“It’s not cool to arrest 12-year-olds,” Ridgeville Park District Board Member Rob Bady told Evanston aldermen this week, in the wake of the arrest last month of his son. “That’s not a good thing.”
As Ian Bady described it to the aldermen, he was riding on the rear pegs of a bike on July 14. Another kid was peddling. A third was riding on the handle bars.
Analysis
They were heading westbound on Clark Street from the Burger King at Orrington Avenue to the Starbucks a block away on Sherman Avenue when the kid peddling “drove straight into traffic against the light, making two cars slam on their brakes and honk at us.”
Watch Ian Bady’s description of his arrest.
Did police have grounds for an arrest?
The Illinois Vehicle Code says “No bicycle shall be used to carry more persons at one time than the number for which it is designed and equipped” and makes it “unlawful for any person to do any act forbidden” by the code.
It also makes it unlawful for the parent of any child to “authorize or knowingly permit” the child to violate any provisions of the code.
It’s not reasonable to expect a 12-year-old to have read the vehicle code, but the state’s Bicycle Rules of the Road booklet, which is intended to be read by kids, clearly directs cyclists to “always ride one to a bike.”
As for the kid who was peddling, the vehicle code also makes it illegal for any driver — including a bicylist — to run a red light, and the plain-language booklet reinforces that.
What happened after the arrest?
Ian was transported to the police station and released to his parents. No formal charges were filed. Nobody had to go to court.
A police spokesman said the process, frequently used with juveniles, is called a “station adjustment,” and that any paperwork the police maintain on it will be confidential and not subject to disclosure to potential employers or others.
What better option did police have?
In his remarks to the City Council, Rob Bady implied that his son had been discriminated against because of his race, and suggested the police should apologize for having arrested him.
Roby Bady’s comments to the City Council.
But he never addressed the question of how police should handle a situation in which they observe kids violating the law and doing so in a way that clearly puts their lives and the lives of other people in danger.
I emailed Rob Bady asking him to suggest what alternative he would recommend, and he did not reply himself.
I did get a response from someone Bady forwarded the message to, Richard Katz, a licensed clinical psychologist, who claimed the children’s actions “were not criminal in any stretch of the imagination.”
When I responded with citations to the Illinois Vehicle Code and asked whether they thought police should just ignore kids riding three on a bike through a red light at a busy downtown intersection, neither Katz nor Bady responded.
What do you think?
Given that, as noted above, state law makes parents potentially liable for their kids’ behavior while riding a bike, it seems that a police response that doesn’t involve alerting the parents is insufficient.
And one might think that at least some parents who were not told by police of such an incident involving their child would be outraged that they hadn’t been alerted — for fear the child would repeat the dangerous behavior and end up dead or seriously injured .
But the police would have to stop the kids and question them to determine who the parents are. The child is not free to leave during that questioning, and by some definitions, even that stop constitutes “an arrest.”
Then do you give a 12-year-old a traffic ticket and tell him to take it home and show his parents? Would that be an adequate response?
I’m puzzled.
“It’s not cool to arrest 12-year-olds,”
“It’s not cool to arrest 12-year-olds,”???????
A 12-year old can hurt someone! A 12-year old can get hurt! It simply makes no sense why a 12-year old should not be arrested if they are causing trouble.
And yes, I have a kid and I would like the police to do the same to my child.
No. Please do not refer to
No. Please do not refer to anecdotal evidence to support actions that actively hurt and damage children. Down-Homey wisdom is not acceptable in debate.
if not actioned these kids
if not actioned these kids will hurt themselves…just give them time and let them be and you will see
You mean like the down-homey
You mean like the down-homey wisdom that this was an “action that actively hurt a kid”?
Stop Bringing Up Race
I am so sick and tired of people who invariably bring up race when they disagree with some action taken towards a minority group. Let’s look at the facts: these 12-year-olds were violating the Illinois Vehicle Code, so police had no choice but to intervene, regardless of the boys’ age and race.
