Kelly Thomas was schizophrenic, and homeless. The potential danger he could have caused to one policeman may have warranted such a response, but for several officers to use deadly force upon one mentally ill man is unacceptable.
We've become frighteningly accustomed to police violence. Struggle and resistance should not be a death sentence. The man was obviously mentally disturbed at the time of the incident, and the police officers should have NEVER reacted in the way that they did. So he didn't listen to the officers. Did you expect him to? As I said before, he's schizophrenic and was obviously having episodic symptoms at the time of his "arrest". You cannot use physical violence against someone simply because they "won't listen". It's unacceptable. All that needed to be done was to have him physically restrained; there was no need to beat him, to strike him in the face with the butt of a taser.
We need to realize that police officers are becoming more and more immune to the justice system, just as the wealthy are. They can beat, torture, and kill a person and receive little to no punishment for their actions. There were a hundred different ways the officers could have handled the situation, but instead they used deadly force. Perhaps they weren't trained to deal peacefully with citizens; perhaps they're now being told to use as much force as possible, and to use that force to subdue the masses as a way to show authority. Sound 1984-ish? Perhaps it is.
At the same time, can you blame policemen for carrying out their training? I haven't heard the details of the case and how culpable the police involved were considering the evidence, but like many organizations police follow rules and procedures. It's like the military, there's too much at risk if people don't follow rules and procedures. Unfortunately, the procedure might not be up to the task, and as we have seen here, even harmful. Is this event justified? No. Is it regrettable? Of course. But are the police guilty of doing something wrong? I think it's difficult to make that case.
I don't think the police are out there to get you. They're normal people like you and me. I know some cops and people aspiring to be cops myself. They don't want to beat, torture, and kill people. They're just trying to do their jobs and get on with their lives. Just like people who work in retail, they have to deal with stupid people too. I don't think he was mentally disturbed at the time. In any case, it's hard for anyone to tell. Are they using as much force as possible? I don't think so. They used excessive force, but I don't think they were doing it premeditated.
You cannot use physical violence against someone simply because they "won't listen".
That's resisting arrest. Using force against those who don't comply been done since the beginning of time, and I don't see what's changed to make it unacceptable now. He wasn't physically restrained, how could they have gotten him into the cruiser in that state? This is what police are trained to do. I don't think that's wrong in principle, although there were opportunities for the police to de-escalate the situation. Again though, as long as police were following procedure, it'll be to that extent that they cannot be found guilty.