Brickbat: That's Nuts

In Florida, a federal jury awarded Susan Khoury $520,000 in damages after finding that a Miami-Dade Schools Police officer did not have cause to have her involuntarily institutionalized for a psychological examination. Khoury is a resident of a neighborhood near a school where she and neighbors have for years complained about parents illegally parking during youth baseball games. Khoury has been taking photos and videos showing cars parked on lawns and blocking driveways. One parent objected to being filmed and called the police. Officer Gregory Williams responded. He took Khoury to the ground and then took her into custody.

Comments

[Adans smith]

It seems cop are great at roughing up innocent people but, tend to shake in their boots and hide when there's a real threat that needs immediate action.

[sarcasmic]

Officer safety and compliance are all that matters. That's why they kill people who fail to obey, and refuse to put themselves into danger.

[Brandybuck]

Union cops. Responding to real threats and protecting the public is NOT in the job description.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Khoury, a former federal law enforcement officer...

WHAT

Video shows Williams, along with an off-duty Homestead officer who was attending the baseball game, taking Khoury down to the ground.

Oh, there it is. In the brotherhood, local off-duty trumps retired federal anything.

[mad.casual]

I'll reserve judgement until I find out if $520K made her self-appointed 'car monitor' problem better or worse.

[Longtobefree]

I'd like to know how much she got and how much the lawyer got.

[mad.casual]

Our neighborhood actually has, infrequently, this problem with the nearby HS, specifically during homecoming. The solution is to mow your lawn right at the curb, put your bins out, tell people you'll have their car towed, or, my personal favorite, have your kids put one or both cars on the curb and a sign at the end of your driveway saying "Parking, $5". I had not considered the 'take photos, get beat up, spend a night in jail, collect $520K' option.

[Roberta]

This is a serious, but not very serious, problem at various similar events that draw crowds just a few times a year. It does not pay to build (and use land for) parking that goes idle the vast majority of the time, but it's a strain on the surrounding area for those few times. Lots of park facilities were built under the assumption that the users would primarily be children who'd walk there, but...societal changes. Also that the kids would play ball and few adults would ever care to watch them, but....

[Don't look at me!]

Yes, a car parked parked in the street for a couple hours a few times a year is the end of the world.

[USA_Jew]

It is way too easy to lock someone up in a psychiatric ward.

[Longtobefree]

Contrast this story to all the calls for MORE red flag laws as a knee jerk reaction to a shooting.

[TangoDelta]

If they park on my lawn or block my driveway they'll have to figure out where their car got towed to when the game is over.