Scott Henson, Trayvon Martin, & the Kinda Sorta Argument in Support of Racial Profiling

Apr 04, 2012 9 Comments by Rippa

OK, let’s face it: the only reason anyone is talking about Trayvon Martin is because he’s dead, and George Zimmerman hasn’t been arrested. Yes, if Zimmerman never followed Martin, pending on what the police did once they showed up after his 911 call, Trayvon may still be alive today. Yes, there would be no million hoodie marches, no outrage, and more importantly, n o discussion of Black men and the look of suspicion cast upon them. Trayvon would have eventually continued walking to his father’s fiance’s house a bit aggravated at having to pay the small price for being Black, but he would be alive to drink ice tea and eat Skittles yet another day. With that scenario in mind, I ask the following: is racial profiling really a bad thing? I mean it can’t be that bad if it prevents crimes, no?

Alright, so I realize that coming from me, that has to be an absurd question. But ever since a good friend and long-time reader tipped me off to a recent incident in Austin, Texas where she lives, I’ve been struggling to answer that very question myself. Now I realize that for someone like me — a professional racism-chasing minority — to be in support of racial profiling automatically makes me a hypocrite. Not only that, but by having that opinion serves as grounds for having my hood pass revoked and labeled a slave-catcher like Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson and others. So with that in mind, I found myself asking myself the following question: would racial profiling be a bad thing if it involved the profiling of white folks? After all, don’t we look at the redneck in his pickup truck with the Confederate flag bumper sticker sorta funny? Or what about the white boys with shaved heads, and swastika tattoos who wear Doc Marten boots? Or what about the guy in the child molester conversion van who just loves to pass out candy to kids at playgrounds?

Is it wrong to racially profile those guys?

After reading the story of Scott Henson, and his recent run-in with the police while walking down the street with his 5-year-old granddaughter, after a 911 caller reported what appeared to be an attempted kidnapping. I found the scenario to be familiar with one exception: Hanson is white and his grandchild is black. And let’s be honest: as oddly unusual a sight, I can see why someone would assume this to be an attempted kidnapping. And quite frankly, I can see why someone would want something done about it; at least, that’s what I think.

This according to newsone.com:

Scott Henson (pictured), a self-described White Texas redneck, was cuffed last Friday by a swarm of policemen, because he was walking his Black 5-year-old grandchild down the street. The Austin resident spoke to NewsOne about how he was accosted by police for being in the company of his grandchild, Ty(pictured).

Ty’s mother is not Henson and his wife’s biological child; the couple decided to raise her after her own father died. Still, the woman calls Henson and his wife “Mom” and “Dad,” and naturally, her daughter refers to the couple as her grandparents.

Henson’s grandchild typically spends Friday nights with her grandfather and his wife, so that the little girl’s parents can get a break. Last Friday, Henson, who is a journalist and creator of two popular blogsGritsforBreakfast and Huevos Rancheros, took his grandchild to a skating rink near his home as a reward for being a high achiever at school. The kindergartener grew tired of skating, so the pair decided to walk home rather than have his wife pick them up from the rink.

Ty’s mother is not Henson and his wife’s biological child; the couple decided to raise her after her own father died. Still, the woman calls Henson and his wife “Mom” and “Dad,” and naturally, her daughter refers to the couple as her grandparents.

Henson’s grandchild typically spends Friday nights with her grandfather and his wife, so that the little girl’s parents can get a break. Last Friday, Henson, who is a journalist and creator of two popular blogsGritsforBreakfast and Huevos Rancheros, took his grandchild to a skating rink near his home as a reward for being a high achiever at school. The kindergartener grew tired of skating, so the pair decided to walk home rather than have his wife pick them up from the rink.

After walking a distance from the rink, Henson felt as if he was being followed. Suddenly, someone called out to them, and it turned out to be a deputy constable.

