Imagine that Wardlow had lucked out that day, and it was a neighbor of his on the street instead. This neighbor had a clean record, but had been rousted just like his friends more than once in the past by Chicago police, as is all too common. So he ran, and was chased by the cops. And in his panic, he struggled when they caught up with him and got whacked a couple of good ones in the head for his troubles. Enough to put him in the hospital.
Any arrest can be violent.
That's acceptable when you're removing a violent criminal from the streets. But it's not acceptable to let cops use violence against people who just don't want to be around police quite possibly for good reason. That's an invitation to put innocent people in harm's way by allowing cops to use force against folks who aren't even suspected of a crime . A police state. T he Supreme Court has an opportunity to draw an important line here, and one that is long overdue.