Blind man dragged off plane in Philadelphia, accused of faking
A blind man flying with his wife from Philadelphia to Belgium (where he works as a translator) was arrested and dragged off the plane when he stood up and demanded to know, after two hours, why they were sitting on the tarmac, with no drinks and no news. The arresting officers didn't let him grab his cane, but rather accused him of faking blindness, then characterized his problems leaving the plane as "resisting." He was imprisoned overnight without being told of his charges, read his rights, or given access to counsel -- and he injured himself while there because he didn't have his cane.
Cantisani said he spoke with the captain, who told him the plane was having mechanical problems. He then returned to his seat.Blind interpreter detained at Philly airport says he has nightmares from arrest (Thanks, James!)Shortly afterward, another passenger made a remark about the crew, prompting three Philadelphia Police officers to escort that man off the plane, Cantisani said.
Then, police tried to remove Cantisani as well, he said...
He said the officers yanked Cantisani from his seat and dragged him off the plane, injuring his hand, which was gripping his seat belt . Then they forced him into a wheelchair.
At one point, an officer held him "by the throat," he said..
During the struggle with police, Cantisani said, he lost his retractable walking cane, making him unable to navigate.
Officers told him they had done the "blind test" and didn't believe he was blind, he said.
Vanore said he knew of no "blind test" administered by police.
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This is not a wonderful thing. :-(
The police: serving...protecting...making shit up.
Even after all these years of hearing various TSA / DHS horror stories, I still can't get over how quickly the "get them off the plane, and arrest them" option is whipped out in America. It seems like the most trivial shit will get you "escorted" off your plane.. am I just hearing all the bad things, or is it really this flippant?
FWIW: I've never seen a person being taken off a plane, and I was a fairly frequent international flyer for years.
And -- not being blind is a crime in the US, right?
Or else, what was the point exactly?
these, 'police' officers have no right to hold this position. Sack them, then arrest them and try them. I getting sick and tired of hearing these sorts of stories.
As for U.S.Airways, they are doing us a service, not the other way around, I suggest they show more f***ing respect, it is paying passengers that pay their bills. They should remmember that.
Maybe everyone on the plane should have stood up and demanded to know why they were on the tarmac.
Yes, Philadelphia police have a bad reputation for this sort of thing.
Also, A. Charles Peruto Jr, the attorney whom Mr. Cantisani has engaged, has an interesting reputation within Philadelphia not the least for his habit of representing mass murderers, serial killers, graverobbers, and assorted mafiosi.
And no, I'm not joking.
This should be very interesting.
Just another example (like torture) of the Bush/Cheney police state ushered in during the panic after 9/11.
When will we come to our senses and regain our national moral compass?
I'm sorry, but.... If you are getting ready to be lifted in to the air by 100 tons of flimsy aluminum and the only thing keeping you alive is the plane engines I to would demand to know if there is a mechanical problem. It's your right to know if there is a serious problem with the aircraft. Obviously if its sitting on the tarmac there is some kind of a problem.
Philly airport sucks, as it is famous for these unexplained delays.
At what point is a person justified in "resisting" an unlawful arrest? It seems like in this day and age, the police can assault you for any reason they see fit, and if you stand up for yourself, even if you have a justifiable fear for your life, then you resisted and the fake charges suddenly become valid. If a thug on the street came up and did the same thing the police did you could resist, but if the police do it you have to stand there and take it.
I can't wait for the day when you are allowed to stand up for your rights regardless of who is trampling them.
Texas is jealous, this should have totally happened here!
For shame, Philadelphia!
The blind test! Everybody knows about that one. You quickly snap your fingers in front of their eyes, and if they fluinch, they're not really blind, just faking it.
The beauty of it is, it also works for detecting fake deaf people. Two tests for the price of one!
I'm tired of these motherf*$@&ing blind people on this motherf#%@^ing plane!
Completely unreported here in Belgium. I hope our embassy has at least responded, this is ridiculous.
I, for one, am glad that our diligent...
aw, hell, forget it - it's just not funny anymore.
I say good. Another overnight millionaire is good. I certainly hope he spends all his newfound riches on any airline but this crappy one. (As will I...oh oh, will that get me arrested???) Welcome to the U.S.S.R. of America!
Hmmmm Brotherly Love?
Justice is apparently blind as well.
Philadelphia, Get To Know Us!
And yes, our police utilize a blind test. If you fail, you can get a couple of years of jail time. A buddy of mine got two for flinching.
@Peter, #6
In that case, it would only be effective to test that someone is both blind AND deaf.
Like with that guy at the REI in Seattle posted yesterday. when the police ask you to go...You go if you refuse you are asking for trouble cause they have the power of arrest and guns.
That said there is a knee jerk reaction to any sort of passenger dissent on airplanes to go directly to the bad place.