“She told me to take my hand out of my pocket and to step away from Ty, declaring that someone had seen a White man chasing a Black girl and reported a possible kidnapping. Then she began asking the 5-year-old about me. The last time this happened, Ty was barely 2, and I wasn’t about to let police question her. This time, though, at least initially, I decided to let her answer. “Do you know this man?” the deputy asked. “Yes, he’s my Grandpa,” Ty said. “What did you say?” the deputy repeated. “He’s my Grandpa!” Ty yelled, then rushed back over to me and grabbed hold of my leg. “Okay,” the deputy responded.

The constable asked for Henson’s name and address, and he chose not to answer stating that if he was not being held for anything, he would like to take the child home. The woman complied and allowed Henson to leave.

Just as Henson and Ty were approaching their home, a police cruiser that had passed them by after the constable released them suddenly turned around and threw on his flashing lights. Four more police cars joined, surrounding Henson and Ty. Officers jumped out of their vehicles with tasers drawn, demanding that Henson throw up his hands and step away from the child. The officers grabbed the child and put her in the backseat of a vehicle. By now there were a total of nine to ten police cars surrounding Henson and his granddaughter.

“ I gave them the phone numbers they needed to confirm who Ty was and that she was supposed to be with me (and not in the back of their police car), but for quite a while nobody seemed too interested in verifying my story. One officer wanted to lecture me endlessly about how they were just doing their job, as if the innocent person handcuffed on the side of the road cares about such excuses. I asked why he hadn’t made any calls yet, and he interrupted his lecture to say, ‘We’ve only been here two minutes, give us time” (It had actually been much longer than that). Maybe so, I replied, sitting on the concrete in handcuffs, but there are nine of y’all milling about doing nothing by my count so you’ve had 18 minutes for somebody to get on the damn phone by now so y’all can figure out you screwed up.”

According to Henson, the same deputy constable who had questioned him earlier walked in on the scene and briefly looked his way as she spoke to police personnel. Soon after, a supervisor arrived and began questioning the officers. The woman came over to Henson and began explaining how the police department has to take complaints about possible kidnappings seriously. By this point, though, Henson felt he was guilty in the eyes of law enforcement for the “heinous crime of babysitting while white.”

After Henson was released, there were no apologies issued. After being interrogated, Ty was given a flashlight as a consolation prize. According to Henson, the deputy constable who could now barely look him in the eyes, “You knew better. This is on you.”

Now of course you know my motto: there are three sides to every story – there’s bullshit, bullshit, and there’s the truth. So with that in mind, and after reading Henson’s blog post myself, I decided to take a look into it and see what the police was saying. And well, I found their story to be intere4sting. Yep, their story even included a release of the dashboard camera video that tells a different story. Yep, Henson wasn’t beaten, tasered, or had a broomstick up the butt like any innocent Black man would have; but, I guess that’s because he was melanin deficient:

Like many of the people with whom I share the same skin color, I often complain about the lack of media coverage placed on missing Black children. I also complain about a similar lack of attention given to missing women of color – it’s a sad reality, and it’s all too real. Having said that, I can’t be mad at the woman who called 911 to report what she thought she saw. She could have simply ignored the fact that a little Black girl was being chased down the street by a white man like some of us Black folk would have done. You know, much in the same way we ignore the traffic that frequent drug houses in our communities? Oh please believe, we all know the dope spot; and, we all know what white folks are doing riding around in cars in those areas. We know it, and the police knows it; but, would it be wrong if he pulled said would-be Caucasian drug consumer?

Yes, so with that in mind, I’d have to say that the woman who found Scott Henson to be “suspicious”, just like George Zimmerman, she was right to call 911. For me, being vigilant and acting in the interest of safety and security in my neighborhood is what being a good neighbor is all about. But I guess in today’s world where we don’t even know our next door neighbors, being vigilant is a lost art. Hell, no wonder young folks are into that whole “Stop Snitching” thing.

This is what ignorance looks like; and why racial profiling continues to negatively impact the lives of minorities. This is what keeps us apart.

