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submitted 11 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

The lawyer said he’s baffled that prosecutors pursued the case and that a youth judge oversaw a sentence that included probation and requiring the child to write a report about Kobe Bryant.

A 10-year-old Black child in Mississippi who urinated in public in August was sentenced Tuesday in youth court to three months' probation, a decision the child’s attorney says was influenced by race.

Quantavious Eason, who is in the third grade, was arrested by Senatobia police Aug. 10 after a police officer saw him relieving himself outside next to his mom’s car when the woman was inside an attorney’s office, according to family attorney Carlos Moore.

Given the circumstances, any child would have done the same thing, Moore said. He noted there was no public restroom at the attorney’s office.

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[-] markr@lemmy.world 170 points 11 months ago

Raise your hand if you have ever peed in a public area. ✋

[-] WorkIsSlow@lemmy.world 91 points 11 months ago

I'm not falling for that officer.

[-] Something_Complex@lemmy.world 23 points 11 months ago

Even If it was I would take a piss on your officer.

God America is weird, you realize in most European countries if you are caught pissing in the street the police will:

1 shout to try and scare you and then tell you to fuck off

2 nothing else unless you have a private beef with that specific cop

3 Scandinavian countries are their own thing, but Scandinavians probably wouldn't piss in the street lol

[-] Asafum@feddit.nl 25 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

We realize that, but in America you become a police officer for one of two reasons: you actually believe they are the good guys (lmao) or you want to abuse power over people and fuck around in a fast car.

I'm sure you can guess who 90% of the applicants are.

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[-] mibo80@lemm.ee 14 points 11 months ago

My guess is Scandinavians also find ready access to public urinals. In Mississippi this would be a wholly unthinkable expenditure of govt tax funds which are already allocated to a for-profit prison, probably. Mississippi is a third-world state.

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[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 19 points 11 months ago

Last year I took my daughter to her therapist. She goes after hours. I really had to pee. There was no bathroom in the waiting room and all the other places in the building were closed, so I ran out and peed behind the dumpster. Sometimes you just have to pee.

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[-] rockSlayer@lemmy.world 96 points 11 months ago

Here's an idea, blanket ban on arresting kids unless they're creating an immediate danger to others.

[-] Altofaltception@lemmy.world 28 points 11 months ago

Your idea is better. I would have suggested arresting white kids at the same rate as black kids in solidarity with the all lives matter movement.

[-] Cosmonauticus@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago

We'd have to build a fuckton more prisons

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[-] Neato@kbin.social 25 points 11 months ago

Even then I wouldn't ever term it "arrest" officially. "Detain" and then have a child welfare officer present 100% of the time until the parents can be found. The idea that cops would ever need to arrest a 10yo speaks to their utter ineptitude and malice. If you can't handle a literal child without resorting to violence and incarceration then you have no skills.

[-] sartalon@lemmy.world 95 points 11 months ago

How does that piece of shit cop sleep at night?

[-] linearchaos@lemmy.world 30 points 11 months ago

Like a racist baby

[-] jasondj@ttrpg.network 28 points 11 months ago

He faps himself to sleep thinking of the black kid he arrested.

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[-] halloween_spookster@lemmy.world 21 points 11 months ago

Or DA or judge or...

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[-] Mango@lemmy.world 85 points 11 months ago

When a 10 year old can't pee on a tree, we need a coup.

[-] Squirrelsdrivemenuts@lemmy.world 83 points 11 months ago

Even if this were a grown man.. how is peeing in public a jail sentence or probation?? Here you just get a fine. Or am I too european to understand?

[-] Cap@lemm.ee 68 points 11 months ago

Not only that put if you do it as an adult you will be put on the sexual offenders list for life. Yay America!

[-] khannie@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

OK that's fucked up. Is that in all states?

[-] Fosheze@lemmy.world 16 points 11 months ago

Technically it can happen. Usually is doesn't. Peeing in public is technically indecent exposure if you are seen (which someone has to see you to catch you anyways). Indecent exposure is considered a sexual offence and can be tried as such.