The arbiters of this sort of reaction need to be held accountable for the false alarms and then perhaps we will see the true crazies escorted off the planes and those that mereley expect to be treated like human beings rather then cattle to be left alone.
So Flight attendants, call the cops have some one escorted off the plane and manhandled but if it turns out to be just petulant bullshit on your part you pay a big price for your asshattery
One Revolution to go, please, heavy on the guillotine.
Humans are not naturally inclined to be submissive- if we were, Americans would still be under the British jackboot.
Cops are merely citizens with badges and people are innocent until proven guilty in which case ALL citizens would do well to reciprocate respect- NOT just demand it because your job title gives you some authority over specific types of human behavior.
A security/law enforcement professional is no different than the common thug when he abuses his authority and imposes HIS personal will on other citizens.
Playing with power is not in your job description.
ERICT:
You made a mistake. Police DO NOT always have the power of arrest. You've heard of unlawful detainment right? Police can only arrest you IF they have the RIGHT to arrest you. But your right...they do have guns!
Not to mention the fact that he was the second person taken off the plane (from my reading of the article). Another passenger got up and was taken off before a blind man was...well...dragged off.
Here's an idea, handle situations like this the same way other situations are. Have the police ask a few questions ON THE PLANE, why he's acting that way. The flight attendants can do the same thing. "I've been sitting here for 2 hours, I'm thirsty and would like a drink of water" doesn't seem like a very large request. In fact...it's quite possibly the LEAST they could do.
Is there any way to regulate common courtesy, common sense and kindness?? Na...didn't think so.
There's a couple of videos attached to that story, taken by a fellow-passenger whose comments on the incident end up with: "The guy deserved everything he got. They were way too nice to him in my opinion."
The first is here, the second is here (both hosted at YouTube). The full comments can be found in the rubric to those videos.
It is just possible to hear some of what he is saying to the plane staff, and he does not sound nearly so reasonable as he is apparently making out. Having said that, it would seem that he had already been sitting there for some while and a certain amount of frustration can be forgiven.
His hysterical screaming in the second video does sound somewhat excessive (shades of "help, I'm being oppressed!"), and it's fairly obvious that his fellow passengers are not sympathetic to his plight. Either they're all complete b*st*rds or he's been making more of a nuisance of himself than can be seen on either video.
I'm not suggesting that the police are automatically cleared by this video, but it's obvious that the situation is not so cut-and-dried as it first appears.
Of course, these stores piss me off, along with the NO PHOTOGRAPHS stories. Now I want the payoff. Please post the follow up stories when these a-holes are canned!
The blind test involves throwing a baseball at a guy's nuts and seeing if he reacts before the impact. If the subject is a woman, you can do the same thing with a punch to her face. Duh. It's very similar to drowning suspected witches.
Man, you guys have got to stop crying "wolf" with this stuff. Did you watch the video??? The guy was a total dick. And if he physically resisted after annoying everyone on the plane with his obnoxious behavior, getting plopped in a jail cell over night seems fine by me. You people should try living in a country where the police don't enforce the law, see how much fun that is. Good riddance to this prick. Just because you're blind doesn't mean you can go around doing whatever you want. If the Captain orders you off the plane, you get off the plane. It's his plane. If you refuse and police officers come and ask you to get off the plane, and you don't get up and walk off the plane, you're resisting an officer of the law and trespassing, and THEN you'll get arrested and dropped in a jail cell. An airplane is private property, you don't have a RIGHT to be there.
One major thing in this story screams out to me:
"demanded to know, after two hours, why they were sitting on the tarmac, with no drinks and no news."
"accused him of faking blindness"
You don't need vision to know if the aircraft has taken off or not, the whole lack of acceleration/motion and engine noise is going to be amazingly obvious to anyone.
being dead or unconscious is the only possible way you'd not notice the plane taking off..
Unless i'm just getting the gist of this story wrong...
Blackbird:
You are right there is such a thing as false arrest or unlawful detainment but squawk all you want you will still wind up in a holding cell until you lawyer up and post bail.
My main point is exactly what you said. Ask a few questions. size up the situation rather then imediatly going to the bad place. Which is all very likely to have happened give the revelations of NotACat's post.
Though this really falls on the airlines treating the passengers as cattle. Sitting for 2 hours is unreasonable. If there is a mechanical problem get em off the plane and back on the terminal until the problem is fixed.
contempt of cop and contempt of flight crew are fast becoming one of the more popular crimes in the USA
I wish this individual well.
The videos provide little context for much of anything.
Let's throw all blind, old men on airplanes who are understandably frustrated into holding cells.
Perfect- ruthless cluster-fucks with badges and their nubile trolls cavorting their evil insensitivity online now rule the world.
Fact of the day: only about 10% of legally blind people are totally blind. I imagine most would have failed Officer Dumbass's little test.
So sick of these airline idiots abusing their pathetic power. Americans seem to be really crazy when it suits them. What is it that makes people overreact so badly. This nation ( yes I am a citizen myself) needs to stop being such sickos.
