EDITORIALThe shameful behavior of two Roanoke City police officers during an arts performance on Roanoke City Market yesterday must be dealt with by city officials and the business community downtown before this type of unprofessional bullying becomes acceptable.
A burly police officer arrested a young performance artist who, with about 20 others, was watching a mock television to demonstrate the value of live arts when the policeman demanded that she get off the sidewalk and created a much more significant disturbance with his action than was taking place. The performers were scheduled to watch their TVs for five minutes. The police officers' (there was a second officer who helped) actions took longer than five minutes and left a lasting bad impression for all those who viewed the incident--including thousands who saw it on YouTube and local television.
It was a real low point for a police department led by Chief Joe Gaskins, who must be held accountable for the actions of his officers.
At a time when Roanoke is scrambling to attract and retain young professionals, is trying to keep the city market area strong and is trying to present itself as a cosmopolitan city, this behavior by bullying, abusive police officers is unacceptable.
--DAN SMITH
As I understand, from my lunch discussion and the youtube video, the officer asked the young woman for her license and he says he arrested her because she didn't show it to him. 2 things:
ReplyDelete1. Really? You can get arrested for standing without a license? How do we get these "licenses to stand", because I need to get one?
2. It makes me just want to go downtown and stare at things on my lunch hour. See if I get arrested for staring (geez).
Taryn: Totalitarian states require you to carry IDs and licenses. Paramilitary types tend to prefer the order of the totalitarian. It's too complicated for their little brains otherwise.
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