Teens Arrested For Waiting For School Bus While Black

[Australian rePublic]

You said yourself (American) police are bad. How do you know that they're threats?

...wut?

What's preventing abal cop shooting you?

[Aurora Novus]

:idea:

...wut?

What's preventing abal cop shooting you?

Ultimately nothing. Whether or not a cop decides to kill me is a testament to their own internal morality and will. But I'm not concerned in any case. If a cop wants to shoot me because I ignore them, they must live with the reality they create. I only hope their will is srong enough to handle that. Because most often, it's not.

[Quackquackhonk]

Yes, we had the controversy over people arrested for Shopping While Black, and even Working While Black. Now we have Waiting For The School Bus While Black. To wit:

Three Edison students who were charged with disorderly conduct pleaded not guilty in court.

The boys were with about a dozen basketball teammates Wednesday morning on Main Street waiting for a school bus to take them to a scrimmage at Aquinas. There was no school that day and their coach had arranged for a pick-up at a central meeting spot.

An officer asked the boys to disperse and they refused. The young men say they tried to explain to him they were waiting for a school bus. The officer arrested three of the players.

"We didn't do nothing," said Raliek Redd. "We was just trying to go to our scrimmage."

"We was just waiting for our bus and he started arrested us," said Wan'Tauhjs Weathers.

"You just downtown, minding your own business, and next thing you know, anything can happen," said Daequon Carelock.

The police report says the students were obstructing "pedestrian traffic while standing on a public sidewalk...preventing free passage of citizens walking by and attempting to enter and exit a store...Your complainant gave several lawful clear and concise orders for the group to disperse and leave the area without complaince."

The report does not accuse the boys of using abusive or obscense language.

A department statement issued Wednesday evening affirms the account in the paperwork.

The boys' families had to post $200 bail to make sure they were home for Thanksgiving.

Their coach, Jacob Scott, who is also a district guidance counselor, arrived at the location as the three students were placed in handcuffs. Scott said he pleaded with the officer to let the boys go, saying he was supervising them.

"He goes on to say, 'If you don't disperse, you're going to get booked as well,'" Scott said. "I said, 'Sir, I'm the adult. I'm their varsity basketball coach. How can you book me? What am I doing wrong? Matter of fact, what are these guys doing wrong?'"

Scott said a sergeant showed up and backed up his officer.

"One of the police officers actually told me, if he had a big enough caravan, he would take all of us downtown," Scott said.

Scott said the incident was traumatic for the players who got arrested and the players who witnessed the arrests and such treatment of their coach.

"It's a catastrophe. These young men were doing nothing wrong, nothing wrong. They did exactly what they were supposed to do and still they get arrested," said Scott. "I'm speaking to the officers with dignity...and still and yet - they see me get treated like nothing."

Rochester school board member Mary Adams showed up to the arraignment.

"I think the charges should be immediately dropped and I think the district attorney's office should be stepping in an looking at these kinds of matters," Adams said.

A trial date has been set for December 11.

TL;DR: A bunch of kids were waiting for a school bus to take them to a scrimmage. Cops showed up, told them to disperse. When the kids tried to explain that they were waiting for a bus, they were told to disperse again. When they tried to explain again, three of them got arrested. When the coach showed up and tried to explain matters to the arresting officers and sergeant in charge, he was threatened with arrest. The arrested teens had to pay $200 in bail apiece, and have a trial date set for December 5th.

I'm aware that black people, particularly young men, have generally been a prominent target for police harassment. Are the police being more blatant about it lately, or is this sort of thing simply being reported more often?

maybe the kids should have dispersed when the officer asked...

[Sdaeriji]

maybe the kids should have dispersed when the officer asked...

Why?

You're new here, so I'll go easy.

[Quackquackhonk]

maybe the kids should have dispersed when the officer asked...

Why?

because it would have cost them nothing to move to a new position and wait for the bus there. the story (admittedly, only after skimming the opening post) seems to point towards there only fault being obstructing pedestrian traffic.

[Sdaeriji]

Why?

because it would have cost them nothing to move to a new position and wait for the bus there. the story (admittedly, only after skimming the opening post) seems to point towards there only fault being obstructing pedestrian traffic.

Presumably, the officer who was demanding they move despite the lack of cause would not have been satisfied if they just moved down the road a couple of yards.

[Saint Kitten]

I don't see how it involves race. It's just an idiot cop.

[Luziyca]

As a Canadian, I think the USA would've been better off they were defeated. That is one of the reasons: no more idiotic policies that continue to plague the USA. Like rampant racism which while we still have plenty, it is not as bad as in the USA.

I don't see how it involves race. It's just an idiot cop.

The USA has too many of those. We should convince local police departments to be put under Canadian administration and see how quickly it takes for the people to get angry and/or cases of these to drop.

[Saint Kitten]

As a Canadian, 1. I think the USA would've been better off they were defeated. That is one of the reasons: no more idiotic policies that continue to plague the USA. 2. Like rampant racism which while we still have plenty, it is not as bad as in the USA.

I don't see how it involves race. It's just an idiot cop.

