Three Teens Arrested for Waiting While Black

[Mywas 687]

A police officer arrested three teens last week as they were standing outside a store in downtown Rochester, New York. Their crime: Waiting for a school bus.

 

The three boys — Raliek Redd, 16, Deaquon Carelock, 16, and Wan'Tauhjs Weathers, 17 — are star athletes at Edison Tech high school, and were waiting to be taken to a basketball game when they were spotted by an officer.

 

It seems the store adjacent to their pick-up spot was being monitored by police due to past complaints from the owner of teens loitering outside.

 

The officer asked the teens to disperse, but they explained that they were waiting to be picked up by a bus. The officer again asked the teens to disperse.

 

"We tried to tell them that we were waiting for the bus," Wan'Tauhjs told WHEC. "We weren't catching a city bus, we were catching a yellow bus. He didn't care. He arrested us anyways."

 

The three were charged with with disorderly conduct and obstructing the sidewalk.

 

While they were being handcuffed, their coach, Jacob Scott, arrived at the scene and attempted to reason with the cop.

 

"He goes on to say, 'If you don't disperse, you're going to get booked as well," Scott recalled. "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?'"

 

A school board member has since come out in defense of the arrested teens, saying this is not a new phenomenon.

 

"I'm very concerned about a pattern of young people being abused by police authority," Rochester City School Board Member Mary Adams is quoted as saying. "To me, this seems like a really clear case, part of a pattern."

 

The boys were scheduled to enter their plea before a judge last Friday, but their hearing has been postponed until December 11.

Shiggity Diggity doo Where are you

 

The article quoted above may be found here. 

 

Update: Charges dropped. 

Edited December 17, 2013 by Aquila
Added links, tags

[DubWolf 20,025]

*wow, no comments*

 

This makes me upset. It doesn't make sense: why would they arrest them? I do hope those cops get what they deserve from the Chief and their friends and family.

[Scootalove 10,692]

They mistaken the teens for loiters, so they just arrest them while their waiting for the bus. The cops really need to be interviewed, to know what they did was wrong.

[Shanks 10,817]

If we keep putting up with this we will get more of it, we need to accept that this is no longer a free country but a police state and demand that abuses of power like this end and pigs like these and their puppet masters are removed from power and brought to justice. The people shouldn't be afraid of the government, the government should be afraid of the people and the police are supposed to serve the people not intimidate them into blind obedience. 

Edited December 17, 2013 by EarthbendingProdigy

[DubWolf 20,025]

They mistaken the teens for loiters, so they just arrest them while their waiting for the bus. The cops really need to be interviewed, to know what they did was wrong.

 

But there was a reason to be waiting there! It's also not like they were in anybody's way of getting into the store! It's not like there's a lack of space on the face of the planet for people to just stand there and do nothing!

[Moonlight 7,291]

The fact that the police assumed that the 3 teens were the loiterers is just plain stupid. If they were waiting for a bus, then most likely, they were waiting for a bus. They actually had a reason to be there and the fact that they got arrested for it is just sad.

Edited December 17, 2013 by WheatleyCore

[lomk 20,666]

I have respect for the good cops. But guys like this? I hope he loses his job for that. I can't stand crooked cops. 

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

Wow that's the ultimate punishment of stupid. I mean seriously, the teens were just waiting fora bus and the cop thinks they were loitering. I could understand if it was an honest mistake but he still thought that even when the coach who has clear jurisdiction over them comes up and actually makes good arguments. Wow I certainly wouldn't want to be arrested for something I do every morning like wait for the school bus.

[GhostPony750 959]

As you can see, sometimes the cops make mistakes, have an horrible judgement and are arrogant. And they have more rights than citizens... We should be equal to them, seriously; it's not rare that they abuse of yheir power.

[edpedrero 25]

woooooooow! seriously?! this....this is unbelievable! I have no words to express such stupidity..........wow that's all I can say. 

[Dddrgn 450]

Honestly, it sounds like a bored cop who is a bit too full of himself with his "power". People like that should be fired...

[Troblems 5,623]

Hooligans. True story.

 

Seriously though, I'm not sure what them being athletes has anything to do with anything. The cop will get a public slap on the wrist, and life will go on. It's bogus, but stuff like this isn't uncommon.

[BlueHoodedHero 101]

If we keep putting up with this we will get more of it, we need to accept that this is no longer a free country but a police state and demand that abuses of power like this end and pigs like these and their puppet masters are removed from power and brought to justice. The people shouldn't be afraid of the government, the government should be afraid of the people and the police are supposed to serve the people not intimidate them into blind obedience. 

You took the words right out of my mouth. The law is getting away with a lot of idiotic things, kids and people are being thrown in jail with murders and the like when they've done NOTHING wrong! There was a lady who rescued a neglected and dying dog from an abusive home. She has evidence of the abuse and eye witnesses, but guess what? She was thrown in jail because the owners claimed the dog as stolen property and the court refused to see the evidence from the woman who rescued the dog. It's complete and utter bull and we just keep letting them get away with stuff like this.