Look, the fact that we live in a society riddled with racism and prejudice is undeniable. As such, racial profiling will always be the order of the day. It has always been a problem for minorities when employed as a crime fighting tool by the police. As trusting as we’re taught to be of people in positions of power, the truth is, they’re not always right. Contrary to what your nightly news tells you, not all Black people are criminals; not all Latinos are “illegal immigrants”; not all people of middle-eastern heritage are terrorists; not all people of Asian persuasion are math, science, and computer geeks; and, though they may not say it on the news regularly, not all white people are racist and fearful of people of color. But maybe if more white folks were racially profiled and it lead to negative consequences, maybe the evil practice of racially profiling minorities would stop.

Maybe then and only then, would my 60-year-old mother would be without fear when she encounters young Black males in hoodies, baggy jeans, and doo-rags while she walks the streets of Brownsville out in Brooklyn, New York as she often does. Talking to her about Trayvon Martin I was ashamed when she told me this, but given the society within which we live, I can totally understand.

Now watch and learn about one Black police officers fight for justice:

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Activism, Black Men, Black Mothers, Children, Crime, Culture, Featured, Fuckery, Health, Hidden Racism, Justice, Latinos, Michelle Alexander, Parenting, Police Brutality, Police Shooting, Post Racial Society, Prison, Race Matters, Slave Catcher, Social Engineering, White Privilege, WTF?

Rippa

About the author

RiPPa is the creator, publisher, and editor-in-chief of The Intersection of Madness & Reality. As a writer, he uses his sense of humor, sarcasm, and sardonic negro wit to convey his opinion. Being the habitual line-stepper and fire-breathing liberal-progressive, whether others agree with him, isn’t his concern. He loves fried chicken, watermelon, and President Barack Obama. Yes, he's Black; yes, he's proud; and yes, he says it loud. As such, he's often misunderstood.

http://profiles.google.com/kealabrown Keala Jacobs

So, looks like Mr. Grits was mistaken (just a little).

Now about your mother and boys who look like Trayvon, I can understand considering where she lives. Where I live, boys who look like Trayvon, look like my son and his friends. I have no problem correcting them when I see them do wrong in public. I have no problem giving them words of encouragement when I see they need them. When I see those boys, I don’t consider them a threat or suspicious. They are common teenagers who are usually looking for a good football game or basketball game with other boys like them in the neighborhood.

I’m just saying.
- http://rippdemup.com/ RiPPa
  
  Hey, Keala!
  
  Oh I understand what you’re saying. But I don’t think it’s a matter of geography as in it being a byproduct of where my mother lives. I just think that she, like most people, are influenced or form opinions based on stereotypes reinforced by dominant culture.
http://heavyarmor.wordpress.com Heavy Armor

Rippa,

I actually had a reply to this that I was typing (along the same lines as this one), but I deleted about halfway when I came to a startling realization about this.

Sadly, your argument concerning Scott Henson is specious.

Here’s why:

“…Like many of the people with whom I share the same skin color, I often
complain about the lack of media coverage placed on missing Black
children. I also complain about a similar lack of attention given to
missing women of color – it’s a sad reality, and it’s all too real.
Having said that, I can’t be mad at the woman who called 911 to report
what she thought she saw…”

Would you have felt the same way about the Sanford Police with regard to Trayvon Martin had Zimmerman not killed him? Because police were being dispatched on the “suspicion” of Trayvon’s possible criminality – that does not exist – at this point. Trayvon, with nothing more than Skittles and Ice Tea, would have been accosted by officers, detained and (hopefully) remanded to police custody…until his parents could (again, hopefully) get him released.

All because Zimmerman, like the 911 caller, was being “vigilant.” But vigilant about what, exactly? Grabbing a running child by the hood of her jacket is not reason enough to call the police, especially since it is a common tactic used by parents/guardians/older caretakers/siblings to slow down fast running kids before they get too far away.

The APD’s second encounter was disproportionate, over-the-top, and most importantly unnecessary. Lost in this is the fact that when the first officer encountered Scott Henson, AFTER Ty had identified Scott her grandfather AND ran over to him and grabbed his leg (something that most children do when scared), was that once there was no signs of an ACTUAL kidnapping, whatever happened after that, like Scott Henson asserting his Fourth Amendment rights, is immaterial. There was no need for the 9 or 10 cruisers. No need for the police taking away the child. No need for the detainment. None. Complaining about the lack attention Black Women and Black Children get in kidnapping and murder cases (as victims) get does not justify this. Not now. Not ever.

