Hamilton County paramedic resigns after civil rights charges

Looks like they're a few fries short of a Happy Meal.

Just plain STUPID!!! What IDIOTS!!

I guess Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton won't be coming to town, afterall.

Not the three sharpest knives in the drewer thats for sure

How can you be a healer of our county's people if you are shouting insults at them, young man?

How would someone expect to explain "civil rights charges" during a job interview? "I was stupid," is not going to be enough for most employers. With no employment, how would a young man provide for his family or himself?

We can only hope that these people find some kind of spiritual forgiveness before they are involved in a situation that is even worse.

This prank is not going to seem as funny when they are subjected to a background check for routine employment. This is exactly the sort of boorish behavior that can lead to significant economic setbacks. Getting jailed is not often seen as a vocational perk, either.

Guess who the neighbors are in the poorhouse? In jail?

Did you notice that you were shouting insults at the poor?

Guess who the neighbors were the entire time? These same people who were being insulted. What idiocy. What poor choices.

We hope that these young men grow into being better people. There's more potential for this community than acting so poorly towards others.

White Trash that has nothing else to do, but be damn stupid. Why didn't they get out of the car throwing lit fireworks and intimidating. The front page of the TFP would read an entirely different story>>>> EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA Three dump white boys got out of their car throwing lit fireworks, intimidating, and got their asses beat down in East Lake Courts projects.... residents minding their business.

What puzzles me is Smiley resigned (as he should) yet the "toxic" woman who blow dries hair is still flapping her jaws and remains seated on the school board (after being ASKED to resign). Something is not right in this picture. Smiley knew what he did was very wrong and stepped down, guess it doesn't work that way with an elected trouble maker.

I just read on another news media website that Smiley has resigned as a HC EMT. Hopefully this is not a tactic on Smiley's part. Hopeffuly too Hamilton County Emergency Management System operates differently than law enforcwment when they're officers are to be investigated. Where they're usually advised by their police union and supervisors to resign in lieu of the investigation. If the officer to be investigated resigns this stops all investigation. The officer can then re-apply for a position at a later date and nothing will go into his or her personnel file. Or they can apply to be jailers at the county jail or apply for position as housing authority cops.

Yes, they screwed up. Now, the one person that we've heard about doing the right thing by resigning his position with Hamilton County EMS is being bashed for doing just that. He should have thought about the consequences certainly but, now it looks as though he is making decisions to attempt, no matter how empty the gesture may seem to some, to make things right. Get off the man's back. He screwed up, it seems he knows it, and is, seemingly, trying attempting to make amends. Those of you bashing his attempt should be ashamed of yourselves.

PaulWilson, Smiley's resignation is not necessarily a gesture of kindness and or rethinking what he's done. As I stated, he was likely advised to resign in order to avoid an investigation that would go into his personnel file if he hadn't resigned. When all the media attention goes away he can re-apply for the position in Chattanooga or elsewhere, and no one will ever be the wiser. It the same advice often given to cops by their supervisors and police unions when an I.A. investigation is about to take place or is taking place.

In defense of the idiots, from the fingers of a Black man, they probably only meant to have some sort of depraved fun, not caring for the consequense as young folks might do. But, amnestiUSAF84 is correct. This young fellow, Smiley, whose ill advised participation in the act does not all of a sudden make the best move he could in resigning without being prompted. He has a life to live and no one can be mad at him for recieving advise, and more importantly, using it. He'll attempt to circumvent the system and resurface, for sure. But is that not what we all design to do after we make mistakes? I long to see this treated appropriately with our legal system and balanced in its weight.I am not mad at these fellows attempting to bounce back having learned from their horror.

They need enough time in jail to scare 'em from doing more wrong, enough community service to show that they can do what's basically right, and enough probation to mind that they don't get into big enough trouble too soon.

