It Has To Stop!

Have you read the story about Dravon Ames, his fiancée Aisha Harper and their children being confronted by police officers in Phoenix, Arizona after one of their children took a doll from a store without paying for it?  Worse yet, have you seen the videos of the incident?  Shades readers, it is completely horrendous and unacceptable that this family was treated in the way that those police officers treated them.  One of the officers had a gun pointed at Ms. Harper who is also pregnant as she was sitting in their car with one of her children in her lap, trying to say to the officer that the door was stuck and she could not get out.  The officers threatened to shoot them in the face if they did not comply…all in front of their children.  In the video, you can hear one of the children screaming.  It is chilling and scary. 

I don’t know all of the details of the situation.  I don’t know if the child deliberately took the doll, if the parents knew or didn’t know.  However, to be screamed at and told that you will be shot if you don’t cooperate over a doll?  The treatment does not fit the alleged crime.  Some news outlets have described the police officers as being ‘over-zealous’.  That description is a complete joke. 

Shades readers, I’m not even sure why I am writing about this story.  I think I am just completely flabbergasted that anyone could think that this type of conduct is acceptable.  And yes, I do want to ‘go there’…if this family were of a different ethnicity, would the same treatment be given?  I will leave that to you to answer for yourselves.  

People are people, they are not colours or stereotypes or less than you.  They are scared, happy, fat, thin, dark, light, all sorts of things but...STILL PEOPLE.

Search for the story and watch the videos.  It is a true shame. 

Take care of yourselves, Shades readers and please share us.