Also, the fact that the APD chief felt necessary to make mention of “his fear” about bad press over a “Possible Missing Black Child” should send up a red flag.
- http://rippdemup.com/ RiPPa
  
  Here’s the thing: the media has portrayed Zimmerman as an overzealous loose cannon. Now I’m not suggesting that he isn’t, nor that he wasn’t on the night in question. However, what the media isn’t telling us, is that GZ’s vigilance has actually lead to at least a dozen arrests of people who were either in the process of committing a crime, or who had actually committed crimes on the property.
  
  Now, as it relates to Henson, I stand by my opinion that it was in fact a good idea for someone to dial 911 after seeing what she thought she saw. I’ve known of situations where a Black man is beating the shit out of a Black woman in public where there are many witnesses and nobody lifts a finger. As a matter of fact, a television network did an expose on something like this in NYC a few years ago. And you’d be surprised as I was to see how many people ignored what was happening in broad daylight.
  
  So, we can assume what would have happened had Sanford PD showed up before he was killed. But the truth is, we could only hope that the matter would have been resolved much in the same way Henson’s was. I’m sorry, but if I saw a white man running and grabbing a Black child, the father of four girls in me would be just as suspicious as the 911 caller and I would be compelled to act.
  - http://heavyarmor.wordpress.com Heavy Armor
    
    I am afraid, that, ultimately, you’ve missed both the smaller picture AND the larger one.
    
    Zimmerman assumed criminality because of Trayvon’s race. For that, I’ve raked him, his supporters, and the Sanford police over the coals for this. Whether Zimmerman’s vigilance lead to good acts in the past does not AND CANNOT excuse his behavior at all. “The Good Cop” defense is often deployed in when Innocent Men and Women of color are falsely arrested, charged, convicted, and executed. Some of them, like Zimmerman, were given the “Good Cop” defense, too. It does not change the facts of the case in front of us.
    
    Second:
    
    “…the father of four girls in me would be just as suspicious as the 911 caller and I would be compelled to act…”
    
    Compelled in acting to what? Compelled to act based on what?
    
    Just as Zimmerman acted against a Black child that he never knew, the 911 caller acted against BOTH a White man she did not know AND a Black child that she “assumed to know.” Because “The Caller” did not feel safe. The Caller “observed” a few seconds and decided that Kidnapping could be the ONLY logical explanation based on the events which she had seen. How is this different from Zimmerman seeing Trayvon walking and deciding that Criminal is the only logical explanation based on what he had seen?
    
    Secondly, your example here:
    
    “…I’ve known of situations where a Black man is beating the shit out of a
    Black woman in public where there are many witnesses and nobody lifts a
    finger…”
    
    Is the same kind of BS reasoning Zimmerman defenders have been using against Trayvon from DAY ONE. That has nothing to do with Scott Henson and his granddaughter walking down the street whatsoever.
    
    The police account of the first encounter with Scott Henson is telling, because they do not present any signs of ACTUAL kidnapping. There are no additional or subsequent calls of a kidnapped/missing child. There were no signs or signals that Ty did not know Scott and vice-versa. There was no crime in progress. Henson’s terseness with the police is as defensible as Skip Gates’; he is being accused of a crime where none exists – and when the facts on the ground contradict the charges, the matter should have been closed.
    
    In other words, nothing.
    
    There was NO reason for the subsequent 10 cruiser response, especially after the first police on the scene had no evidence of any actual kidnapping, abduction, or unlawful contact with a minor. When Hanson was not charged with ANY crime and was allowed to leave, that should have been the end of it. But it was not.
    
    It seems, that like Zimmerman with Trayvon, there is no consideration that Henson was doing as most parents do with children to keep them safe from other perceivable dangers (like the possibility of running out into the street) from you. The fact that Henson is White does not change the fact that this kind of thinking is dangerous. This is the kind of thinking that tears families apart. This kind of thinking is Security Theatre at its finest.
    
