Happy 4th! Man faces 3 years for throwing a hot dog at a cop.
A St. Petersburg, Florida, food vendor had to come up with $2,500 for bail after he was arrested for allegedly throwing a hot dog at a cop. The officer told him to shut down his cart because his closed-street permit had expired, but Jason Stoll, 47, apparently in the middle of selling a hot dog, refused to immediately drop the hot dog and step away from the hot dog. Instead, Stoll allegedly committed “felony battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer” by throwing the hot dog and faces 3 years in prison if he’s found guilty, according to the New York Post.
It’s obvious to point out that officers face lesser repercussions for literally killing people. But I’m going to point it out anyway because the gap in consequences defies any and all logic. Because when officers commit “felony battery,” not with a tasty snack, but their fists, they get promotions.
Last week, a federal jury ruled that NYPD Lieutenant Giovanni Mattera used unreasonable force against Mary Tardif during an Occupy protest in 2012. The 8 person jury awarded Tardif, who’d been providing medical aid at the demonstration, $431,000. “I feel like I have actually known justice for the first time,” Tardif told reporters. Mattera is accused of slamming the 33-year-old to the ground with such force she suffered a brain injury.
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