Piece of shit pig with nothing better to do than bully a bunch of kids. And cops wonder why they are laughed at. Make yourselves useful and protect and serve. Cowards.

another exaple of simillar behavior happened to Set It Straight, a great hard core punk band from cali. Just you tube it, it’s all over the web.

Piece of shit pig. Protect and serve assholes. Cowards.

What is Two Gallants? Is that more stupid “Texas Music”???

hmmm that was some concert they were playing there..what were there like 15 people there…lmao…why is this news???

hes hispanic. that figures.

To Andy – Two Gallants are the best band that Rolling Stone has yet to notice. Check out a live show and you will see why their fan base is so rabid.

To RS – Review the live show in your mag next time they cross the states.

To John – This is news because cops can’t go fighting with artists on stage at venues they were hired to play at. If you can’t figure that out then go buy tickets to see Coldplay or Dave Matthews. Stick with established acts that people tell you to like. Join the flock.

To Anonymous – What does being hispanic have to do with it?

pigs

The older I get, the more I hate cops.

These kind of incidents are just fucking depressing and unbelievable. Fuck the power-hungry cops.

Some how a fantastic idea of a country – by the people for the people – has gotten lost.

Sad

Looks like the police officer dealt justly in that situation…I think the rest of you guys are way off…

i happened to be there and witness this shit…i wanna know why the pig confronted the band about the noise complaint instead of the guy at the soundboard…luckily i got out before he started tasin bitches

and to the dumbasses writing this band off for having no people at the show and being “another stupid texas band”…two g’s are from san francisco and they are signed to saddle creek records…ive been to about 5 of their shows over the last two years and this one had the most people show up, about 80 people, which is pretty damn good for a band from the west coast comin to texas and alsogets no press at all. and who the hell disses texas music anyways…havent u people ever heard of townes van zandt

WAY TO GO “ANONYMOUS”..WAY TO BE A TOTAL ASSHOLE….
my friend was there and even she doesnt know what happened…

Very typical of Houston cops. Terrible.

Easily the best band of the last six years. People are writing them off as a Texas band without knowing anything about them. They’re from San Francisco, and their second CD closes with a nine minute anti-Bush ballad. Not exactly a red state band.

why do you care where a band is from? does it make them sound better or worse if they are from a particular city or state vs. another? geeze, take off the blinders. If you’ve never been or if you have your head stuck up your @ss, Texas has a great music scene and has spawned some solid bands…

why would the cop just go right up on stage? wouldn’t one try and find the manager or someone in charge first? or get with security at the venue? are cops just allowed into shows like that by showing their badge? answer me dammit!

My only thing is this: Couldn’t the cop have waited until the song was over, maybe get the attention of someone in charge, not just bust up in there all gung-ho? I mean, not only does he have no concern for the safety of the people around him, he has no concern for himself. Seems stupid. But who am I? I don’t even know what really happened. No one does yet.

Yes, cops are allowed to go up to “shows” like that. The place serves alcohol. Any establishment that does serve alcohol, cops have the authority to go into any part of the building. Not to mention he received a noise complaint (law violation) from an individual that the cop was required to handle. He went to management and had the sound turned down before the sound was turned up prior to the cop leaving (another law violation). The singer pulled away from the cop or pushed the cop (another law violation), whom ever you believe, which was the second mistake on the bands part. If you watch the video, numerous hands are all over the officer (another law violation) pushing him away from the band singer (another law violation). From the looks of some of the people on the video, they did not appear to be the peace activist that they probably would like to promote. Good Officer. Good job.

This is typical for police in the Houston area. I am a professor who had taught at one campus for 15 years. They had a fairly new officer who insisted I could not possibly be a professor, harassed me, threatened to tow my vehicle from faculty parking (even though my parking tag was clearly visible), etc. Houston is still the wild west when it comes to law enforcement. Many officers are nice, but there are still quite a few like this officer. Tasering a 14 year old accidently should be enough to remove him from the force, but my guess is he will get a promotion.