    And, most important of all, this kind of thinking does not even begin to look at the source of the problem. How is sending a sizable police force to accost a Grandparent looking after his grandchild going to help other Black kids who are kidnapped/abused/murdered receive their justice?
    
    Goose and Gander treatment does not cut it. Especially when it is used to justify Police State response.
    - http://rippdemup.com/ RiPPa
      
      First: how did you arrive at the conclusion that Zimmerman actions were motivated by Trayvon’s race? Could it be that with all the talk of hoodies, Skittles, and ice tea that you missed the bigger picture, my friend? On that point: given the evidence as we know it, how can you prove in court (which is what many are seeking) that his actions if motivated by race was indeed a hate crime?
      
      That second point about the 911 caller feeling threatened is egregious. She never called because she felt threatened. She called because she felt the life of a child who happens to be Black was in danger. And as for Zimmerman: do you know or are aware of the crime statistics for the gated community in question? I’m only asking because without it, it’s easy to assume without any objectivity as to the reason for GZ being suspicious.
      
      Again, I believe you have totally missed the point. We bitch about the value placed on missing Black children (and women), but when the police acts in the interest of safety and concern for a Black child, they’re wrong? Sorry, but I don’t get that.
      - http://heavyarmor.wordpress.com Heavy Armor
        
        Let’s take some of your points here:
        
        First:
        
        “First: how did you arrive at the conclusion that Zimmerman actions were
        motivated by Trayvon’s race? Could it be that with all the talk of
        hoodies, Skittles, and ice tea that you missed the bigger picture, my
        friend?”
        
        Fact as introduced by Zimmerman’s supporters: Zimmerman called 911 to report about Trayvon Martin’s supposed criminality. The report is that Trayvon is “acting suspiciously.”
        
        The suspicious activity WHICH LEAD TO THE 911 CALL in question (by Zimmerman), however, is not documented. Not by the police report, nor Zimmerman’s statement, nor supported by followup statements by Zimmerman’s attorney or public supporters. The reason why Zimmerman and the Sanford PD have focused like a laser on the “altercation” between Zimmerman and Martin (which occurs afterwards) is because both parties (GZimmerman and Sanford PD) have concluded there is NO legal leg for Zimmerman to stand on with regards to his initial 911 call.
        
        Trayvon Martin was NOT involved in any criminal activity at the time of Zimmerman’s call. Nor was Trayvon Martin wanted for any outstanding criminal conduct. Trayvon Martin was not recognized as a Criminal or a Person of Interest by Zimmerman at the time of the call. All of this is backed up by lack of disclosure of any of these facts by Zimmerman, his attorney, his supporters, the local DA’s office, or the Sanford PD.
        
        Given this, where else to you want to send a goose chase before admitting that Trayvon’s race is a major factor?
        
        Next:
        
        “…do you know or are aware of the crime statistics for the gated community in question?”
        
        Two important points about this question.
        
        First, as I have said earlier, this is the same BS framing that White Privilege and White Supremacy use when Black Men and Black Women are shot and killed by the Police for nothing more than being Black While (Fill in the Blank). This kind of question was deployed against Rodney King. And Amadou Diallo. And Sean Bell. And Oscar Grant. And, yes, even Trayvon Martin.
        
        Second, in a court of law worth its weight in lead, that question is irrelevant. Victim Trayvon Martin was not a criminal AND has not been tied to ANY criminal activity in the vicinity within or without the gated community AND Zimmerman (does not) and cannot personally claim eyewitness to alleged criminal activity by Trayvon, nor can Zimmerman (or the Sanford PD) produce witnesses or factual evidence of such. AND this evidence, if it ever existed, had to be made available to Zimmerman BEFORE his initial encounter with Trayvon prior to his 911 call. It had not, and none exists.
        
        And now:
        
        “We bitch about the value placed on missing Black children (and women),
        but when the police acts in the interest of safety and concern for a
        Black child, they’re wrong? Sorry, but I don’t get that.”
        
