Mom beats son for participating in Baltimore riots

Rubber Ducky ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 8:32 am

Quote:

Baltimore ‘Mom Of The Year’ Goes Viral After She Disciplines Rioter Son
April 28, 2015 10:46 PM

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A Baltimore mother is making headlines. Some are calling her “mom of the year” for how she reacts to seeing her son as part of the riots.

Marcus Washington has more on who this mother is and why she is getting so much attention.

“I could see the objects being thrown at the police and I was like in awe. Like, ‘Oh my God, this is really happening right here with me,’” Toya Graham said. “Low and behold, I turn around and I look in this crowd and my son is actually coming across the street.”

In a hoodie, Toya Graham knew her 16-year-old son, grabbing and hitting him—all while police and cameras surrounded her.

“And he gave me eye contact. And at that point, not even thinking about cameras or anything like that.”

It’s the reaction of a mother scared of what could happen to her only son.

“At the end of the day, I don’t want him to be a Freddie Gray,” said Graham. “But to stand up there and vandalize police officers, that’s not justice. I’m a single mom, and I have six children. I just chose not to live like that anymore.”

Shocked and angry that her son was part of a group that turned violent by throwing rocks at police and damaging their cars.

At the end of the night, there were more than 200 arrests. Toya is happy Micahel was not one of them.

“Is he the perfect boy? No, he’s not. But he’s mine,” she said. “I’m just grateful I was able to get him home. I hope that he understands the seriousness what was going on last night.”

“You had one mother who grabbed their child who had a hood on his head and she started smacking him on the head because she was so embarrassed. I wish I had more parents that took charge of their kids out there tonight,” said Commissioner Anthony Batts, Baltimore City Police Department.

mazal555 ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 8:42 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

I've got a controversial idea.

Next time a cop asks you to do something that you think is unreasonable, like stop, sit down, or be quiet - do it. Just do it.

If you're offended by being stopped and you feel you have just cause, lawyer up and sue the pants off of the police department for descrimination.

You will live to tell the tale, and might even collect a nice payout. You'll hit the department where it hurts, in the pocketbook, and maybe they'll rethink their profiling policies.

It's a radical concept, but it might save lives.

Yes, let me know how that works for you. I was the victim of police brutality. Some of us Sephardim are a little 'too black', I guess. I did as I was told, survived, sued, won, got nothing after the lawyer was paid, and dealt with years of PTSD and other issues I do not want to go into. And I was lucky. A woman I was with had a stillbirth as a result of what happened. And she followed every stupid, unreasonable, and illegal order that the cop gave her and I know it for a fact.

Or we can try to peacefully change the justice system so there is some justice.

↑ mommy3b2c

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 8:45 am

mazal555 wrote:

There definitely are abusive cops. No one is denying that. What did the cop do to you?

33055 ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 9:39 am

mazal555 wrote:

If I go into the specifics, a google search would reveal who I am and I can't go amother here. So I don't want to elaborate. But it was pretty typical behavior.

I totally agree with everything you are saying. I thought that comment showed real ignorance of what really goes on. I can't reveal details for the same reason as you but my experience dovetails everything you say. I drafted a response to the same comment, but I said to myself reality never intrudes in certain people's perceptions and I have better things to do them bang my head against a brick wall so I deleted it. Cops suck. I hate the police! I start crying and shaking even at simple traffic stops. Cops are no good liers and are usually on power trips. When you get a good one, they are influenced by "the brass". I can't help but be glad that maybe the cops will be less likely to murder if they know there will be uprisings.

I also know black professional people like gp who got stopped for the same behavior as me. My friend was a luitenent in NYC police force and he was called "boy" in a white town upstate. Another time I was shopping with a black accountant and she was followed in an upscale store. We were both professionals on our lunch hour dressed similarly. I get angry and I am not the object of this cr@p.

MrsDash ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 9:54 am

Squishy wrote:

While I've had bad experiences with some police officers, I would not say such a thing about cops. I LOVE cops. I respect them for protecting me and my family by putting their own lives on the line. I remember one night when I was a kid there were a bunch of teenagers shooting guns into the air. My mother called the cops, and you know what happened? Nothing. The cop was friends with these thugs. She was laughing and chatting away with them, and told us that there doesn't seem to be any problem now, so we should forget about it. That sucked. Do I now hate all cops, because of this? Not even remotely! Because while something like this happened, there was a police officer who was great role model for all of us kids. We knew him by name. I felt safe, knowing he was around. I've also had some pretty awful run-ins with frum Jews, Muslims, Latinos, Canadians, etc... Does that mean I hate ALL of them? Seriously? Do you truly believe that statement of yours? I sure hope not...

↑ 33055 ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 10:10 am

MrsDash wrote:

Many cops are ignorant thugs. I would go as far as to say the majority. While we need cops in order to enforce the laws there needs to be a serous upgrading in the education and selection of cops. I could tell you story after story I heard from my work in the inner city. I could tell you more stories from my work on the edges of the criminal justice system. I cringe when I see cops because reality is nothing like the idealized version of Andy Griffith.

