- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Score Board
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- SEC Score Board
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Pregnant Woman Slammed to Ground and Arrested for Refusing to Give Her Name
Posted on 5/28/15 at 1:54 pm
Posted on 5/28/15 at 1:54 pm
Article, Video, and Pictures
A judge dropped the charges, the officers were not disciplined, and she was banned from the school, so I ask who (if anyone) was in the wrong here because the consequences don't make sense? I don't get sensationalized and don't believe that law enforcement pose a threat to me just because I'm a minority. I've noticed that there's plenty of animosity towards cops here, so what's the OT's take on this story? I don't mean for this to be a political topic, but rather an open discussion on what the OT thinks should have happened.
quote:
Shocking body camera video shows two Southern California cops slam an eight-months pregnant woman to the ground after a parking lot dispute started as the woman dropped her child off at school.
The city of Barstow, an Inland Empire city in San Bernardino County, defended the officers' actions, writing in a statement that Charlena Michelle Cooks was actively resisting arrest during the January incident.
"The Barstow Police Department continues to be proactive in training its officers to assess and handle interactions with emotionally charged individuals while conducting an investigation, for the protection of everyone involved," the statement, obtained by the Desert Dispatch, reads.
The bizarre confrontation began when Cooks and another woman, a school employee, got into a “road rage” confrontation in the parking lot at Crestline Elementary School, where Cooks was dropping off her second-grade daughter.
The officer, speaking to the other woman, says no crime has been committed and he’ll go speak to Cooks about what happened and “document her name.”
As Cooks explains her side, the officer suddenly cuts her off and asks for identification, something he hadn’t done with the other woman.
"I don't even think that that disagreement in the parking lot was enough to warrant a call to the police," Cooks told the Dispatch.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, which took up Cooks’ case and released the video, says California law does not require someone to identify themselves “for no reason.”
Cooks, in the video, tells the officer that she’d like to call her boyfriend and verify the law about identification. But the officer, after first promising to give her “two minutes” to find out whether she must give up her name, walks up to Cooks after 20 seconds and grabs her arm as she wriggles and starts to yell.
“Do not touch me, do not touch me, I’m pregnant!” Cooks begs as she’s pushed against a chain link fence. “What the f--k is going on!”
A second officer comes over and the officer with the camera on asks, “Why are you resisting, ma’am?”
The two Barstow police officers shoved Charlena Cooks, who was eight months pregnant at the time, onto the ground on her stomach as they arrested her for resisting arrest.
PreviousNextCharlena Cooks of Barstow, California was eight months pregnant when she and an employee at her daughter's school got in a 'petty' argument Charlena Cooks of Barstow, California was eight months pregnant when she and an employee at her daughter's school got in a 'petty' argument Charlena Cooks of Barstow, California was eight months pregnant when she and an employee at her daughter's school got in a 'petty' argument Charlena Cooks of Barstow, California was eight months pregnant when she and an employee at her daughter's school got in a 'petty' argument Enlarge
ACLU OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The two Barstow police officers shoved Charlena Cooks, who was eight months pregnant at the time, onto the ground on her stomach as they arrested her for resisting arrest.
He and the other officer then took her to the ground, stomach down, and handcuffed her behind her back.
“This is ridiculous, what are you doing?” the incredulous Cooks asks. “I didn’t even do anything wrong.”
"I don't think I've ever been that terrified in my life," Cooks recently told the Dispatch. "I never saw that coming. I told him I was pregnant so he could proceed with caution. That didn't happen and the first thing I thought was I didn't want to fall to the ground. I felt the pressure on my stomach from falling and I was calling for help. But those guys are supposed to help me. But who is supposed to help me when they are attacking me?"
Cooks was put in the back of a police cruiser and later booked on a charge of resisting or obstructing a police officer, a charge later tossed by a judge.
The officer involved in the incident is shown on video recounting for another officer what happened.
“I gave her a minute to give up her name and I went to put her under arrest and she resisted arrest,” he said. “That’s all there is to it.”
Cooks later gave birth to a heatlhy baby girl, but she’s been banned from the school property and is considering leaving Barstow after the incident.
"I'm still trying to process everything and get in a good state of mind," she told the Dispatch. "I'm in a very fearful state of mind. Barstow is so small and I used to be comfortable living here. Not anymore. I really felt like after all that happened I had some of my everyday freedoms taken from me."
A judge dropped the charges, the officers were not disciplined, and she was banned from the school, so I ask who (if anyone) was in the wrong here because the consequences don't make sense? I don't get sensationalized and don't believe that law enforcement pose a threat to me just because I'm a minority. I've noticed that there's plenty of animosity towards cops here, so what's the OT's take on this story? I don't mean for this to be a political topic, but rather an open discussion on what the OT thinks should have happened.
Posted on 5/28/15 at 1:57 pm to Cumulonimbus
quote:
pregnant
quote:
boyfriend
Why are they not married.
Are they trying to milk the system by her staying single so she gets more benefits where the boyfriends income is not in the equation.
She is morally in the wrong 100%. She has broken God's law.