As a black man I must say here are three of the stupidest white guys on the planet.Im a black man and i dont go to East Lake courts for anything because I am afraid to.Wake up smell the coffee,read the news papers."People get Killed out there,for way less than what you shmoes did.consider yourselves lucky and for god sakes count your blessings.

drvibe, don't believe everything you see on the news or read in the papers. I'm a white guy who has many friends, black and white, living in E. Lake. Yes, white people do live @ East Lake Courts. The people get a bad rap for no other reason than for the most part they are often made up of Chattanooga's working poor-classes. I can guarantee you there's more that goes on in America white suburbia than in some of these impoverished communities. Most of it just remains behind closed doors or it's often downplayed.

Smiley's resignation was not the noble gesture some people are trying to make it out to be. As another poster suggested, it's a strategy most likely cooked up by his supervisor and attorney to keep his personnel files clean so he won't be damaged from either returning locally as an EMT or if he decides to seek employment in another state. The act had more to do with self-preservation, the first law of nature, than being remorseful for his actions.

With a few notable exceptions, the only thing this group on this thread needs is an Old West hanging tree.

They have the rope, the vigilante mindset, and they don' need no stinkin' trial.

Should they ever show a bit of life and err at 4AM some day, they better hope they don't have like thinkers on their jury.

Hounding these guys to death is what they're doing. Nothing will satisfy them but blood and a lifetime of misery.

They look inbred...especially that smiling fool.

rolando, all I can say is pot/kettle. How many times have you and your gang gone on your little vigilante rants without remotely considering due process when the accused was Hispanic or African-American?

PR that's why Smiley's attorney is trying to downplay the charge, claiming Smiley was overcharged. Anyone else would have been charged with several others crimes, including making terroristic threats in today's overly sensitive climate.

There's a young Indianapolis teen facing up to possibly 8 years in prison for placing a blow-up doll in the school restroom in an end of the year senior prank. He's only a teenager. These idiots here are grown men. One a supposedly professional. The 3 here got it quite easy with what they committed and having only one charge brought against them. People who have done less have faced harsher charges.

Personally, I hope their lives won't be destroyed over this like so many other young lives who've come in contact with the judicial system over the years and didn't get another chance. However, these three need a stiff reprimand so they will know this is not acceptable behavior. Otherwise, they will just laugh it off and do it again or worse at some later date.

If whats alleged is true, these guys really did screw up. It was stupid and is going to follow them for the rest of their lives. Getting a "good" job will be almost imposssible (unless their families have some good connections here in Chattanooga or elsewhere). But the fact of the matter is...... These guys can redeem themselves, and their future doesnt have to be as bleak and terrible as some of you true pharasiees hope for. You see God doesnt always choose the best by our standards, according to his word. I will use St Paul, George Forman and Malcolm X as a couple of examples that I know of. Im not saying these guys will change their attitudes, behaviors or beliefs, BUT THESE BOYS CAN and may in the future, do more to heal the Nations than any of the persecutors they now face. I honestly believe that this is the type of story that the TFP was looking for to push their point of view (East Lake Courts? Who in their right or sober mind would go there with firecrackers to harass people?), but that doesnt change anything as far as the charges these knuckleheads face,

They should make these 3 guys do hard labor community service in the East Lake Courts. The punishment would fit the crime. Perhaps one or all three of these idiots might get a new perspective on life.

that sounds like a good idea chef

Here is a most appropriate Mallard Fillmore strip for this thread:

http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and-games/fun/Mallard_Fillmore/

brokentoe, you know absolutely nothing about me. I actively defended the equal application of the law for over 20 years...and continue to so do. So keep your uninformed personal attacks in your own backyard.

Further, in answer to your pot/kettle remark I say, "If the shoe fits, wear it." Evidently, it fits you exceedingly well.

I actively defended the equal application of the law for over 20 years...and continue to so do

Yeah! rolandue. Not doubt you believe in equal application of the law for fellow skinheads and white sheet wearers.

first of all nobody knows these boys....news channel 9 re wrote the story and dont even really know what went on. for people to judge off of information that they dont even know is completely right? now thats whats messed up. people kill people around here and we hear worse things in rap music, yet nobody seems to care as much about that. we PAY to hear things like that in rap songs, yet its a huge deal now that someone SUPPOSEDLY said it? we dont even know if thats what really happened anyways. throwing firecrackers was stupid...but the rest might not even be true. before you start pointing your fingers make sure your fingers are clean.