If someone of a minority race was trying to break into your home, would you want the police to ignore their responsibility to arrest the home invader because it might be seen as “profiling”? I am astonished that a number of people responding to Bill’s editorial seem to believe that enforcing the law is discretionary for police.
The City of Evanston has absolutely NOTHING to apologize for in the way they handled the incident.
Why sick and tired?
I am interested in knowing the color of the boys who were NOT arrested. If the other boys were white and the black child was the only child arrested (and he was on the pegs which are actually meant for kids to stand on for a ride), then this was definitely racially motivated. In that case, the race of the child is significant, because it shows unfair bias. One might be “sick and tired” of race being brought up, but perhaps in this case awareness is necessary. I’d be mad as heck if one of my child (who are black) was the only one arrested of the 3 (if the other 2 were white). Fair is fair. Treat all of them the same. (And if you go by the “law”, the handlebar rider and the pedaler broke the law. Iain was on the pegs. He didn’t break the law, unless you want to call him an accomplice. Still, the other 2 should have been arrested also.)
Tired
Hi Jackie,
As far as I know, all three kids on the bike were black. Two were arrested, but police say they were unable to locate the one who’d been peddling.
— Bill
12 year old arrested in Evanston
My only question is , were all 3 arrested? I am not concerned about an apology. I am concerned that a child on the rear wheels, would be the only one taken into custody. I can’t see in the story where other parents were involved but clearly 3 were on the bike. Please help me to understand.
Please …
… read the comment directly above yours.
— Bill
Sick and tired
I am sick and tired of people ignoring the problems with police treatment of black males.
No need to be puzzled. Just use your head
I am puzzled that you are puzzled trying to think of an alternative. Of course the police should not turn a blind eye, but they should also NOT take in a child for such a minor infraction. This is exactly the type of situation when the police can build a relationship with the youth in the community. How you may ask?….Well, how do you begin building a relationship. I do so by holding a conversation with a person. This situation could have begun with a dialogue with these young boys and started the process of building a sense of community for these young boys and their law enforcement. This is not rocket science, this is not complex. This goes back to a village raising a child – the police can be an integral part of the village if they gain the respect of its residents – all of them, including the youth. Should another incident like this happen again, I hope a meaningful conversation will take place, and maybe relationships can be strengthened.
Your comment is well meaning.
Your comment is well meaning. Consider the possibility, though, that these officers did in fact have a conversation at some point in the past with these particular youth, attempting to build that relationship? As all parents know all too well, youths will respond in different ways — and perhaps that initial ‘relationship building’ didn’t resonate.
Obviously, it’s quite the parlor conversation to play the “shoulda” game with the EPD — regardless of the race of the officer — but at the end of the day a certain level of trust in the officers’ judgement needs to be afforded — again, regardless of the race of the officer. If one doesn’t have that level of trust in those we are paying to protect us, perhaps these folks should find another ‘village’ where they can be truly happy.
Those bikes have pegs on the
Those bikes have pegs on the back of them specifically to hold a rider. This it was designed and equiped for how Ian was riding. If he is wrong then so is every parent that I have seen riding with a baby seat fixed to the handle bars or seat bar or a kid in a backpack. Should they be arrested? The kid on the handlebars is arguably different, as that is not what handle bars are designed for, although many of us I am sure rode on handlebars when we were kids and never got arrested for it. They should have stopped the kids and lectured them about safety and asked for the names and addresses and followed up with the parents. No they did not need to arrest them.
Not clear
I have not found any citations that show it’s considered legal in Illinois to ride on the bike pegs. But there are examples of people being ticketed in other states for doing so.
— Bill
BMX pegs are not for passengers
BMX pegs are not designed to take a person’s weight for an extended period of time, so saying they are specifically designed to hold a rider is just not true. (A BMX rider uses them for stunting.) Should the kids have been arrested? I don’t know what EPD’s standards are for placing juveniles under arrest, so I won’t comment on that. Should the kids have been held at the station until their parents picked them up? I think so — the kids were doing things that are not only illegal under state law but dangerous to themselves, their riders, and other road users. Suppose one of those BMX pegs broke and dumped a standing rider into traffic. Again, they’re not designed to hold a person’s weight. Those kids were behaving stupidly and recklessly and need to be called out for that behavior.
they were originally
they were originally “designed” for stunts but the overwhelming majority of use is carrying a standing rider and the company knows it. They may not hold an adults weight for long but they hold kids just fine.
