That ridiculous arrest that resulted in a 10-year-old Black child being placed behind bars for public urination in Mississippi shockingly ended with some accountability for the arresting officer. Business Insider reports that the department that employed the officer announced that he’s no longer employed with the department.
Ten year old Quantavious Eason was waiting in the car with his sister on August 10th in Senatobia, Mississippi; his mom was in an attorney’s office seeking legal advice. He needed to use the restroom, but with none available, he did what I’d assume most men have done: he got out of the car and went to pee behind the vehicle. As he was doing so, a Senatobia police officer happened to be passing.
The officer approached and according to Eason’s mother was just going to give him a warning until other officers arrived on the scene, including a lieutenant who said that the boy had to be taken to jail. Which is exactly what happened. The officer charged the boy, referred him to a youth court and then released him to his mother.
While the department issued an apology, apparently that wasn’t enough. Three days after the incident, Senatobia police chief Richard Chandler issued a statement saying the officer had been fired after an “internal investigation.” Insider says that Chandler initially agreed with officers decision.
Chandler initially stood by the officer’s decision to refer the boy to youth court because the officer saw him committing “acts that would be identical for an adult under identical circumstances” and deemed him “in need of services.”
Still, Chandler said it was an “error” for the officer to take Quantavious to jail because his mother was there as a “reasonable alternative” to transport him to the police station.
The statement also says that the other officers involved will receive extra training in how to handle juveniles. Meanwhile a Gofundme started by a group for Black Mississippian empowerment was started for Quantavious and his family and has raised nearly $10,000 after it was discovered the family was having food and housing issues.