Greensboro PD need a bit of Common Sense

[jmichna]

Send a message to the Greensboro PD: Drop the charges against Pop

By Michelle Malkin • April 2, 2008 10:23 AM
Here’s an infuriating story from Jeri Rowe at the Greensboro News & Record. A patriotic 78-year-old senior citizen, Alexander Kohanowich, likes to show his support for the troops by standing at busy intersections and events in town with flags and signs. His six grandkids call him “Pop.” Pop showed up at an Obama campaign rally this past week and got approval from a motorcycle police officer to stand with his signs. Kohanowich is hard of hearing and apparently didn’t realize another officer was telling him to move while he was being interviewed by a radio reporter. He put his hand on the officer’s shoulder–and now he’s been hit with a “misdemeanor charge of assaulting a government official.”
Rowe reports:

You wonder what the cops were thinking about this kind-eyed grandfather, holding signs, wearing a shirt emblazoned with the American flag.

Pop says he respects the police and knows he did wrong by placing his hand on the officer’s shoulder. But he worries about his country — our country — losing its humanity, its empathy, its brotherly love.

That’s Pop’s story. The cops have a different story.
Capt. Robert Flynt supervises all the special operations with Greensboro Police Department. He hadn’t heard about the OK from the motorcycle cop. But he said he heard his colleagues asked Kohanowich to move from the median at least twice. The reason: The median is part of the public road, and no one can stand there for anything.

All Kohanowich had to do, Flynt said, was move to the sidewalk on the other side of the street, with his signs, and he would’ve been fine. Kohanowich didn’t.
Flynt sees the arrest as appropriate without unnecessary force. You put your hands on an officer, you’re going to get arrested. That’s the bottom line.

So, Kohanowich became the only arrest during the event that created a busy day around the coliseum.

“I hate that it occurred,” Flynt said. “Our intention was to get through the day with everyone being safe and with us not having to arrest anyone. As long as people follow our instructions, those things (arrests) won’t occur.”

Pop will plead his case later this month in a Greensboro courtroom. Oh, he’s fine. The bruise on his right wrist — apparently from the handcuffs — is not much bigger than a pencil eraser. Ask him about it, and he’ll tell you it doesn’t hurt. Then, without speaking a word, he’ll tap his chest. That, he says, is where it’ll hurt. Forever.

Is common sense dead? Are they really going to prosecute Pop? For crying out loud. Contact info for the Greensboro PD is here.
***
I second Greensboro News & Record editorial writer Doug Clark:

This is just bull. You want an old man to move across the street, and he doesn’t seem to hear what you’re saying, take him by the elbow and escort him across the street.
The assault charge ought to be thrown out.

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If this incident is as described, I think the Greensboro, NC, PD Chief ought to consider providing lessons in "Common Sense" for all his police force... after firing the idiot who arrested the old man.

[BDZ71]

Wow, I live 15 miles from Greensboro and this is the first Ive heard of it.

That un-called for!

[rufusdog]

Now it's not hard to see why some people have little or no respect for the police. I know it's not all and not even many but it only takes one to do the damage. This guy must have lot's of space between his ears.

[LUVMYSIGP225]

Number 1: Don't be stopping traffic and congesting my neighborhood because of some flash-in-the-pan $hithead from Illinois.

Secondly, it makes me sad, because I can see this happening. My grandpa was hard of hearing, and he would place a hand on the shoulder to get you to look him in the face when you spoke. He could read your lips better and get a better comprehension.

If this story is factual, the cop is a dick and karma is a beeyotch!!

[mulletmaster]

Well i think this is a bunch of crap, and I am about 20 min away from Greensboro. Below is my comment to the police dept.

It is a shame what you did to the gentleman (Alexander Kohanowich) who was trying to support our great country in this uncertain time. I also love the double standard that if you touch a police officer that is an automatic (possibly trumped up) charge of assaulting an officer while if the officer touched Alexander would he have gone to jail or assaulting a citizen? Of course not. It seems that for a "special operation" communications could be improved on more than one front, interdepartmental and with the general public. I hope you are proud of what you did to an old man, a grandfather and the embodiment of the American Spirit.

[Edubya]

Thank you Jmichna for pointing this out.

The sign read: “God Bless America! We Support Our Troops! They Give Their Today That We Might Have Our Tomorrow.”

Since this was an Barack Hussein Obama rally, what is the Political affiliation of the officer(s) involved, & are the pro Iraq War, or against?

Thanks to Michelle Malkin for exposing this.

There were many German soldiers that didn't like to enforce their commanders rules either, they did it out of blind obedience. I'm not calling anyone a "Nazi", but whether it's a policeman or a soldier, nobody should give up their personal beliefs when it comes down to it. We will all have to answer for our individual deeds in the long run!