In a rebuttal to Bland’s op-ed, chief Walthall said her officers had done nothing wrong.
“The interaction between Ms. Bland and the officers was very cordial and brief,” she wrote. Rather than racial profiling, the officers had seen Bland earlier but not stopped her because “she was not in the street and impeding traffic.” It was only later, when a truck driver had gestured to cops after swerving around her, that the cops questioned her, Walthall said.
“I am surprised by her comments as this was not a confrontational encounter but a display of professionalism and genuine concern for her safety,” the chief wrote.
Asking for ID “is part of the standard procedure,” Walthall told Fox News. “There’s a legitimate purpose for doing so. She did commit a misdemeanor. I want our officers checking ID’s on every person they encounter in situations such as this.”
As of this minute, there are 1671 comments at the WP including these:
* So, instead of taking the issue back to the local PD, ms Bland thought that she should use it to get a little publicity. Perhaps the cost of her 15 minutes should be her removal from her post as clearly, her judgement is in question.
* WaPo publishes this kind of oblivious ivory tower opinionator every week, she figured “why not?”
* Like Empire’s Tariji P Hensons son and Django Actress Daniele Watts, this is another case of crying wolf.
* It is becoming commonplace now where people are disobeying laws with the certainty that they can play the race-victim card and turn tables on law enforcement.
They feel that they are above our laws and if you disagree, then you are quickly labeled a racist.
* The police approaching from behind could not even see her face so why would anyone think she was stopped for “walking while black”?
Anyone walking should walk so that they can see oncoming traffic, for the sake of the pedestrian and the driver.
If she decides to walk with traffic at her back, maybe while wearing ear buds and an ipod..she is endangering her life. Even on a quite street.
There are bad drivers everywhere, old folks who can’t see and inexperienced teens.
Author Steven King was nearly killed by a distracted driver while walking on the side of a road.
* The same exact thing occurred to me several years ago in Austin, Texas. I was jogging in the median of a roadway that was not a high-traffic area. I had ear buds and didn’t now there was a police car behind me. I finally saw them, stopped, took the ear buds out, and asked what they wanted. The police officer(s) gave me the same response, safety issues, etc. They asked for my ID, which I didn’t have. I was within walking distance of my home. It annoyed me just a bit. But it didn’t haunt me or give rise to any underlying matter. Did I mention I’m white? Not everything is police brutality.
* The lady was at fault. She ought to have chosen the side path to walk on. On the regular car-way she is seen on the video to move to the center of the road!
* This woman is a disgrace. It also goes to show you that social standing doesn’t matter when it comes to bigotry. I work in what would be considered the “hood,” and I see people walk in the streets daily, with sidewalks on both sides of nearly every roadway. I don’t see this anywhere else in the city, but for some reason, people have got it in to their heads that only they matter, a very me me me entitled attitude, and when others call out and attempt to correct the behavior, right away they stoop to the lowest common denominator, the race card. First and foremost, this dean, was endangering herself and others. Secondly, she ought to be fired for immoral behavior and lying on social media, using her status as a means to give her point of view validity. Thirdly, good on the police officers, they were professional and courteous, it’s too bad ignorant people can’t appreciate their commitment to society.
