It was a beautiful summer night in Memphis, Tennessee. I was walking back to my AirBnB after an event celebrating Tyre Nichols’ birthday, a young Black man killed by police in January. At the event, families of victims of police brutality spoke. Ben Crump, who is representing Nichols’ family, spoke. Adorable kids in sunglasses did a dance. A bigger dance party ensued, leading with Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick, Push,” the classic ode to freewheeling skateboarders, as Nichols had been (“
Is "Criminal Impersonation" real? The way cops talk, it's like they took a bunch of six-year-olds playing pretend and gave them the power and encouragement to kill people and ruin lives
LOL ! I mean ... I guess if I were like, "I'm a neurosurgeon, let me operate on this patient!" it'd be a problem but ... I mean ... I am actually a journalist (look at my bank account lol) and could have called any number of editors. They also charged me with public intoxication. Id had two glasses of white wine with dinner two hours prior. Once I get it together to post the video you'll see I sound totally sober and quite reasonable, I don't even raise my voice.
Cop English traveled back upstream into the brains of ppl who speak it, and rewires their brains into playing a lethal game of Calvinball with their victims
(Yes I know it's a lot more than a language problem that led to cops doing what they do, but that's the thing I kind of have to focus on, otherwise it's all far too grim)
You were completely within your rights. Cops either don’t know the law or just don’t care because there are no consequences for them violating the law. Qualified immunity is the root of the problem
I pressed "Like" for this not because I 'liked" it but because it was really important to read. Thank you, Tana, for sharing this experience with the reminder that this is so real for so many people.
The heat in Texas prisons, the majority of which have no air conditioning. Despite largebudget surplus. Sorry, I'm not tech savvy. Failed at sending a link.
Yeah that is infuriating on so many levels. Thanks for sharing. I had a similar experience many years ago in Chicago. Took 24 hours to get processed in and then let out almost immediately. The lack of interest in rehabilitation was almost as tangible as the physical misery. All the other people in the intake process could do was talk to other accused people about what hustle to collaborate on next. The systematic shittiness is really on display. Fuck those cops too. Useless waste of money is too kind of a label.
It has been years since I had problems with the police but when i was a long haired hippie kid in DC I was often harrassed. They would do it for fun, not all of them but enough.
People who have not had to face this simply do not understand how some police can be, When I tell these stories, they may snicker and ask what I was doing to attract that.
This so isn't about me but I feel like this describes most of my encounters with others. I think I have a black cloud above me.
"The surreal thing is, when interacting with one another, the guards are funny and friendly, chatting about their kids and weekend plans. But in any interaction with an inmate they’re gruff, annoyed, just plain nasty. They greet one another like accountants at a water cooler, and then roll their eyes and yell at confused women in orange shirts. "
I was shocked at how different being processed by the feds and being processed by state and local level jails are. My state/local experience was like yours back in the 90s. The fed experience, they treated me like a person (at least during R&D).
You vastly overestimate your own privilege.
Is "Criminal Impersonation" real? The way cops talk, it's like they took a bunch of six-year-olds playing pretend and gave them the power and encouragement to kill people and ruin lives
LOL ! I mean ... I guess if I were like, "I'm a neurosurgeon, let me operate on this patient!" it'd be a problem but ... I mean ... I am actually a journalist (look at my bank account lol) and could have called any number of editors. They also charged me with public intoxication. Id had two glasses of white wine with dinner two hours prior. Once I get it together to post the video you'll see I sound totally sober and quite reasonable, I don't even raise my voice.
Cop English traveled back upstream into the brains of ppl who speak it, and rewires their brains into playing a lethal game of Calvinball with their victims
(Yes I know it's a lot more than a language problem that led to cops doing what they do, but that's the thing I kind of have to focus on, otherwise it's all far too grim)
A press pass is not needed. We each have the right of the first amendment
You were completely within your rights. Cops either don’t know the law or just don’t care because there are no consequences for them violating the law. Qualified immunity is the root of the problem
I pressed "Like" for this not because I 'liked" it but because it was really important to read. Thank you, Tana, for sharing this experience with the reminder that this is so real for so many people.
I thought of you when (moments ago) I read this piece https://www.thefire.org/news/lawsuit-vermont-man-sues-after-being-arrested-flipping-police wherein FIRE defends the right of a dude in Vermont to give a cop the bird. Not sure if this would fly in Tennessee (you can't get theeah from heeah)
The heat in Texas prisons, the majority of which have no air conditioning. Despite largebudget surplus. Sorry, I'm not tech savvy. Failed at sending a link.
It's such an important story. I'm working on something.
Tribune News Service has commentary by John Crisp today (7/2) that is really good. IMHO.
The gun post?
Yeah that is infuriating on so many levels. Thanks for sharing. I had a similar experience many years ago in Chicago. Took 24 hours to get processed in and then let out almost immediately. The lack of interest in rehabilitation was almost as tangible as the physical misery. All the other people in the intake process could do was talk to other accused people about what hustle to collaborate on next. The systematic shittiness is really on display. Fuck those cops too. Useless waste of money is too kind of a label.
Sometimes I forget that you're just a very, very good writer. The craft. ✨
Absolutely died laughing 15 separate times
It has been years since I had problems with the police but when i was a long haired hippie kid in DC I was often harrassed. They would do it for fun, not all of them but enough.
People who have not had to face this simply do not understand how some police can be, When I tell these stories, they may snicker and ask what I was doing to attract that.
Well,that didn't work.
https://delivery.tribunecontentagency.com/preview/202307031254MCT_____NEWS_SVC_17484_kniga
This so isn't about me but I feel like this describes most of my encounters with others. I think I have a black cloud above me.
"The surreal thing is, when interacting with one another, the guards are funny and friendly, chatting about their kids and weekend plans. But in any interaction with an inmate they’re gruff, annoyed, just plain nasty. They greet one another like accountants at a water cooler, and then roll their eyes and yell at confused women in orange shirts. "
Outside of that, this story is madness.
Glad you're OK. Next time you go down there, write my number on your arm. Just to be on the safe side.
Pretty stupid to put this online. Pretty stupid how you handled the situation...
I was shocked at how different being processed by the feds and being processed by state and local level jails are. My state/local experience was like yours back in the 90s. The fed experience, they treated me like a person (at least during R&D).