Belle Isle chalkgate mom trial is set
Remember when I had that post about the mom that got banned from Belle Isle for allowing her child to use chalk on a rock? It was one of my most read posts. So in a blatant attempt to stir the pot I’m posting this story on CBS6 about the trial being set. I think we have a contender for the best RVA quote of the year which I’ve bolded. The discussion on whether the officer was overzealous and is that where we want our officers to spend their resources is valid and should be explored but on many levels this whole incident strays into comedy.
Police said they have had problems with people vandalizing the rocks with paint and have had to crack down on people defacing property, but Mortensen said the officer was a little overzealous. She also said the incident caused a lot of stress for her daughter.
“She’s very scared of chalk for one”, said Mortensen. “The protest we had did help with that, made her feel a little better. And she’s very nervous around cops.”
It’s very important to distinguish the personalities of people involved in these kinds of matters from the legal and moral principles involved.
I’m not really concerned with (nor do I buy) the idea that her daughter might be scared of chalk. I’m not really concerned with the credibility of the mother in general. The issue here is not the mother; it is the principle of who decides what a valid and reasonable use of law enforcement resources are. Does the community have an authentic say, or are we at the mercy of whatever bureaucrats happen to be in power at a given moment? Does the flexibility officers have to exercise discretion also confer a duty to exercise it responsibly with an eye towards limited resources and community values?
I don’t expect a trial to deal with any of these issues, but I think looking at how the system has performed here can be very instructive to people who support, or are indifferent towards, that system. And that can be positive.
I can see it now…poor school performance, behavioral problems involving personal boundary issues, and ongoing record of defacement of public and private property will all be traced, after years of analysis, to this one early childhood incident.
Or not, since mom obviously has a little problem with truthfulness. Really, fear of chalk?
Thanks for the chuckle of the day, Richard.
remember too, this Mom had been warned/arrested last year about defacing rocks at the River. She always forgets to mention that when mentioning her daughters “fear” of chalk. LOL
Wonder if she’s paid her fine yet from the previous (uncontested) ticket?