tangents

news & views

by dal mcintire

The following appeared recently in letter column of ORLANDO (Florida) SENTINEL:

"Editor: My recently widowed sister and 14-year-old son from North Carolina came down to visit us when the boy finished his school term this year.

"One afternoon I had some business in downtown Orlando and took them all in town with me. My wife and sister went to the city library and, while there, suggested that the boy go on down and wait for them in the park. . . .

"The boy was walking around some and then stopped to watch a young man who was feeding the birds. The two of them struck up a conversation and presently they walked back to a bench where they sat and talked for a few minutes. Shortly thereafter a detective walked up, identified himself as a city policeman. He then began asking abrupt questions and proceeded with several vulgar insinuations, giving this child a third degree right in front of a number of curious onlookers. Among other things, he wanted to know if this young man had asked the boy to go for a ride or if he had in any way placed his hands on his body, etc. Nothing of this sort had taken place.

"Eventually my wife and sister arrived in time to witness part of

this spectacle. They found my nephew in a near-hysterical state and literally scared out of his wits. by the crude manner in which he was being questioned.

"Then, in a few minutes the wife. of the embarrassed young man walked up. She and another lady. had been down the way looking at the flowers. The cop, realizing that he had been completely wrong about everything, appeared to be actually disappointed because he had been unable to make an arrest.

"My wife had rushed off to a telephone to call me. I arrived to find the cop had left abruptly without so much as an apology but advising the young man to watch his step.

"My immediate inclination was to go right down to city hall and see that this character with a police badge was reprimanded. However, the boy was so emotionally disturbed already that to prolong the situation seemed unwise.

"My folks are from a small town and are not so worldly wise as your aggressive police department.

"At any rate, this episode proved to be a profound shock for the child and not only did he begin to be anxious to return to North Carolina -he was afraid to go into Orlando again. What had previously been a pleasant vacation for him and his mother was now no longer so en-

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