Unitedâs victim had a âtroubled past.â But the Chicago police departmentâs is worse.
After a doctor was dragged off a United Airlines plane by police for refusing to give up his seat, journalists had a slew of questions. Why are the police arbitrating simple disputes between companies and consumers by using physical force?Â
Why didnât United simply offer passengers more money to give up seats?The Kentucky-based Courier-Journal had a different question: Whatâs up with this doctor? The paper dug in hard, looking at his licensing history, his formal patients and even some decade-old drug charges. This doctor? He had a âtroubled past,â the Courier-Journal concluded.
This is a common device used after police and other perpetrators are criticized for excessive use of force, especially when it comes to people of color: to examine erroneous elements of the victimâs history in order to suggest to the public that they were deserving of their treatment.Â
Think Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Riceand plenty of others.But while weâre on the subject of past records, letâs take a closer look at the ones dragging the 69-year-old man down the aisle: the Chicago Police Department. Read more. (4/11/2017 3:22 PM)