[Static Electricity 729]

You know what else? A rich Texan teen killed 4 pedestrians while driving drunk. AND HE GETS TO GO TO A CUSHY REHAB CENTER FOR 10 YEARS!

 

An you know WHAT ELSE! Matthew Barnett (son of state congressman) and his popular jock friends rape two intoxicated preteens. AND HE GETS WAY WITH IT. 0 CONSEQUENCES. And you know WHAT ELSE? The whole town starts harassing THE GIRL HE RAPED! AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE! The bastard's mother asks from an apology FROM THE VICTIM! The only ones who are doing ANYTHING about this is Anonymous!

 

So, yeah. Big surprise shit like this is happening.

Edited December 17, 2013 by Static Electricity

[ravensilvertail 34]

If we keep putting up with this we will get more of it, we need to accept that this is no longer a free country but a police state and demand that abuses of power like this end and pigs like these and their puppet masters are removed from power and brought to justice. The people shouldn't be afraid of the government, the government should be afraid of the people and the police are supposed to serve the people not intimidate them into blind obedience.

It is too late. It has happened often enough to people that they expect it. I have had a similar experience with police officers. Guy only witnessed half of a fight in which the only part he saw was me defending myself. So he called the cops and after the girl let me go I finished my route. Hour after I got home, police knock on the door. They tried to indight me for starting a public fight. My parents stopped them and made them listen.

[GrimCW 658]

Being from near the area thats easy to explain. 

 

On one side of the Genesee river, the city flourishes and cops are literally EVERYWHERE. On every corner, and with cameras on every building and lamp post... They'll go at anyone for any reason they can just to keep the area "clean". They literally don't want people stopping for a minute anywhere over there since it'd make the local area look bad. Its not as "nice" as it may appear to the tourist eye :/ But it keeps the statis quo pretty high and the politicians looking good since it houses 90% of the businesses.

The above is actually pretty much the norm. They'll approach and want you to "disperse", if you don't.. well, they'll arrest you and drop charges later. But it makes them look better just doing it. Surprised this one made the news.

 

Meanwhile on the other side of the river.. not so perty.. horrid conditions, bad neighborhoods, and NO COPS... you can go for over an hour or more before anyone shows up for anything. Its the kind of area where you can find drugs and needles in the grassy area's at any time of the day. Best to stay off the lawns over here

And I mean literally find the drugs.. I've seen bags of various things, and half emptied needles...

Best yet.. they have camera's in parts of these area's as well, but its questionable if they're even used or watched.

 

The city has no excuse for any of this though, its all one city, and there are plenty of cops they can split across both halves...

 

 

All in all.. this is why I refuse to live in a city. Nice to visit, but I absolutely could not stand living in one!

Edited April 8, 2014 by GrimCW

[DubWolf 20,025]

Heheh, the title of this topic is a little funny: the teens were arrested while being black, as opposed to being green or Asian.

[~*bacon princess*~ 278]

arrested???

FOR WAITING FOR A FUCKING BUS?????

WHAT IS UP WITH AMERICA

Edited April 9, 2014 by galaxies

[Rhythmic Tempo 49]

I have some serious respect for cops. They have to put up with a lot of crap. But they have a line that was crossed here, even if the charges were later dropped, which is good. It's not right to just assume that someone is loitering when they are waiting for a bus. If he thought it was suspicious, he could have just waited until the bus got there.

 

And he tried to tell off the coach, what kind of BS is that?!?

[Diamondeye83 49]

Ok, this is obviously an idiotic thing that this cop did, but some of you are blowing this out of the water. No on ugh at lives in America has any idea what it is like to live in a police state. I, an American citizen, cannot be tortured by the police, under any circumstances. I have the right of due process. I have the right to a fair trial. None of these are true of a police state. Another important distinction. Charges dropped. Yeah, the officer was being a jerk, but a rational and fair person looked over their case, and determined that they had done nothing wrong. Regretfully, sometimes money and connections can let you sidestep some laws, but NEVER call America a police state. If you want, take a trip to Egypt, or perhaps Syria, and get your fill of a police state there.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,826]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmwoS5c0-js

 

Cops seriously don't have anything else to do these days. 

Edited April 10, 2014 by Thunder-Dash

[Guest]

This is quite a shocker to me since it doesn't happen often in my country! o:

I hope this officer and every other one that arrested people for no valid reason is fired because while they accuse innocent people of this and that, others are committing serious crimes. Now that's bothersome.

This policeman could have been an idiot, but also corrupt or under the influence of something, I don't know; These are issues that should be addressed nonetheless.

[Guest90210 3,569]

"Obstructing the sidewalk"

 

LOL what? What kind of dubious charge is that? Apparently waiting for the bus is a crime? 

 

I see that the charges were dropped, but there's no reason they should have been apprehended in the first place.