On the ever growing list of reasons I'll need blood pressure medication when I'm older, some weirdo was arrested on "two counts of misdemeanor harassment" for accosting various women, commenting on their fine looking toes, and ultimately asking to suck on them.
Criminal charges!
The police came and picked him up at his home!
To serve him two counts!
Picture in the paper!
Everything!
Agh!
Requisite disclaimer: Yes, this man is surely guilty of being a creep, but at worst he deserves the middle finger and a stern "fuck off" from these women. But criminal charges? Seriously?
I just... I just don't know what to say. It stuns me. And worst of all, everyone else at work just kind of looks at me like I'm overreacting. Which maybe I am, but the point is that it never even registered to them that this might be going a bit far. To them, the slightest bit of deviancy is perfectly reasonable grounds for an arrest. Why not? He's clearly disturbed! Lock 'im up! (Think of the children!)
I understand the desire to want to live in an area free of repugnant individuals, and so the need for swift cleansing tends to build up over time, but at some point we've got to clearly state that it's not a crime to be annoying. Granted, if you are annoying, you better be ready for the consequences, but it shouldn't be a crime.
Instead the man is hauled out of his own home, potentially spends a night or two or three in jail, paraded before a court, and plastered all over every local news site, paper, and evening headlines segment. Convicted or not, the guy’s social life is now ruined over what may possibly have just been at best a lapse in judgment. What could have been a great opportunity to show tolerance, respect, and compassion by getting the guy some help is instead made into a let’s-all-point-and-laugh-at-the-sicko. Way to go, community.
Sigh.
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