        The problem is that the police DID NOT act in the interest of safety of the Black Child. Ty was in the active custody of her GRANDFATHER. The 911 call was made by someone who ASSUMED that her Grandfather was a CRIMINAL. The initial encounter with Police corroborates Ty being with a trusted Guardian, and that should have been the end of it.
        
        Given that, how does being ripped from her Grandfather help Ty? How is seeing her Grandfather cuffed for no reason in Ty’s best interest? Where you see “a white man running and grabbing a Black child,” Ty HERSELF sees something very different: Her family.
        
        And you deny that from her because you ASSUME he is not.
        
        That’s the angle I’m not seeing you talk about.
        
        And that is what is missing from your commentary.
      - http://rippdemup.com/ RiPPa
        
        Context is everything; and, I’m sorry, but in a court of law there isn’t much room for conjecture.
        
        GZ called 911 because as he said on the tape, there is a man walking in the rain rather slowly and/or acting weird. Now, given the 911 call as you and I (and everyone) has heard it. Is it beyond reasonable doubt that he dialed 911 because TM was black? Yeah, try that one out in court and see how it turns out.
        
        What you’re failing to do, is to look at the scenario without the lens of race or racial bias. The history of racial bias in undeniable. However, when looking at the evidence as presented, in the interest of justice — true justice — it would behoove us to do so objectively.
        
        Now, if you can produce evidence to suggest that or show that GZ motivation for calling was the fact that TM was Black, then I’d say you may have a point. Was there another person walking slowly in the rain wearing a hoodie who was overlooked by GZ because they were white? We don’t know that. But like I said, in court it;’s all about what you can prove. That said, I’d love to see you prove GZ’s motivation behind the 911 call to one filled with contempt for Black folks.
        
        Do remember, he never mentioned the race of TM until he was asked and even then he wasn’t very sure. If what you say is true, I doubt the Feds would be going door to door as they have in the last few days to attempt to establish (or secure) evidence (or testimony from neighborhood residents) that suggests that GZ was in fact motivated by race. Why would they do that when they already have the tapes which in your opinion establishes that fact?
        
        Now, on to Henson:
        
        Did the police or even the 911 caller know that Henson was Ty’s grandfather? Hell no they didn’t. But, I suppose that such a call to 911 should be ignored, right? Now seriously, think about just how ridiculous that sounds.
        
        To suggest that the police never acted in the interest of the safety and well being of the child is egregious. And that was my point. We as people of color DO complain time and time again about the little value placed on our lives when it comes to the appropriate response or priority we have often been placed in the eyes of law enforcement when we are victims.
        
        In that instance, the police acted appropriately, and I’m glad that they did because again, we’re talking about the safety and well being of a child. As I’ve written before on this very site. There are at least two cases of children – children of color – being missing for days upon days without even as much as an issue of an Amber Alert.
      - http://heavyarmor.wordpress.com Heavy Armor
        
        OK, let’s dance.
        
        “…GZ called 911 because as he said on the tape, there is a man walking in the rain rather slowly and/or acting weird…”
        
        In short, Zimmerman starts his 911 call with the “He does not belong here” defense. The “slowly and/or acting weird” is open for interpretation. Zimmerman does not – at any time – describe a crime in progress OR a known criminal OR a person of interest from a previous crime.
        
        Zimmerman’s call bases this, apparently, on what he believes are “Furtive Movements.” Is he about to assault someone? Steal a car? Break into a house? Cause vandalism? Zimmerman NEVER SAYS what “acting weird” means.
        
        He never describes Trayvon’s “Furtive Movements.” Even after trailing Trayvon, he does not describe them.
        
        “He looks like he MIGHT…” does not stand up in any jurisdiction.
        
        “He does not belong here” is not a valid reason to request a police presence.
        
        Even looking at this “Without Racial Bias,” Zimmerman’s reasoning to place his call to 911, as well has his trailing a Black Youth (not involved in criminal activity), THEN CONFRONTING HIM WITH A FIREARM, is both irresponsible AND criminal. Removing “Race” from the equation, Zimmerman is a danger to himself AND the community around him.
        