Try telling a survivor that SA brown shirt wearing thugs are necessary to enforce order.

I had guns pulled on me twice by cops and I am lily white. Once I was in the federal court house. This was the day Oklahoma City was bombed and another time was right after 9-11. I pulled my car over to call my pediatrician in the hospital because I had a medical emergency. You can bet I told the cop that I am a Jewish mother and not a Muslim terrorist and to put his gun away. I did pull over in a federal parking lot to make the emergency call. If I were black they might have pulled the triggers.

You had a nasty incident w with a cop. The incident where I sued the police was life threatening and widespread. Let's just say the police got reamed in federal court. Money doesn't compensate for having your life and the lives of your children put at risk. It is only because of Hashem that I can post today how much cops suck.

bluebird ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 10:13 am

debsey wrote:

You're right - but if you have a mentally ill relative, make sure his meds are adjusted and make sure he's aware of the risk he takes if he trash talks a police officer. Could a delusional kid who thinks he's Captain Kirk hold out a toy phaser and end up getting shot by a cop? Sure. And that would be tragic, but if a cop didn't shoot when someone held up what might or might not be a toy gun to him, his wife would be a widow and his kids would be orphans. Wouldn't that be equally tragic?

You clearly have no idea what it's like to be mentally I'll or deal with a mentally ill relative. If you did, you would not be so sarcastic or dismissive. What a disgusting post.

↑ MrsDash ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 10:32 am

Squishy wrote:

I was once in a car accident caused by an elderly black man. He never apologized. While waiting for the police to arrive, not one frum person pulled over or stopped to ask if me and my child were okay. There were, however, numerous christrians, and secular jews who did stop and ensure we were unharmed. This happened in an area that is densely populated by frum people. When the police arrived, they were ready to ticket me, and say I was at fault. That was until I showed them video footage of the accident, which proved my innocence. Let's think about this story--- Do I now hate the elderly or black men for putting me and my child at risk for this mans negligent driving? Do I now hate frum Jews, because they all just drove past me without giving any thought to the wellbeing of another person? Do I now hate cops, because they were so quick to blame me since I was very young driving a red sporty car? Would it make sense for me to be angered at those specific individuals? YES. Would it make any sense for me to hate all people in those professions, religions, and races? Heck NO! You do not judge Judaism by one, or many Jews. You do not judge the entire Black race by one or many black individuals. And you cannot judge ALL police offices by some who abuse their power and/or are racists. If everyone judged in such a bigoted way, the entire world would be in chaos.

↑ shoshanim999 ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 10:43 am

Does anyone have any suggestions or opinions as to why the black community is in such disarray? Why there are so many babies born to teenage girls, why the high school graduation rate is so low, why poverty is rampant, why crime is out of control? I don't think anybody would argue that had there been zero incidents of bad cops killing unarmed black men the past 5 years that the community as a whole wouldn't be in the despair that its in. Certainly the cops have nothing to do with teenage pregnancy or teenagers dropping out of school and becoming drug dealers. With that being said, what is it that's keeping them down more so than other communities????

Peanut2

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 10:46 am

shoshanim999 wrote:

Marina, is it possible that blacks are 3 times as likely to not follow an officers instructions, or become violent during an arrest? Is it possible that the reason why blacks have more trouble with law enforcement is because they act in a manner that warrants this type of treatment?

I'll assume you are more ignorant than racist, but no.

Blacks are far more likely to comply with unreasonable and/or illegal police demands due to personal experience or knowledge that causes fear. There are stats for that.

There is racism. Just like there is antisemitism. What you are saying is that they deserve it. Just like we Jews deserve antisemitism, right?

↑ 33055 ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 10:50 am

MrsDash wrote:

Mrs D with all due respect a car accident and a possible misticketing is not in the same theater with being the victim of systematic widespread corruption of police departments and a subsequent federal case. This went on for years of my life. Let's not forget the part where my life was threatened and that of my children.

There were some cops who hung their head in shame but they did nothing. They blamed it on marching orders from "the brass". That defense was tried at Nuremberg.

How many incidents do I have to be the victim of to hate the police? I can tell you it was more than 3 dozen. I kept copious notes and met with "the brass" where I was threatened with getting ticketed if I kept complaining. I am a white educated articulate woman and I was defenseless. My affect is a classy upper middle class well put together conservative Republican woman. That part had people puzzled how this could be happening to me. Imagine the thoughts and feelings of inner city uneducated black men? I felt entitled to respect. I still feel entitled to respect. Unfortunately our force is for the most part uneducated thugs.

↑ MrsDash

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 10:54 am

shoshanim999 wrote:

I think it is a common misconception, probably due to false hollywood portrayal of such a life, and politicians who've never lived in poverty, that it's easy to overcome a poverty-stricken life with hard work and dedication. It isn't. The wealthy, educated individuals will continue to be as such, because they continue to have the money to fund better education for their children. The ability to easily afford health care, proper s-x education, and birth control. They're able to afford to be home with their children more often. This is why the Democratic way is very important. We, as a nation, must help those who are less fortunate, to get better educated, better medical care, more accessible birth control options, and higher minimum wages.

