6 Police Officers Vs. One 65 Year Old Grandmother

jdvzmommy

Well-Known Member


ETA:
Georgia cop quits after forcefully removing 65-year-old grandmother from car in profanity-laced traffic stop
By Megan Cerullo
| NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |
May 11, 2018 | 12:43 PM
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"Hey, you're not in charge. Shut the * up and get out of the car," Officer James Legg shouted at Campbell when he arrived on the scene.

He proceeds to forcefully pull her out of the vehicle, causing Campbell to scream. At one point she says she expects to have a heart attack.



Another officer had pulled her over and requested backup when she failed to exit her vehicle.

She reportedly refused to sign a citation she'd been issued, and was arrested for disorderly conduct for gripping her seatbelt as the officer tried to force her out of the vehicle.

Alpharetta Public Safety Chief John Robinson condemned Legg's conduct in a Facebook video message Thursday.

"As I was watching the video, I had some major concerns about what I was seeing. There are aspects of this video that you're likely about to watch that simply do not represent who we are as an organization," he said.


"Upon reviewing the video I immediately ordered that an internal affairs investigation be opened on the incident and once a detailed investigation is completed I can assure you there will be a decisive and appropriate outcome following that investigation."

Robinson said he appeared on camera in order to maintain a transparent relationship with the Alpharetta community.


Alpharetta Officer James Legg was suspended after he helped arrest Rose Campbell, 65, who had been stopped for failing to maintain her lane while making a turn. (Alpharetta Department of Public Safety)
Legg defended his conduct in a letter announcing his resignation Friday.

"I feel I acted appropriately and the way that I was trained when I arrested Ms. Campbell," he wrote.

"I did what was necessary to complete the arrest by raising my voice and using verbal commands using heavy control talk with profanity. It worked instantly and she exited the vehicle immediately!" he wrote.

He later concedes: "Maybe I should not have used profanity."

Campbell told Channel 2 Action News she was shocked by the incident.

"I didn't expect that in America," she said. "I didn't expect that in Atlanta. I didn't expect that especially in Alpharetta," she said.

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Campbell told Channel 2 that she didn't think Legg should be fired but that officers should be retrained.

She's considering taking legal action.
 

jdvzmommy

Well-Known Member
I thought about starting one thread for all of these stories, but then I realized that all of their stories need to be heard individually.

For a while, I felt like I was becoming desensitized, but this video hurt me to watch. I think about my grandmother and what I would do if she was ever treated like that. They are animals.

Actually, they're worse than animals. Animals do what they do to survive. These things are just evil.
 

PuddingPop

Well-Known Member
This is sickening!
There is something terribly wrong with the majority of police officers. You have to be a sick human being to treat an elderly woman who poses absolutely no threat to you like that.

These officers have no sense of judgment or discretion at all when it come to Black people. We are treated harshly, no matter the circumstance, age, man , woman, child.
This has got to stop.
 

RossBoss

Well-Known Member
This is odd. As far as I know signing the ticket does not mean admitting guilt, just that you will show up at the court date. I have gotten it twice and signed both times. Is the law different in Georgia? She should have just signed the ticket and went about her way and just fought it in court on the court date. Don't give the police a reason to rough you up. Especially when you're 65..it's just not worth it.
 

doll-baby

Well-Known Member
Its sickening that out of all of those cops not one had the decency to say lets issue the ticket and let her go.

It seems like there is never a voice of reason coming from the cops in these situations. They have no descalation skills.

In this climate I pray that our people pick their battles wisely.

We all know we should have a right to disagree with an officer or whatever but our goal should be to make it home safe.

Live to fight another day, remember badge numbers etc...
 

demlew

Well-Known Member
This is odd. As far as I know signing the ticket does not mean admitting guilt, just that you will show up at the court date. I have gotten it twice and signed both times. Is the law different in Georgia? She should have just signed the ticket and went about her way and just fought it in court on the court date. Don't give the police a reason to rough you up. Especially when you're 65..it's just not worth it.

You’re right, but I think they said she was confused and thought that was an admission of guilt rather than an acknowledgement of proceeding.
 

RossBoss

Well-Known Member
You’re right, but I think they said she was confused and thought that was an admission of guilt rather than an acknowledgement of proceeding.

I'm not familiar with Georgia law so maybe it's something I'm missing, but when you are cited for traffic violations, you just sign the ticket and either fight it in court or admit that you were speeding or whatever and just pay it. From my cursory search, it seems that the police have a right to take you in to the station if you refuse to sign the ticket but I'm not sure if it works that way in Georgia but if it does she won't have a legal leg to stand on.

The time to argue and fight is in court and not on the side of the road. Refusing to get out the car is just not going to end well for you because it's not like the cops are going to allow you go your merry way once you are given the command to exit the vehicle...especially if you're Black. You'll get your day in court so it should have never escalated to this point. Fight it in the court and not during the stop.
 

