Posted on 11/14/2019 8:12:05 AM PST by ObozoMustGo2012
How far would you be willing to go to reduce litter on public transportation? In the state of California, law enforcement is willing to handcuff a man for the crime of eating a sandwich.
According to KGO-TV in the Bay Area, 31-year-old Steve Foster was handcuffed and detained Monday on an open-air platform at the Pleasant Hill station in Walnut Creek, California.
A cop putting a man in handcuffs for eating a sandwich would have been business as usual, sadly except, in the cell phone age, the whole thing was recorded and ended up inflicting a massive black eye on the Bay Area Rapid Transit public transportation system, not to mention Californias profoundly excessive nanny state laws.
In the interaction with the police officer identified only as D. McCormick Foster expressed disbelief that he was targeted for enforcement.
You singled me out, out of all these people, Foster said to McCormick.
Youre eating. Its against the law, the officer replied.
So what? Foster responded.
Theres something called selective enforcement, something which our law enforcement readers will no doubt be familiar with. Californias law which punishes people for eating on train platforms with a $250 fine or 48 hours of community service, according to the Washington Examiner is patently ridiculous.
Its the kind of thing thats best ignored, the sort of thing thats not worth a police officers time. At worst, its the kind of thing that should merit a ticket, no matter how truculent the eater in question is being.
This is California, though, so this isnt how this ended. McCormick held Foster while another officer put him in handcuffs, in spite of protestations from bystanders. One of them pointed out that there were no signs on the platform informing commuters that eating on the platform was illegal.
All of this may be true, but we all know California needs that sweet, sweet $250.
Heres the interaction:
WARNING: The following video contains profanity and vulgar language that some readers may find offensive. Viewer discretion is advised.
Its a violation of California law. I have the right to detain you, McCormick said, Youre going to jail.
For eating a fing sandwich? Foster replied.
Yes, for eating a sandwich. Thats where California is right now.
It would have been simpler if he would have come up to me and said hey, you cant eat on BART nor on the platform. I should have been informed because I didnt know I couldnt eat on the platform, Foster told KGO.
A statement from BART, however, says the officer did warn him.
When the officer walked by again and still saw him eating, he moved forward with the process of issuing him a citation, the statement read.
Foster said that didnt happen.
He never walked past me, I was at the end of the platform so it was impossible for him to walk past me. He just came straight to me from the escalator like I watched him come up the escalator and make a bee line straight to me, Foster said.
The video was taken by Fosters girlfriend, Nicole Hernandez.
When he was grabbing him, like four, I dont know if it was four or six officers who came running up about a sandwich, I was nervous, she told KGO. When they turned him around and grabbed him and put him in handcuffs, I was nervous.
Foster admitted that after the officer asked for his ID and grabbed his bag, he used homophobic slurs and cursed at the officer. Thats uncalled for. But then, so is the entirety of this interaction.
The incident has now spurred protests and complaints that people of color are being targeted by law enforcement a reaction which is predictable, given that were dealing with California, but which completely misses the point.
This is a law that simply shouldnt exist in its current form.
Then again, its not like there arent plenty of needless laws on the books in California.
BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said Foster was not arrested. He was cited for eating, which is a violation of state law.
She added that he was also handcuffed after refusing to give his name several times. This is all meant to make things sound better and yet, the law shouldnt exist in its current format nor should Foster have had to give his name in the first place.
BART general manager Bob Powers apologized for the interaction and, again, managed to miss the point entirely.
The officer was doing his job but context is key, his statement read. Enforcement of infractions such as eating and drinking inside our paid area should not be used to prevent us from delivering on our mission to provide safe, reliable, and clean transportation. We have to read each situation and allow people to get where they are going on time and safely.
Im disappointed how the situation unfolded. I apologize to Mr. Foster, our riders, employees, and the public who have had an emotional reaction to the video.
The problem isnt the police officer or the context of the incident.
He was, and it pains me to say this, doing his job. Perhaps he should have exercised a bit of selective enforcement, but he was still simply enforcing a law thats already on the books.
The problem is the law that led to the man being handcuffed.
If Foster was littering, fine. There was no evidence of this.
What theres evidence of is a law that neednt have been enforced and a mentality toward enforcement of minor crimes in California that needs to change like so much else in the state.
All I have to say is, thank goodness this guy wasnt using a plastic straw.
That might have required a SWAT team.
Are you off your meds today?
You can poo but you can’t chew.
What you said is perfect. Upside down - the world is.
You can’t even fly a kite at the beach because you might.........wait for it..........scare a bird.
Good thing...last time I was there they had warning signs in all the restaurants and hotels that said substances in the establishment were known to cause cancer.
Like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcgmwmco_QM&t=519s
If I was off my meds, I'd shoot some. How many of those slimy ninjas are going to come after my guns, Constitution be damned?
Today's LEOs are no better than highway thieves, sent by the Sheriff of Nottingham, to steal from mere civilians, and to support the Leftist Party, until Democrats can overthrow the Constitution.
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