The police have never had the highest reputation among the people. A lot of that comes from police violence and other abuses of power that many have experienced while dealing with officers. This recent incident in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania made it even clearer that not all police are thinking about the well-being of the people they interact with. A man who was parked nearby noticed a confrontation between a bus driver and an off-duty police officer. Sensing trouble, he pulled out his phone and recorded the event.
Through his car’s side mirror, you can see the Pittsburgh officer yelling at the bus driver. He shouted at the driver to give him his ID because he was the police. Due to the distance, it’s a bit hard to hear the driver’s exact responses, but it’s clear the bus driver wasn’t putting up with the officer’s yelling. The driver refused to give him his ID and refused to step outside. The whole thing happened in front of children who were riding the yellow school bus.
The two yelled at one another for some time, with curse words flying around. Eventually, the bus drove away, with the driver not fulfilling the officer’s demands. Allegedly, the whole thing started because the bus driver told the officer to move his car, which he didn’t seem to appreciate.
Once the video was posted online, people reacted fast. Many were angry at the officer’s behavior and how unprofessional he acted in front of kids. “Passengers that are children. What a poor display,” one user wrote.
Others wanted the officer’s identity to be uncovered so justice could be served. However, some believed that would be pointless since the man wouldn’t get into trouble. After all, it’s quite common to hear about police protecting each other even when they’ve done something wrong. “Piggies have no fear under this current administration. It’s a free for all right now with all layers of law enforcement with little to no repercussions on a level we haven’t seen for decades,” one commenter said.
Others questioned why the police were so obsessed with getting the bus driver’s ID. One Redditor commented, “Genuine question: why are they always obsessed with IDs? Are they hoping for an arrest warrant to assault/kill the person? Do they want to know where they live to harass them in the future? I just don’t get how that helps in situations like this.”
