7 police officers versus 1 autistic girl

[Green777]

https://metro.co.uk/video/teen-girl-autism-arrested-telling-officer-looks-like-lesbian-nana-2995683/

AIBU to think these Police officers should be disciplined for arresting this autistic

girl for a ‘hate crime’ then dragging her out of her home kicking and screaming?

The police officer who the girl said looked like her ‘lesbian nana’ seems very unprofessional.

@SkinnyMalinkyLankyLegs , @KrisAkabusi read WYP statement.

https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/news-appeals/statement-social-media-video-leeds

The police brought her home for her own safety. She was not arrested in relation to her behaviour in the town centre, she was arrested for a comment she made once she got home. That is what they are saying was the public order offence.

Very much appreciated thank you

Interview with the girl's mother:

https://reduxx.info/uk-autistic-teen-girl-brutally-arrested-by-police-for-homophobic-remark/

Can you not just read the police statement?

And no, when someone is resisting arrest, they do not care about autism or any other condition

This is not true, the police are required by law to ensure that they do take into account disabilities when they are dealing with the public- including arresting /detaining individuals.

A big part of day to day policing is de escalating situations, every single officer involved in this needs some refresher training as it was very badly handled.

I am very pro police (my DHs best friend is a copper) and I dislike anti police sentiment but I think it’s very fair to say that the officers involved in this acted very
badly indeed.

I’ve always said it’s utterly gross how seriously police treat any kind of offence or injury against “their own “ but don’t give a toss when it’s the wider public. Were this someone else she said that comment to, they wouldn’t have bothered. The police officer felt humiliated and she abused her power to get “even”

I am very pro police (my DHs best friend is a copper) and I dislike anti police sentiment but I think it’s very fair to say that the officers involved in this acted very
badly indeed.

its people with this mindset that have enabled the police for decades to brutalise various minorities. It’s only when someone who looks a bit like themselves that is getting injured by the police that’s it finally an issue. There are some police apologists on here but there would be much more if this was an incident involving eg. A black woman

But it wasn’t. It was a white, autistic girl - disabled - so a protected group herself. It’s absolutely fine to just focus on her and her treatment without implying that posters are racist for doing so.

what the hell is a vulnerable young teenager doing out at 1am in the morning pissed out of her mind in the first place ? Where were the parents ? There is more to this, i think she is already known to the police.

She was pissed at 1am in Leeds City Centre, they were trying to get her home.

As the parent of an autistic preteen this video is absolutely petrifying. I hope the officers are disciplined and mandatory training is started with all police officers. Genuinely can’t sleep after seeing that.

Even more scary when you think that her family were concerned for her welfare and asked the police for help…

There is nothing to indicate from either the police or the mother that the girl was "known to the police"

Even if she was known to the police and her parents were bad parents for letting her go to a sleepover how does that justify arresting a child in this senario.

If this is all her parents fault and they are such terrible people that the police were forced to take action surely the action would be reporting the parents to social services not arresting the child?

How did she react when the police initially arrived to take her home? What state was she in prior to the police arriving? We know nothing just a small clip, selective from people with obviously very poor judgement.

All of this is irrelevant. The issue is of whether hate crime legislation has been weaponised by the police officer to punish this girl.
The officer’s job was to drop the girl back home which she had completed but the police officer took offence to a comment.
Should someone be forcefully arrested and taken into custody for saying that someone with short hair and looks like a lesbian?
Why are we policing language and free speech to this extent?

You’ve either missed the point deliberately or otherwise. Of course people on this thread who are focusing on the girl in question are not doing anything wrong! I did not suggest this autistic girl was not vulnerable or from a protected group.

however I’m referring to people like the post I quoted who is “very pro-police” and against “anti-police sentiment”, despite their frequent mistreatment of minorities but mysteriously suddenly finds it in them to condemn the police on this occasion. That most certainly does suggest bias.

I was once stopped for suspected drink driving, they needed 6 pcs, two in riot gear.

I'm 5ft 0 and disabled.

So you are claiming the statement put out by the West Yorkshire police force saying that she was arrested for a homophobic public order offence is actually incorrect and she was arrested for being drunk?

Can someone explain to me how a public order offence can be commited in private property?

People are selecting parts of the ‘story’ to victim blame as usual or saying there’s more than meets the eye to imply the police are excused for this disgusting behaviour.

When the girl was brought home, she was going upstairs with the mum and made an observation that the PO looked like her lesbian nana, she connected their similarity in her mind and said that they look alike.

At which point the officer lunged at the girl but the mum was in the way trying to priest her from her grip and was assaulted in the process.

If people read the account they’d know this.

The girl had ran away and had to be brought home = she deserved it, that’s the gist of some on here no matter how subtly you try to disguise what you’re really saying.

Look at the video of the PO with her glares and clenched fists in a simmering rage and open your eyes. No excuse absolutely none and trying to vilify the girl. She was dragged about even though they knew she had scoliosis.

The OP’s response to she’s autistic was ‘I don’t care’.

(Sorry not the OP, the PO’s response)

That what’s in the media is literally half the story

They say their officers shouldn’t have to put up with verbal abuse.

So that is the crux of the matter, her comment about the PO’s likeliness to her grandmother.

The whole statement sounds like they’re trying to shirk it off and cast doubt on the girl but can not say anything other than ‘verbal abuse’.

Everyone is complaining about the number of officers but the more handling someone the better and safer. One on each limb and one supporting the head is the end game. Including one overseeing. That's 6!!! The outcome can be dangerous if it's just one or two

A comment, and 'hurty feelings' because that is what the police are saying happened- words not a physical attack or risk to life- does not warrant 7 officers, shouting, hands being made into fists and the escalation of the situation to anyone, let alone a distressed drunk autistic child.

And frankly if anyone thinks it does then we are heading to hell in a handcart.

It’s all interpretation of very little information, but judgement is being jumped to based on literally half the story

Unless the police release their video footage then we only have the story from one side and therefore cannot be certain exactly what was said and how the situation escalated. We currently only have the mothers version of what the girl said.

Regardless, it is clear the police were escalating the situation and the girl was in distress. The police should be acting in the public interest and I can not see at all how it was in the public interest to have arrested this girl. Autism aside, she was in her own home, a few words to a police officer is hardly a hate crime and ultimately she is highly unlikely to be convicted of anything and therefore this was a huge misuse of police time and resources.

I can appreciate that police officers have to deal with harassment and violence day in day out and it must be an incredibly tough job but they can't go bulldozing in to a situation and making it worse. The female police officer looked like she has a chip on her shoulder and if she is really offended by what a 16 year old girl said to her then she is not in the right job.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4868642-to-think-an-autistic-child-should-not-be-treated-like-this-by-the-police