# NC: Cops pepper spray black foster son of white family **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 8, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795 "2014-10-08T20:17:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/141 "2014-10-09T13:42:17Z")
How do we know he didn’t pepper spray himself? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/142 "2014-10-09T13:44:44Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Everyone was set up for a nice comfortable RO thread, where **Left Hand of Dorkness** will claim that any report of a black guy breaking into a house owned by white people is just racism Listen, idiot, if the entire reason why you think it’s a break-in is the skin color of the suspect, that is by definition racist. If you would consider it a break-in regardless of skin color, that’s not racist. If you were not so desperate not to feel like a racist while maintaining your racist views, this would be trivially easy to understand. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/143 "2014-10-09T13:50:13Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > **Colibri** will fly into a rage because having me laugh at him reminds him too much of the time his mother caught him jerking off into the panties he stole off the next door neighbor’s clothesline. > > OK, maybe I am projecting a little on the last part Yeah, projecting (maybe you should think a little about what you just implied here–I think this is called an own goal). ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/144 "2014-10-09T14:07:40Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > While everyone else is engaged in the predictable flame war, I’m just relieved they only pepper sprayed him. When black people are being shot at for the crime of _actually doing what the police tell them to do, while on camera_, it’s a bloody miracle this young man wasn’t blown away. First the bitched about lethal force and demanded police use pepper spray. Now they bitch about pepper spray and demand police do nothing. I’m thinking the next step in this logic might be for the cops to carry chocolate chip cookies and soda in their holsters. But then, there’s those here who will bitch because it wasn’t peanut butter cookies and milk. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/145 "2014-10-09T14:18:16Z")
If there were no photos in the house of the black adopted child, the child did not have any identification, and the child was becoming upset and posed a threat, then pepper spray as a non-lethal means to subdue him was appropriate. Did all of these necessary components occur, or did we just get the attention-grabbing headline? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/146 "2014-10-09T14:24:19Z")
The last one seems rather unlikely, as does the expectation that _a child_ would carry identification. One of the commenters on the article linked in the OP (I know, I know, never read the comments on news stories) said “I would have produced a copy of the deed or a utility bill and solved the problem then and there” as though the kid’s name would be on a deed. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/147 "2014-10-09T14:27:55Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > So weird that it took until now for the police to mention that he threatened to harm them. First he was “threatening and belligerent” and didn’t follow orders, then he was “profane, threatening and belligerent.” Now they say he threatened directly to hurt them. Somehow they forgot to explain that and didn’t even charge him for it. Phew. This is totally believable! Oooh, and they added “struck the officer’s arm”. That’s Assault on a Police Officer! Miracle they didn’t shoot him 118 times for that offense! Obviously pepper spraying him will teach him not to threaten cops with weapons of mass destruction or go full scale Jackie Chan on innocent police officers next time they enter his house and tell him to have a seat! ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/148 "2014-10-09T14:34:36Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Listen, idiot, if the entire reason why you think it’s a break-in is the skin color of the suspect, that is by definition racist. If you would consider it a break-in regardless of skin color, that’s not racist. If you were not so desperate not to feel like a racist while maintaining your racist views, this would be trivially easy to understand. What about if the cops thought it was a break-in because a neighbor called 911 & reported a break-in? > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The last one seems rather unlikely, as does the expectation that _a child_ would carry identification. An 18 year old is hardly a child. By the time I was 16 I had a DL & had already had a Social Security card for years. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/149 "2014-10-09T14:35:01Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > Did all of these necessary components occur, or did we just get the attention-grabbing headline? We didn’t JUST get the attention grabbing headline. We got the hysterical hand-wringing and recreational outrage of people who can’t be bothered to wait for the facts to come out and, if they do, will automatically dismiss any that disagree with them. Apparently if you purchase the headline, they throw in the hysteria free. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/150 "2014-10-09T14:37:16Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Listen, idiot, if the entire reason why you think it’s a break-in is the skin color of the suspect, that is by definition racist. If you would consider it a break-in regardless of skin color, that’s not racist. So if you think it might be a break in because you don’t recognize the person breaking in as living in the house, then it is not racism and anyone who says it is is a knee-jerk moron. > [@](#): > > If you were not so desperate not to feel like a racist while maintaining your racist views, this would be trivially easy to understand. You are grossly over-estimating how much it disturbs me to be called racist by the likes of you. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/151 "2014-10-09T14:44:53Z")