This source of this problem is the City of Houston, not the police or the band. Over the past 20-30 years, the city council has FAILED to enact zoning laws for business such as bars and residential housing. The result is houses “next door” to a bar. It is soooo stupid! I have seen this happen before to a friends band. The cop came up to the stage 3 times. After the 3rd time, the band just quit playing and left.

Shop , Let me know when you are hosting your next nazi party

Yes, this is HPD. The one good cop they had was fired for speaking out against the corruptness of the force here in Houston. Not only are they ill-trained meatheads but they’re fascists too. Surprise, surprise.

there’s no way that tasering a 14 yr old kid is a cop doing a good job. Cops are cops whether you are in texas or in new york where I saw an old woman at a protest at the UN get trampled underfoot by a horseman. No joke. The fact is, they don’t care what we have to say. They can bend the rules to fit whatever corruption they want. These are good guys and they could be playing anywhere anytime, and they could be any band, the fact is that our civil rights mean squat in the face of a police officer. He has the right to do whatever he wants legally. Doesn’t mean he’s a good person or a good cop. We are at the mercy of our police. Militias though allowed by the Constituition can’t muster enough force to even dent the PD army that America has amassed. The fact is the Kings Guard is meant to keep the King in power. We the people have as much power in a contest between cops and regular folks as peasants in feudal times.

Well, I’ll just post the comments I presented to the Houston City Council meeting yesterday here as they are somewhat appropritate.

“…I myself have seen noise violations handled professionally and courteously numerous times by members of the HPD. Even on the few occasions where I have seen the police at the receiving end of taunts from a few crowd members, I have seen the police keep their cool and diffuse a situation admirably. What happened on Friday was quite out of the ordinary.

First I should note that this was an all-ages show with a good number of people not drinking so I very much put into question HPD’s categorization of the crowd as aggressive drunks. Secondly, the officer also suggests he was mobbed and felt threatened. If anything the video shows the officer’s actions to be so excessive that the audience felt threatened. Yes, people do pull the officer and the guitarist apart but clearly because they fear for the guitarist’s safety – one person can even be seen trying to diffuse the situation after they are pulled apart. At this point the officer still had the ability to diffuse the situation, but instead he chose to charge through the club tasering people (notably a 14-year-old) and even cold-cocking a person video taping his actions.

I believe it is always better to diffuse a situation rather than escalate it. Officer Rodriguez chose the latter through excessive force. I would like to see a full investigation that examines the video, photos, and eye-witness accounts to determine whether proper procedure was followed. If procedure was not followed then Officer Rodriguez should be properly reprimanded for his actions. If procedure was followed then I believe that the procedure should be modified.”

I guess you really -can- stop the rock after all. And sometimes it might actually even be a good thing…

oh, yes, when a cop shoves musicians to the ground because of a noise complaint, the cop is so very clearly in the right. please, people.

Ramon’s statement says it best. Basically this officer handled the situation utterly, completely the wrong way. I booked shows for years at Walter’s and Mary Jane’s across the street and we never had an issue like this. When we did have a noise complaint, the officers rarely bothered to go any further than the door, instead asking us to turn it down (which we did) and promptly getting on their way to finding real crime. Officer Rodriguez is not representative of the way HPD has handled noise complaints in the past, nor is he representative of the way a standup officer conducts himself, and his actions sure as hell aren’t representative of Southern hospitality.

even if you play devils advocate and concede everything that ’shop’ says in his post, it still doesn’t explain the cop aggressively storming the stage .. he escalated the situation and wasn’t even going after the people causing the problem which was the sound guys.. and after that, both sides have some explaining to do

Whoa, Matt. I love music just as much as the next guy, but you can’t get all communist because one cop handles one situation improperly. I would love to see this officer be demoted to a desk-job, but I’m not going to use him as a symbol for police in the entire country. Believe it or not, there are good cops out there. It’s just that the few bad ones give the rest of them a bad name, which is why there is a council for such things. Chill out; not everything is a conspiracy from right-winged conservatives (your King) to trample on the rights of U.S. citizens.