Lawsuits
Let’s imagine that the police simply sat in their car and watched as the 12-year-old boys recklessly rode three-to-a-bike and swerved directly into traffic. Let’s say that the police did not intervene, concluding, “Boys will be boys. And we certainly don’t want to be accused yet again of racial profiling.”
Let’s further imagine the drivers of the two cars that had to brake sharply were unable to avert a collision in which one or more of the 12-year-olds was injured or killed.
My educated gues is that the boys’ parents would race to the courthouse to file lawsuits against the EPD for negligence. failing to enforce Illinois law, and whatever other claims their lawyers could assert.
Can anyone seriously state that he/she would not sue the EPD for sitting and watching as their kids violated Illinois law, a violation which resulted in their childrens’ serious injuries and/or deaths?
Wrong Question
The question is: should police have arrested Ian for this specific incident with three kids on a bike running a red light? Im sure there are instances such as robbery or other acts that might lead police to “arrest a 12 year old” but this is about as far from that as can be.
The answer is to my re-phrased question is a resounding NO and anyone who thinks the answer is YES is quite misguided and someone I would not want on my community police force.
That isnt to say there isnt an appropriate reponse to Ian and his friends, perhaps sharing a message about safe bike riding and obeying traffic laws; “hey kid you nearly got your self hurt out there”, but to throw in a paddy wagon and arrest him is totally out of proportion to the infraction and frankly strikes me as a racist response as well.
When Bill Smith writes an
When Bill Smith writes an article like this one using anecdotal evidence about one person and using a photograph showing the race of that person, he’s just race-baiting. Evanston needs a real online newspaper that features articles grounded in fair journalistic principles. Evanston Now is not it.
Race
Hi Sarah,
The child’s parent chose to make a public issue of this situation. The parent implied — and some supporters more strongly claimed — that the police action was racially biased.
You can’t write a story that the protagonists claim is about race without somehow identifying the race of the participants.
— Bill
Absolutly
Even in this so called “progressive city” too many people think this is arrest worthy. Arrest is such an extreme solution, and when used for minor infractions only leads to worse outcomes for the arrested and society.
Are our elected officials sincere about takling systemic racism?
Analysis
1) Were the 12 year olds handcuffed?
2) Were the 12 year olds patted down?
I would hope the answer is no. If they were handcuffed and patted down this was excessive. Given that there were 3 kids on the bicycle, there was no other alternative to taking them to the police station as this was clearly dangerous to themselves, pedestrains and drivers.
Very Good Question
In Illinois being issued a moving violation is an “arrest”. It appears that a lot of people are making assumptions about what the term means. What matters more is how the boy was treated when the police took him to the station. A secondary, but still important, issue is the impact of having an arrest record. I expect that since he was a minor, and no charges were filed, and the arrest was a traffic violation, then there will be no consequences regarding future background checks on him.
Where’s the discriminatory evidence?
In so far as I am aware, the police did everything right with respect to this incident.
justified
again, a parent playing the race card…my poor child was discriminated agains by the EPD. What a load of baloney!
First of all, when your child learns how to ride a bike (just like when they learn to drive a car), there are safety rules that parents need to go over with them….for THEIR own good, as well as others.
What would have happened if the bicyclists on that one bike got hit by either of those 2 cars??? I bet there would be a lawsuit..and they would try to sue the drivers, when they were not at fault.
It’s preposterous to think that a child cannot understand safety rules. If a child has no understanding of being out in public, and the potential dangers there are, then that child should not be out in traffic. Simple as that.
It’s embarrassing to hear a father claim that “race” was involved. Shame on him. Let the police do their jobs, and show a bit of tough love, and caring for kids’ safety, by bringing them in, and explaining the consequences that could have happened. There could have been 3 deceased children, instead of 3 enlightened ones, who I’m sure will be more careful the next time.
