One of the strongest, most positive visions of America comes though embracing the idea of, the aspiration of a "more perfect union." Rather than simply the end result of actions by a group of privileged white males 240 years ago, the truest nature of the American ideal is a recognition that "perfection" is beyond us all and that we must, as individuals and society and nation, strive to improve ourselves each passing day.
This morning's most moving breakfast table reads were two Washington Post stories on "a memorial that refuses to let Dixieland look away", The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Deneen Brown's Metro story opens with the story of a December 4, 1931 lynching of 23-year-old Matthew Williams in Salisbury, Maryland ...
...bound in a straightjacket, thrown out a hospital window ... the mob taunted Williams, raising and lowering his body several times before finally dropping him to his death ... before burning his body, they cut off his fingers and toes and threw them on porches in the black neighborhood, shouting 'Make n-- sandwiches'
The National Memorial is providing a place and a spark for confronting the ugly past of lynching.
While there are many ways how, over the decades, America and American culture has changed for the better -- that there are steps toward a "more perfect union" -- and that those ropes from trees might be in the past (as history to study and learn from), the sad truth is that intimidation, harassment, discrimination, and abuse of blacks in America is NOT in the past. Whether arrested at Starbuck's or shot while unarmed, too many Black Americans have good given reason to fear law enforcement personnel.
With The Post articles and considerations about things like the Starbuck's arrest in mind this morning, a thread about events in Virginia Beach, Virginia, entered my twitter stream. Kelsey Bew ("Herminione Danger"), with clear pain and anguish, lays out how her boyfriend was stopped by police after having given 50 cents to a homeless man. The stated reason:
Okay, not necessarily great but not necessarily irrational and unreasonable ... ‘saw what looked like a potential drug deal late at night and stopping to see if something was going on.’ Not saying that that was right or okay but perhaps we can get to understandable … perhaps … but things went truly downhill from there.
Gun drawn at his back ... does anyone not understand why he didn't "feel comfortable reaching in [his] pocket?"
Kelsey's thread is extensive and worth looking out in entirety … she lays out how terrified her boyfriend was, how a car search (by dogs) found nothing, how he was left after hours of stoppage with things missing and a messed up car, how he was treated in ways that simply shouldn't be occurring. And also, by the way, how the local Sheriff's Deputy sought (unlike the local police) to treat him reasonably and like a human being (even directly thanking that Sheriff).
Kelsey shouldn't have to explain how good a man her boyfriend is to have to lay the foundation for why her boyfriend was "SOBBING" and "never been more terrified in his life".
Let's be clear, that twitter thread is by one person -- who wasn't even a direct witness to the events. Even so, the "smoke" from the general problems in our society related to police brutality against Blacks, and the distressing "smoke" of her twitter thread certainly suggest that there is some "fire" there.
My honest question after reading KelseyBew's twitter thread:
originally posted at Blue Virginia, “the progressive blog for Virginia politics”.
Thursday, Apr 26, 2018 · 6:37:51 PM +00:00 · A Siegel
The Virginia Beach police have come out with a statement about this.
Yesterday a viral message appeared on Twitter from a person using the name Hermione Danger. After reading the entire Twitter thread, we were able to determine that some details described in the post were found not to be consistent with the facts and do not fit the timeline as described in the original post. The person posting the Twitter thread claimed her boyfriend had been pulled over by a Virginia Beach police officer after providing change to a homeless person outside a 7-11, and was then subjected to verbal abuse, a vehicle search to include a search by a police K-9, and even had a firearm pointed at him at one point. The twitter poster in unclear as to what happened next but made mention of having to drive to the Chesapeake City jail, insinuating her boyfriend had been arrested as a result of this encounter. The post also mentions the intervention of a sheriff who intervened, alleviated the situation, and claimed the officers were in “his jurisdiction”.
Our agency took this allegation very seriously and immediately began searching all incident reports and dispatch logs from our Emergency 911 dispatchers and we have found absolutely no such incident, as described, having occurred in Virginia Beach or involving Virginia Beach officers. The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office who also confirmed they had no deputies involved in such an incident. The VBPD contacted all surrounding police agencies in the Hampton Roads area to include the Virginia State Police and no police agency reported any similar incident occurring within their respective jurisdictions. We have reached out to the person who posted the Twitter thread to gather more information for an internal investigation and received no reply. We have heard from several news media outlets who have also received no reply from the original poster of the Twitter thread.
At this time, this incident appears to have not occurred, or if something did happen, did not occur as described by “Hermione Danger”. Since this post went viral, our Department has heard from many around the country who have unfairly, and with little to no information other than this Twitter thread, rushed to judgment against our agency and our officers.
We wish to reassure the public that our officers are consummate professionals who dedicated to their jobs and take very seriously, their sense of service to their fellow citizens, and that the behavior described in the original Twitter post does not reflect the values of this agency, the City of Virginia Beach and its police officers.