Sad state of America's youth

[draggar]

First off, a disclaimer. I do not mean this to be racist in any way *or* to talk down to this family, how they raised the child, or how they live. This is purely based on an observation I made while shopping today.

I was in Target (tar-JAY) today doing a little shopping (well, not a little but you get the picture) and I saw an African American lady with what I assumed to be her son. The child was behaving very well, quiet, but exploring close to his mother. (Yes, it's nice to see a child who isn't a whiney destructive brat where the parents ignore them).

As I put something in my card, I see two security guards come out from the back (I assume they were on a break, just starting work, or something, nothing out of the ordinary). As they walked by, chatting (normal work chat) the child saw them and their uniforms and had the largest look of fear in his face, then quickly went into the "spread'em' position where he stood face first against one of the displays, spread his feet, and put his arms up (as you see police arrest people).

I've seen kids shriek and run away at uniformed officers, most of the time in play, but the fear I saw in this child's face was not play at all.

At work and at my wife's dog club, I've met and talked to several officers and all of them were very nice and professional, even the times I've dealt wiht them on a professional level (on their end) they've been respective. I'd hate to think that racism (or reverse-racism) has played a part in this, me being your average white male in his low to mid 30's) but what I saw made me really think different. Even living in the ghetto (and yes, I live in a ghetto) the officers here are still respectful and professional, no matter how stressed they are.

What was this child taught? Did he and/or his family have a bad run-in with a bad officer (yes, I know some are out there)? Since when did the police become the enemy?

[wagegoth]

When did the police become the enemy?

With the end of the neighborhood beat cop, the view of police work changing from one of policing to one of an army, and the lack of criminal convictions of police officers who engage in racist, sexist, violent, etc. behavior.

I'm a white, middle-aged woman, and I got pulled over for driving a hoopty early in the morning in a nice neighborhood. I saw the cop car following me; I wasn't speeding; I signaled properly. Cop thought I was some kid from the nearby 'hood, possibly carrying drugs. He was extremely disappointed when he saw who was in the car. Then started the interrogation.

SC: Why are you out at this hour (4:30 am, Monday morning)?
Me: I just got off work.
SC: Really? What corner was that?
Me: I work for a law firm. (Another cop who was a friend of my MIL's said that I should have said, "The corner across from your wife's." I replied that I really just wanted to get home, and jail did not appeal.)
SC: (He's now really scowling.) Well, you've got a headlight out, so I'm going to have to give you a ticket on that.

I won't list all the foul language and fouler ideas that were running through my head regarding this officer at this point, as I don't want this site to end up on a porn search (a very sick, twisted porn search). I got the light fixed, but then had to deal with getting a police officer to sign off on it and then taking it into court. I don't forget people who suck up my time with stupidity.

One time I got stopped in my slightly, beat-up car (sideswiped by some old, clueless guy who should have had his license pulled, but still safely driveable), because, honest-to-whatever-deity-you-worship, I was obeying the speed limit so the car behind me was tailgating. But they didn't ticket the tailgater; they pulled me over. That officer also looked pretty surprised to see me behind the wheel. Because of new laws, I had to pull out all the medications in my purse, then tell her when I had taken them and why.

Also, about 30 years ago, I heard a news report about a man in California (I was living in Nevada at the time) who was beaten by police. Here's what happened:

The man is blind. He uses a folding white cane. He had just folded it up and put it in his pocket while he waited for his bus. An officer with a trainee in the car sees the man put something his pocket. They pull over and approach the man. They never identify themselves as police officers. He doesn't know they are, because he can't see them. It was obvious from his pictures that there was something not right about his eyes and the general eye area, something that would indicate some type of defect, but the training officer was apparently in show-off mode for the trainee, and didn't bother to assess the situation properly. The officers demand that he give them what was in his pocket. He thinks someone is trying to steal his cane. They grab him. He resists. They beat him. Thus ended any confidence I had in my government to protect me.

When I moved to my current residence in California I was surprised one day because I saw that same man walking down my street. I've never approached him, but I'd never forgotten his face from that news report, and I know it is him. He's the right age, too. Apparently, he lives in a group residence of some kind within a few blocks of me.

So, yeah, not a real good attitude about the police.

[LabCat]

I grew up in in Northeast Texas, even though it was a super rural area, police brutality and corruption were common place. If you weren't amoung the white professional or business owner class, you were terrified of the cops. They had almost absolute power and could seriously f*ck up your life!!!!!

[Misanthropical]

My big guy was terrified of the police when he was in 3rd grade. Why, you ask? You see, his school thought the very best way to deal with a child with a disablity is to scream in said child's face till they had a melt down. Then, call the police to take him home and claim that you were afraid he would jump out of a taxi.

Make sure you don't tell the child they are going home, leading said child to believe they are being arrested and taken to prison, where they will never see their family again.

Also, have the two biggest police officers come in and drag said child out and throw him in the back of the police car.

My son was so terrified that he would actually get scared and hide from me when he saw me in my security uniform.