Evanstonians…please…every time you or your child gets in any confrontation with the EPD, DON’T bring race, sex, or age into the mix. that’s what’s causing many problems and issues in this city.
Focus on what went down, and why…and not trying to change the issue to something else which has nothing to do with anything.
Bike Safety Rules
I think it’s prepostrerous of you to think that 85% of anybody riding a bike in Downtown Evanston is obeying the safety rules traffic lights etc. Why should his father not believe his son was racially profiled, his son was not even in control of the bike. Where is the evidence of kids of any other race being arrested for breaking bike safety rules. Why weren’t the other two kids on the bike arrested? I think you should focus on what went down (the facts), and not just deflect because someone brought up race and the police.
I watch white cyclists blow
I watch white cyclists blow red lights and stop signs, ride their bikes side by side on Ridge (right past the “no Bikes” sign) and cut off traffic with no signal. Can we talk about white cyclists on sidewalks in Downtown Evanston? No one stops the white cyclists. And if you speak to them, they scream at you. White Privilege.
I’ve never seen bikes riding
I’ve never seen bikes riding side by side down Ridge except for the Bike Ridge Sunday morning once/year. There is a big difference between blowing a stop sign or light and blowing a stop sign or light in a way that forces traffic to slam on the brakes. I’ve actually never seen a cyclist force a car to slam on the brakes. (I’m not denying it has happened, but it must be quite rare.)
But in this incident, the reporting is that TWO cars slammed on the brakes. This was a particularly egregious and dangerous incident.
Happens daily
You said “I’ve actually never seen a cyclist force a car to slam on the brakes. (I’m not denying it has happened, but it must be quite rare.)”
===========================
Do you get out ?
See Saturday and Sunday on Sherman or Ridge with the bike ‘pack’ riding fast throuh all stop sign–electronic or fixed.
Or daily on Maple, Sherman and Orrington going both directions on Noyes and Foster—mostly NU students.
Plenty of times a car has
Plenty of times a car has made me slam on the brakes. Usually a car making a right turn when I have right of way. Plenty of blame to go around for traffic infractions.
12 year old arrested
What happened to “Officer Friendly”?
I’m not puzzled at all. No 12 year old should be arrested, and I am quite sure that Rob Bady is correct to consider the notion that his son and friends were targeted because of their race. We live in a country in which there is overwhelming evidence that young men of color are racially profiled in schools, where they are suspended at rates exponentially higher than their white peers; by law enforcement, where they are incarcerated at rates exponentially higher than their white peers, so to be flummoxed by Mr. Bady’s inclination is to be blind to the world we are living in.
As to his age? There is no way a 12 year old should be arrested for having too many people on his bike, and there is no reason that Rob Bady needs to provide an alternative to the writer of this article, to the police, or anyone else. Mr. Bady’s child and his friends should have been given a stern warning, a reminder of the law (should we really assume that all bike riding Evanstonians know all of the official rules of the road, no matter their age?), and they should have been allowed to walk the bike wherever it was they were going, period end of story. It’s summer, and kids do stupid and unsafe things. But if our institutions persist in criminalizing what is totally normal childhood behavior, especially when it concerns kids of color, we essentially show them that we don’t care about teaching them, that we’ve got them figured out, and we are placing a target on their backs. I am proud of Rob Bady for standing with his son as he spoke to the City Council; I am ashamed of the Evanston Police Department.
Officer Friendly was a
Officer Friendly was a fictional character that visited schools and interacted with children to educate them. Officer Friendly is not a role played in the street. For you to say you’re sure the boys were targeted and because of their race is sloppy and irresponsible. The article says the rider entered traffic and caused several vehicles to blow their horn. The fact you’ve made up your mind that no one called the police to report the safety violation shows your bias. Do I think traffic citations were necessary? No. But transporting juveniles to the station to be picked up by parents is hardly worthy of arrest talk. Furthermore do you know if the officers know the kids from previous interactions? If you don’t like the law tell your state rep, don’t whine because an officer enforced it.
