My son was cuffed and threatened for trying to sell his MacBook on Craigslist, alleges Daily Beast editor
Over the weekend, Daily Beast editor Goldie Taylor tweeted a horrific story about what happened when her 25-year-old son tried to sell on Craigslis the MacBook she had bought him for college.
According to Taylor, when her son showed up to meet the buyer in a public place in Atlanta, he was suddenly placed in handcuffs with a weapon held to his back. A scan was conducted on the computer, and when it was discovered that it wasn't stolen, her son was released, she says.
The men apparently never identified themselves, but the purported buyer checked in with her son later and blamed the police.
In a statement, Taylor said "we believe that unidentified members of law enforcement acted without the required probable cause and used a decoy to lure my son to a public place." She added, "Atlanta police chief George Turner's office reached out to my son, at the behest of Mayor Reed, today and we believe an internal review is underway."
Here's her full tweetstorm about the incident:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/731599868872003584
My son Josh. He is the light of my world... pic.twitter.com/zMZqcAlqZn
She has continued to tell her story and respond to doubters on Twitter.
Here's her full statement provided to Business Insider:
During an incident that unfolded last week, undercover officers targeted my son Joshua as he attempted to sell his personal computer through Craigslist—the country's leading digital classified advertising site. Disrupting a private and legal transaction, we believe that unidentified members of law enforcement acted without the required probable cause and used a decoy to lure my son to a public place.
Shortly after he arrived, my son was handcuffed and detained with a weapon pressed to his back, while his personal property was subjected to a warrantless search. At no time did any of the three officers present identify themselves or their agency, nor was my son ever told why he was being detained. He feared for his life and thus complied with every command. The incident occurred on Thursday, May 12 around 2 p.m. at the Buckhead Caribou Coffee, located near the intersection of Piedmont and Peachtree Roads.
Joshua, who is a 25-year-old Atlanta native and an architecture student, believes in the spirit of community and, among other efforts, was a campaign volunteer for Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed in 2009. However, he also believes-- as I do-- in equal protection under the law. We believe that his constitutional right to privacy, as well as his protections against false imprisonment and illegal search and seizure, were all violated.
As a family, we believe that strong, healthy communities depend on relationships built on mutual trust and respect between members of law enforcement and the people they are sworn to serve and protect. We have hired legal counsel to help us fully investigate the incident, identify the officers involved and navigate the appropriate next steps.
Atlanta police chief George Turner's office reached out to my son, at the behest of Mayor Reed, today and we believe an internal review is underway.
While we remain grateful for the outpouring of support from people around the country--as an editor with a national publication and cable news political analyst who has covered high-profile cases of police violence in North Charleston, Ferguson, New York, Baltimore, and elsewhere-- I can think of no greater pain than to lose my son.
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