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Historian 'pinned to ground by US police and beaten for jaywalking'

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Historian 'pinned to ground by US police and beaten for jaywalking' By Laura Clout Last Updated: 2:24am GMT 12/01/2007 A distinguished British historian claims he was knocked to the ground by an American policeman before being arrested and spending eight hours in jail � because he crossed the road in the wrong place. Felipe Fernandez-Armesto said he had been the victim of "terrible, terrible violence" after he inadvertently committed the offence of "jaywalking" in Atlanta, Georgia, last week and failed to realise the man telling him to stop was an officer. The slight, bespectacled professor claimed that five burly officers pinned him to the ground after Kevin Leonpacher kicked his legs from under him as he hesitated to show his ID. He was left "traumatised and disorientated" and with a gashed forehead as he was taken to the local jail and charged with pedestrian failure to obey a police officer and physical obstruction of police. The academic, professor of global environmental history at Queen Mary College, University of London, and a member of Oxford University's modern history faculty, said he had been subjected to "very humiliating procedures" and even had his box of peppermints confiscated. advertisement The 56-year-old appeared in court the next day, "tortured" by the fear of getting a criminal record that would wreck his chances of getting a green card allowing him to work in America. But prosecutors dropped the charges. Atlanta's police chief ordered an inquiry after the mayor raised the incident. Prof Fernandez-Armesto, who is also a member of the history department at Tufts University, Massachusetts, was in Atlanta for the convention of the American Historical Association. He said he was crossing the road and became aware of a "rather intrusive young man shouting at me telling me that I shouldn't have crossed the road there". Because he was wearing a "rather louche" bomber jacket that covered his uniform, the professor did not realise he was a policeman. "I thanked him for his advice and went on," said the professor. When Officer Leonpacher tried to stop him and demanded to see identification, the professor asked to see his, which he "didn't take kindly to". "He said 'I am going to arrest you'," Prof Fernandez-Armesto said. "In the culture I come from this wouldn't mean that the conversation was over. "Nor would it mean that you were about to be subjected to terrible, terrible violence. This young man kicked my legs from under me, wrenched me round in what I think is a sort of a judo move, pinned me to the ground, wrenched my arms behind my back and handcuffed me. "Naturally I was bridling at this moment and he called his colleagues to his assistance. I had five burly policemen pinioning me to the ground, pressing my neck with really very severe pain. I'm a mass of contusions and grazes. "I was traumatised, disorientated, my conference programme was in the gutter and I was begging them to give it back to me and to give me my spectacles back," he said. "I still find it incredible that an ageing, mild-mannered professor of impeccable antecedent, should be the subject of such abominable treatment." The professor, who has written books on the Americas and global exploration, was handcuffed to another suspected criminal in a "filthy, foetid paddy wagon" to be transported to jail and had his fingerprints and mugshot taken. With his bail set at �720 but with no way to get the cash, Prof Fernandez-Armesto remained incarcerated, until he eventually got out with the help of a professional bail agent. In court the following day he explained to the judge and charges were dropped. Officer Leonpacher denied that he overreacted, saying the historian repeatedly refused to co-operate. The 28-year-old told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "I used an excessive amount of discretion." Atlanta's mayor, Shirley Franklin, said: "We want everyone who visits Atlanta to find Atlanta to be friendly and helpful." The professor said he had no plans to sue, adding: "It was actually a fantastic experience going into that detention centre and spending time with those miserable wretches of the earth. I feel I've learnt more than I would have in important sessions of the Historical Association."

Source: London Telegraph

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The professor said he had no plans to sue, adding: "It was actually a fantastic experience going into that detention centre and spending time with those miserable wretches of the earth. I feel I've learnt more than I would have in important sessions of the Historical Association."

Glad you can experience what a brown man goes through every day here in the States! Oh and by the way, not all of those in "detention centres" are wretches of the earth. How mighty white of you to see that.

Prof Fernandez-Armesto, that spanish or portugese?
In any case, least he didnt go for his wallet in NY, that can get you really splattered!

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Originally posted by LazFX Glad you can experience what a brown man goes through every day here in the States! Oh and by the way, not all of those in "detention centres" are wretches of the earth. How mighty white of you to see that.

OMG! He's white! Now it's all good.

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Originally posted by Lilith Prof Fernandez-Armesto, that spanish or portugese? In any case, least he didnt go for his wallet in NY, that can get you really splattered!

Sounds like Spanish to me.

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Originally posted by shaolin_Z OMG! He's white! Now it's all good.

I see your and raise you two more

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Originally posted by LazFX I see your and raise you two more

I'll raise you three more

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Prof Fernandez-Armesto said. "In the culture I come from this wouldn't mean that the conversation was over.

Ok look, you are NOT IN YOUR culture!! Why do people that do not live here think that America always has to understand thier culture.

As a learned individual, you would think this guy would of known that ATL is not the UK. So smart they are stupid.

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Originally posted by LazFX Ok look, you are NOT IN YOUR culture!! Why do people that do not live here think that America always has to understand thier culture. As a learned individual, you would think this guy would of known that ATL is not the UK. So smart they are stupid.

What?