Would like Alderman Braithwaite’s opinion
I would like to know what Ald. Braithwaite’s answer since he saw fit to aplogize, presumably on behalf of the City, and state that the action is below our standard of community.
Now would be a perfect time for one who is elected to make City policies to inform us what the police response should have been that would meet the standards he thinks we should collectively have.
Learn a lesson or become car fodder ?
Once again those who believe no one can do wrong, think a scare or discipline is never called for. Maybe if a few kids were killed in accidents, they might revise their view—but I doubt it.
Should Police Arrest 12 yr. olds
It seems to me that Mr. Bady is not teaching his son to be a responsible adult. When a 12 yr. engages in dangerous behavior, there should be ramifications and it sounds like the police did a much better job than the parent of teaching this child safe, responsible behavior.
Why not
just let everyone do anything without any reprocussions or consequences. Then when a tragedy occurs everyone can get on their soapboxes and scream about the police not doing anything to prevent it.
I agree
And lawsuits would follow. I’d be really aghast if my child was doing something dangerous out and about, and the police did nothing. Quit bringing race into situations that were clearly only done with just cause because they, and or others could get mortally injured! Mr. Bady needs to claim more responsibility towards educating his child about what is right and wrong and dangerous. Isn’t THAT what parenting is all about? Kudos to the EPD! Will there be such a public fuss if the next time this happens, the kids are NOT black? Is there a need to even bring up race when they are doing their jobs? I know there have been many white skateboarders brought into the EPD, for what they are doing around town……never saw their people causing a fuss and claiming profiling. This is what is diving Evanston……NOT a good thing. Leave the police to do their jobs…..
Some kids on bikes are not obeying the rules of the road
Yesterday, I was driving west on Clark just south of Hinman when a half dozen kids about 11 or 12 spread out across the whole street on bikes, blocking cars from passing in both directions. I beeped my horn and gave them a look. They eventually parted enough for me to pass but not the other car going east. As I passed I heard one of them yell something as if I was the bad guy. I couldn’t understand why they didn’t stay to one side. Now I kinda do.
What they were doing was unnecessary and dangerous. Should I have called the police?
I’m puzzled too
1. My parents were great at teaching me and my siblings to be responsible. Because we mostly were, they gave us great latitude to roam about town on our bicycles and spend hours away from the house. Even so, as 12 year olds, my friends and I could do some pretty knuckle-headed things. I can recall instances when doing something stupid on my bike with a group of friends, a driver would pull over and call us kids over for a stern lecturing over what we did wrong, take our names and addresses, and then contact our parents to be sure they knew what we had done. In other instances – in those days before cell phones – they’d wave down a passing police car and have us detained by the police to be held until our parents came and got us. Community standards for responsible behavior and how to be respectful of others were lessons learned from these incidents – as well as to take better care to not put ourselves into trouble and dangerous situations.
Today, the world is so different. Now I’m a 60 year old man. Recently while driving on Church street between Darrow and Wesley, a group of kids were recklessly riding their bikes around noon time blocking all lanes of traffic and oblivious to the approaching cars, including my own. I had to stop my vehicle to keep from hitting one of the boys. He didn’t even see me because he was so intent on his antics with his buddies until he was 2 feet from my car and almost went over his handlebars trying to stop. Rather than display any remorse for his behavior or modicum of respect for an elder person in the community, this young man –perhaps 12 – started spewing a string of profanities at me about how I was gonna be made to be his “b*tch” and pay dearly for being in his way. His buddies laughed and pointed and called out their own choice phrases. As I sat there somewhat stunned, he and his group fled off on their bikes northbound on Dewey laughing all the way. I didn’t pursue them as I had a few years ago when a similar incident occurred on Simpson and Dodge because in that prior incident, upon catching up with the kids, they surrounded my car and dented the doors by kicking them before running off to disappear into the neighborhood. Witnesses to the incident strongly suggested I had better get out of their neighborhood before the troubles escalated further. Unless the police witness these events, there’s little recourse for the average person in the community. Where are the parents of these juveniles? Do they not care? What are they teaching their children? What are we in the community to do when they run wild like this? I’m puzzled.
