Police 'Brutality' Gone Right?

After my devotions and studies, my next morning ritual is Sports Center.  This is occasionally interrupted by my fiance's ever growing interest of the Today Show; and today was one of those days.  Usually, I'll pay attention to the first 20 minutes of it (which includes the real news) and then I'll keep it moving.  But this morning was one of those rare mornings where there was news after the first 20.

I caught this story of a 15 year old girl in Phoenix that is the center of a police brutality issue.  Apparently this young lady, who is a student at a charter school for children with behavioral and disciplinary issues, came to school drunk.  She was subsequently kicked out for the day and her mother had to come escort her home.  The report then showed an amateur video of the mother and daughter fighting in the middle of the street outside of the school.  Actually, they weren't fighting because the daughter was taking it to her mom.  The reporter said that before the issue got physical the mother called the police, but the cops didn't come fast enough for her to not catch a thrashing from her own daughter.  Then it gets more interesting.  The daughter, after swinging on her mom MMA style, ignored the police officer's orders to submit under arrest and walked away from the entire scene.  The video showed what appeared to be the cop calling her back while she was about 20 yards away.  Then the cop charged the girl and hit her with a forearm like he was blocking down field for a running back.  The girl flew into the wall and fell on the ground with an visable laceration on her head.  The cop cuffed the teenager and walked her to his car.  Now there are several people in Phoenix (and I'm sure nationwide) that are accusing the cop of brutality and want him to see some justice.

The first thing that came in my head is that the Today show is great for highlighting things that may occur in the white community 'these days' that have been happening in the black community for, well, since we got here.  I was a victim of police brutality in 1999 from the Petersburg police.  I remember sitting in a well-known African American Richmond lawyers' office with a broken hand to hear this lawyer (featured on many commercials for his business and political aspirations) tell me "we don't go after the police.  It's just something we don't do.  I'm sorry for your situation because it does sound like you have something."  We, being of legal age, followed the rules the entire time we were there as well as paid that club a significant amount of cash that night.  I hate to say it but we were targeted for being, let's say confident.  But we didn't violate ANY club or city policy, except the confident thing.  But obviously, 2 black men and a black female don't make as good as a case as a disrespectful white teenage female.  And I assume the Today show feels the same about news stories.

But the more important issue in my mind is this.  At what point does ANYONE intervene physically in this type of situation?  Those of you who were born up until 1982 (or who were raised by ol' skool parents) would see this video and say something like that's 'cause she didn't beat her daughters butt when she was a kid.  I'm positive if my mother had to pick me up from school because I was drunk she would've worn me out in the office!  But in the USA, the parent-child relationship is being shelved for a more friendship type of understanding. 

This police officer saw this 15 year old being extremely disrespectful and treated her exactly how she was acting.  And I am the last person to advocate for any type of police action, but he saw something the country needs to see.  Parents have moved from not physically disciplining their children to not disciplining them at all.  Cliche': they have allowed [insert form of media here] to raise children and now no one tells a kid no, much less gives a firm smack.  And what's totally being ignored here is the parent.  How did her daughter get drunk?  Why is she in a 'problem child' school in the first place?  What has she done to ensure things like this, and other actions of disrespect don't happen?  If this is going on in the street, can we assume it's like this at her house?  Where are the laws against irresponsible parents?  And I'm not talking about dead beat dads, but I'm speaking about lazy, uninvolved, immature mothers?  How is the cop coming under heat for what the mother should've done years ago in her own house?

Some of you know I am in favor of fining parents who's children are truant and consistently display non-compliant behavior.  These fines are geared towards forcing parents to...be parents.  And after watching this video I said to myself, lock the kid up, fine the mother a stack ($1,000), and give the cop a paid day off.  Many mothers, yes I said it-mothers, are looking for everyone around them (except the father in some cases) to rear their children.  What this has led to is waiting lists for kids to attend alternative schools where behavior modifications are first and education is last, filled juvenile detention centers, mental health agencies blurring boundaries, I could go on.  And I'm not saying beat your kid, although some of you might need to, but I am saying raise your child.  Turn off BET when your child comes home.  Do homework with him/her. If you can't understand the work, take your Rocawear money and give that to a tutor for him/her.  Stop cursing around your child.  Stop smoking and drinking around your child.  Get involved in all aspects of your child's life.  Communicate with him/her.  Remember, you have been blessed and tasked to develop a new life, not recreate your own.

Holla at you later.