- Video shows what is consistent with a push by Nathan Tabor on Govenor Spencer before the punch.
- The Winston-Salem Journal reported that Spencer says Tabor shoved him in the neck.
- Tabor himself said on national TV that he pushed Spencer before Spencer punched him
Local attorney, blogger and recent candidate for Guilford County Commissioners Sam Spagnola in the comments at Ed Cone's blog goes through all sorts of self-deluding justifications for denying that Tabor pushed Spencer (including saying that Tabor himself doesn't know what he is saying), but the most disturbing example of rejecting reality in favor of a politically motivated hallucination is this:
Sam says the reason we see Spencer's head and torso jerk back in the video is not because of the push Tabor says he delivered or because of the shove in the neck Spencer says he received. No. Sam says:
Spencer is moving backwards because he is grabbing Tabor's arm with both hands at close range and is off balance.I can find no frames of the video that show that kind of contact at the moments when Spencer is seen falling backwards. There is however, video that shows a complete contradiction to the illusion Sam describes.
There were two cameras that captured the shove and the subsequent punch: Tabor's and a bystander's. The view from one can be synchronized with the perspective of the other by synchronizing the sound which is common to both.
The movements of the push/shove are captured by both cameras. It begins as Tabor says, "And don't touch my wife, you got it?" This is where Spencer's backwards momentum begins, the point at which Sam says Spencer is "moving backwards because he is grabbing Tabor's arm with both hands at close range and is off balance."
Where are Spencer's hands at this moment, when Sam says Spencer's "left hand is on Tabor's wrist?" Tabor's camera captures Spencer's left hand as the shove begins:
Clearly, if the word clearly has any meaning, Spencer's hand is empty -- empty of anything including Tabor's wrist. Spencer does latch onto Tabor's writ near the conclusion of the shove, but to describe the video showing Spencer falling backwards because he is "he is grabbing Tabor's arm" is, well, it is a willful and intentional rejection of reality. Spencer could not possibly be falling backwards from grabbing Tabor's arm with "his left hand on Tabor's wrist," because Spencer's hand is empty as his movement backwards begins. Sam is wrong.
This isn't the only instance of Spag ignoring facts. Spag argues that liberals are working to divide the races while many of Tabor's supporters are vocal conservatives and proud racists who make no effort to hide their identity. Just browse through the comments on the facebook pages in support of Tabor and his political efforts. The ones containing the "n" word have been deleted but there are references to "troglodyte", "animal" and "gorilla" from Tabor's supporters.
ReplyDeleteIf any of these folks attended the rally that Tabor organized than it isn't a far stretch to assume that the footage of the brawl between Spencer and Tabor was heavily edited (which is quite obvious) to conceal any racist views that may have been put forth before the fight started.
Again, I call on Ms. Tabor to confirm or deny that she was assaulted. I call on anyone in possession of unedited footage to come forward so we can all gain a better understanding of what really happened; I call on Mr. Tabor and the group "Conservatives for Guilford County" to stop verbally attacking those who don't agree with their version of events and to distance themselves from the racists who support them.
Where is the "shove" in the photos you posted Roch?
ReplyDeleteYou say this is when it occurred, but you have no evidence to support it.
All I see is a torso and a hand- which by the way is NOT the portion of the tape I am referring to.
I will do my best later this evening to break down the frames to illustrate my argument.
"All I see is a torso and a hand- which by the way is NOT the portion of the tape I am referring to."
ReplyDeleteYet, it is the beginning of Spencer's movement backwards, prior to the punch, which you explain was not a shove because Spencer was pulling on Tabor's arm. So one of your premises is wrong. Either the portion of the tape you were referring to was not of the push or Spancer was not pulling on Tabor's arm when he moved backwards. (Hint: It is the later.)
Please see this post. The series of five frames there show the shove from the bystander's camera. They overlap the frames above from Tabor's camera, i.e. the shove beginning with Spencer empty-handed.
It's possible we aren't talking about the same backwards movement.
ReplyDeleteThere is no question Tabor lifted his arm out. Whether it was a block or a push can't be verified by either video. It appears to me from the bystander video that Spencer moves back from Tabor lifting his arm at close range. Spencer then grabs the arm moving backwards tugging on it. Tabor stumbles forward. Spencer releases the arm and punches Tabor in the face.
Again, I will try to post frames of my argument later, software permitting.
It's possible there is truth in both versions.
Exactly... "Tabor himself" has given us the sequence of events.
ReplyDelete1) Spencer was leaving.
2) Tabor follows Spencer.
3) Tabor shoves Spencer (looks more like he threw a punch to me, but tomato tamahto).
4) Spencer punches Tabor.
I've seen this scenario a million times at my weekend job.
1) Two men get into a verbal confrontation (Tarheels vs Wolfpack, Ginger vs Mary Ann, Kirk vs Piccard, Team Edward vs Team Jacob).
2) One man has sense enough to try to leave before it escalates into a physical confrontation.
3) The other man, however, isn't content to just agree to disagree. He follows the man on his way out, pushing at him and making increasingly stupid remarks all in a deliberate attempt to escalate the situation.
4) He gets his arse kicked and then attempts to claim that he's the victim.
It was the 2nd shooter on the grassy knoll.
ReplyDeleteso who's gonna write the book? I guess Bledsoe wouldn't work out so hot.
ReplyDeleteMy post is up on The Spag Report. You don't have to agree with it. I won't call you a liar or a moron or lazy if you don't.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, I will stand by my analysis that Spencer does not have a claim of self defense even if he was pushed by Tabor.
But I guess that prediction is simply based on my "ideological blindness".
Am I correct that some of the video is missing/edited? Which is it?
ReplyDeleteA real problem if edited in my opinion.