To me, it’s good the police witnessed the younger Mr. Bady’s incident and took him into custody. Was it an arrest? Or was it like my younger days, simply a detainer until parents could be summoned to keep me from getting away with errant, irresponsible behavior? I’m puzzled. Why isn’t the elder Mr. Bady more responsible and effective in teaching his son to be more responsible and respectful of others?
2. I don’t know why it’s relevant to mention the elder Mr. Bady’s affiliation with Ridgeville Park District for the purposes of this story, unless he has used his position of authority and power in the community and his title to seek preferential treatment for himself and his child. He’s more than a mere ‘board member’. That implies he’s like a volunteer on a non-profit board. He is an elected Commissioner and elected as Vice President of the District. What is the relevance of those positions to this situation? Is it perhaps because – like our President – he is in a position of leadership and authority and therefore should be held to a higher standard? That perhaps is an answer I might agree with. If not, I am puzzled.
Stop the behavior early
The police cannot be everywhere these incidents happen but we know where bad behavior happens everyday. Friday at least 10 kids [not to mention I assume NU students] raced down Clark between Sherman and Orrington, on the sidewalk, and did not even slow down for pedestrians or even an elderly couple who clearly had a problem walking. I’ve seen bikers there almost hit a blind NU student. The police, aldermen and mayor keep saying they will do something. Four(?) years ago an unmarked police car at B-K ticketed five bikers in 15 minutes. A month or two ago two officers were there and said they would be on a weekly or more frequent basis—I’ve never seen any again. Three times a marked car sat there for exactly 30 minutes, did not stop any bikers. Why? they were reading or sleeping !
ok in driving through
ok in driving through Evanston this afternoon I watched 2 bikes roll through red lights, three bikes roll through stop signs and three bikes ride down one way streets the wrong way. On another thread there have been arguments about whether cyclists should be ticketed for such behavior but clearly from this thread thats the wrong answer. Those bicyclists should clearly be arrested and brought to the police station – amiright? The broke the law and they did something dangerous. Why just arrest 12 year olds???
Today at Greenbay Rd close to
Today at Greenbay Rd close to Central…every person crossing the intersection did so on the “don’t walk” symbol….causing cars to stop and be careful because the pedestrians didn’t care….unbelievable and stupid. This was close to 6:00 pm…..
Did you call the police?
Did you call the police? Probably not. Either way juveniles get brought to the station so they can be turned over to their parents. If they were 18 they would have been released on scene. The transport had nothing to do with an arrest..it’s their age.
Should 12 year-olds be arrested?
Not unless they are arrested , standing over a
body
Now we know
The comment makes it clear why there is so much crime. Adults, as well as the kids, believe everything short of murder is o.k. and no punishment. I assume the writer lives in a gated community with round the clock armed private police, servants to do their shopping and chauffers [with bullet proof cars] when they do go out.
May I repeat myself again, please!
It should be illegal to ride a bike on the streets (get rid of the bike lanes) or sidewalks in downtown Evanston. This area is a major commercial district, not a bike trail.
great idea
Now that’s a great idea! Old Orchard used to have a problem with skateboarders and rollerbladers zipping around the shoppers. That’s no longer a problem. Downtown Wilmette has no bikers or bladers, nor does the Central St. shopping area (that I’ve seen). Love it!
Really?
This is when data and arrest records come in handy. How many bicyclists are arrested in a day, month, year ? How many are minors? How many are adults? What’s the race of the “offender?” What’s reasonable and in the best interest of the “offender” and the community in the short and long term? Also how many pedestrians are arrested? For those in the community who automatically write off race…we are living in an age and time where the current POTUS has emboldened white supremacy and bigotry. Just because YOU don’t like the question being asked shows fragility around the questions of race and equality. Examine yourself and then wonder….how many white 12 year olds have been arrested for riding a bike wrong?
