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Latest Analysis On Pleajhia Mervin Case After Finding Out that Doc Says Her Wrist Is Not Broken
October 19th, 2007
I waited a week to posts on this development. Initially because I didn’t have time the first couple of days, but then I wanted to wait and see what other info would come out about it.
Well, first of all, there are no news reports to be found on neither yahoo nor google news search since the day this story came out.
Further, when you do a regular yahoo web search, one of my former post from at least a week earlier comes up first along with other, mostly blog post, either responding to this report or from earlier on.
I continue to be surprised at the dearth of follow up information provided from even the local area media and local activist alike (not surprised about no national media coverage).
The school and the school district themselves have nothing to say on the incident or controversy surrounding it. Reporters out there don’t even ask the question “why was Mervin arrested” (obviously failing to picking up cake isn’t an arrest-able offense, and littering is a fine, not a criminal matter). Further they don’t ask or submit any analysis on why the student filming the assault was jumped and how could he be arrested for that. What the hell is the crime? How were his civil rights not violated, and how is jumping on him not a crime against him.
These are the most basic and highly pertinent issues to this situation, and they’re not the least bit mentioned.
To the particular issue of broken or not broken wrist:
Is the doctor lying about whether or not her wrist is broken? This is a matter of provable or disprovable fact; it’s not a matter of opinion or perspective. If it’s broken, Pleajhia and her mother can simply prove it by releasing the x-ray. If it’s not, then what gave them the gumption to say it was?
In the abc7 report they say that here wrist is “not injured”. They cannot know that statement to be true simply by the fact that it’s not broken; if that be the fact. I’ve had a condition where an X-ray, and MRI, and a electronic nerve test showed no injury, nonetheless I was in server pain. This is not a rare phenomenon, to the contrary it’s quite common. That was three years ago. I never got a specific diagnosis, and I’m still in some pain.
Contrarily, a commenter on anther thread wrote: “So the doctor gave her medication, put her arm in a sling, and treated her, all because she said she was hurt? And then says that she was not? Since when do doctors do that? This does not smell right…”
Well actually, doctors do that a lot. Going back to my situation stated above, I was treated because I was in pain, regardless of what their machines could see; including muscle relaxers, powerful pain killers, and physical therapy. I also received hydrocodone shots (I believe that’s the drug) for pain. Believe me; getting stuck in the sternum with a needle is not a pleasant experience. I didn’t go sit in a doctor’s office for 2 hours, 4 different times to be waited on so I could have inflicted upon me one of the most painful feelings in my life because I was bored and just didn’t have anything else to do.
As Villager said “the video speaks for itself”. And I find guard Chris Niemeyer’s parents saying things in contraversion to the facts that we can see with our own eyes, like “We have watched the video over and over…he also does not have her pinned on the table…”,* to be very funny.
Her not having her wrist broken or fractured doesn’t make manhandling students okay for dropping cake, nor for turning on their camera phone. I don’t think this development takes away from the foul behavior of the guard, the school system, or the police in jumping students, punishing them after being jumped and arresting them for video taping (which is unconstitutional); but at the same time I think Pleajhia and her mother have mislead us. One of those oft situations were people exaggerate even when they’re in the right, to bolster their position.
Either her wrist is broken or it’s not. Did the doctor tell them it was broken (and does it say that in the medical record); and if not how can they say that it is, as opposed to saying it hurts?
*I did a google search with the words “AV Press chris niemeyer’s parents”:
www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=AV+Press+chris+niemeyer%27s+parents
I got two links refering to Niemeyer’s parents, but both were no longer there. Though the fact that link titles even come up, is proof that they were there.
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Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.
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I’ve been trying to make sense out of it too. Seems like the reframing/backlash has been very quick this time. Maybe because it hit the mainstream media so early.
Even if there turns out to be no broken wrist: as you and Villager say, the video speaks for itself. And charges against people who reported the incident. That’s still wrong.
Exactly Tom.
And it is a bit hard to make sense of it. I hope their claim that it was broken was as a result of them being uncouth in understanding and realizing that just because she felt like it was broken, doesn’t mean that it was; and maybe they thought that because the doctor treated her for the pain that it was validation of this feeling; as opposed to them having intentionally mislead us.
Nonetheless, I’m not going to just assume it was confusion and let them completely off the hook because I’m on their side of controversy in general.
I blame the activist on the ground just as much for not verifying the facts, where they had the wherewithal to do so, and just prudence demands that they do so; including but not limited to Sharpton.