Oh, and yes, I did go into hostile bitch mode on the principal (the one who caused the whole drama) she ended up terrified of me and would hide if she thought I was in the building or even if there was a chance I was in the building. I never threatened physical harm, but the tongue lashing I can give have reduced grown men to tears.

[blas]

I can't speak for other nationalities, being a......errr....hate to say it but being a WASP myself.....but...

and this is a big big but!....

I respect that police officers have to catch people disobeying the law. However, there HAVE to be better things to do, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT, than do what they did to me.

A) I was pulled over shortly after getting my driver's license one night after work at the old person restaurant. It was about 10pm. The officer saw me leaving the restaurant and thought I was TOO YOUNG to drive! That was a waste of nearly 20minutes!

B) I was barricaded into a parking stall by a state patroller on the east side of town at dusk one night because the officer claimed that one of my blinkers was BRIGHTER than the other. He had watched me take a left and a right hand turn as I came into town, and he followed me, didn't turn on his lights, followed me into a parking lot, and barricaded me in, therefore making it impossible for the people next to me to get out. He then demanded to see my license, ran the plates, saw that the car was in my father's name, and proceeded to ask me if I had STOLEN my father's car! I asked him "Is it reported as stolen?" and he said "No, just checking!". Um, my dad and I have the same last name. Get a clue, Officer Doofus!

C) I got called into the school cop's office one day at school. The previous day at the grocery store downtown (not the one I worked at), an old woman's car had been in a hit and run accident by WHAT APPEARED TO BE A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. The school cop had scanned the school parking lot and picked MY CAR because it had a dent on the fender (from me hitting the mailbox). What time did this incident occur the day before? 3:00 pm. 7th hour! I was in CLASS! If that retarded cop had just looked at the attendance records, he would have seen that I was there and it WASN'T ME! What a waste! And he made me feel guilty!

D) I was chased by an undercover cop on the way home last spring. He took one look at my cracked windshield and followed me all the way to my apartment. Fortunately for me, a school bus was in an oncoming lane, and I had just enough time to turn before it turned it's STOP lights on. The cop had to stop. I zoomed around the corner, parked in the back in my spot, and hid in my car until I saw the cop proceeding down the street. If he wanted me that bad, he should have turned his lights on.

I have lost a lot of respect for the police. They will pull over someone for a headlight out while robberies are in progress and rapes and whatnot. It's STUPID.

[kibbles]

SC: Why are you out at this hour (4:30 am, Monday morning)?
Me: I just got off work.

It's ones like this that give everyone a bad name, if you are doing nothing wrong then what business is it of his what time of the morning/noon/or night you are out?

[Pagan]

Because of new laws, I had to pull out all the medications in my purse, then tell her when I had taken them and why.

Do what now? What state is that? That sounds like it's bordering on unconstitutional.

My big guy was terrified of the police when he was in 3rd grade. Why, you ask? You see, his school thought the very best way to deal with a child with a disablity is to scream in said child's face till they had a melt down. Then, call the police to take him home and claim that you were afraid he would jump out of a taxi.

Lovely, just....lovely. This is why I hate any and all public school systems. And how the hell are the police allowed to do this? It would have been all over the news here and I'm sure Larry Barker (http://www.krqe.com/Global/story.asp...=menu588_7_5_2) would be there scaring them with his nose!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Wow Misanthropical, that's just.....wow

That's right down there with my elementary school calling my mother to school, supposedly for a meeting about my reading habits or some such curricular thing, and then telling her when she got to the meeting "Little Irv is out of control. Drug him. Put him on ritalin."

I will admit I was a hyper kid who got bored in class easily. I still am easily distracted sometimes. But there was absolutely no reason for the teachers to lie like that, and fortunately I didn't end up on ritalin.

[myswtghst]

I'm kind of with Blas on this one. I'm a pretty average looking white girl, who drives a pretty average car (not nice, not new, but still in pretty good shape) and I get pulled over all the g-d time for nothing.

1) The first ticket I ever got, I completely deserved it, but the cop was horrendous to my friends and I, and made really awful remarks the whole time, acting like a smartass. I was speeding, but we were perfectly sober and completely polite the entire time while this guy ran his mouth.

2) The next time I was pulled over, I misread a sign and thought I was going 38 in a 35, when I was going 38 in a 30. I was on my way home from work, waitressing at a bar, a little after 2am, and I was driving across campus BECAUSE I knew there would be cops there, meaning fewer chances for drunk drivers. The cop grilled me for way longer than necessary, shocked that I could possibly be coming home from work, sober, and not drunk. Also, since I didn't live on campus, but merely on the other side of it and literally across the street, how dare I drive on campus to get home.

3) More recently, I've been pulled over at least 3 times for minute or imaginary infractions late at night and given the full nine yards of hassle because obviously, driving home after midnight means I'm drunk and coming from the bar.

4) And finally, I've noticed recently that coming home from work at midnight or a little after, I often get a "police escort" home, and am followed for a few miles by a cop who seems disappointed that I'm staying in my lane and driving the speed limit, and is waiting for me to mess up.