> [@wedgehed](#): > > An 18 year old is hardly a child. By the time I was 16 I had a DL & had already had a Social Security card for years. So did I, but I wasn’t a foster child. And I didn’t carry around my SS card and still don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/152 "2014-10-09T15:32:44Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > So if you think it might be a break in because you don’t recognize the person breaking in as living in the house, then it is not racism and anyone who says it is is a knee-jerk moron. If you would do so regardless of skin color, sure. But there’s no goddamned way that they would have seen an unfamiliar white kid go in through the open door of the house of their unfamiliar neighbors and have reported the break-in, and you know that. > [@](#): > > You are grossly over-estimating how much it disturbs me to be called racist by the likes of you. I really don’t think I am. I think what you’re desperate to avoid is recognizing what a racist tool you are; your protestations to the contrary are wholly unconvincing. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/153 "2014-10-09T15:35:34Z")
> [@wedgehed](#): > > An 18 year old is hardly a child. By the time I was 16 I had a DL & had already had a Social Security card for years. Bully for you, I guess. Part of my job is helping to dismiss children from school, and when I ask unfamiliar adults for ID to ensure that I’m sending the kid home with the right adult, about a third of the adults I ask aren’t carrying an ID. That’s when I have to break out the pepper spray. KIDDING! That’s when I use alternate means of IDing the adults, such as asking around, or calling the parents, etc. I know that resorting to pepper spray is not okay. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/154 "2014-10-09T15:38:45Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Bully for you, I guess. Part of my job is helping to dismiss children from school, and when I ask unfamiliar adults for ID to ensure that I’m sending the kid home with the right adult, about a third of the adults I ask aren’t carrying an ID. That’s when I have to break out the pepper spray. > > KIDDING! That’s when I use alternate means of IDing the adults, such as asking around, or calling the parents, etc. I know that resorting to pepper spray is not okay. See, that’s why you should get a job as a police officer! Then you’d be free to pepper-spray with impunity anyone who refused to show you ID. Think of the fun! ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/155 "2014-10-09T15:45:43Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > KIDDING! That’s when I use alternate means of IDing the adults, such as asking around, or calling the parents, etc. I know that resorting to pepper spray is not okay. Awesome, what do you do when the adult without ID starts yelling at you, threatening you, and refuses to cooperate with your instructions of “don’t leave with the child”? Does it involve calling the police? I sure hope not, because we wouldn’t want the kid’s ID-less grandpappy to get pepper sprayed and handcuffed by some racist cops, just because the parents forgot to send you a note, and weren’t easily reachable by phone. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/156 "2014-10-09T15:48:02Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Awesome, what do you do when the adult without ID starts yelling at you, threatening you, and refuses to cooperate with your instructions of “don’t leave with the child”? Your analogy fails. I’ll explain why if you genuinely can’t see it, but I suspect you’re smart enough to see how different it is from the situation in which a boy is accosted by the police in his own home, having committed no crime and not having attempted to leave the cops’ presence. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/157 "2014-10-09T15:56:27Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Your analogy fails. Oh, so you DO call the police to deal with belligerent and uncooperative people. They can point their weapons at them, taser them, and handcuff them, all while letting you say “The police are chumps, I don’t need pepper spray to do MY job”. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/158 "2014-10-09T16:14:13Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Oh, so you DO call the police to deal with belligerent and uncooperative people. And now your reading comprehension fails. Zero for two. If you want to translate that to a percentage and get it wrong, you could hit the trifecta. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/159 "2014-10-09T16:20:15Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > And now your reading comprehension fails. Zero for two. If you want to translate that to a percentage and get it wrong, you could hit the trifecta. I forgot, when the police do show up to help you with the uncooperative adult, pepper spray him, cuff him, and stuff him into the cruiser while the investigation is being finished, you’ll be here complaining about the shabby treatment they gave a poor old grandfather who was committing the “crime” of picking up his grandkid from school. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795/160 "2014-10-09T16:23:44Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I forgot, when the police do show up to help you with the uncooperative adult, pepper spray him, cuff him, and stuff him into the cruiser while the investigation is being finished, you’ll be here complaining about the shabby treatment they gave a poor old grandfather who was committing the “crime” of picking up his grandkid from school. You found a different way to fail from the way I expected, but you managed it. Good show, **Cheesesteak** –I truly didn’t know someone could fit so much willful failure into just three posts. My ignorance is fought! Further, I was wrong when I said you could see the flaw in your analogy. Lemme know if you’re interested, and I’m happy to explain it in very small words. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-cops-pepper-spray-black-foster-son-of-white-family/700795.md?page=9)