You’re still making assumptions based on facts not in evidence. The EBT card was mentioned in passing by the witness in the FB post and may have absolutely nothing to do with whatever the “dispute” was. The woman is a leftwing political activist, as you can see from her Twitter history prior to the incident. So she very well may have thrown it in there just to make the point that the victim was in fact Poor and Black.
Because the witness would have saw and reported anything blatant like a fist or slap to the cashier’s face. Anything really violent. You did watch the interview? This lady is right out of suburbia. She probably has the dog, 2 kids, and the picket fence. She’s concerned citizen doing what she thinks is right.
I concede that some minor or incidental contact might have occurred. That’s enough for Whole Foods to say “He Touched our Employee” and still not get mentioned by the witness.
Good point, I missed that.
First off, wow, you just have to stop making assumptions. I put “soccer mom” in quotes earlier because you said it and I felt it was rude. This is above and beyond. That’s a lot of guessing from the 30 seconds of video you saw of her.
Second, unless you read the report, you should probably not guess at what is or isn’t in that either. Do you think it’s possible that there’s something in one of the reports she gave (that she said took an hour) that didn’t make it into the 2 minute video clip?
This is, literally, exactly how these things get out of hand. Social media gets a few snippets of something and start guessing and the whole thing blows up and people end up taking sides based on misinformation. Then, when the real info comes out, far too many people have their heels dug into the ground they don’t want to change their position.
I think you should list out the facts and go from there. No assumptions just actual facts. So things like “He had an EBT card” or “there was a dispute” are okay. Things like “He was using an EBT card” or “Zoe had 2 kids and white picket fence (and for some reason is therefore a reputable witness)” aren’t okay.
Again, we have no idea at all what’s going on and you’ve already decided that the whole thing happened because he was using an EBT card.
One thing I’ve noticed the few times I’ve been in a Whole Foods is the complete coverage by security cameras. There is certainly a good chance that we’ll never see the recordings because they’re private property and the whole thing [DEL]may be[/DEL] will probably be settled out of court and the guard will take a plea to avoid a trial. But I’d like to see what the cameras caught and I’ll be very cynical if it comes out that there was an equipment malfunction and there are no good recordings.
I would not assume that at all - as I mentioned, not only is the witness a known left-wing political activist, but she’s a lecturer of African Studies, with a history of posting class war, race war-type stuff. To say she has an agenda to serve would be an understatement. It’s entirely possible the man started the confrontation (in fact, the story doesn’t make sense any other way), and she would have an entirely vested interest in leaving that part out.
I can’t play the video on this computer, but from what’s written, both in the linked NY Post article and in the SF Chronicle, it’s not clear if the witness actually saw what led to the beating, or whether she only witnessed the actual beating.
I admit that I identify strongly with the witness. She reminds me of my wife and the many women I saw regularly at PTA meetings (we were involved in over 12 years of PTA). Organizing car washes, and bake sales. I got roped into more car washes (raising money) than I care to admit. Soccer moms can be quite persuasive when they latch onto a cause.
Granted anybody can lie. Not everyone is what they appear to be. I got a soft spot for soccer moms. So sue me. 
Whatever her background, the witness comes across as credible and she has the photos to prove her story. imho
Except she’s not some soccer mom, and now you’re just making up some weird fantasy in your head. She is a hardcore left-wing political activist and lecturer of African Studies, and has been since long before this incident. Are you not reading anything I’m posting?
Yes, you say she’s an activist. There were apparently other witnesses in the store and almost certainly security cameras.
Any lies will be quickly found out. She’d be discredited very quickly. I expect this story’s news cycle will last a few days at least. More than enough time for Whole Foods and the cops to review the security footage and get other witness statements.
I’d expect one of two things. She’s telling the truth, and Whole Foods settles quietly. Nothing much gets said. The security footage remains locked away.