Posted on 5/28/15 at 1:59 pm to JETigER
quote:
She is morally in the wrong 100%. She has broken God's law.
Agreed, wait till the devil slams that arse.
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:01 pm to Cumulonimbus
(no message)
This post was edited on 5/28/15 at 2:02 pm
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:05 pm to Cumulonimbus
I didnt read the article and im not gonna defend cops.
But im guessing it was another instance where if she was just polite to the officers she could have been on her way in a few seconds.
As jerseytiger always said "I am 100% sure this will never happen to me."
But im guessing it was another instance where if she was just polite to the officers she could have been on her way in a few seconds.
As jerseytiger always said "I am 100% sure this will never happen to me."
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:05 pm to Cumulonimbus
cops sure like giving public money away to people in lawsuits
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:09 pm to Cosmo
quote:
But im guessing it was another instance where if she was just polite to the officers she could have been on her way in a few seconds.
I usually agree with this, but in this instance I don't think they needed to arrest anyone. not even sure why the cops were called in the first place.
and it seems like they only arrested her for "resisting arrest", I would think there needs to be a reason to be under arrest before you can resist it.
This post was edited on 5/28/15 at 2:13 pm
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:10 pm to Cumulonimbus
quote:is a fricking shithole.
The city of Barstow
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:10 pm to Cumulonimbus
Police training on the law in these situations is mostly a joke. They aren't trained on the law, but on what terms to use in their reports to skirt the law. Glad there was a body cam.
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:11 pm to JETigER
quote:You sound like a typical OT jerk...
Why are they not married. Are they trying to milk the system by her staying single so she gets more benefits where the boyfriends income is not in the equation. She is morally in the wrong 100%. She has broken God's law.
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:15 pm to Cosmo
quote:
But im guessing it was another instance where if she was just polite to the officers she could have been on her way in a few seconds
Have you ever tried to reason with an 8 month pregnant woman? The cops are 100% in the wrong.
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:15 pm to Cumulonimbus
Looked to me like the officers acted appropriately.
If we want our cops to be street level arbiters of angry confrontations between people, then we should expect a level of cooperation. If people are uncooperative, I have no problem with cops making arrests for minor misdemeanor resisting an officer type charges.
If we don't want officers to get involved in those incidents, then we can expect more people to escalate those interactions with violence. It's all a part of being a member of a civil society. Cooperate with the cops, especially when they are being reasonable, or else expect to get arrested.
If we want our cops to be street level arbiters of angry confrontations between people, then we should expect a level of cooperation. If people are uncooperative, I have no problem with cops making arrests for minor misdemeanor resisting an officer type charges.
If we don't want officers to get involved in those incidents, then we can expect more people to escalate those interactions with violence. It's all a part of being a member of a civil society. Cooperate with the cops, especially when they are being reasonable, or else expect to get arrested.
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:15 pm to Cumulonimbus
White lady answers all questions asked, goes on about her day.
Black lady throws down the race card, refuses to answer basic questions like her name, gets dealt with.
Seems pretty cut and dry what happened here.
Black lady throws down the race card, refuses to answer basic questions like her name, gets dealt with.
Seems pretty cut and dry what happened here.
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:16 pm to Cumulonimbus
I literally hate cops. I don't use them and have never had a "need" for one.
If I ever need one, great! But I won't "owe" them gratitude. I've been paying taxes out of my arse for 30+ years to pay them to be there when needed.
There was NO "need" in this case.
I don't care what happens, a pregnant woman should never be handled and the on to the ground for resisting arrest. Shocker, people with medical conditions resist being handled!
If I ever need one, great! But I won't "owe" them gratitude. I've been paying taxes out of my arse for 30+ years to pay them to be there when needed.
There was NO "need" in this case.
I don't care what happens, a pregnant woman should never be handled and the on to the ground for resisting arrest. Shocker, people with medical conditions resist being handled!
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:16 pm to sjmabry
has the teacher in the video been caught with a student yet in the sac. that would be a way better story, she fine!
This post was edited on 5/28/15 at 2:19 pm
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:17 pm to sjmabry
quote:
You sound like a typical OT jerk...
I thank you and the last few posters for actually addressing the relevant problems. Extramarital sex is not the issue in this article.
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:18 pm to Cosmo
quote:
But im guessing it was another instance where if she was just polite to the officers she could have been on her way in a few seconds.
As jerseytiger always said "I am 100% sure this will never happen to me."
Correct. I'll sum up using C for cop, WL for white lady, BL for black lady.
C- what happened
WL- tells story, woman was driving crazy, etc
C- well, I don't see any evidence of an actual crime, so all I can do is document what you're saying
WL- ok
C- what happened
BL- tells her side. Says something to the affect of "is it because she's white, she's trying to make friends" or some gibberish
C- I don't know. Let me get your name
BL- hold on, let me call someone and see if I can give you my name
Goes on for another minute, refuses to cooperate, gets tossed.
Posted on 5/28/15 at 2:18 pm to WG_Dawg
quote:Yep. Once again a cop ignored the law and assaulted a citizen. He should be prosecuted just like any other a-hole that assaults a pregnant citizen.
Seems pretty cut and dry what happened here.
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News