DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Add helping homeless people while black to the list of things that can lead to Police visit

(CNN)Barbecuing while black. Napping while black. Now add helping homeless people while black to the list of things that can lead to a visit from police.

Employees at a Safeway supermarket in Mountain View, California, called 911 on an African-American woman and her family because they suspected them of shoplifting, police said. Safeway has since apologized for what the store said was a misunderstanding.
Erika Martin told CNN that the incident occurred when she stopped at the store last month to help a homeless man she knew hung out there. She gave him a bag of dog food and some treats for his pit bull. Her two sisters were also there and gave two men care packages with soap, toothpaste, hand sanitizer and other hygiene products.
"I help the homeless as much as I can. I see homeless people weekly and I try help them the best that I can," Martin said.

Martin said her son, who's about to turn 10, and her nieces and nephews went into the store to see if the bakery was giving out free cookies and to get samples from the deli.
Martin stayed outside and talked to her sisters and the man to whom she gave the dog food.
She said a Safeway employee came out of the store, looked directly at her and rushed back inside, which she thought was strange.
As Martin prepared to leave, two police cars drove up and one stopped behind her so she couldn't back out of her parking place. They asked why she was there and if she had any warrants, Martin said. She told them that she'd never even had a parking ticket.
Mountain View Police spokeswoman Katie Nelson said that a Safeway employee called the police and to report a theft in progress. Five officers were dispatched to interview store employees and the Martin family.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/01/us/police-called-on-good-samaritan-trnd/index.html

yea, people have been getting cops called on them for no damn reason. somebody called the cops on a student sitting on the steps, eating lunch or something. such a waste of time and money.

Well think how annoyed the cops are to have their time wasted on stupid calls because people were too lazy to just talk to each other. Some of this stuff is just stupidity at its best.

This is why you shouldn't call the police and mind your dang business.

The story seems kind of vague...It doesn't seem like the cops should be called.

Well, at least we are getting clarification. This should be creating jobs.

There should be at least one job opening up, fer sure...

Maybe. Maybe it was the "homeless" guys who triggered the call? Maybe they have been a problem around the store and the cops just wanted find out why this woman was with them.

Like I said, this doesn't seem to be reason to call the cops on this woman. I don't think the employee simply saw a black woman and thought was was "up to something".

What ever happened to parents who teach their children that nobody likes a tattle-tale....

Its crazy to me that so many people call the police on others for such trivial stuff...I was reading an article the other day about a woman who called the police to report a little girls lemonade stand, because it happened to violate some town law.

Yep.

Little girl was 9 years old. Woman called the cops because the child was selling water without a permit. She was caught on a phone, the vid went viral... and she is now known as 'Permit Patty.'

Folks trying to use the Police like their own personal concierge service: "I don't like this. Come clean it up for me."

Calling the cops on another person for trivial matters are the acts of the cowardly. You and I came from a generation where we settled it w/our fists and wouldn't dream of calling the cops. I'm still that way. Don't want no Po-Po anywhere near me. Too many bad memories.

I don't think this makes you look good. I understand you stated "for trivial matters".

Even so, using your 'fists' doesn't make you right, just as using a gun wouldn't make you right.

So, you used your fists to settle disputes/issues?

You do understand that I'm very "good" with you thinking "I don't look good," right?

Sure.

But, in a different thread, you said 2 times "I could care less' in regards to someone's opinion. What you SHOULD have said was "I COULDN'T care less....."

Stating you 'could' care less means you care. I would've thought an educator would know the difference.

How about you call the police on me for that, arch?

Funny back-and-forth, yet I still sense the underlying tenseness between you two.

Btw vers, perhaps you're a little two old to settle things with fists - it's not a good look - but in a way I get ya.

Bro, I would take an ass-whuppin' before I would call the po-po on someone over something silly.

I had a neighbor call the cops on us about 20 years ago because our dog got loose and went into his yard. He was a very large individual. I'm like.............."Why not just call me and complain?" "Why not try and kick my ass?" "You really had to call the police for that?"