But from what I've seen in my area of the US if you get caught pissing in public you will just get a fine unless you are a frequent repeat offender or there is some extenuating curcumstance like doing it in full view of other people. It's one of those things where technically it can get you labeled as a sex offender but it rarely actually does. Of course we have plenty of corrupt judges and that decision lies solely with them so it is always a possibility.

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 10 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

No. California recently got rid of or changed it though I forget the particulars other than it doesn't come with a sex offender charge now. Another state had also done much the same before California did. Michigan, I think?

[-] khannie@lemmy.world 25 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

European here. Public urination is illegal and a friend of mine was nearly charged for peeing on the side of the road on a country lane at the woods when we were kids (edit: around 16).

This whole thing is crazy though. 10 year olds need to pee.

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[-] Sanctus@lemmy.world 81 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Hes a child; let him go potty. What the fuck is wrong with the world.

[-] arin@lemmy.world 41 points 11 months ago
[-] _stranger_@lemmy.world 36 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

RACISTS

Never forget that these aren't monsters. They are flesh and bone and shit humans who fucking bleed.

[-] arin@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Wish racists couldn't breed but that'll be called eugenics. But they don't call it eugenics when they put black people in prison where they can't breed...

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[-] GONADS125@lemmy.world 73 points 11 months ago

I'm pasting part of a comment I made a few days ago on a different post:

This is called implicit racism, and it permeates our society to a systemic level. Healthcare can be a good example, and the U.S. criminal justice system is the best example imo.

One thing that really drives home the systemic implicit racism in this country are studies that have people rate black and white men on how strong/large/muscular and threatening they perceive them to be. The black men were perceived to be more threatening and that use of force was more likely to be viewed as justified. Black and white Americans both perceived the black men to be stronger, taller, and more muscular than their equal-sized white counterparts. Source

Another study found that people view black boys as older than they are, and that they are more responsible for their actions than white boys, whose actions were more likely to be excused by the belief of childhood innocence. So our society essentially strips black boys of their perceived childhood innocence. Same Source

Also should definitely be pointed out that Black Americans are incarcerated at a nearly 5 times greater rate than are White Americans. Source

[-] Son_of_dad@lemmy.world 26 points 11 months ago

Another study found that people view black boys as older than they are, and that they are more responsible for their actions than white boys, whose actions were more likely to be excused by the belief of childhood innocence.

Tamir Rice right there. When he was murdered, people online were all over the place saying how he was a tall kid etc, as if that matters in any way

[-] babyphatman@lemmy.ml 19 points 11 months ago

Yes this implicit bias is foundational and starts as early as preschool. Here's a Yale study from 2016 and a short video explainer.

https://news.yale.edu/2016/09/27/implicit-bias-may-explain-high-preschool-expulsion-rates-black-children

https://youtu.be/lJlIeGep_TM?si=BnzyhcZkIzrn5d6O

[-] agent_flounder@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago

Worth pointing out that, since the first racially biased "study" about crime and race, blacks have been wrongly painted as being "mOrE PrOnE to CrIMe" which has done a lot of damage in further spreading and embedding systemic racism. (Source: The Condemnation of Blackness by Khalil Gibran Muhammad)

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[-] pandapoo@sh.itjust.works 51 points 11 months ago

Well, how else should we punish children for...peeing in public? Should we beat them? No, that's inhumane. Clearly the right answer is...checks notes... separate them from their families and stick them in a cage.

[-] arin@lemmy.world 23 points 11 months ago

Only if black

[-] Asafum@feddit.nl 22 points 11 months ago

I mean it's the American Way. We get them used to the cage when they're young first and then when we throw them back in there later on ~~to be an actual slave for corporations~~ for rehabilitation they are comfortable with it!

[-] Jaysyn@kbin.social 48 points 11 months ago

That case should have been tossed & the cop reprimanded & demoted.

[-] RaoulDook@lemmy.world 35 points 11 months ago

And even before that, the kid should not have been arrested in the first place. That's just insane to think that a cop can actually arrest a small child at all.

