Teach and Louis sent in a link to a WSB article reporting that a mom was arrested at the Decatur Library last Monday after being asked to leave because her toddler was being to loud. The library’s director told WSB that Serita Foster became “boisterous” after being asked to leave by library security and that is why police were called.
There’s a video segment featuring an interview with Ms. Foster at the other end of the link.
Latest from Decaturish
Daydreamer
FM Fats
Robert Butera
gm
Peripatetian
Robert Butera
Robert Butera
J_T
Wacky Sitcom Neighbo…
Steve
Angelo
Just cranky
Rsizzle
theron wasson
Mikelark
She was booked later that day.
I hope they read her her rights first.
Ba dum bum.
Book Em DeKalbo
Nice to see the library is so welcoming to families…
I’m pretty sure it’s only unwelcome to families exhibiting boisterous, obnoxious, or disruptive behavior who refuse to leave. I’m ok with that.
Thanks Chris U are soooo right….
Someone tried to argue with me that this gives Decatur a black eye and the staff obviously overreacted. I was in there yesterday with a sick, angry kid (non contagious) who was being loud and was surrounded by people having meetings and other people talking. From my 20 plus years around these parts, I think that library is pretty darn tolerant and this woman must have been plainly acting like a [edited] for them to call the cops. Pardon the language, but this bugs.
DM edited out my dirty word!
Me too. Somehow I’m not buying Ms. Foster’s story.
I have to give the Decatur Library the benefit of the doubt because the staff have always been very warm and welcoming to families in my experience.
The best way to control an active and possibly loud toddler is to take them next door to the playground and let them run! A small child can sit still for just a short time during story time, and it’s wrong to expect them to be quiet for long. The parent should have removed the child. It is a library!! People are supposed to be reading and come for quiet …..SHHHHHHHHH. When will these parents understand that the world does not revolve around them?I give the library a high five for acting on this one.
U are soo right Old Timer…
Anyone that is displaying boisterous behavior which IS disruptive in a library should be asked to leave. I realize this all started with a very small child but the mother should have been responsible and gone outside if her son could not be quieted.
Thank you to the library staff for respecting us well behaved people of all ages and handling the situation. As for the Security Guards and Police having to get involved it sounds like the mother was the one creating all the drama.
I was riding my bike home and passed this scene. About 5 police officers patiently standing around her in front of the library sign. One was trying to calmly speak to her. I didn’t know what started it but the woman was completely out of her mind. Giving her a little adult “time out” was the best thing for everyone.
Thanks for the eyewitness account. While I didn’t observe this one, I have seen parents tolerate outrageous behavior from children without batting an eye. Parents who don’t discipline their children appropriately are asking for trouble down the line. I can only imagine this mother’s attitude was, “how dare you suggest my baby is misbehaving.”
Oooo, careful, Diane– them kinda words’ll get you attacked as a child-hater who just doesn’t understand what it means to be the parent of a little precious.
IMO This woman is now trolling for a lawsuit. The police showed incredible restraint. When I rode by and observed her behavior for a few moments, I assumed this was a mental or drug case. I’m surprised she was taken into custody without being maced and tasered.
Which, by the way, is a kicking name for a hot wings sauce.
I’ll have a dozen of the Taser wings… genius
This is horrifying–I don’t blame the library for trying to keep a quiet atmosphere, but if Ms. Foster’s account of the manager’s reaction is true, namely that he called the police when she questioned the reason for her removal, then I wonder what happened to the idea of liberty here.
Everyone who has children, especially fourteen months old (full disclosure: I’m the father of one), knows that you can’t reason with them. And, cranky old timer, sometimes you might need material for your job/education at that specific time and that collides with your child’s needs (I don’t know, but try to give Ms. Foster the benefit of the doubt).
