An Utter Disgrace

I was going to do a meme or something equally fluffy today.  It’s the weekend, after all, and not many people pass through here on Saturdays or Sundays.  But then my attention was drawn to this. Actually, I saw an brief article about it in the University of Florida’s  student newspaper, and with a but of Googling I tracked it down.  What happened was, a disabled man – confined to a wheelchair, but still able to move from the chest up, and therefore able to drive a modified car, was stopped by Tampa police and arrested for a traffic violation.  They took him back to the Orient Road Jail  and a security camera captured what happened next.   Have a look.

It goes without saying that that she did was utterly disgraceful.  There can be no excuse. Almost as bad was the conduct of the other officers there who stood by and watched.  I served for ten years in a real police force, and encountered hundreds of fellow officers, but I can’t think of a single one who would have thought that doing such a thing was even remotely acceptable.  It just make me wonder what sort of brainless morons they recruit in Tampa, who manage somehow to con their way into a uniform.

I am pleased to tell you that the deputy concerned, Charlette Marshall-Jones,  has been arrested and charged with felony abuse of a disabled person, and if convicted could get  up to five years inside. Three others have been suspended without pay.  I am posting this here because I don’t want the story to go away.  In spite of the swift action of the Sherriff’s department in arresting her, I still feel rather uneasy. After all, not so many years ago six cops beat Rodney King to a pulp on camera, and therefore in full view of the world.  Yet they were still able to convince a jury that they didn’t do it.

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Comments

[PJ]

That's incredible. I can't believe that someone would even think about doing that. I hope she goes down for the full 5 years.

[J]

I'm out of town on a computer that won't allow me to watch the video, but your words are probably enough to get the point across.

I'm glad she was punished, and I'm glad that you posted about it, to keep the story alive. American memories are horribly short.

[amypalko]

Completely deplorable behaviour, Nicholas! And I think you're right when you state that it needs to remain in the public consciousness. I think that when these kind of incidents come to light, they often reveal a fundamental failure within the culture of the system. I mean, not only did this woman abuse this man, but her behaviour was condoned by those around her. No-one looks surprised or shocked; in fact, if anything they appear amused. I am always disheartened when others display of acts such as these which lack any form of empathy or compassion. It's degrading for everyone involved.
Thank you for choosing to raise awareness of this, Nicholas.

[Bow]

Speechless here.

Well, not really.

That's just horseshit.

Here in Tejas, we have a term for the lowest of the low, and baby, it's low.

"Pig fucker."

That's what she is.

On a happier note, you have yourself a good weekend, Brit!

:)

[No nonsense girl]

I'm sorry to cuss but that woman is a fucking bitch. What the heck? I hope she loses her job and is convicted.

unfreakinbelievable!

[The Gal Herself]

I work in Chicago, where most of the cops are heroes and I'm grateful they're there to protect me. HOWEVER, too many of them have been caught on tape slapping people around. Here the problem tends to be what they do in their off duty hours, not when they're in uniform, so it's not as despicable as the example you show, but it's still far from good. What I've seen here up north and what you've shown down south leads me to ask this -- what kind of screening do agencies do before hiring these cops? For it stands to reason that for every kid who wants to serve and protect, there may be a kid who wants to join the force to bully others.

[Laura]

That makes me so sick...not just that she did it, but that none of the rest of them seemed to see anything wrong with it?!?!?

[Winter]

Well, I have to say that this is not the first time I've seen this. As a Anderson Cooper 360-phile, I've seen it a few times. Anderson was really peeved by this. I was too and not just because I like Anderson. It was just a careless disregard of human life. The arrogance of some people just sorely pisses me off.

On a lighter note, I look forward to your fluffiness Nicholas! Sometimes fluffy is fun. As long as it's not baby pics and 13 reasons why you love your significant other! ;)

[Wylie Kinson]

I'm speechless. This is disgusting beyond comprehension. I find the behaviour of those standing by equally reprehensible.

[Michelle@mominmentalmotion]

I saw part of this the other day but didn't know the whole story. Thanks for sharing. How did this video get out? DO you know?

[Shoshana]

That is so totally unacceptable. I didn't listen to sound because my kids are asleep in my room, but even soundless it's horrifying!

[Farrah]

Thank you for commenting on my blog. You aren't into recipes? Why not? ;-)

I like your writing style, but then, you probably "hear" that all the time.

As is my custom, I visit people who leave comments. Scrolling down, this post caught my interest. I had always thought policemen were good guys, until we had an absolutely horrible experience in Chicago. Maybe I'll take the time to post about it one of these days. Suffice to say, feelings of dread came over me every time we passed one for months...maybe years after. I have often wondered if we should track that cop down a take legal action. At the time we were young, poor college kids. At any rate, it has made a wonderful story for dinner guests. :-)