I raise your 's and throw out the rare,

Ok, I fold. Can't match your

Hmm, I can also personally add in that being not-quite-white and going through US customs with a bag full of smelly chemicals, stamps from middle eastern countries on passport and a work visa an hour or 2 out of date is an even worse way to spend 6hours!

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Originally posted by LazFX Ok look, you are NOT IN YOUR culture!! Why do people that do not live here think that America always has to understand thier culture. As a learned individual, you would think this guy would of known that ATL is not the UK. So smart they are stupid.

Still the police officer sounds like a jobsworth and a coward he should be out there catching the real criminals.

Jaywalking is a stupid law. I'll cross the road where ever I like.

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Originally posted by Lilith Hmm, I can also personally add in that being not-quite-white and going through US customs with a bag full of smelly chemicals, stamps from middle eastern countries on passport and a work visa an hour or 2 out of date is an even worse way to spend 6hours!

You referring to those "smelly beatiful things" you "sell to (mostly) ugly people?"

Yay for Atlanta. I'm proud of my city's law enforcement!

Yeah, apparently you can blow up planes with them, according to the intellectual eleet(sic) of US customs

Course, I dont really have a lot of love for jaywalkers either. The mad sprinter that dashes over the road like their life means it I can kind of respect, especially if your overweight, struggling with half a dozen bags of shopping, because if you dont you'll get mushed like a bug and I think it's kind of funny to look at you put some effort in.

Its the dawdlers that piss me off the most.
They see the 1.7 metric tons of 4 wheeled death driven by the psycho short bint rumbling along and they think.
"Gee I might step out about now without really looking"
Pause
"Then, I'm going to check my watch now I'm on the road"
Pause
"Now, I might decide that theres enough time, I'm just going to waddle over this road like I'm not looking and dont care..."
HONK!!!
"Oh my! I nearly got killed and that rude woman is flipping me off, oh well... la-de-da-de-da I'll keep waddling like a turtle over broken glass."
HONK!!!
HONK!!!
HONK!!!

GET OFF THE ROAD!

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Originally posted by Sunsnail Yay for Atlanta. I'm proud of my city's law enforcement!

i will be in ATL next month setting up so work stuff at the federal building down at Peach Tree. But bieing raised on the streets of Houston, ATL ain't nutting. But you will be sure, I will not Jaywalk.
ha ha

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Originally posted by Lilith eleet(sic)

Still trying to figure out what and eleet(sic) is

Oh, and I jaywalk all the time, but I generally pay more attention before doing so as I don't like getting splattered on a windsheild. But that's near campus, SO WE OWN THE DAMN PLACE!

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Originally posted by shaolin_Z Still trying to figure out what and eleet(sic) is Oh, and I jaywalk all the time, but I generally pay more attention before doing so as I don't like getting splattered on a windsheild. But that's near campus, SO WE OWN THE DAMN PLACE!

When I worked in Houston, people were always Jaywalking on Smith Street. thats downtown houston. Thie one cat was jaywalking and WHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!''
A city bus totally ran his butt over. It was quite interesting as well. To see people on the streets throwing up and fainting cause the guy entrails were strewn all over the street for about a 1/4 mile. ewwwwwe gross. I started to run to help the poor guy, but after seeing and smelling his body, I knew he was dead. The scream he let out will live with me forever. The inside of a person really stinks. just an FYI

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Originally posted by LazFX When I worked in Houston, people were always Jaywalking on Smith Street. thats downtown houston. Thie one cat was jaywalking and WHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'' A city bus totally ran his butt over. It was quite interesting as well. To see people on the streets throwing up and fainting cause the guy entrails were strewn all over the street for about a 1/4 mile. ewwwwwe gross. I started to run to help the poor guy, but after seeing and smelling his body, I knew he was dead. The scream he let out will live with me forever. The inside of a person really stinks. just an FYI

That's pretty graphic and serious dude, not exactly light conversation.

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Originally posted by shaolin_Z That's pretty graphic and serious dude, not exactly light conversation. What's wrong with you ?

I am just concerend about your Jay Walking Z. I would not want you to get your ass ran over by a redneck with a rebel flag on his bumper.

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Originally posted by LazFX When I worked in Houston, people were always Jaywalking on Smith Street. thats downtown houston. Thie one cat was jaywalking and WHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'' A city bus totally ran his butt over. It was quite interesting as well. To see people on the streets throwing up and fainting cause the guy entrails were strewn all over the street for about a 1/4 mile. ewwwwwe gross. I started to run to help the poor guy, but after seeing and smelling his body, I knew he was dead. The scream he let out will live with me forever. The inside of a person really stinks. just an FYI

I'm sure it'd be crazy to see/smell something like that up close.

Uh... yuck.
(eleet = elite, mispelled for emphasis on the low-brow, knuckle dragging attitudes of those uniformed merchents of harassment)

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Originally posted by LazFX I am just concerend about your Jay Walking Z. I would not want you to get your ass ran over by a redneck with a rebel flag on his bumper.

They'd probably think of it as points
5 for being a uni student, 8 for not being white, 6 for being possibly harder to hit than a 200+lb person overloaded with groceries
Possibly another 5 points for style if they let out a "ye-haaaa!" in the process

And 10 more for looking Arab (which makes sense I guess, being part Arab).

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