The other person who overreacted is the police officer. Whatever happened to the idea of de-escalating a situation. She cursed at him? If she did, certainly not proper behavior, but as a police officer you need to be able to handle this. Arresting the unarmed mother of a fourteen month old for being upset about her removal from a public place is disturbing. I’ve seen people complaining to parents about their screaming babies on airplanes–what are the supposed to do, suffocate the child with a pillow? Please, let’s be a bit more reasonable in our responses, otherwise we’ll turn into a police state.
dantesvalley….were you there? If not, you cannot speak to what happened. Period, enough said.
dante, read Ridgeland’s account just above yours – that was as close to eyewitness as there is. If you were actually there, please state so.
If anyone is overreacting here, I think it’s you. “police state” – really now.
po-po and steve, as I tried to say in my comment, I was NOT there, and I defer to any eyewitness account that can tell me why an arrest was necessary. So far, I’ve read accounts that suggest a request to leave was certainly appropriate; but why an arrest? Full disclosure: I come from a different country and culture where the first priority of the police is NOT to threaten citizenry into compliance with arrests. Now, in one of the above descriptions police officers were standing around her patiently and calmly. That’s great–she was outside the library, she was not bothering anyone among the patrons, why arrest her? Did she physically attack a police officer? Provide me with anything that justifies an arrest and I will shut up.
Is the term “police state” really exaggerated? — Maybe, but sometimes all it takes is the “well behaved people of all ages” (see comment by occi) feeling so self-righteously satisfied about someone else getting an “adult time out” (Ridgelandistan) to undermine our basic rights. All I’m saying is we don’t always have to resort to the toughest means available to prove our superiority. Perhaps she was a nuisance, perhaps she was offensive, but I expect our great Decatur police force (no irony here, I really like our police department) to be above petty feelings.
I don’t know what happened first hand, but I am suspicious of the accuracy statement of a woman who was so out of control she was arrested. Her statement is likely to be self serving.
I thought the TV account was heavily weighted to favor the version told by the mother, and did not say whether they had attempted to speak to Library staff, or whether they declined to comment. They didn’t give much weight to the police report. I think it’s pretty easy for us to question what happened, but if this woman did become disruptive and cursed the staff out, I think it would have been appropriate to call the police.
“All I’m saying is we don’t always have to resort to the toughest means available to prove our superiority.”
Arresting her was not even close to the toughest means available to the police officers. Let’s not be hyperbolic.
“She cursed at him? If she did, certainly not proper behavior, but as a police officer you need to be able to handle this. Arresting the unarmed mother of a fourteen month old for being upset about her removal from a public place is disturbing.” NICE….
Where U the other “Eye Witness” or are U just speaking from your @$$ and regurgitating what she said…. Do u even know the whole story… Get the FACTS…. :-/
Ren, I believe that civilized people can disagree. I described my standpoint, conceded that I do not have firsthand knowledge, and then offered my opinion. I think this debate on the blog is very interesting, as it offers insights into what people deem appropriate and inappropriate behavior, something that’s under discussion whenever a community of any sorts is trying to govern itself. Apparently, your idea of defending appropriateness is by using thinly disguised swearing against those of a different opinion. If that is your attitude, don’t be such a coward, say the word: If you meant “ass,” then say ass, and present yourself as the person you seem to be.
I think Decatur citizens dodged a bullet here…Atlanta cops would probably have tazered her (or worse) and in the ensuing media and courthouse circus she would be awarded a sum of money such that she could buy her own library.
It should be noted that Decatur officers do not carry tazers.
It should also be noted that the news report says it was Dekalb cops, not Decatur cops, that worked this case. Can anyone confirm which police force was involved?
Oops, news report says Decatur and Dekalb cops. Nevermind.
I’m sure Decatur responded first and maybe they were the only ones. If you were to call 911 from the Decatur library, you would get Decatur dispatchers, not DeKalb. The media are really sloppy and confused about Decatur vs DeKalb on public safety issues. Even though the uniforms and cars are different colors, the media blur the line quite often.