Your suggestion is more
Your suggestion is more paperwork. Next it should be how many red heads vs brunettes, how many with blue eyes vs brown, how many that took the ACT vs SAT? Data is used to manipulate people like you looking for a cause. Here’s data for you to analyze. Homicides are up. Car jackings are up 53%. At the same time the jail population is down and the state’s attorney has publicized several offenses her office will not prosecute according to state statute. Maybe you can explain why all this benevolence and social justice is resulting in higher serious crimes and fewer arrests at the same time.
Crime rate
Hi Dave,
While violent crime has risen in some places recently, it is down in Evanston so far this year. It was also down last year and the year before.
— Bill
Thanks Bill. I was referring
Thanks Bill. I was referring to what’s happening in Chicago and around Cook County because it also affects Evanston. Not all the surrounding towns are equally affected but Evanston will still deal have to come to terms with poor decisions made by the sheriff and state’s attorney.
A kumbaya moment
Community activist Karen Courtright said at a Council meeting Monday that “police are victims of a “white supremacy culture.” Could this explain the “arrest” of a 12 year old black male? That can’t be good news for our police department.
It seems there’s been some talk around town about this. Perhaps Evanston’s new Equity and Empowerment coordinater who’s paid six figures should look into this.
Not to be outdone, D202’s superintentend told ETHS parents that there are families in the school community who are targets of hatred based on their race, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and cultural observance. Finally! Someone understands the difficulties that hardworking straight white male Christian conservatives who voted for President Trump go through in Evanston. At last, we have a voice; someone who accepts and understands us!!!
Kumbaya!!! Right?
Reading these comments is
Reading these comments is discouraging. Before Dara tells me to examine myself and wonder anything…I am a black male, from a Chicago neighborhood that makes Evanston look like Beverly Hills 90210. I have been falsely arrestednl and charged and I didn’t determine it myself with wikipedia knowledge of the law. Police officers who learned of the arrest said it sounded bogus when they heard the details and the charges. I have been patted down with 5 friends in our own dorm at our college, so please don’t tell me about what it’s like in a neighborhood I grew up in. One person said the boys were targeted. How foolish to conclude that and fully ignore the fact they rode into traffic against the light causing drivers to slam on their brakes. Two, why have none of you asked what happened to the other 2 boys? There were 3. None of you have asserted any reason the officer make have ticketed the kid besides race i.e. maybe he’s new and inexperienced, maybe she’s a stickler for traffic safety, maybe a demanding resident insisted enforcement action be taken. As someone who did go to the county jail and had to explain to my professor why I needed to miss classes to attend criminal court proceedings in Chicago I resent you all blowing this up into something it’s not. The difference between this boy and me at 12 is I would have preferred dealing with the police because it was my parents that would go berserk, not the cops.
Welcome to the suburbs
In the Chicago area Evanston is the capital of guilty white liberalism. For insight into Evanston white culture see the following.
https://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/28/101-being-offended/
https://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/21/100-bumper-stickers/
Rules of Road-Bicycle
Appears quite a few residents and elected officals aren’t award that the State has a “Rules of Road” for bikers. Perhaps they use this as a learning experience and have Park Districts create safe biking classes.
First, they weren’t arrested,
First, they weren’t arrested, they were detained until their parents picked them up. And I think that was the proper action. I don’t think race played into the reason police officers decided to bring these boys to the station. It was their unsafe and dangerous behavior that ultimately lead the officers to detain them. And parents need to discipline their children when they are wrong and not try to make excuses for them.
I hear what you’re saying,
I hear what you’re saying, but shouldn’t this have been treated in a similar manner as a moving violation in an automobile? Running red lights and driving with an excessive number of passengers are not arrestable offenses, as far as I know.
