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.
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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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