Props to the library staff for taking a difficult, but needed, action! Folks wouldn’t believe some of the ridiculousness they deal with for simply enforcing the rules. I’ve witnessed several instances when a parent has immediately hit “11” on the belligerent scale when approached by library staff. It seems to happen most often when the parent is using one of the library’s computers. Usual situation: parent has no toy or book to distract kid (even though there’s a basketful of kids’ books by the desk). Kid squawks & parent tells kid, “Shut your mouth!” Kids squawks again & parent says, “I said shut your @ss up or I’m gonna tear it up when we leave!” Other patrons become uncomfortable. Kid squawks, staff approaches parent, and parent is set to GO OFF. “ Won’t you please leave the area with the child until the child has calmed down?” “HELLL NO!!!” Sometimes they even demand more computer time for being interrupted!
Deanne, I’m curious…what exactly about this situation was handled well? Do you really think five cops to one upset woman and loud child is a fair equation? This ridiculous idea that anything that is annoying warrants an arrest is hugely problematic and damaging to society. I’m sure the woman’s behavior WAS annoying. I’m sure I would have been annoyed. But there’s no crime against annoying.
Good to know my fellow Decaturites will so happily bow down to authority.
She had already left the library when she was arrested, according to Ridgelandistan’s account. So the cause for arrest was….anyone? The public safety hazard was…hurting the officer’s feelings? The crime committed…? anyone?
I was also surprised to see that no one pointed out that the interaction Ridgelandistan saw may not have even been the interaction with the woman mentioned here. Not questioning your honesty, Ridge, but you simply don’t know this was the same person.
This is the reason we have one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. Right here. This ridiculous belief that if someone “mouths off” to the cops they most certainly should go to jail. Disgusting.
I love going to that library and taking my toddler there. It makes me upset to hear that library security called police on a mother and her 14-month-old child for making too much noise. Especially when I know another friend had a similar experience with her child in the children’s section and was threatened by the same security officer that he would call police if she didn’t leave. C’mon, is that really the best way to handle the situation?
In your opinion, what is the best way to handle a situation in which a child is being disruptive and the parent isn’t taking responsibility by either distracting the child into being quieter or taking him/her outside until they get quiet?
Well, I’ve had three toddlers in recent years.. one of them quite loud. If they were disturbing others in a library, restaurant, store or any other such place, they were promptly removed, and we went home, or we went out to the car and sat there until the little darlin’ could compose himself/herself.
Was it inconvenient to me? Heck yes, very much so at times. I once had to sheepishly leave a half cart of groceries with the clerk at the store when my child was not behaving. I or my spouse have left before even getting our food at restaurants before. However, it didn’t take too long for them to realize that if they want to have fun out of the house, they had to behave. They never liked going home and boy did they pitch a fit about it.. but once they realized we meant business, things changed. This strategy works with 14-month-olds too.. Maybe they were born yesterday, but they aren’t stupid!
Now a plane is another situation. Often people are flying out of necessity and there is just no where to go … and young children often cry on planes b/c their ears hurt. I don’t know the answer to that one.
My kids are far from perfect, but I try very hard to keep them from ruining the outings of others.
Probably not a great way to handle the situation. She doesn’t represent herself very well, unfortunately…admits to hyperventilating. Sounds a little hysterical.
Also, liberry?
Is the Taqueria del Sol staff moonlighting?
This made me LMAO!
Good Lord. I have a 3 month old daughter and we go to the library often. Nice to know they won’t hesitate to toss me out and call the cops if she’s having a bad day. Just great!!! Even nicer to know my neighbors won’t give me the benefit of the doubt if my grammer/pronunciation isn’t up to par.
You should always trust authority and bow down to police. (sarcasm)
No sarcasm there, Rick. Obey the police and argue later in court. Confronting or arguing with them will not help.
Wait a second: This is a country of laws and police enforce the law, but they aren’t the law. We do have civil liberties and talking to or even asking for more information from a police officer is not a crime. Even arguing with a police officer is not a crime–why do people give up their liberties so easy?
And, before I get attacked here: I do believe in the need of a police force, I respect and appreciate the Decatur Police Department and my encounters with any of their representatives so far have been nothing but pleasant. Nonetheless, this is not Ceaucescu’s Romania, so you can actually open your mouth in the presence of an officer.