I understand that it can't be easy to be a cop, and it's not like I've not been pulled over rightfully. I know that they need to crack down on drunk driving, but when I'm polite, calm, clear-eyed and coherent, can't you just leave me be and go try to catch a real drunk?

Also, I know I tend to be very wary of cops, given how many times I've been pulled over for BS reasons, so I tend to get anxious when they're following me home at night.

[Rine]

...I've never had a problem with the cops.

Once I had a run in with the military police when I was seven. We lived on base. Someone thought that I was digging up their tomato plants when it turned out to be another kid. That person called the military police on me.

After that, I really wanted to dig her stupid tomato plants up. Honestly, if she thought I was doing it why couldn't she go over to my house and ask about it?

Anyhow, sorry for the OT-ness.

The cops around here aren't aggressive at all (mostly) so I still have a good respect for them.

[Greenday]

Two weeks after I got my license, I got pulled over. I was doing 30 in a 25. He had to balls to try to tell me I was doing 38. After some discussion, he said he was going to let me off easy since I had just gotten my license. Easy being a $50 ticket but no points, "so my parents wouldn't have to find out".

My mom tells me never to argue with authority, but they are always such complete jackasses, I'm screwed regardless.

My friend and I were playing video games, 11pm on a Thursday night. I keep my door open so if anyone walking by wants to come in, they can. A RA walking by decides to right me up for being too loud. Yea, great, even though everyone else in the hall was out that night. We were literally the only ones who stayed in that night. COMPLETELY unnecessary.

Because my car is slightly riced out, cops follow me everywhere. It was even worse when my car had a fart can for a muffler. Thank God I switched that out. But they always follow me. I've been followed while doing the speed limit on major highways and the parkway, had people FLY past me, and the cop stays behind me. Wtf kind of crap is that?

West Chester decided to come up with a police force whose entire job is to bust kids for underage drinking. One of my friends was given a ticket for public drunkeness. Completely sober, just walking on our crappy sidewalks. While some cops are out there fighting real crime, these guys are out busting people having fun. People got mugged, raped, and assaulted on campus last year and police were no where to be found. But a couple of kids, who never cause trouble, just trying to enjoy a couple beers, get underage drinking tickets, forever tarnishing their records for the rest of their lives. Great job S.I.P.S.!

[Catwoman2965]

I got pulled over one time, for something I didn't even do! They way I used to drive home I had to make a left turn at one point. There was an arrow for the left turn, and the right lane continued going straight. The left turn arrow was quite long, allowing for many cars to go through. I also have to mention I had a REALLY bad day.

I'm about 10-15 cars behind, waiting my turn to go left, and out of the corner of my eye, I see what looks like a white Miata BLOW by me in the right lane. I drove a grey 4 door at that time. I finally get up, and I admit, turned as the light was turning yellow into red, but I was tired, and just didn't want to wait for the next light. Next thing I know, i see flashing lights behind me, so I pull over. The cop comes over and says "did you make that turn?" Knowing I probably should have stopped, I said "yeeess" - he then says "Man, I couldn't believe what I saw, someone making a left turn from the RIGHT lane" - I said, oh no, no, no, i didn't do THAT, I thought you pulled me over for turning on a red light! He then asked me if I saw WHO did it...um no, but I thought it might have been that white Miata from before...which looks SO MUCH like my car! He let me go, but I was shaking my head...DUH - don't admit you don't know which car you saw, so you just pulled over some random one!

[ArenaBoy]

I don't have much respect for cops after working with them but I kind of have to. (I have a few relatives who are cops so I don't have a choice.) The cops in the town I used to work in would purposely tailgate you in order to make you speed and have a reason to pull you over. I also posted about the county sheriff using his badge trying to get a special treatment. I could go on a rant about some of the border agents I've had bad dealings with but that's for Fratching.

[powerboy]

So, yeah, not a real good attitude about the police.

I say the same thing.


Once when I was on my way home from work. It was a week after, I received my first car. Still had that paper in the window, to let police know that I just bought it. A cop was waiting on the side, for someone to do something. They followed me home. I used the signals, and everything. They had me scared to drive awhile after that. They keep on and on, about how I did not have the tags. I just bought the car dumb ass.

I was coming home from visiting my girlfriend at that time. I was on the highway going the speed limit. Eight of them decided to surround me. Then they all put their sirens on at the same time. You Bastards.

Once, just before my late grandfather passed away. We were visiting him, at the home. My mom, myself & my grandmother, was about to leave and go our own ways. I noticed that my grandmothers truck window was smashed. Glass all around. They ended up robbing a see-thru plastic bag, that had some info I gave her & a recent photo of my grandfather. Of course it was during the middle of the day. The police would not come out to make a report. That right there made me, see how the police truly are in my city. They are assholes.

[Gurndigarn]

Is it really that bad elsewhere? Around here, I've had cops apologizing for having to write me tickets that they're legally required to write (I backed into a parked car that was on the road. On the road = moving violation. Yeah, my fault. Just write the ticket and stop apologizing. I know it's a dumb ticket, but I'm feeling stupid enough as it is.)