Police arrest, cuff Black 7-year-old for riding motorized bike on sidewalk

[Mr. Redman]

BALTIMORE ? Police arrested a 7-year-old boy, handcuffed him and hauled him down to the station house on a charge of riding a motorized dirt bike on a sidewalk.

Then, according to his mother, Gerard Mungo Jr. was handcuffed to a bench and interrogated before being released to his parents.

"They scared me," Gerard told The Baltimore Examiner before breaking down in tears.

Mayor Sheila Dixon apologized Friday for the arrest, and police commissioner Leonard Hamm said it would be investigated internally.

The arrest came after an officer saw Gerard riding his dirt bike on the sidewalk in east Baltimore on Tuesday, police spokesman Matt Jablow said. Hamm, citing the internal probe, declined to discuss how the rest of the incident unfolded.

Kikisa Dinkins said her son was sitting on the bike with the motor off on the sidewalk when an officer grabbed him by the collar and pulled him off.

"I told them to let go of my baby," Dinkins said. "Since when do you pull a 7-year-old child by his neck and drag him?"

Dinkins said she called for a police supervisor to intervene, but the confrontation continued to escalate after the supervisor arrived.

"They started yelling at him, 'Do you know what you did wrong, son?"' Dinkins said. "He was so scared he ran upstairs."

Police arrested Gerard and confiscated the bike.

Dinkins said officers fingerprinted him and took his mug shot. Hamm could not confirm that and said those actions would not have been normal procedure in a non-felony case.

Dinkins said the arrest scarred her son. "This has changed his life," she said. "He'll never be the same."

The Police Department's zero-tolerance arrest policy ? begun under former Mayor Martin O'Malley, who is now Maryland's governor ? has drawn complaints that such arrests occur most often in poor, black neighborhoods. Gerard is black.

Hamm said the officer had the option of talking with a parent or confiscating the bike. He said that although the city is concerned about nuisance dirt bikes, the arrest "was not consistent with my philosophy of trying to solve problems in the neighborhoods."

The mayor, who appeared Friday with Hamm, said she also planned to look into the case.

"It is clear to me that the arrest was wrong, that the officers on the scene should not have arrested the child, and on behalf of the City of Baltimore I apologize to the boy and his parents," Dixon said.

[cotis]

saw this on the news. the anchors were then saying stuff to the nature of 'if he's only sitting on it, then wouldnt there be intent to drive it'

they claimed he was just sitting on it, not really riding it.

[2112]

I am not sure.
But I suspect the police should have better things to do than arresting 7 year olds.

[Izzy]

again - why does it matter that this person was black? Is it to imply that if he was Chinese he'd have got a medal instead?

[CheapJon]

again - why does it matter that this person was black?

here we go again

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

black !!!!!

[Africa]

again - why does it matter that this person was black? Is it to imply that if he was Chinese he'd have got a medal instead?

Are you serious? Take a look around you, look up some history.
This case is disguisting.

[BurningHills]

Total racism - horrible story.

One of the many reasons why I cannot stand the police.

[polluxlm]

again - why does it matter that this person was black? Is it to imply that if he was Chinese he'd have got a medal instead?

If he was white you can bet your ass he'd never been dragged down to any police station.

It's not exactly racism, but these officers reveal some attitudes unfitting for a 'servant of the public'.

[axl_rose_700]

Total racism - horrible story.

One of the many reasons why I cannot stand the police.

How does anyone know what would have happened if he'd been white or anything else

[mrlee]

again - why does it matter that this person was black? Is it to imply that if he was Chinese he'd have got a medal instead?

If he was white you can bet your ass he'd never been dragged down to any police station.

It's not exactly racism, but these officers reveal some attitudes unfitting for a 'servant of the public'.

in a america maybe.

england is the other way around since they would just claim racism, so the police cant be arsed.

[25]

again - why does it matter that this person was black? Is it to imply that if he was Chinese he'd have got a medal instead?

No, it's too imply that if it had been a white kid he wouldn't have been terrorized by some ignorant cop.

Quote;
"The Police Department's zero-tolerance arrest policy has drawn complaints that such arrests occur most often in poor, black neighborhoods. Gerard is black."