RossBoss

Well-Known Member
I don't drive much anymore but here is what I found from an article I just searched:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/police-officers-seen-yanking-65-185551008.html

"The incident begs the question: What are your rights, and do you really risk arrest if you refuse to sign a traffic ticket?

To find out, Inside Edition spoke to security expert Steve Kardian.

"Understand that a motor vehicle stop is technically an arrest," he said. "If you don't sign it and promise to appear [in court], the officer can arrest you and bring you before a magistrate or have the desk officer set bail on you."

I had no idea that a motor vehicle stop was an arrest so this is news to me. But what I HAVE known is that I can always contest the ticket in court. Again, just sign the ticket and put up your fight in court. It's not worth it to be caught up in this at 65 or even 25.
 

naturalgyrl5199

Well-Known Member
If I was the cop and she refused to sign the ticket, I would have said “okay grandma, see you in court.” Pretty sure my boss would have been okay with that decision. Pigs gone fly before I lay a hand on a old lady that I could easily kill without trying. It’s called common decency and common sense. None of which white supremacists have.
 

RossBoss

Well-Known Member
If I was the cop and she refused to sign the ticket, I would have said “okay grandma, see you in court.” Pretty sure my boss would have been okay with that decision. Pigs gone fly before I lay a hand on a old lady that I could easily kill without trying. It’s called common decency and common sense. None of which white supremacists have.

Nonblacks, and by that I mean whites, asians, hispanics, indians and the rest of the world, aren't going to treat us as one of their own. So knowing this, just get them out of your face so that you can live to see another day and just sign the ticket and fight it in court. You won't win fighting armed law enforcement on the side of the road. Especially if the law backs them up by giving them the right to arrest you by not signing the ticket.
 

Shimmie

"God is the Only Truth -- Period"
Staff member
If this isn't proof that white supremacists have free reign of U.S. police departments, I don't know what is. @LadyBugsy , I thought the same thing, that they are like slave catchers. Our children, our elders... it does not matter, we are not fellow human beings to them.
:cry: :cry: :cry: Reading these words brings tears to my eyes.
 

Laela

Sidestepping the "lynch mob"
I think I read that she was under the impression signing it meant guilt, a big misunderstanding on her part; what the police officer should've done was explain this to her so she understands, instead of forcing her to sign and not presume she's trying to run game on him...I mean he is a civil servant and officer of the law :look:
That she demanded to speak to his superior meant she felt she was in her rights and clearly didn't understand.

I recall watching live a black elderly woman refusing to get on the rescue helicopter during Katrina because she thought she'd have to pay for the ride. The rescuers had to explain it to her to get her on. That was hard to watch.

I didn't hear profanity from the Alpharetta woman.. my God, telling a woman old enough to be your own grandmother to "shut the F**k up is UNACCEPTABLE. They'd not have pulled a white woman from the car like that. And, what they needed back up for? Did they think they'd pulled over Madea?

No excuses.. (not directed personally at you) :yep:




This is odd. As far as I know signing the ticket does not mean admitting guilt, just that you will show up at the court date. I have gotten it twice and signed both times. Is the law different in Georgia? She should have just signed the ticket and went about her way and just fought it in court on the court date. Don't give the police a reason to rough you up. Especially when you're 65..it's just not worth it.
 

itsallaboutattitude

Cancer Support in Health
After initially refusing to sign and demanding to speak to a supervisor, she ultimately signed the ticket. She still demanded to speak to a superviosr, but the officer said no. Demanded she open her door. Told her she was now under arrest.

After initially calling on his radio for a supervisor, he then subsequently called for help to arrest her.

Watched it a few days ago so my sequence of events may be slightly off, but

1. The ticket was signed
2. Police officer escalated and called for back up.
3. Back seat passenger was fortunately left alone to exit the car and wander around
 

AmethystLily

Cynic on the outside; Dreamer on the inside
After initially refusing to sign and demanding to speak to a supervisor, she ultimately signed the ticket. She still demanded to speak to a superviosr, but the officer said no. Demanded she open her door. Told her she was now under arrest.

After initially calling on his radio for a supervisor, he then subsequently called for help to arrest her.

Watched it a few days ago so my sequence of events may be slightly off, but

1. The ticket was signed
2. Police officer escalated and called for back up.
3. Back seat passenger was fortunately left alone to exit the car and wander around

I'm burned out reading these stories right now and am about to take a break, but I'll perhaps watch this one soon. That said, if she signed the ticket and he still escalated the situation after she asked to talk to his supervisor, then this case may qualify as "vindictive prosecution," or basically attempting to use the law to retaliate against someone exercising their rights.
https://scholarship.law.edu/cgi/vie.../&httpsredir=1&article=3210&context=lawreview
I mentioned a similar concept on another thread:
https://injury.findlaw.com/torts-and-personal-injuries/malicious-prosecution.html

Perhaps I need to start a spin-off thread about these harassment cases (because that is what it is- harassment).
 
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