No doubt, but if you are there for a tour it would make sense that you don’t know the school well so to expect anyone on their own to find the tour group that already had left is not great customer service.
I know discussions are occurring about tour guide training and what needs to be added in an age where nervous people call the police on two teens in the group.
I am glad you are so confident to think the police would have " returned it and sent them on their way" in regards to a pocket knife (which, if under 3 and a half inches in Colorado, is not considered a deadly weapon for the purpose of the article.)
Here is the difference between being a police officer and a civilian in regards to safety. A police officer assumes risk to one’s life and is trained (albeit not always thoroughly enough) in identifying threats and has the means of protection. A civilian (should) assume safety and protection in the presence of police officers. This is not the case for all. Some of us have that privilege. Many don’t.
Ideally, a police officer working in an area with no police shootings and one working in an area with some should follow the same procedures. The absence of previous dangers should not lessen an officer’s awareness and the presence should not heighten it.
Acting subjectively “oddly,” having hands in pockets, and not providing names do not, in my book, add up to “making oneself subject to questioning by the police.”
^ There will be police questioning during campus tour in the winter.
What do you mean by this?
^ Sarcasm. Most people will put their hands in pocket in the cold winter.
@rosered55 Do you think that if the caller had said the kids were white the police would not have come? My commemt was not about whether the police should have been called but rather what any police officer would likely have done with the information dispatched to them.
If the police are called to a scene with the info given and had been told “oddly” acting person who “ wouldn’t give name” was “not part of group” did not take hand out of pocket the entire time caller saw them and the police arrive and yep one hand in pocket then the police are going to search that person. The potential liability if they didn’t would be too large.
This has nothing to do with whether the police should have been called ( which is not).
The police should act with reasons. They did not use reasoning not only at the beginning of the incident but also after the incident was resolved. The fact that the gave comments about the boys not speaking up tells something about lack of reasoning. If the boys spoke up and questioned why they were stopped then the situation could have been worse. And is it wise to public the voice recording of the woman? I am sure many angry people want to know who that woman is. But the police should not help people to identify her. They could just release the transcript of the call.
Every time someone lists the reasons given by the caller for the boys being questioned (hands in pockets, acting oddly, refusing to give a stranger their names) it implies they did something wrong.
They did nothing wrong. Period.
I haven’t yet seen an article saying the tour guide didn’t know who they were or that they were part of the group. I have seen one with her saying she felt awful for them because this should not have ever happened, that she didn’t know someone else in the group called the police until later.
If I were in a tour group and if I had some reason to be concerned, why wouldn’t I have first addressed the tour guide to ask if she knew whether the late additions were part of the tour? Wouldn’t I ask the tour guide before calling anyone?
On all the campus tours we took, we had name badges on lanyards around our necks, to identify us as members of the tour group.
^ I attended 21 colleges’ tours with my son, never once was given a nametag or lanyard (to the best of my memory?) and never was questioned about why I was joining a tour late nor leaving it early (did both sometimes). All colleges were welcoming and flexible.
“Every time someone lists the reasons given by the caller for the boys being questioned (hands in pockets, acting oddly, refusing to give a stranger their names) it implies they did something wrong.
They did nothing wrong. Period.”
Nope. I’ve listed the reasons the caller said because this is relevant to why the police acted in the manner they did. It has nothing to do with the fact that the kids did nothing wrong ( they did nothing wrong ). It has to do with whether the police did. And given the information they were I believe that they acted in a manner in which most police officers would act irrespective of the race of the kids.
"4mykidz: (Directed to bhs1978) I tell you this story to encourage you to RISE from your fears. However you think they are justified, they are toxic, especially when those fears direct your behavior and/or thoughts towards an entire people simply based on the color of their skin. RISE. "
Didn’t bhs1978 just say she walked away from two entirely different groups of two different races on different evenings? How was she the one directing behavior “toward an entire people based on the color of their skin”?
Confused by that statement.
“Cardinal Fang: What terrible advice. Black and brown boys who"speak up for themselves” when talking to nosey parkers or police officers have an unfortunate tendency to get beaten up or shot. I’m positive these kids’ mother does NOT want them to “speak up for themselves” when unjustly stopped by police."
Is it? What is wrong with saying, “Oh, sorry we are late… we are registered for this tour” to the tour guide. Or saying to an officer, “I think there has been some misunderstanding. (when cops showed). My brother and I are registered for this tour.”
I mean, I would.
@TranquilMind I think they did both of those things. Maybe not in those words. but I have read they checked in with tour guide and told police we are registered for this tour. What more could they have done? Nothing. And they should not have been inconvenienced because of this nervous women.
From what I have read, I do believe this women should be identified. She, just like these two young men should be held accountable for her actions. If these two young innocent men are having their identities blasted all over the internet, so should this noisy womens
.
Based on the posts and the hate that has been thrown her way on this thread I absolutely don’t believe her identity should be revealed. What exactly would that accomplish?
Why shoud these two young men be outed as weird when she goes on her way without any consequences? Why do they have to pay for her mistake? If she should not be identified, then neither should these two young men.
This is a long thread, so forgive me if I’m repeating something already said. One thing that really stood out for me in the video was the sense that the two boys seemed resigned to being pulled aside and questioned by the police. As though they carry around a burden of presumed guilt. They didn’t seem outraged at the injustice.
It breaks my heart.
@mamom I repeat my question. What would that accomplish?