Yes, that's right. The "evidence" the cops thought was the absolute nail in the coffin so to speak - the smoking gun, the paint on Myron's bumper that proved he did indeed run into a car - that's actually bird guano. We went out this morning in the light of day to see what they thought they saw and lo and behold, nothing there. No scrapes, no paint, just regular dirt, dried up water marks and bird droppins smeared from the wind/driving. The license plate that has been bent for a couple of years now, still bent, same as before.
Myron was so pissed off! To be humiliated and handcuffed over bird doo doo is really insulting.
We are still no where near out of the woods yet, so it's infuriating that the police could be so stupid, but they were. And we'll have to pay for their incompetence. Arghhhhh!!
Showing posts with label racism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label racism. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Guilty til Proven Innocent
I am so upset, I am shaking!!!
Do you have those days that are completely normal - things start off just like all your other days ... breakfast, walk the dog, putz around home with your 2nd grader who is on mid-winter break, lunch, head to Pacific Science Center for a little fun, call your wife, pick up your pre-schooler at daycare, chat with other parents, stop at COSTCO for a few items, come home - but then it turns into one of your worst nightmares? Of course not! Many have that kind of experience, but most of us don't. And we certainly didn't think we would until today.
I am still in shock! How do you explain to your super sensitive 7 year old that Daddy will be OK, even though she saw him being put in handcuffs by the police in our own front yard? How do you believe, after seeing so many instances of injustice on TV and in the news, that the truth will in fact prove your innocence? And what will this cost us - in cash and in emotions?
Three Shoreline police officers came to our door tonight, looking for Myron, asked for his ID, had him walk outside to look at his truck and ended up putting him in handcuffs, accusing him of hitting a car and driving off. They say 3 unrelated people saw him do this and took down his license plate, followed him and then reported it to the police. They wanted him to say he did it in return for an accident report instead of the possibility that he'd have to be taken to the police station or go to court. They frisked him, turning his pockets inside out. They intimated he was guilty - threatening him with a jury who under the circumstances would also find him guilty.
The only problem with this entire story ... Myron didn't do it and couldn't possibly have done it. And even though he has evidence proving that he most likely couldn't have (receipts, time lapse, cell phone tower relays, not in the area they accuse him of being in) - they decided he was guilty. And deserved handcuffs no less. Seriously?!?!? Handcuffs for a traffic incident?
Anyone who knows Myron knows without a doubt that he could never have hit a car without stopping to render aid or exchange information. Isn't that what we have insurance for?? Accidents??? He'd be the first out of the car to see if anyone was hurt. His honesty and integrity would totally preclude him from doing the wrong thing and then lie about it to police. We are the kind of people who would more likely to need police help rather than be on the wrong side of the law. In the past, while watching documentaries or hearing news stories about innocent people going to jail or worse, I might let my mind wander to what would would happen if we were unlucky enough to have this happen, and I would tell myself that things like that would never happen to us because we believe in doing the right thing - no matter what the consequences. So how in the world did we end up here?
So your mind then goes to race. I don't want to believe that it has anything to do with things any more, but I'm the white girl. I know I grew up with a different perspective than Myron. He's the one who experienced prejudice and racism - not me. And you really want to believe that in 2008, race in Seattle plays little part in justice. But 3 white cops and handcuffs for a traffic accident? Cooperative behavior, no weapons, no backtalk, no threat. What could their motivation be other than racial profiling?
Next theory: conspiracy. Is someone trying to scam us? If it isn't possible that Myron was at the location "witnesses" say he was, is a group of somehow related people trying to bilk us and our insurance company out of money? Sounds incredible, but this is such a stange situation, that a strange option actually sounds plausible.
Finally - unreliable witnesses. One of my old UW professors - the reknowned Elizabeth Loftus - has made a life of studying and reporting on false memory and false eyewitness testimony, on how people can make mistakes and how memory is unreliable. Is that the case here? Are we victims of a bunch of mistakes that led us to this?
And how are we now suppose to teach our kids that the police are the good guys. How is McKenna suppose to trust the police, who handcuffed her dad right in front of her when she knows he didn't do anything wrong becasue she was with him all day. How do I answer all of her questions when I have no idea what we are in for? And as much as I am trying to stay calm and practical about how we handle this, I can tell that both kids are nervous and fearful as they both had unexplained meltdowns tonight after the incident, just when I couldn't give them the reassurance they desparately needed, because I needed some too.