Or she’s lying and it will be headlines in the next day or so. Whole Foods would love to publicly discredit her (if they have proof she lied).
It’s not even necessarily that she’s “lying”, but that the most likely interpretation of events is that the victim was the one who who instigated violence (because that’s much more likely than “security guard just started beating on the guy for no reason”), and she purposely left that out in her description because it serves her clearly outspoken political agenda.
Good point.
Hopefully, there will be updated news on this pretty soon.
It would be unfortunate if it turns out the witness omitted facts. Because that could deflect attention away from the more serious issue of the victim’s beating. That kind of excessive force is unjustified in practically any circumstance.
And this might be a lesson to you aceplace57 to not post WEIRD SHIT THAT YOU FIND ON THE INTERWEBS before discovering a bit of background and determining the veracity of the shit you find.
I would hardly categorize the beating of a black man Weird Shit. :mad:
Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past few years. Police brutality happens to be one of the most important issues in the US today. Unless you consider wide spread rioting in Ferguson and Baltimore “Weird Shit”. We’ve had at least a dozen police shootings reported and discussed on the Straight Dope in just the past year.
That is the crux of this story. A black man was beaten and thrown out of a store by a private security guard. It was left to witnesses to call for an ambulance. We still don’t know the extent of the victim’s injuries. Only that he is hospitalized.
What he did or didn’t do before the guard attacked is irrelevant. Nobody deserves to be beaten and thrown out on the street like a rabid animal.
It most certainly is relevant. While it doesn’t make the response appropriate, there’s a big difference between “Guy minding his own business gets beaten” and “Guy is starting shit, cursing and spitting at people and then physically attacks them - ends up beaten”.
And for what it’s worth, I am betting the security guard was also black or at least probably Not White, else that would have been included in the story (as it is, they don’t ID him or make any mention of his race).
If it was irrelevant, then you wouldn’t have given the thread the title you did.
If it was irrelevant, then you wouldn’t have spent the first two paragraphs of your OP talking about the EBT card.
If it was irrelevant, you wouldn’t have linked to a page about food stamps before you bothered to provide a link to an actual article about the incident.
I’m loving how because the witness resembles a “soccer mom”, everyone should believe her. Cuz soccer moms would never lie, exaggerate, or miss some important details, right?
I wonder if she was more “urban”, with extensions in her hair and bamboo earrings (at least two pair), would ace find her similarly credible? Probably not, because he doesn’t know anyone like this in his personal life.
It’s so sad when people are blind to their own prejudices.
As for the guy and the guard, we can forget about ever seeing any video footage. But regardless of what happened, someone will be getting paid.
Seriously? I know a white suburban woman who carried on an affair for 4 years before she was caught. And then there was the other white suburban woman who embezzled $5000 from the soccer team she was the treasurer of.
And then there was this big black guy, who we should assume is living in the getto and selling drugs… oh wait, he is a millionaire and hosts camps for kids with cancer.
I’m not going to take a side on if the woman in the interview is right or wrong. I would lean to her being right because anything that happens as a disagreement at the checkout at a grocery shouldn’t end up with being unconscious in a pool of blood, but to say that it should be believed because it is a white woman with a dog, 2 kids and a picket fence is just ridiculous.
I have used an EBT card at Whole Foods a number of times and experienced exactly zero attitude, snottiness, judgment from cashiers. It also seems routine for them, something they are used to.
I shop for a disabled friend. Part of her disability stems from health problems requiring hard to find foods and so some of her shopping is from Whole Foods and she qualifies for the EBT card so that is what she gives me to pay with. It works just like a debit card with a PIN number.
None of which is exactly germane to the altercation in the news story, but I thought folks might like a real world report that you can pay with an EBT card at a Whole Foods.
Jesus Christ. You are probably the first person I’ve ever heard who associated Oakland, California with “suburbia” and “white picket fences.”
Do you associate Brooklyn with big lawns, three car garages, and fast casual dining?