Who forgot to tell you that when an officer tells you to do something you should do it. What was a 14 year old doing in a bar?

I was also at Walter’s when this took place doing a sociological field study for the University of Houston. I was also tasered by the police officer, although you will only read about that in an article printed on Sunday by the Houston Chronicle. To be clear, Officer Rodriguez created this situation. He didn’t give the club’s manager any opportunity to turn the music down. He walked straight up to the stage and demanded that the Two Gallants guitarist stop playing. Regardless of whether or not it would have been a smart move for the Two Gallants to comply without question, the cop had absolutely no authority to use the kind of force that he did (I would like to remind everyone that this was a NOISE COMPLAINT, not a drug bust). The 14 year old boy was there with his parents, last time I checked it wasn’t unusual for families to attend concerts together, or other places where alcohol is served… like restaurants, baseball games, etc… I was tasered nonchalantly as the officer walked by me, I had absolutely no part in anything that took place on the stage, nor did I ever touch the police officer. I hope that clears up some of these misinterpretations.

At the same time this incident took place: a crack deal went down, several kids shot, couple women raped. But let’s look on the bright side…..atleast someone got a good night’s sleep….someone that decided to buy a house next door to a rock club……ehhh

I just read another article stating, “McDuell said the officer’s approach was commendable and that it was fortunate that he (Meaning Officer Rodriguez, the officer in question) used a Taser instead of a weapon.” This comment infers that Sgt Nate McDuell would have considered firing at the crowd an acceptable response….., over a NOISE complaint?!? There was no threat to life or limb for this officer. In addition, I don’t know many places that where the Band has control of the music, even if they do, could the playing have gotten louder due to an architectural acoustic difference toward the exit of the building or do to a change in the song that normally meant for a certain part to be played differently? The Cop has no proof of a a crime, it was a BAND playing at BAND levels in a Bar. He agressively initiated contact in a physically menacing way. How do I know it was physically menacing? Because cops are trained to carry themselves in a way that denotes power, authority and intimidation.

In addition he approached a group of twenty-something rockers, not a group well known for social conformity or respect for authority, in a situation where they are hyped on adrenaline from the performance, and one where alcohol very well could have been involved. Then because the officer states, the artist used a sexual obsenity and made contact with the officers shoulder, that throwing the artist to the ground and then circling the bar and teasering the patrons was not only a respectable response, but that we as citizens should be thankful he didn’t use a gun on a crowd of UNARMED people. And this Einstien wonders how things got out of control? You cannot scream in the nursery and then blame the baby for waking up.

Besides if someone using a sexual obsenity or brushing against your shoulder was means to be thrown to the ground and then tasered, 80% of DC Metro area would be twitching on the ground. Its an unjustified response.

Unfortunately most cops do not care to consider the meek yet affect alternatives to approaching a situation that do not result in the thrillingly aggressive state of chaos they desire. One Police Friend’s online comment stated , “…that when an officer tells you to do something you should do it.”. I would agree with that, if cops made good morale and consciencious decisions in relation to the best course of action for the community as a whole. Unfortunately most cops are below average intelligence, dangerously self-motivated, statistically unfaithful, morale deviants who are abusing power as a way of compensating for unresolved feelings of inferiority, or a cheap rise to counter the pot they smoked, which by the way they probably confiscated from some other 14 year old they would have preferred to taser.

However, I do believe that all police officers salaries should be doubled, but the bar for hiring should be three times as high and include an in depth psychological analysis, to weed out these dimwitted, bad natured elements. Then, ANYtime a police officer decideds to take action that incites this type of situation, he should be immediately dismissed. There is no room for mistakes, there are no second chances, and yes we are allowed to be extra-critical of the police because of the power of thier position demands that the use of that power be questioned.