It might be the adrenaline still pumping through my veins or it could be this cold that just won't go away, but I feel sick to my stomach.
If anyone knows a good lawyer out there, please send info our way. Don't know if we'll need it, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. And tonight, that sounds like a complete oxymoron.
Do you have those days that are completely normal - things start off just like all your other days ... breakfast, walk the dog, putz around home with your 2nd grader who is on mid-winter break, lunch, head to Pacific Science Center for a little fun, call your wife, pick up your pre-schooler at daycare, chat with other parents, stop at COSTCO for a few items, come home - but then it turns into one of your worst nightmares? Of course not! Many have that kind of experience, but most of us don't. And we certainly didn't think we would until today.
I am still in shock! How do you explain to your super sensitive 7 year old that Daddy will be OK, even though she saw him being put in handcuffs by the police in our own front yard? How do you believe, after seeing so many instances of injustice on TV and in the news, that the truth will in fact prove your innocence? And what will this cost us - in cash and in emotions?
Three Shoreline police officers came to our door tonight, looking for Myron, asked for his ID, had him walk outside to look at his truck and ended up putting him in handcuffs, accusing him of hitting a car and driving off. They say 3 unrelated people saw him do this and took down his license plate, followed him and then reported it to the police. They wanted him to say he did it in return for an accident report instead of the possibility that he'd have to be taken to the police station or go to court. They frisked him, turning his pockets inside out. They intimated he was guilty - threatening him with a jury who under the circumstances would also find him guilty.
The only problem with this entire story ... Myron didn't do it and couldn't possibly have done it. And even though he has evidence proving that he most likely couldn't have (receipts, time lapse, cell phone tower relays, not in the area they accuse him of being in) - they decided he was guilty. And deserved handcuffs no less. Seriously?!?!? Handcuffs for a traffic incident?
Anyone who knows Myron knows without a doubt that he could never have hit a car without stopping to render aid or exchange information. Isn't that what we have insurance for?? Accidents??? He'd be the first out of the car to see if anyone was hurt. His honesty and integrity would totally preclude him from doing the wrong thing and then lie about it to police. We are the kind of people who would more likely to need police help rather than be on the wrong side of the law. In the past, while watching documentaries or hearing news stories about innocent people going to jail or worse, I might let my mind wander to what would would happen if we were unlucky enough to have this happen, and I would tell myself that things like that would never happen to us because we believe in doing the right thing - no matter what the consequences. So how in the world did we end up here?
So your mind then goes to race. I don't want to believe that it has anything to do with things any more, but I'm the white girl. I know I grew up with a different perspective than Myron. He's the one who experienced prejudice and racism - not me. And you really want to believe that in 2008, race in Seattle plays little part in justice. But 3 white cops and handcuffs for a traffic accident? Cooperative behavior, no weapons, no backtalk, no threat. What could their motivation be other than racial profiling?
Next theory: conspiracy. Is someone trying to scam us? If it isn't possible that Myron was at the location "witnesses" say he was, is a group of somehow related people trying to bilk us and our insurance company out of money? Sounds incredible, but this is such a stange situation, that a strange option actually sounds plausible.
Finally - unreliable witnesses. One of my old UW professors - the reknowned Elizabeth Loftus - has made a life of studying and reporting on false memory and false eyewitness testimony, on how people can make mistakes and how memory is unreliable. Is that the case here? Are we victims of a bunch of mistakes that led us to this?
And how are we now suppose to teach our kids that the police are the good guys. How is McKenna suppose to trust the police, who handcuffed her dad right in front of her when she knows he didn't do anything wrong becasue she was with him all day. How do I answer all of her questions when I have no idea what we are in for? And as much as I am trying to stay calm and practical about how we handle this, I can tell that both kids are nervous and fearful as they both had unexplained meltdowns tonight after the incident, just when I couldn't give them the reassurance they desparately needed, because I needed some too.
It might be the adrenaline still pumping through my veins or it could be this cold that just won't go away, but I feel sick to my stomach.
If anyone knows a good lawyer out there, please send info our way. Don't know if we'll need it, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. And tonight, that sounds like a complete oxymoron.
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