My point was that, since this country has a competent judicial system, that is the place to take issue with the actions of the police. Arguing or confronting them is the quickest way to find oneself in court. They are selected and trained to act calm, but everyone has their limits. Neither you nor I know exactly what took place and who said what to whom, so we cannot say who was on the wrong side of the line.
Methinks this incident started with an rowdy toddler but the bigger issue was the unruly grown-up. So, as long you don’t act like a child, you’ll be fine.
You are so awesome, Chadly.
Danielle, if she’s having a bad day, take her home.. or on a walk to the park. The library is not a place for babies having bad days and sorry, you do not have a right to impose your child’s bad day on me or others at restaurants and libraries. Just sayin’. This is coming from a parent of three who’s been there.
Actually, it would be nice if they didn’t have to toss you out, but rather you respected the people around you and didn’t take your child to the library of s/he is having a bad day or just simply leave if your child is disturbing people. Good manners and self-awareness are really the solutions to a lot of problems.
And I have a toddler and a baby on the way. We leave.
OMG!!! You’ve to one on the way?!? Congratulations, chica!
Yep and I AM SO FAT!
Congrats!
Oh dear, I meant on the baby part!
Please! If your baby is having a bad day go home, no problem and yes I’m a mother who used the library often.
I just love the sound of galloping high horses.
I have two normal (read active and sometimes noisy) children and we have never been asked to leave the Decatur library. We are there at least once a week. Maybe it’s the time we go ( between 9 and 12), maybe it’s because I’m in and out because I put books on hold, maybe it’s because I don’t let my children yell, run around, or pull books from shelves. Whatever the reason, in 5 years, I’ve never had a single problem, dirty look, or admonition from the library staff. I know the officer who was called initially. He is the last person who would take a mom to jail for getting upset or having a meltdown. Clearly there’s more to the story. Of course, everyone has opinions and it’s sometimes fun to speculate, but give the Decatur Police Dept. some credit; and recognize that without knowing all the details, it is perfectly plausible that the library staff/security may have been right.
I bet they would have let an unruly dog stay. Kids suck. Animals cool.
What was her crime? Being a pain in the behind? Being “disrespectful to an officer?”
Folks, that’s not a crime. And certainly not worth the hassle of arresting a woman w/ a 14 month old because now you have to bring her into the station and deal with the 14 month old while she’s being booked.
While I know everyone else has attained a higher level of being and these things would NEVER happen to them, the reality is that as an 8-year resident, I don’t need 5 COD police officers standing in front of the library wasting time trying to calm down a mom. Are you telling me that at most 2 officers don’t have the training to assist this woman in bringing her emotions down and everyone going on their merry way.
I’m 41 and I’m from NYC (22 yrs) and lived in DC for 11 years, I’ve seen far worse. Granted, I was not there to see this incident, but I have noticed the trend of arresting people and students for things that 10 years ago would have been handled with a conversation/ reprimand. I’m sorry, unless she struck an officer or charged the library door, I simply don’t see the reason to arrest. Arrests should mean something and not be done because a person won’t obey. The iron fist should be the last resort. This way it’s respected more.
Decatur Heights Dad,
I couldn’t agree more. Over the years many students have been unruly and even downright disrespectful. I could overreact, call in the big guns, assert my power and punish them harshly. I don’t. Why? Because it’s a power game. Why? Because an experienced leader knows that sometimes people just need a few minutes to calm down before talking. I know that my relationships are important enough not to get sucked into drama and not to escalate a situation. I can wait and then deal with people responsibly and much more effectively once they have a clear mind. Decatur Police and the Library security guard should have been skilled enough to do better. I know that overreacting just makes things worse in the long run. People in positions of power should wield it with caution.
Let me do the math . . .
mad mama = security guard + 5 cops + arrest
Hmmm . . . this equation doesn’t look equal on both sides. Haha! I make myself laugh!