Sharpton should be particularly sensitive to this issue after Tawana Braley. Though I’m not saying that I know that Tawana Braley lied because I’ve not investigated the case for myself (was to young to be aware of it at the time), I just know it is commonly held that she did - and Sharpton took a major hit over that situation. You’d think he’d learn and proceed with some caution and prudence.
In the Name of Allah
Peade and Greetings, There are so many irregularties
and contradictions to this case it doggles the mind!
Privacy regulations and protocols were at least breeched. I believe the “reporter” misrepresented himself to the minor child’s mother in order to get a “hit” piece to run on the locak ABC new channel! I would like to have called them out on this but KABC-7 has NO “contact” listings or link(s0 to a “comment” or “feedback” for public input! Makes me wonder, what are they hiding?
Like you I have found getting follow-up info on this cae very hard. After the “hit” by the ABC reported, John Stallworth, there was an advertising blitz featuring officials tauting the joys of living in the city of Palmdale! KABC-7 reported that Stallworth had “gotten permission” to speak with the child’s doctor. My view is that this places KABC, Stallworth and whoever he spoke to on the phone prepresenting themselves as a physician (no one has seen or verified that this person was in fact a medical person of any kind). Usually when there is a possible legal situation such as the one involving this pediatric patient, or any type of high-profile situtation which may invovle legalities, a “hospital spoke’s person” is the contact for the press! I’m sure John Stallworth, KABC, the hospital, and the “doctor” are well aware of this! Especially when mino;s are involved.
Another irregularity is that the “security” guard was found to have been “acting within his authority.” and no disciplinary action was taken, without further investigation! According to news reports this guard has had abuse complaints filed against him previously, yet he is back on the job, free to meet out his brand of dicipline against stduents with impunity1
I’ve been unable to find a “Support” page for Pleajhia , her classmate, or her mother. If anyone knows of one I’d love a link. Also I’d like to know if SCLC is still supporting the Paldale (3)?
Thanks again for the update.
Hotep,
HMB
Sister Halimah , either way this was poorly handle by Pleajhia’s mother and the local activist on the ground there who should be vetting everything and getting the word out to the rest of us. Actually, that also goes for national activist who’ve been there. Again, you’d think Al Sharpton would be sensative to just jumping out there on something.
Can we get some friggin fact checkers in the movement, and some people who understand the necessity of communicating with the rest of us.
In the Name of Allah
Thanks for getting back to me. I’ve managed to
find a bit more info on this ongoing case: Rally is planned:
Community Rally to Support the PALMDALE 4
Drop All the Charges Now!
Stop Racism From Jena to LA!
Socialism and Liberation
For Details: www.pslweb.org/
There is additional facts about this case
reported in an article by Sister Charlene
Muhammad Ar: www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_4048.shtml
On the issue of whether or not Pleajhia’s suffered a fractured wrists the article states the following:
(excerpt) — Captain Deeley’s announcement came a day after Leo Stallworth, a Black reporter for KABC Los Angeles, who initially reported the incident, further reported that, according to her doctor, Ms. Mervin’s wrist was not broken.
“The reporter did not tell the whole truth, and I believe that this is part of a smear campaign that’s going on. Not only was my daughter treated for her wrist, but she has head injuries, shoulder and back pain, and emotional pain. They put the cast on her; I didn’t,” charged Latricia Majors, Ms. Mervin’s mother.
Ms. Majors insisted that Mr. Stallworth distorted the following text of the report, “One of the bones of the wrist the, (Carpal) Navicular Bone, often does not show up as a fracture on X-rays until later on in the healing phase. With this bone your caregiver will often cast as though it is fractured even if not seen in the X-ray.”
“I let him see the reports which showed the other injuries and he did not report any of that. My baby is seeing a therapist. She’s scared and traumatized by this. It’s not just physical, but mental suffering as well,” Ms. Majors said.
Neither did KABC0-7 News report: (excerpt) The next day, Black residents awoke to flyers warning Blacks to stay out of the Antelope Valley. The flyers portrayed a black tree with a full moon in the background and two heads of Black men hanging from nooses. Under the two heads were the words, “NAPPY HEADED -PIMPS.” Below that read, “‘don’t come’ to Antelope Valley. KKK.”
I finally found the contact page for KABC-7 News at:
abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=stationinfo&id=1642694
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES!
Peace,
Sister Halimah Allah
Thank you for this info. I’ll look into these resources.