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About 6:30 p.m. July 16, [Stephanie] Willett was eating a PayDay candy bar while riding the escalator from 11th Street NW into the Metro Center Station. Metro Transit Police Officer Cherrail Curry-Hagler was riding up.
The police officer warned Willett to finish the candy before entering the station because eating or drinking in the Metro system is illegal.
Willett nodded, kept chewing the peanut-and-caramel bar and stuffed the last bit into her mouth before throwing the wrapper into the trash can near the station manager’s kiosk, according to both Willett and Curry-Hagler.
Curry-Hagler turned around and followed Willett into the station. Moments after making a remark to the officer, Willett said, she was searched, handcuffed and arrested for chewing the last bite of her candy bar after she passed through the fare gates. She was released several hours later after paying a $10 fine, pending a hearing.
District of Columbia at its finest. What a laughingstock the nation’s capital is. On top of this silliness, Marion Barry, a crack cocaine convict and former D.C. mayor, is running for a seat on the D.C. Council. You know what’s sad? He’s favored to win!
Maybe now is a good time to go back to South Carolina.
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You said it. DC at it’s finest.
It probably costed DC more than $10 to process the candy-eating offender, when the officer could have been concentrating on security. Imagine if a real preventable crime occurred while candy-eater was being hassled.
Long, long before 9/11, I used to read Washington Post Metro section for fun (and to see actual example of how badly a city can be run). Unfortunately, the City of Los Angeles seem determined to wrestle that mantle away from DC.
La Shawn, I can only hope that this story is not true, or is at the very least, grossly exaggerated. If not, then I am truly embarrassed by the actions of another officer. Every time an incident like this (or much worse) happens, and gets publicized, it reflects on every cop in the country.
If this incident is true, the officer needs a reprimand and some training in “common sense as applied to police work”. I can’t imagine wasting my time with such nonsense.
Oh, and by the way La Shawn, what is the fascination with Marion Barry that seems to possess the populace of DC? It seems that no matter what he does, he keeps getting elected to office.
I heard the story on WTOP this morning. What a joke. Well if Metro thought it had financial troubles before, wait till Ms Willett’s lawyers finish with them.
I don’t get the Barry thing either.
Could it be that in the full fledged, full blown, victimology surrounding our black communities (DC in particular) that Barry represents, no, IS the poster child of Victim-hood and the community feels a need to rescue and raise him up?
{THUMP}
Could it be that he was all that as Mayor? Could he really be a good politician?
{THUMP}
I don’t understand. Its just one of those things, you know like – why people ever bought one record by BizMark-E or understanding the deep prose of TuPac. Its beyond my understanding.
(THUMP)
BTW, the {THUMP}, hehehe Well that’s the Dem’s in my office Flip-Floppin ‘rond – and yes I’m standing clear of em.
The only saving grace is that Barry hasn’t been endorsed in certain quarters. One almost wishes that Barry would get senile just so that we can be spared from the recurring nightmare . . .
The only political mystery deeper than the allure of Marion Barry in DC is the allure of Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts.
The Founders would be so proud.
Imagine the outrage
if a real crime in progress could have been prevented, whilst said
officerrent-a-security-cop was busy hassling and frisking someone over a candy bar.Oh! wait a minute, we’re talking about DC. My bad. the same Dc that’s outrage over getting no representation in the federal govt :p
So it’s come down to where a $10 misdemeanor fine warrants handcuffs and frisking. I’ll bet the moonbats will blame that on the Patriot Act & Ashcroft.
On Barry, I didn’t realize he was favored. A few of his former political backers have publically come out against him.
On Metro, Metro is not a D.C. run system. It’s run by a board that consists of D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
The Metro police is not part of D.C. government.
I’m aware that Metro is not run by the DC government, though others may not be. But I think there is a “DC Government” mentality that permeates many agencies, including Metro.
A few years ago, a 12 year-old girl was arrested and handcuffed for eating fast food either on the train or the platform.
I really don’t see much wrong with this scenario except the part about holding her for sveral hours to pay a $10 fine. That really is over the top, but enforcing the stations policies is not. Even to the point of having to bring the perpetrator into custody for a short period of time. I have no problem with it unless it is inconsistent with the methods of enforcing more serious crimes.
Consistency and fairness is the key to fostering justice. If these security officers are fair and consistent in how they carry out enforcing the policies and laws of that station then more power to them. Hopefully it will discourage others from doing the same or worse.
Jerry, I think what you are missing is that if the details as related by La Shawn are true, the “perpetrator” was doing what she felt complied with the spirit of the officer’s request. By putting the rest of the candy bar in her mouth and throwing away the wrapper as she entered the station, I’m sure she felt she was in compliance.
The officer it would appear, was taking an extremely literal line on interpreting the ordinance (i.e. a mouthful of food as you enter is TECHNICALLY a violation of “no eating or drinking in the Metro”).
My opinion (based on 19 years of Law Enforcement experience) is that this was petty and probably not consistent with what the average officer would do in that situation.
Jerry — are you joking? Have you ever been arrested for a parking ticket? The “officer” who arrested this woman is an overzelaous fool who should lose his job. This isn’t about consistency, this is about sanity.
No, personally, I haven’t been arrested for a parking ticket but a person can be arrested for non-payment of said ticket or for resisting an officer who attempts to issue that ticket. Simply refusing to accept the ticket can get you arrested.
While it may be true that the perpetrator was complying with what she felt the officer meant, is obeying the law based on what we feel or what it says? According to the article, the officer clearly requested that she finish her candy prior to entering the station. Obviously, the officer did not mean for her to eat at all within whatever boundaries were established for non-eating and she did not comply. Not only that but when the officer requested I.D. she refused and continued onward. That is considered resisting an officer or noncompliance isn’t it?
I agree with you all that it is a petty crime and the officers have better things to do, yet, why not contend that this perpetrator should have complied with the officer and maybe if she would have have been more respectful, she could have avoided incident all together? Just because she did not feel that it was a big deal doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have to obey the rules or respect the law enforcement of that facility.
Montie, another question, who was being petty? The officer doing her job or the perpetrator disobeying,and really, disrespecting the officer?
What’s disrespectful about shoving the last bit of the candy bar in your mouth and tossing the wrapper in the trash? Is it the mere act of chewing that’s prohibited? Do they arrest and fine people for chewing gum as well? If not then this was a bit over the top.
“Do they arrest and fine people for chewing gum as well? If not then this was a bit over the top.”
My point exactly. If they are not consistent in enforcing this policy then the altercation with this individual is truly petty and unwarranted, but if they are attempting to develope a policy of no tolerance with eating in the facility and this includes all violations then they are not being petty or over the top at all.
Also, I did not say she was being disrespectful when chewing her candy, according to the article, she responded to the officer in a manner that appears to be disrespectful. Stating to her that she needs to go take care some real crime and then ignoring or disobeying the officer’s request to show identification is a sign of disrespect.
The last time I checked the rule book, being disobedient is a way of showing disrespect, is it not? Whether it be toward that person or the law itself.
Speaking of over the top…
Is it not over the top to sensationalize such small and petty incidents such as this as if it were breaking news? In the Washington Post none the less.
The officer told her to finish her candy before entering the station. From my reading of what happened, any reasonable person would conclude that she did.
How much respect does a law-abiding, adult taxpayer owe a police officer? How much respect does the police officer owe a law-abiding, adult taxpayer?
La Shawn,
Speaking as a sandlapper, you are more than welcome to return at any time.
The utmost.
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