A few weeks ago when I first heard the story of then 84 year old Eva Foster I was so angered I e-mailed Reverend Nelson Johnson, a man with which I have rarely agreed, to express my support. I also made mention of the fact that if a Greensboro Police Officer or anyone else were to throw my elderly mother to the floor that my 3 brothers and I would negate the need to take that officer or the City of Greensboro to court. Seriously Greensboro, as much as I honor and respect the GPD and the job they do, you would have been replacing fallen officers had Eva Foster been my mother. And trust me, I'm not the only redneck still alive in Greensboro.
Now the News & Record is reporting that key details are unclear. Police are saying Ms Foster was told to lie on the floor and then handcuffed. They also question why she didn't seek medical attention at the time.
Well the fact is: injuries don't always make themselves apparent right away. My doctors have shown me X-rays of broken bones I never knew I broke years after they healed themselves. It happens. It must have hurt me at the time but apparently not enough to make me believe the bone was fractured. But I was young then, at 84 years old broken bones don't always heal themselves. Of course, Eva Foster should have insisted on going to the hospital for even the slightest amount of pain but most Americans and most people, for that matter, think only of going to a safe familiar place when suddenly thrown into a situation like Eva Foster faced that day.
I can't help but wonder, did armed police officers really feel threatened by an elderly black woman? Did anyone ever stop to consider the very act of lying on the floor could be enough to break a bone for a woman that age? I mean, I can't attest the Ms Foster's health as I don't know her but a lot of 84 year old women are quite fragile and suffer from Osteoporosis, a widely known medical condition that causes brittleness and easy bone breakage. Some people break bones simply walking. Couldn't Ms Foster simply have been moved? There's risk and then there's risks. I know officers are concerned for their safety but they must also be concerned for the safety of those they're sworn to protect of which Ms Foster is one. Is this what the rest of us have to look forward to as we grow older? If that's the case then kill me now!
And why has it taken the City of Greensboro 3 years? Do you not understand that each passing day casts more doubt upon the city? And why was there no mention in the News & Record of the City's offer to pay off Ms Foster 3 years ago if she would keep quiet about the incident?
You see, those who attended the City Council meeting heard it even if the News & Record does try to paint a different picture. I don't know who is wrong and who is right but there is little doubt there is a whole lot of room for improvement being made public in the Eva Foster case. And if the City of Greensboro has to pay a few thousand Dollars to Ms Foster in order to get it through the thick skulls downtown... Well, I'm no fan of giving away hard earned taxpayer dollars but I'd rather Ms Foster get it than one of the downtown "non profits."
Besides, some people just have to learn some lessons the hard way.