↑ debsey ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 11:14 am

debsey wrote:

bluebird wrote:

You clearly have no idea what it's like to be mentally I'll or deal with a mentally ill relative. If you did, you would not be so sarcastic or dismissive. What a disgusting post.

My son is autistic. I modeled my example after him. He would totally pretend to a character with a gun to a cop, if that character was his current obsession. Which is why part of his educational plan is about things like community helpers, how to talk to a police officer, how to listen when a fireman or police officer tell him what to do.

There was a point where he was terrified of police. He'd cry and shake if a police car was driving on the same block as us. The wonderful police officers in our town let him come down to the police station every single day and talked to him, showed him their cars, showed him some safety things, until he got over this fear.

I know EXACTLY whereof I speak. And even with that - a police officer in a highly adrenalized situation can hardly be expected to administer an IQ test on someone waving a gun in his face. He can't test the guy's blood alcohol to see if he's actually drunk and just pretending to hold up a gun. He has exactly one split second to react. You're holding the police up to a standard that no human could ever possibly succeed at.

Bluebird, where exactly was I sarcastic or dismissive in my post? One of the biggest reasons why I need to be on top of my son's meds is because off them, he could be a danger to himself or others (he's very impulsive). Do I run a risk of having my son abused by a cop who is absolutely an evil person in a badge? Sure, because he's been taught "listen to the police man and do what he says" and that's only safe if the police man is a good person. But he can't understand nuance, right? Safest is to follow the more likely scenario. More likely - if my son ever got stopped by a cop - it will be for his own safety or for the safety of the people around him - so I'd want him following the police officer's orders.

↑ Scrabble123 ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 11:25 am

shoshanim999 wrote:

I'm going to assume that you come from a very insular community and background which would explain your ignorance regarding these issues so I'll try and answer respectfully and tersely. You're confusing race with poverty. One race, which happens to be Blacks here, tends to commit more crime because they disproportionately poorer off, disadvantaged, and have less access to public services, and are exposed to crimes and gang life/criminal activity at a younger age, etc. According to that theory, when you judge people of the same socioeconomic levels, you will see that crime is pretty even throughout races. Furthermore, when a race/society of people engage in certain crimes more commonly, the society develops a kind of "tolerance" for those crimes and individuals, even if they are not actively engaging in them (Think how in many Jewish areas it is considered totally acceptable to take social services and withhold income to get them. Even those who do not engage in that practice may still interact with others who do). There is a lot of conflicting evidence, but it is not the color of their skin that causes one person to commit a crime and another to not.

dancingqueen ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 12:21 pm

I am seeing that many blacks feel that they are not treated fairly by the police. And yet, in all of these stories the victim was resisting arrest or even being aggressive. I do NOT think that means that they deserved to die! But why is the leadership from that community and the government not talking about how this is an issue? I was always raised to listen to police since they have authority. Additionally these riots as a violent response to frustration about police behavior are becoming a common event. Who is egging this on? I wish these issues could be addressed more constructively with words.

↑ mazal555 ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 12:47 pm

Squishy wrote:

Unfortunately, some people don't understand that Islamophobia and racism are things that Jews should be fighting, even if we want to forget about Tikkun Olam and being a light unto the nations, and, you know, all that Judaism stuff. This is because it is in our own self-interest. One of the perpetrators in my case said in his defense that he 'thought they were Muslim'. So he figured that made it ok. If we look throughout history, Islamophobia is always followed by anti semitism. For example, the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition and Expulsion...

And in answer to other posters, just about every black parent has The Talk with their sons at some point. And I don't see leaders encouraging riots. People are rioting because they are angry and are not thinking rationally.

You would be too in the same situation. How rational should we be in the case of unpunished murder? I mean, this is against the 7 Noahide Laws. Forget being upset about abortion. This is much bigger.

Furthermore, most of the rioters are teenagers. Fortunately, I'm sure that when you were a teenager you never did anything impulsive or irresponsible that you thought was wrong later, when you grew up, but a lot of teenagers do. This is why we have the concept of Juvenile Court and don't try high school students as adults.

↑ MagentaYenta ↓

Wed, Apr 29 2015, 1:16 pm

peanutsmom wrote:

After reading this whole debate-I'm actually laughing (except for the part-abt ppl saying they were victims of police brutality Sad

). Everyone has to agree that the police did wrong things here-especially because the police themselves are admitting to that. Everyone also has to admit that Freddie Gray was not completely innocent. Turning this whole thing into one side was completely good and one side completely bad-is really lame-as both sides did wrong.

Cops are not judges, they are not pledged to be executioners. They don't get to decide guilt or innocence nor are they permitted to execute individuals via negligence. And Walter Scott, executed by a lying cop because he ran, simply because he had warrants for unpaid support.