into a "race relations" debate?  It's nonsense, and shouldn't have anything to do with the topic.

Come on guys.

It shouldn't have anything to do with the topic, but in America it's hard to realistically talk about crime and punishment without understanding that race is a significant factor.  It's so significant that it would be reasonable to automatically ask "would the same thing happen if he were white" as the first question any time a black man is accused of any crime.  There's an unwillingness for some parts of America to admit that there is a level of racism more subtle than white hoods and burning crosses.
[/quote

I agree and disagree with this. I agree that racism often gets downplayed, especially by white people. I also disagree that it's reasonable to always say, 'would it be the same if he were white'. In our current system, it's much more viable to ask, 'would it be the same if he were poor/just an average guy'.

But race and economic class definitions are often one and the same.

[Yogi]

My suggestion to you would be to own up to the fact that you clearly have a major issue with race and policeman, and you need to assess whether or not that is helping you in life or hurting you. I can promise you that claiming racism over evrything does nothing but further divide things. We have made HUGE strides as a country when it comes to racism and this type of thing doesn't help. I am judging the man based on the content of his character vs his skin color just like the good Reverend would hope we would do. Is it POSSIBLE that this didn't actually happen the way the victim and the cop said? Sure. It is also possible that OJ was really innocent as well... 

1.  Yes I have an issue with racism and abuse of power.  I will have those issues whether it helps me in my life or not. 
2.  No one claimed that the policeman lied because he was racist.  Certainly not I.  I claimed we should wait until we have more information and pointed out that the policeman COULD have lied because he COULD be racist.
3.  It is very debatable how much progress we have made.  It is also not very relevant to this thread.
4.  You are judging a man based on one or two sentences you read on a twitter feed.  Unless you happen to personally know Terrence Jones or witness what actually happened you do not know the content of his character.
5.  OJ was acquitted by the legal system.  But of course you are judging OJ based on the content of his character which you pieced together from limited and incomplete information from the media. 

[Eja117]

You know....I don't really live in the city


Does anyone know if it's normal police procedure to see two men sleeping in a doorway, do absolutely nothing, then suddenly care when an NBA basketball player tells them to wake up and stomps them?  Is that typical inner city policing?  People sorta get a license to sleep wherever they want, but once they get stomped that's when the police spring into action? 

It's like "Hey man! He was sleeping!  How would you like it if someone woke you up while you were sleeping?  Hey I don't want to hear your excuses about how he was sleeping in the door of your building. It's summer time. Camping is totally legal.  Didn't you camp while you were a kid? Hey. I'll tell em not to loiter or offer to take em to a shelter when I feel like it. Don't tell me how to do my job and I don't tell you how to do yours. That's it punk. You're under arrest!"

Is that how it goes?  Because that's what I'm getting from it. Unless the officer is saying he just coincidentally happened upon the scene at the exact moment this happened and this is how he dealt with it.  Is anyone saying the homeless guys were harmed by the way? Do we have injuries? 

This all just seems bizarre to me. 

[OsirusCeltics]

The way the story is brought up is very similar to the Trayvon Martin story vs the James Holmes movie theater shooting story

Trayon, caught in a scuffle with a neighborhood watch guy, wan't accused of doing anything criminally wrong. But yet the media had its way with demeaning Trayvon's character like he "wore gold teeth" or "got kicked out of school"

While the Holmes movie theater guy actually killed several people, in a pre-meditated murder fashion. But the media actually tried to humanize this fellow, bringing up his school credentials and upbringings in life


I say we wait till the details of the story come out, before we pass judgement