Yes, Teach, that equation seems unbalanced, as does much about this episode. My kids grew up in this library, and I know some of the staff. While I think they’re great people and do a great job, this whole incident is troubling. What if this situation was as bad as has been suggested, and “the woman was completely out of her mind” as Ridge says. What would the security officer have done if this was one of the people who bathes in the restrooms and carries their life in their backpack and doesn’t respond well to . . . authority, or whatever, and was more offensive than just a question of diction and a kid. (Really, you’ve never heard anyone say liberry?) I would like to think all the professional parties involved were well trained and thoughtful enough to defuse a situation, not escalate it to handcuffing and arresting a woman. Libraries have been under enormous pressure for years, and should be equipped to deal with people whose manners are outside the norm. A time out with five officers? Yes, she should have behaved differently. Maybe some of the people on the other side could have done the same.
Maybe my real fear is that if asking why I’m being ejected from a public facility is enough to get me arrested, I need to have a lawyer on speed-dial. I’m Southern to my toenails, but my manners definitely are not that good, though my diction is impeccable.
“Really, you’ve never heard anyone say liberry?”
Yes, my 5-year old says it all the time!
A lot of people in the South say “liberry” or “aks”, just like a lot of folks in the Northeast say “gimme” or “Long Gisland” or “New Yawk” or my favorite “sub-body”.
Good point.
While the mom certainly sounded a little unhinged, I can’t help but sympathize with her.
I have two library rules for my kids. 1. Use your library voice 2. Stay with Mommy. If either are violated we leave immediately. However when my older son was two, I was forced to take him to the library when I needed to print a document urgently and my printer was broken. I’d never used the computers there before and did not realize how long the line is. Even though I got there before the library opened, I still had to wait 30 minutes for a computer simply to print a document. I asked if I could wait downstairs in the children’s section, or outside, but you only have 5 minutes before you lose your spot and they don’t give you pagers ;). I attempted to entertain him with books and toys and he did very well, until right as I sat down to print. He was only fussing for 1-2 minutes before I was approached and advised that I needed to leave, pronto. I managed to print my document and get out of there, but I had to admit, that I was upset. I wanted to do the right thing, but it makes it hard when you have to wait so long. I didn’t leave in the back of a police car, but I did cry all the way home. However, it was my fault because I didn’t have the luxury that I normally do of leaving as soon as the library rules are violated.
I do take my daughter outside if she gets loud and disturbs other people. But on rare occasion you may have an unusual situation like the one described above by Lisa where you can’t leave immediately. And the mother in the video said she did quiet her son down but was still asked to leave.
Like most people in this discussion, I wasn’t there but it does sound to me like there was a bit of overreacting by the staff and the police…maybe the mother too. I just wish cooler heads had prevailed all around. And I wish we would give each other, including this mother, the benefit of the doubt. That’s all.
No matter the reason, the manager in charge of the library (or any establishment) has a right to order a person off of the property.
When that order is defied, the manager has a duty to seek the professional help of our police who are trained, equipped, paid and legally empowered to see that that lawful order is complied with.
If the subject then wants to be publicly disruptive to others and willfully disobey lawful orders then this “disorderly conduct” would guide the officers’ next course of action.
This was not about a loud child, this was about a grown woman refusing to act like an adult.
My only concern about this whole story is that hopefully this won’t discourage her in some way from getting books for her child from another library. Learning to read and loving reading is one of those priceless gifts that you need/enjoy throughout your entire life.
I’m late to this post but I was in the library as the police were escorting the young lady & her baby out. She was speaking to someone on the phone–obviously, explaining what was going on–and not moving as fast (or at all) as they wished.
When I left the library she was being spoken to by two police officers outside while a sergeant observed. With just the little that I overheard, she sounded upset but not unreasonable. My impression was that they were in the process of diffusing the situation. This was all taking place not far from the front doors of the library, not further out by the library sign.
My thoughts as I walked away is that perhaps three police officers and three parked police cars were not necessary to handle this type of situation. I understand two, but three?