And btw sonny, I ain't too old to kick yo' ass.

Literally last week there was 20 person brawl in front of my house.My neighbors across the street were having a party. And got into a fight with the neighbors next to them.

I was in my office and heard screaming. So I went to my window and there was this mob of people having a screaming match.

All I could think was Please stay away from my house and my car, and do I call the police?

A few minutes later the police showed up. I didnt call, but sure darn glad someone else did.

I can't believe I have to elaborate.

I don't think that it is wrong to call the police if there is a violent act taking place. I don't think it's wrong to call them if someone is stealing something. There are other reasons, but I don't feel like thinking about them now.

My point was that it's BS to call the police if someone is selling water. Or lemonade. Or if a little kid is cutting someone's grass w/out a permit. Of if my damn dog escapes one time and pisses in your yard. Of if my kids ride their bikes on your driveway.

Those things should be handled privately. In my opinion!!!

People dont call police in my neighborhood unless someone is getting wrecked.

The police are perfectly capable of giving you trivial fines all on their own.

I had unmowed yard slightly higher than 6 inches and they put a warning notice on my garage door.

In my town, cops look for reasons to cause trouble. I see this repeatedly.

They set up checkpoints, sometimes on city roads, sometimes in my neighborhood (wtf), and beyond that they terrorize the town in general. And pull people over for no reason.

This is why if I go to the bar, I do it during happy hour. Cuz cops on the prowl later.

Are you really going to make me post links of people calling the police over trivial matters?

Let it go, Eve.

Let it go? The cops invent trivial matters in my town.
I live in a black neighborhood. Aint nobody calling police on anything unless someone is getting wrecked. You forget, black people dont like police.

Youre the one going on and on about fist fights.

As if youre Muhammad Ali.

Good night, Eve. Hope your back feels better and that you will be in a better mood come tomorrow.

There is nothing wrong with my mood, thanks very much.

I can't help but think that this is just what America has become...A bunch of self-absorbed cowards who will summon authorities for just about anything just to preserve their ivory tower.....

I had a buddy who had another driver get out of their car at a stop light shouting obscenities and threatening him because they thought he was going a little over the speed limit.....but the second he got out of his car, they were on the phone with 911...

So.....I'm going to threaten you and berate you, but as soon as you stand up for yourself, I'm going to run to my car, lock the doors and call the police....people just kill me sometimes

I can't help but think Eve should mow her lawn. Or have someone cut it for her.

My lawn dude comes tomorrow, thanks very much.

The lawn police can stay away.

Well, you let the grass grow higher than six inches. Does your lawn dude drop by every three months, or what?

Well that was before I had a lawn dude.

My lawn mower broke last year, and I decided I was too old for manual labor any longer. So hence the lawn dude.

Ok, that seems reasonable.
Thank you for responding.

There's a damned good joke right there waiting to be told. But I'm not going to be the one to tell it.

j/c

Get used to it Dawgs, cops getting called for silly crap like this is going to happen more and more as law enforcement shifts with the "community policing" model. Community Policing is about developing inter-personal relationships with citizens and assuring them that "your concerns are important and we'll expend any available resources and then some to address your concern." It's becoming more customer service oriented (the customer is always right). So as a result a citizen never gets told "No". It's why you have policies like ours that say no matter what the issue is, if a citizen demands an officer in person, they get one. Even if the issue clearly isn't police related.

It's also the kind of thing that generates nonsense Eve mentioned. There's a pretty good chance that those activities are actually born of requests from citizens within the community.

It's ironic for as much as people complain about cops harassing citizens, citizens keep expanding the types of situations they get cops involved in.

This all started with the see something say something campaign...it just has went overboard.

"Officer, two blocks back, I saw a guy throw his cigarette butt on the ground."

"I'd like to file a complaint. Go arrest him."



"I think I could pick him out of a line-up."

That's how forest fires start.. he should be executed.

Smokey Bear says, “only you should burn like a paper tree”.

it looked like a forest fire in my garage last night.

Hahaha
Man, the good 'ole days.