Re: the race card…I think it’s hard for most people to imagine three Caucasian boys being arrested/detained in the same situation. Which is why the influence of race on the police’s decision is being questioned.
police erred
Seems like the whole thing was a mess. He was given a citation for ” operating a bicycle in a way that obstructs motor traffic,” but since he was not driving the bike he could not have been obstructing traffic. The father was also required to sign a “Formal Station Adjustment” in order to secure his sons release (so no they did not just call the kids parents to come and get him) which means a police record will be on his file because signing a formal adjustment is considered “an admission by the minor of involvement in the offense.” Refusal to sign results in referral to juvenile court…. For riding on bike pegs… So no to all the people above saying this is just officer friendly keeping the kids safe by driving them to the station until mom and dad can come get them…
record unimportant
An arrest for biking dangerously isn’t going to impact much in the future. No one is going to look at that and say “recidivist” unless he truly crosses in traffic riding as a threesome again. The only people who can even look at a juvenile record are people in the criminal justice system. He’s not going to fall afoul of the law.
I believe the previous article on this incident made clear that the rider was also arrested. My quarrel with the arrest would be that it was his friend who made the decision to ride into traffic.
Ummmm no
“secure his son’s release”? Let’s cut the poetry and dramatics out. His father didn’t come to the station to “bond” him out. He came to take custody of him no different than when you go to a child’s school and sign as an approved adult to take them into your care. If the kid was 18 he would have never came to the station. If the kid’s dad was on scene he would have been turned over to his care…and never came to the station. There is nothing about the information in this article that convinces me it was a formal station adjustment…for a traffic violation on a bike by a juvenile who was not operating it?!?! I don’t believe it. You all want to be mad and say an injustice happened and it didn’t. When the cops start sitting on their hands you guys are going to wonder why. When a cop WILL get accused of racism because he/she brings a kid to the station for their own safety I won’t blame them. CPD had a huge drop in arrests just published in the paper. An alderman is upset and said it’s because they are trying to protect themselves and not the people in the community. He proceeded to list quality of life issues the police are ignoring such as gambling, public drinking and loitering. Is he nuts?. They are still saying too many arrests happen in the poorer neighborhoods but now you want the police to clear the corners again. And what happens when little Johnny won’t leave and they get into a tussle with him trying to make him leave? Everyone on that corner is going to show video of the cops fighting that kid but not the kid resisting the cops. If they “win” and force the kid to move they lose because of the physical force or language and tone they have to use. If they don’t make the kid leave to avoid the former now the kids know they don’t have to do what the police say. Read what’s happening around you. I have never heard of this high volume of carjackings around the city and surrounding burbs in my adult life. Have you noticed almost ALL of the offenders and suspects are juveniles? The carjacker just shot by fireman, 17. The carjacker just killed on the Bishop Ford, 17. Another minor in the south burbs running from police in a stolen car crashed into a Pace Bus, veering into oncoming traffic, and killed himself in his driving to evade police. Keep telling children in the wrong that they were done and injustice and you will reap a bitter reward when those same children become adults with no sense of ownership and responsibility for their actions. For the record, I got a ride in a paddy wagon as a teenager to a Chicago Police station where my mom picked me up. She came to get me from a party, before cell phones, I went outside to wait for her..ended up walking off and we kept missing each other. I was out past curfew and a Chicago paddy wagon picked me up and took me to the station. There was never a suggestion that they did anything wrong. They saw a kid on the street after curfew, said hop in and took me to the station. I wish I knew I was being targeted and they were being racist to me back then. Even my poor mom and dad didn’t know. Us dumb city slickers just thought the cops were doing their jobs.
Sorry Dave
Here is the news story that indicates it was a Formal Station Adjustment.Your disbelief just goes to reinforce how off base the way this case was handled was.
Well I personally know Iain
Well I personally know Iain Bady, he is one of my close friends and he wools the do anything to hurt anyone, he was just trying to get to his destination and didn’t know any other way to get there without splitting up and he didn’t know it was illegal but at the same time he wasn’t the one who was riding into traffic so if he were to get off the bike he could have actually got injured, I believe the police officer should have just told iain to not ride any people on transportation other than a car and not to ride in traffic rather than arresting him, he couldn’t control the bike and didn’t know what he was doing was illegal, believe me, I go to school with iain. I love him and he wouldn’t hurt a sould