As for the library and its personnel–I believe most of the employees are very nice, but I have encountered at least one, high-ranking, librarian who has a short fuse.
Even though I was present for part of this episode, I’m like everyone else on this blog, too limited in my information to actually merit passing judgment. I believe the sentiments expressed by Rebeccab are perhaps the best that can be said.
“My thoughts as I walked away is that perhaps three police officers and three parked police cars were not necessary to handle this type of situation”
Not knowing what is going on until they get there, Decatur will always try to respond with 2 officers – it’s just prudent on everyone’s part. If the sergeant was out on patrol, it’s perfectly legit for him/her to respond also, especially when the nature of the situation would have been broadcast on the radio. The sergeant is there both for the purpose of aiding the officers if required and evaluating their actions as their supervisor.
Although this incident was not domestic in nature in the strictest sense, it did involve a domestic situation (mother and child) and officers will tell you that domestic calls are the ones most fraught with the potential to escalate in a hurry.
Thank you Steve
Completely apart from the issue of what really happened and who was right or wrong, the thought of a screaming 14 month old, arching its back, kicking, out of control in a public place where order and quiet are required brings back vague but very painful, deep, dark memories of that stage of parenthood, sleep deprivation, and feelings of parental inadequacy. I can’t help but identify at least a little….
Quick question, have would the situation been handled if she was a white mother with a crying child? If she walked out the building, then they should have send her home.
And it starts.
Unbelievable.
That’s the only comment THAT comment deserves.
Maybe the fear was for the child if she was being so unreasonable? I have not asked women to leave my store for fear of the mother taking it out on the child. Sad, but true.
@EastLakeGirl, Really? Sigh.
Sushing does not work well for muggers or shop-lifters either.
I was in the Decatur Library with my newborn and my toddler in August. This very same rude, disrespectful security guard also approached me and told me that I had to leave because my child was being too loud. We were in the childrens section, my son is 2, and this was my first visit there. I wanted him to learn about the library and how to behave there but we were asked to leave. My son was not being an angel, but he wasn’t throwing a tantrum either. Apparently he had disturbed someone’s newspaper reading…
I refused to leave after I was initially approached because my son had quieted down, but the security guard insisted we still go, in my impression out of annoyance that I hadn’t obeyed his initial order. He called the police and had us escorted out of the building. At that point, neither myself nor my children were disturbing anyone, and there was no reason for us to be escorted out other than to prove a point. At no point did I raise my voice or curse, but was still threatened with arrest and was told that by questioning why I was being asked to leave that I was “irrate.” I am an educated woman with a bachelors and a masters degree. I have spent a lot time in a lot of libraries and have never seen library staff treat anyone so disrespectfully as I was treated. I am sure this woman was approached with the same lack of respect and civility, and probably even more so. And for what it is worth, this same security guard also attempted to confiscate a cell phone from a friend of mine because she had forgotten to turn it off and it rang while she was in the library. I think it is quite obvious that this man is overzealous in his fullfillment of his job duties.
I am just hypothesizing here, but what if this woman was about to lose her home and was on the computer looking for places to live? Or was sending out resumes because she had just lost her job? Maybe she is coming from an abusive relationship and needed to search out shelters or other forms of assistance? Maybe it is just really, really difficult to get to the library and she had to get some bills paid before they were late? Why are some of you so quick to condemn someone witthout as much of a second thought? None of us know this person’s situation that may have contributed to her escalated response. My point here is to suggest that some of you put a little more thought and empathy into your thought process before dismissing an individual just because of her pronunciation of the word library. To be frank, it sound bigoted and disgusting.
And to those of you who have such disrespectful things to say about children, have you forgotten that you were also once a child? They are just small people who are still in the process of learning how to behave. Are your delicate worlds really that disturbed by the noises that a child makes that you need to make snide and nasty remarks about how a child’s mother deserves to be arrested? Do you realize how nasty and hateful you sound when you talk about how bothersome children are?
I really was under the mistaken impression that people in the city of Decatur were more forward and thoughtful. I am pretty embarassed by most of what has been said here. Pathetic…
Have you addressed the issue with library management?