The USA has too many of those. 3. We should convince local police departments to be put under Canadian administration and 4. see how quickly it takes for the people to get angry and/or cases of these to drop.

no
I thought we had laws against that.
No
Right, because the Canadians are so much better at law enforcement

[Frisivisia]

I don't see how it involves race. It's just an idiot cop.

It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that young black men are harassed by police at an astronomically high rate and that racist standards say that black men are dangerous and thus deserve this kind of treatment.

[Conservative Conservationists]

I don't see how it involves race. It's just an idiot cop.

Thus the challenge with all racist allegations. There are plenty of idiots and plenty of minorities. When the minorities are repeatedly approached by idiots, something is wrong. That is when it becomes racism.

It should be investigated as part of two matters
1) Wrongful arrest - Whether race related or not, its not in the public interest or individual interest to arrest some people waiting for bus.
2) Racism - If the officer has a history of similar wrongful arrests against a certain group of people, the officer should be dismissed.

[Vault 1]

I can understand the police officers in question. A crowd of Black teenagers, anywhere, can look like a gang. Or a crowd of any people with lower albedo than yours, really, but a group of Black teenagers in the not-so-long-ago-KKK-land especially.

[Big Jim P]

I don't see how it involves race. It's just an idiot cop.

It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that young black men are harassed by police at an astronomically high rate and that racist standards say that black men are dangerous and thus deserve this kind of treatment.

Which of course has nothing to do with the fact that statistically, young black males are more likely to commit crimes.

[Frisivisia]

It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that young black men are harassed by police at an astronomically high rate and that racist standards say that black men are dangerous and thus deserve this kind of treatment.

Which of course has nothing to do with the fact that statistically, young black males are more likely to commit crimes.

Which of course has nothing to do with the fact that the same isn't true if you control for poverty.

[Ashmoria]

I can understand the police officers in question. A crowd of Black teenagers, anywhere, can look like a gang. Or a crowd of any people with lower albedo than yours, really, but a group of Black teenagers in the not-so-long-ago-KKK-land especially.

I can understand it right up to the point where they said they were waiting for the bus. if not that then when their coach said they were waiting for the bus.

[Vault 1]

Which of course has nothing to do with the fact that statistically, young black males are more likely to commit crimes.

Statistically speaking, I'm working on a theory that a person's success in society is determined by a product of four dimensionless factors: starting wealth (percentile), IQ, albedo and "social IQ".

There seems to be a significant correlation between these three factors as well. For instance, as I've experienced a significant drop in albedo in the last 5 years, I've also experienced a decline in stable income. Can't say much about IQ since I haven't retaken any tests - but perhaps the very fact that I don't feel like taking them is a sign in itself.

[Big Jim P]

Which of course has nothing to do with the fact that statistically, young black males are more likely to commit crimes.

Which of course has nothing to do with the fact that the same isn't true if you control for poverty.

Of course. We can't blame them for being black, so we blame them for being poor.

[Magna Libero]

It's easy to say this or that by just reading a short story of perhaps unconfirmed(?) information.

On the other hand it's very probable that the policeman made a mistake, probably due to lack of proper training, unclear orders or poor understanding of the complicated law.

[Big Jim P]

It's easy to say this or that by just reading a short story of perhaps unconfirmed(?) information.

On the other hand it's very probable that the policeman made a mistake, probably due to lack of proper training, unclear orders or poor understanding of the complicated law.

There could have been many reasons for what the police did. One of which being that he was just being a dick, another that he was being racist. Maybe a bit of both.

[Warped Aggression]

"One of the police officers actually told me, if he had a big enough caravan, he would take all of us downtown," Scott said.

I'm imaging cops driving minivans.

[Kouralia]

Police arresting people for waiting for a bus? Didn't get that shit in Washington's time.

Gee, thanks Obama!

[Farnhamia]

"One of the police officers actually told me, if he had a big enough caravan, he would take all of us downtown," Scott said.

I'm imaging cops driving minivans.

[Big Jim P]

Police arresting people for waiting for a bus? Didn't get that shit in Washington's time.

Gee, thanks Obama!

Well said! And accurate too.

[Magna Libero]

It's easy to say this or that by just reading a short story of perhaps unconfirmed(?) information.

On the other hand it's very probable that the policeman made a mistake, probably due to lack of proper training, unclear orders or poor understanding of the complicated law.

There could have been many reasons for what the police did. One of which being that he was just being a dick, another that he was being racist. Maybe a bit of both.

Do you think the police was conscious about what they did, if it was racist, or perhaps it was some deeply rooted subconscious bullcrap? I don't even what I'm talking about, not a psychologist over here.

[Kouralia]

There could have been many reasons for what the police did. One of which being that he was just being a dick, another that he was being racist. Maybe a bit of both.

Do you think the police was conscious about what they did, if it was racist, or perhaps it was some deeply rooted subconscious bullcrap? I don't even what I'm talking about, not a psychologist over here.

I'm pretty sure he was conscious and self-aware when he made the arrests.

"Up next on BBC News, the Policeman in America who completed a whole drugs bust... while comatose!"