That poor kid will remember this for the rest of his life and never trust police (if he ever did anyway)

[-] agent_flounder@lemmy.world 23 points 11 months ago

Sadly, he shouldn't. Especially since he is black. But really none of us should. They've done everything you can imagine to earn our suspicion and loathing.

It's downright fucking sickening to imagine a little boy getting ducking arrested. JFC.

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[-] psivchaz@reddthat.com 45 points 11 months ago

The thing that sticks out to me, that no one seems to be talking about, is this:

"...this week oversaw a sentence that included probation and requiring Quantavious to write a two-page report about Kobe Bryant."

He's charged with urinating outside. Already stupid and ridiculous. But then the judge assigns homework, which... What? And then it's about Kobe Bryant which has what to do with urinating outside? Why Kobe Bryant?? Is there a public urination charge in his past I don't know about? Did the judge ask "who's your favorite person?" and assign homework based on that?

It's a dumb thing to be concerned about, but it's somehow even weirder to me than the rest of it.

[-] ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml 17 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Read in white news lady voice:

Quantavious Eason, the urban youth convicted in the case, is alleged by police to have yelled "I'm the Kobe Bryant of public urination" while urinating in front of the officers near his mother's car.

Judge Smith, who oversaw the case, assigned Quantavious probabtion, and ordered him to write a two-page essay on Kobe Bryant, asking the boy:

court recording plays

Judge: WHAT is WRONG with you?

Quantavious: ^N-nothin^ ^I^ ^just^ ^really^ ^needed^ ^to^ ^pee...^

Judge: Are you aware of Kobe Bryant's dominance in the sport of basketball?

Quantavious: ^Ummm...^ ^Y-yes^ ^sir^ ^he's^ ^the^ ^g-goat^

Judge: Do you really think your pitiful little pee pee you did by your momma's car puts you in the same league as Kobe? May he rest in peace...

Court: murmurs

Judge: Young man, you need to reflect on what you've done and take that stank off Kobe's name.

Quantavious: ^But^ ^I^ ^didn't^ ^even^ ^s-say^ ^that^ ^stuff^ ^though...^

Judge: Is that back-talk? Alright. Probabtion. slams gavel

Quantavious: ^Sir^ ^I'm^ ^10^ ^years^ ^old...^

[-] DemBoSain@midwest.social 19 points 11 months ago

Anybody here ever heard a 10-year- old use the term "public urination"?

Anyone?

[-] khannie@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Judge: WHAT is WRONG with you?

What the actual fuck? That is someone completely devoid of empathy.

Edit: ok I see now this is not an actual conversation that happened. Lol.

[-] ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml 10 points 11 months ago

The fact that it could've happened is, in itself, a testament to the fact that we live in one of the societies of all time

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[-] QuarterSwede@lemmy.world 35 points 11 months ago

Wow, that’s just shameful to arrest a kid over. How about a conversation about why this isn’t acceptable and what to do in the future. Maybe he was scared to ask his mother (doesn’t mean that fear was rational).

[-] Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 38 points 11 months ago

Not only shameful, but wasteful. An entire court room full of people had to get paid to come to this ruling.

If I were the judge I’d have taken that money out of the cop’s pay and fined him for wasting the court’s time.

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[-] ssboomman@lemm.ee 19 points 11 months ago

Little guy pissed by his moms car because there were no bathrooms. What else was he supposed to do?

[-] agent_flounder@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago

If the ~~cops~~ racist pigs actually viewed this little boy as equal and human they might have opted to converse.

[-] MTLion3@lemm.ee 22 points 11 months ago

10 years old. What the fuck. Little man wasn’t attacking people or breaking shit. Insane

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[-] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 20 points 11 months ago

The mom was with the lawyers and they didn't give them access to a bathroom??? Were they hoping this to happen?

[-] khannie@lemmy.world 23 points 11 months ago

I'd say the kid was too shy to go in and ask tbh, especially if his mum was not in the waiting area. Parent of many and I could totally see that happening.

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[-] Microplasticbrain@lemm.ee 17 points 11 months ago
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[-] xc2215x@lemmy.world 12 points 11 months ago

Not surprising it played a role.

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this post was submitted on 14 Dec 2023
587 points (98.0% liked)

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