Family: 7-year-old NYC boy handcuffed over $5

[Kelvin Mace]

Source: AP

A 7-year-old New York City boy's family has filed a $250 million claim against police and the city after saying he was handcuffed and falsely accused of stealing $5 from a schoolmate.

Wilson Reyes' mother, Frances Mendez, told the New York Post that her son was "interrogated" for 10 hours on Dec. 4.

The court claim, filed by attorney Jack Yankowitz, said Wilson was handcuffed and held in a room at P.S. X114 in the Bronx for four hours, then taken to a precinct house. He allegedly was held there for six hours and charged with robbery.

Mendez told the Post she initially wasn't allowed to see her son when she went to the station. When she did get to him, she saw that he had been cuffed by one wrist to the wall, and she snapped a photo of him.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/family-7-old-nyc-boy-handcuffed-over-5-201233037.html

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Let us assume the child did steal the money in the manner described. The police are still dead wrong.

1) You do NOT interrogate a minor absent his parent/guardian.

2) You do not keep him "incommunicado" when his mother comes looking for him.

This is what happens when you give bullies badges and refuse to hold them accountable for their actions.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

1. State sponsored street gang. Police officers are sick people. Yes, all of them. The ones that

don't do this don't do shit to stop it for fear of being called out and left out to dry by the Blue Code of Silence.

I hope the mother rolls the city and the police.

[cartach]

8. All of them?

Had a bad experience with police? Convicted felon? Tell us about it?

[truebluegreen]

9. Your concern is noted.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

11. squeaky clean. not even a parking ticket. nice try.

I'm tired of badge sniffers who think because i loathe these people and their trampling of the constitution, intelligence, civil rights and (in this case) common decency, I am instantly a felon.

On my ignore now, Cartach!

[snort]

14. Badge Sniffer!

I'm stealing that one.

[plethoro]

16. It took years to understand how right you are. They

are walking-talking promotions for Dash-cams. Good post, NtS.

[Kelvin Mace]

25. I have given the police the benefit of a doubt for too long

We all have.

While not all cops commit crimes, those that don't know those that do and remain quiet 99.9% of the time.

When you and I do this, it is called "aiding and abetting". When the police do it, it is called the "Blue Wall of Silence". When the mob does it, it is called "omerta".

[plethoro]

12. Megalomaniacs personified. Not all of them, but most of them. When the final battle begins, they

will be on the side of the fascists.

[xtraxritical]

18. I agree and the same code works for Congress & most politicians too.

[get the red out]

2. So, how does this differ

from the asshole who dragged the little boy off his school bus in Alabama and into his bunker? For the kid, not much is my guess.

[MrYikes]

3. Wow, what a great response.

My head would never have gone there. Thank you for opening my eyes.

[Orrex]

4. I wish them luck in their lawsuit, but a quarter of a billion dollars seems problematic

Disclaimer: if this had happened to my child, I would personally drive a bulldozer through the police station and then park it in the chief's living room. I am wholly sympathetic to the mother's anger.

However, far worse civil rights violations have resulted in far smaller damage awards. I hope that Ms Mendez gets a huge settlement, but the suit for $250M will be lampooned as frivolous along with idiots who still mock "the McDonalds coffee lady" as if that were a bogus lawsuit.

[KansDem]

5. I agree...

Interrogated for 10 hours over five measly dollars?

And the banksters still walk free...

[aka-chmeee]

35. I could wish them luck in their lawsuit if

They had demanded something other than 250 million. Why must some people's idea of justice involve ridiculous sums of money?(not , by the way, ponied up by the police, but by US). I'm not fond of police and their actions, but I dislike litigious people looking for a big score even more.

[Enrique]

6. all the "small government conservatives" will be outraged by this story

right?

[bulloney]

7. Meanwhile, in another part of NYC, Wall Streeters have been stealing billions. Yet, not a peep.

Some misplaced priorities in this country.

[Buzz Clik]

10. It wasn't the $5. It was the ensuing fight. Nevertheless, this was pure stupidity.

I am truly surprised to see cops behave like this with children.

[Kelvin Mace]

24. Happens all the time

Children actually have less rights in many ways than adults.

[Buzz Clik]

26. What makes this so "special" was the extent of their mental torture.

Normally, the cops just act tough to invoke a certain level of terror. These guys were a single step from pillorying this poor child in the town square.

[bullwinkle428]

13. 10 hours? Did they bring in Detective Goren from "Law & Order:CI", and have him

get right in the kid's face?



Dun-DUNNNN!!!!

[niyad]

15. even if the boy whose money was supposedly stolen was telling the truth about what happened,

and if the mother is telling the truth about what happened, no child should ever be treated like that. FIVE DOLLARS--the boy was cuffed and held for ten hours over FIVE DOLLARS??

and, as others have pointed out, the banksters have stolen billions (possibly trillions) and not a damned thing is happening to them.

our society is truly screwed up.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

17. If you think laws matter anymore then you haven't been paying attention.

We're at war. And the PATRIOT Act is coming to a town near you ... Backed up by domestic drones.

God bless you. And God bless the United States if America.

[Kelvin Mace]

23. The Patriot Act is here

and all our police departments are crating their own little STASIs to spy on, entrap, and abuse the citizenry.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

31. You're right. I guess I still harbor some misguided hope :(

[ROBROX]

19. JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED

This child was held for NO REASON. At least the money should have been found before someone is arrested.

I hope this family sues and makes millions for the WRONG done. I see this little boy having future issues with the police and WINNING because of this WRONG.

[Kelvin Mace]

21. Gosh, I wonder if all the run-ins

I had with the police over the years has colored my views?

There was that time I was robbed and they accused me of stealing the money and making up the robbery.

There was that time a policeman killed my mother while driving drunk and was whisked from the scene without a sobriety test, while my mother's corpse was taken for an autopsy and drug/alcohol screen. This would be my mother the PEDESTRIAN who the prosecutor claimed "ran into the side of the policeman's car".

I'm no professional, but I think I may have been given cause to distrust the police.

Bitter?

Why yes, yes I am.

[grantcart]

28. Sorry to hear about your mother and how her death was handled.

[Kelvin Mace]

29. Thank you for your kind thoughts

When things like this happen, it tends to surface and I find it best to explain my rather "inflexible" views on police (mis)conduct.

[grantcart]

30. I understand. My wife of 30 years is the widow of policeman killed in the line of duty.

He was shot by friendly fire and there is reason to believe that he was shot because he was unwilling to go along with a system of bribes, but we will never know.

In the meantime I sell benefits to federal law enforcement officers and find 95% of them to be very good and regular men and women so I also understand what they go through from their point of view.

But your reaction is completely understandable.

[Kelvin Mace]

33. I have spoken at length with a number of officers over the years

and many are decent people.

BUT

While the majority do not break the law, they know about the minority that do, and for the most part keep silent.

This is simply wrong, and by their inaction, they taint all policemen.

Until the law is seen as applying to everyone, including the police, we will have a problem and the public will not trust the police.

[KamaAina]

20. He's Latino. Who would have thought?

[Remmah2]

22. At least they didn't bomb his village.

[valerief]

27. They're prepping him for a future in America's concentration camps aka for-profit prisons aka

slave labor camps.

[Liberal_in_LA]

32. 250 million seems too high. But sorry the kid was treated this way

[Kelvin Mace]

34. In my own run in

with the police misconduct, I made it absolutely plain that I would forgo a lawsuit IF the police simply apologized for their actions and my Mom's funeral costs.

They refused, because admitting to being wrong was something they simply would not do, not matter what the cost.