A man riding a bike through Evansville, Indiana waves at a pair of police officers. The cops, who apparently have a pretty monstrous chip on their shoulders, stops George Madison Jr — a firefighter, respected youth pastor and a friend of the police chief. Officer Friendly pulls out his taser, “>cuffs Madison and pushes him to the ground.

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The police claim Madison made a rude gesture at them, but legal experts point out that Madison is well within his rights to make whatever gesture he wants — friendly, rude and otherwise — to passing police officers. My dad was a detective, and people frequently took advantage their constitutionally protected right to free expression if they saw his badge.

Via Ammon Skidmore.