Yes, and while the person that I spoke with apologized, they stopped short of admitting there was an issue with how things were handled.
Between the posters “Lisa” and “Catmother” and the person in the news article, there’s at least three mothers who have had a difficult experience with a toddler at the library. For this latest event, one eyewitness saw the mother in question being out of control, the other eyewitness didn’t find her to be unreasonable. I’m reserving judgement. My guess is that no one is completely guiltless in these situations (other than the toddlers who don’t yet have mature locuses of control developed in their little brains) and maybe there’s some learning to do all around. Mothers don’t parent perfectly all the time, librarians aren’t even-tempered all the time, and the police can only do their best in this imperfect world where things aren’t always clear.
Gosh darn it! Who is this mysterious rude security guard? The library is my very favorite Decatur spot, so I visit it often & spend time all throughout the building. The full time security guards are as pleasant as they can be. I’ve seen them stand their ground when dealing with folks who think they are exceptions to the rules. Did it occur to you or your friend to apologize for unintentionally violating the rules or did y’all immediately become defensive? Seems like folks often get back what they’re giving out.
[For the record, my cell phone went off there one time & I was also immediately approached by a guard. My 1st thought? To apologize for not having it turned off as it states “NO CELL PHONES”on the door. I've also simultaneously shushed my little kin & apologized to folks in the vicinity when they've gotten a bit excited- not resented the other patrons for being in the dang library! Acknowledging when you're in the wrong goes a looonnnnggg way. Just sayin'.]
“Acknowledging when you’re in the wrong goes a looonnnnggg way. Just sayin’.]”
I would say this applies to the library staff as well. And on their end, I would add that addressing someone in a polite and respectful manner goes a long way as well.
Some folks are cool with abiding by the social contract, Deanne. And some folks live their lives precariously perched at the edge of being offended. By just about anything.
Life’s too short, to my way of thinking, but everybody’s got their own way of seein’ things… Live and let vent. That’s my motto.
It also would have been one thing for the security guard to ask her to turn it off, but the man tried to take her phone from her. She wasn’t talking on it, it just rang. My point is that this man is overreacting to situations that simply do not call for that type of forcefullness. You know, mallcop style.
Decaturites are always such good liberals with a strong libertarian bent until someone dares to inconvenience them, annoy them, or hurt their precious widdle feelings.
Trees blocking the sidewalk? Call the cops, the mayor, and the FBI!
Too much traffic? Call a neighborhood meeting and demand answers as aggressively as possible!
Mispronunciation of libarary? Probable cause to believe someone’s a hardened criminal.
Dog barking? Animal control and to the pound with its ass. Then call the cops after that a couple times for good measure.
Too many people parking in front of your house? Go to the city council and demand the house that is the source of the vehicles be summarily thrown out!
Loud toddler? Throw her ass in jail. She’s probably on welfare anyway.
And remember, folks….you don’t have a right to be out in public with your child (snicker). Seriously? This is what we’ve come to?
I’m going to propose a law to the city council that all mothers of children be chained to their houses until their children are capable of controlling their emotions, and that all annoying dogs, children, people, or trees be euthanized. I think they’ll go for it so long as the crime has a high burden of proof and strong evidence:
like eyewitness accounts that someone pronounced library.
Ahahahahaha!!! I think you are on to something:)
Sometimes practicing good manners and realizing other people exist outside yourself and your children go a long way.
Who said Catmother’s the one who wasn’t using good manners? In her account she was polite and it was the staff that was rude.
The patron who complained about her, perhaps?
Not sure what your point is here… already said that there were no curse words or raised voices on anyone’s part. Disagreeing with a security guard’s opinion is not impolite. I told him very nicely that I thought him asking us to leave was not reasonable;)
Nobody knows what the facts are to warrant an opinion, in my opinion. I just hate that our Decatur Library or anything Decatur is in the news for something like this. Calm down people. Lotta angst here.
OK, I think that’s about enough of that.