 If race is the context for the mistreatment, how can it not matter? The story clearly insinuates that the 7-year-old was manhandled by the police because he's black. It's right there in the quote, the terrible wording obliterates the pretense at objectivity. It's like saying "the policy has drawn complaints that such arrests occur most often among those who eat pancakes. Gerard eats pancakes every day." Regardless of whether the reasoning is correct or faulty, they're clearly suggesting the link. If you think that pancakes are integral to your story, you should probably mention pancakes.

[25]

It's not exactly racism, but these officers reveal some attitudes unfitting for a 'servant of the public'.

Actually, if the "facts" of the story are correct then it clearly is racism. Nothing that they did to the boy fell within the bounds of the policy they were enforcing.

Hamm said the officer had the option of talking with a parent or confiscating the bike. He said that although the city is concerned about nuisance dirt bikes, the arrest "was not consistent with my philosophy of trying to solve problems in the neighborhoods."

Dinkins said officers fingerprinted him and took his mug shot. Hamm could not confirm that and said those actions would not have been normal procedure in a non-felony case.

No part of the officers' interaction with the boy was consistent with the options suggested by the police commissioner, and had no legal basis. That suggests not just over-zealous law-enforcement but active victimization. 

[polluxlm]

It's not exactly racism, but these officers reveal some attitudes unfitting for a 'servant of the public'.

Actually, if the "facts" of the story are correct then it clearly is racism. Nothing that they did to the boy fell within the bounds of the policy they were enforcing.

Hamm said the officer had the option of talking with a parent or confiscating the bike. He said that although the city is concerned about nuisance dirt bikes, the arrest "was not consistent with my philosophy of trying to solve problems in the neighborhoods."

Dinkins said officers fingerprinted him and took his mug shot. Hamm could not confirm that and said those actions would not have been normal procedure in a non-felony case.

No part of the officers' interaction with the boy was consistent with the options suggested by the police commissioner, and had no legal basis. That suggests not just over-zealous law-enforcement but active victimization.?

In that case I'd have to agree. This officer should be terminated, sadly it'll never happen.

[Jim Bob]

this is like deja vu 

but yes the race a descriptor of the 7 year old.  not a big deal to put it in the title.    fuckd up to put a little boy in cuffs like that, but to say it was racially motivated is a baseless assumption.   It is possible, but its also possible its not.

[25]

this is like deja vu 

but yes the race a descriptor of the 7 year old.  not a big deal to put it in the title.    fuckd up to put a little boy in cuffs like that, but to say it was racially motivated is a baseless assumption.   It is possible, but its also possible its not.

How can it be both possible and baseless?

I don't think anyone would disagree that it's possible that there was some other motivation but if the basis wasn't procedural that leaves only the personal. And if the child was unknown to the officers, the only possible factors are gender, race or age. Whichever combination of those factors provoked the police is irrelevant really, because they were no longer acting within their prerogatives. 

[Jim Bob]

this is like deja vu 

but yes the race a descriptor of the 7 year old.  not a big deal to put it in the title.    fuckd up to put a little boy in cuffs like that, but to say it was racially motivated is a baseless assumption.   It is possible, but its also possible its not.

How can it be both possible and baseless?

because there is no evidence to say it was racially motivated.   sure its possible, but to say it was racially motivated is an assumption.

[25]

How can it be both possible and baseless?

because there is no evidence to say it was racially motivated.   sure its possible, but to say it was racially motivated is an assumption.

Yes, it's an assumption. But they raise the possibility and provide you with the basis for it;
"The Police Department's zero-tolerance arrest policy has drawn complaints that such arrests occur most often in poor, black neighborhoods. Gerard is black."

You could argue the merits of their basis but to do so you'd have to admit that they provided one. It would be rather dishonest to suggest that their assumption is based on a faulty premise and baseless. And if something is theoretically possible there must be facts which suggest the possibility, those facts then must be the basis for the theory. There is no such thing as a baseless possibility, it's a contradiction of terms.

[eddie_dean]

More crimes occur in poor neigborhoods which happen to hold more blacks statistically.  So, in an urban city most crime that the police deal with occurs in poor, black neighborhoods.  Where else would you like them to arrest people?  You go where the crime is.  Correct the social and cultural factors and you get rid of a substantial part of crime.

[SLCPUNK]

Why would you handcuff a child?