Amnesty International has a some good articles on how safe tasers are, and how abused they are here in the states. No one cares… America’s too busy thinking about it’s possesions to care about others. Or if you search different major cities newspapers you can find some pretty disturbing things. From cops tasering people in wheelchairs, to cops admitting to using tasers frequently on nonviolent people. The fact that America doesn’t care should be the big concern here.

I agree, don’t like tasers. Having said that, every city that has their officers armed with tasers has had a dramatic drop in officer injury claims, which means more cops on the street, and faster arrival times for arrival on life or death calls. That means less deaths to the general public. Their is no proof that tasers kill anyone. Most people who die after being tasered are usually coked up on drugs and would have died anyway. One suicidal guy i heard of died after getting tasered on top of a building, but the tazer didn’t kill, the fall did.

Snake Anthony – “No one cares… America’s too busy thinking about it’s possesions to care about others.” Why don’t you shut up? You have frickin’ wealth envy. I wish you people would stop wagging your finger at everyone else around you like you are morally superior. Asshole.

Who cares what Amnesty International reports about taser use in the U.S.? I rarely read about problems with overzealous cops using tazers. I don’t like cops myself much, but I admit that the vast majority aren’t dickheads like this guy. Relax a little bit and think instead of reacting to everything you read from AI.

Police Friend – Just because a police officer tells you to do something doesn’t mean you have to. They still have to have probable cause and warrants. We may not be in the absolute bastion of freedom ever invented, but we still have rights. And 14 year olds in Texas can be in bars with their parents. If people like you would learn to mind their own business we wouldn’t have as many problems with cops tazering indie rock guitarists. You douche bag.

read more about it..

http://blog.myspace.com/ dsharber
http://pub16.bravenet .com/forum/1366218622/show/646 762

send officer rodriguez a letter,

officer g. rodriguez badge # 7584
Police Public Affairs Division
1200 Travis, 21st Floor
Houston, Texas 77002
713-308-0040
(FAX) 713-308-3260

if this guy stays a cop, then there’s no god. tazing kids for no reason at all. punching a guy with a camera, because he was recording it. the asshole knew he was doing shit he wasnt supposed to and didn’t want to get caught.

what a fucking coward.

The real question is did the cop go to management first? And does that manager confirm what happened? If any information from cops testimony contradicts it could be bad news for him in court. The band member had cause of concern that a cop is up on stage telling him to stop playing which is unsual to do in first place by a cop. Either this cop is inexperience or over the top. A police officer in their right mind would never try to confront a band alone knowing there would be a riot.Very poor judgement on the officers part. When the officer grabbed the band member that was the first error. A cop would call back up before facing a crowd. So no..this officer was approaching this all wrong from the start. ESPECIALLY, in the wake of what happened to Officer Rodney a few weeks ago..seperate issue..RIP. But officers would use more caution. There were adult parents there watching underage so this was not a wild crowd. I am surprised parents did show restraint. But I believe the crowd were concerned that the officer was going over the edge and were there in case he used too much force. This officer wasn’t thinking. And the other officers were cool with the band afterwards according to the band members.But I know from a promoters view I would sue this police officer. A noise complaint from a club? Who has heard of that?????????? It’s a club.

jonny

why do cops litter, break the speed limit by 20mph, ride people’s bumpers, and cut people off. because they can. but they don’t have any trouble pulling somebody over giving them an $86 dollar ticket for 3mph speeding, and a $1000(yes this is correct) dollar ticket for littering when all you did is flick ashes out of the window(not the cigarrete). cops are full of crap when they say they are here to protect and to serve. what happens if a cop is having a bad day, he’ll make you have a bad day.

someone told me this made it to rolling stone magazine. andrew kerwin is in the Ovens too. i know that guy. hes pretty tite. all this is pretty funny. sucks about the $1400.

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