        Zimmerman had no interest in justice. Nor, as his own run-ins with the law suggest, was he ever interested in serving the public trust or protecting the innocent. That he would ignore the instructions of the 911 operator (which rises to the level of “Ignoring Instructions of a Law Enforcement Officer”) to initiate his own confrontation with someone who is otherwise innocent of any criminal behavior is proof enough of that.
        
        “…There are at least two cases of children – children of color – being
        missing for days upon days without even as much as an issue of an Amber
        Alert….”
        
        And none of these instances involve the APD or the surrounding area. Scott Henson was not identified as a Person of Interest, a known suspect in a kidnapping, OR a convicted sex offender. I will say this AGAIN:
        
        “…how does being ripped from her Grandfather help Ty? How is seeing her Grandfather cuffed for no reason in Ty’s best interest?”
        
        Once again, the INITIAL encounter with the police DID NOT produce any evidence whatsoever of the Kidnapping the Anonymous 911 caller described. Ty’s best interest WAS NOT SERVED by the inappropriate follow-up response whatsoever. There was no probable cause; no immediate threat to life and safety of the child; and no signs of a kidnapping.
        
        You’re still arguing Goose and Gander. You’ve never explained how Ty was best served by ripping her from her Grandfather’s side AND watching him being handcuffed over an Anonymous 911 call. That witness, BTW, would make for lousy testimony in a court of law.
        
        “…Did the police or even the 911 caller know that Henson was Ty’s grandfather? Hell no they didn’t…”
        
        But the APD DID before they sent 10 cruisers in an attempt to provide the local media with “Exciting Footage” of a Rescue..before ending up with Egg on the Face.
        
        And also, an Anonymous 911 caller who states, “I don’t know what’s going on” has more standing than the alleged victim stating, “He’s my grandfather” while holding on to his leg? Really?
        
        Finally:
        
        “…But, I suppose that such a call to 911 should be ignored, right? Now seriously, think about just how ridiculous that sounds…”
        
        So, my choices are A) Ignore the call completely, or B) send TWO WAVES OF OFFICERS and causing a ruckus worthy of a final scene of a Police Procedural? Really? That’s all you’re giving me to work with?
        
        I’ll stick with Choice C – an officer responds to the call and asks questions. With no actual evidence of a kidnapping, the parties involved head their separate ways. WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED HERE. Once the Constable’s questioning ended with no arrest or attempt to lawfully detain Scott Henson and Ty, this should have been the end of the Law Enforcement Encounter.
        
        However, I’d like to see you explain that Choice B was the right choice to Ty herself. Explain to her that it was in her best interest to have 10 police cruisers swoop in, have her grandfather ripped from her and handcuffed AFTER she tells the police that the man was indeed her grandfather.
        
        That is even more ridiculous. But yet, that ALSO HAPPENED.
        
        Thus, in attempting to argue that police were acting in the best interests of the child, you have also argued that the words and actions of the alleged victim in this case are not good enough to diffuse the situation. That her words hold less standing than those of an Anonymous caller who even admits not to knowing what the particulars in what she saw were.
        
        And that is a scary proposition. And serves the interests of no one.

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Bill O’Reilly Plus Donald Trump Equals the Same Old Racism According to most white folks, crime in white communities is as rare as responsible black fathers. White neighborhoods are as close to peaceful utopias as Disney World, only without the rides and cartoon character costume workers. The people there are polite, kind, hard-working, honorable, respectable [...]

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Urah Man Claims He Had Sex With Unconscious Woman to ‘Save’ Her Life

I want to have a conversation with Rodger William Kelly. I have never been compelled to have a conversation with any of the subjects in the stories that I post on this site. But this motherfucker right here?!! Oh yeah, we need to have a heart-to-heart conversation about saving lives, sex, and rape. Not that [...]

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Scott Henson, Trayvon Martin, & the Kinda Sorta Argument in Support of Racial Profiling

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Bill O’Reilly Plus Donald Trump Equals the Same Old Racism

Urah Man Claims He Had Sex With Unconscious Woman to ‘Save’ Her Life

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