Eve Tushnet
I know I say this all the time, but what really gets to me is the tone of contempt. There’s pride in the police chief’s condescending dehumanization. Like, he’s so pleased that he came up with this super clever way to put down a woman trying to get help for her family. Lenore Skenazy agrees:
Ashley, Richardson, a mom of four who went to a food bank while her kids, ages 6-8, played at the park for more than two hours, was arrested and jailed in Winter Haven, Florida. While the park day sounds like it was far less than ideal—the oldest in the bunch got stuck in a baby swing and required help from the Fire Department to get him out, and later on the kids were found playing near the road—the attitude of the police chief is even more disturbing. Bay News 9 quotes Police Chief Gary Hester saying:
“Six, seven and 8-year-old kids are not equipped to be left unattended, I mean period,” he said. “I met some pretty mature 6, 7, 8-year-olds but you don’t leave them unattended. I guess the question we should be asking is this 28-year-old mother, should she be left unattended. Doesn’t look like she’s mature enough to be a parent. She’s being supervised today in the county jail. Hopefully she learns her lesson.”
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