I'm not seeing any risk to the plane in either of the videos presented. Just an upset customer. In the second video it appeared to be the security people who had caused the escalation.
So, a question for all of you. Is taking a blind man off a plane by force without his cane the same as taking a seeing man off a plane with a hood over his head? Would you holler and make a scene with the hood?
What's needed is some kind of accountability for all of these "security" idiots that are now infesting our lives.
@Notocat
The reaction of the people around has nothing to do with whether or not he was legally detained. The reaction of the people does not prove whether or not the detainment was reasonable. It is a foundational sociological principle that nobody in a group will take action to stop a violent act when there are other people around, especially when the act is clothed in the authority of the police. I don't think anyone could reasonably say that using a taser on this guy would have been reasonable, but if the police had nobody would have stopped them. Remember "don't tase me, bro"? They could have violently assaulted him to the point of killing him, and I doubt anyone would intervene, just like in the Kitty Genovese case.
PJK:
So, if I buy a plane ticket, I do not have the right to be at that plane and demand what is going on? Then, if I fly, is because the captain and the company are kind to me, not because they are bound by a contract?
Wow.
Erict,
Possibly because this is an 'isolated' incident? By that I mean one (actually two...) guy complaining, rightly so I might add. However, if the ENTIRE plane starts to ask questions and for water (which is, based on my understanding) where all this started, there would have been a much different outcome. If ONE passenger had said...hey, just give him a glass of water, this may ALSO have been averted.
Since there are no real 'rights' on the plane (for food, water, use of facilities), it's high time that 'Bill of Rights for Airplanes' was written. If your plane isn't expected to take off for LONGER than it takes to load the plane, you should not have to sit on the plane, except at busy times and weather delays.
I'm also not explicitly saying the guy was right, it seems (after seeing the video) that this was handled poorly from all sides. Notice the cop in the middle in the second video pulling back on the guy, you can hear him screaming, and the cop seems to be putting most of his weight into it.
Maybe new training is in order. Does anyone know exactly (written rules) WHEN you can be asked to leave a plane...or WHY you can be asked to leave a plane. WHO has that authority, and HOW is the decision based? I know the answer is the Captain, but I mean a little deeper, does the Captain do anything other than agree? More importantly though, has one ever been over-ruled? Has a cop ever come on board and said there is NO NEED to remove this person?
Last year I was taking public transit and there was a guy drinking beer right behind the driver. Once the driver saw this, he stopped and asked the passenger to leave. The passenger said no, and so the driver had to call the transit police to have the guy removed, thus delaying our trip. By this point, there were 3 other streetcars lined up behind us, thus ALSO delaying them. A group of 3 passengers walked up to the guy with the beer, explained to him in plain english what was going on (and what would happen once the police got there) and that all he was doing was causing the rest of us problems. He mumbled an apology and left. The driver thanked us and we were on our way. The driver then called to tell the dispatcher that the guy left. Dispatch response was hilarious with a 'Really...wow."
Of course...if this was an airplane...we ALL could have been charged : )
Sure this kinda incident is stupid and sucks, but I would put up with a million stupid/sucky incidents like this for the rest of my life if it avoids another 9/11. I'd rather not be at the receiving end, of course, but I wouldn't throw a fit if I was pulled off a plane for something I wasn't guilty of. I would, however, insist on a first class ticket replacement once things got settled.
The latest style of 'security' seems to be passive-aggressive incitement... herd people through long security lines, treat them like cattle, under the constant threat of losing their paid flight if not jail time. Then pen them up for a couple of hours without being allowed to even leave their seats. Many ordinary people will be close to breaking by then and a few likely will. Isn't that the same tactic used against protestors in the UK? Herd them into surrounded blocks with no access to water or restrooms, forbid them to leave, and wait until they break?
Then everyone in the crowd who wasn't the first to break blames the person hauled off for being so weak as to make a scene. Half the people at home do the same. That's just using crowd dynamics to blame the victim of what are essentially stress techniques. Humans under stress tend to turn on each other, in prisons, warfare, crab boats, offices, whatever. So the 'security' practices are generating their own targets, as seems intended. We're living in the Stanford prison experiment writ large.
It's just another level of dehumanizing insult to tell a disabled person they're lying about their status, and added humiliation to use a grade-school joke to 'prove' it.
Or they were all scared that they'd be next...
Blackbird:
I agree completely. cooler heads must prevail in these situations
The problem is the security state. It needs to be eliminated.
The state, the military, and the police have gone too far. I don't know what they are fighting for because it has nothing to do with the protection of the American people.
Don't fly.
Hmmm, I finally see value in the eye for an eye proposition. I suggest this officer be blinded.
My brother was on that flight and he posted this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHHufRW67dY
#GUIDODAVID: Yep, that's right. Let's say you're vomiting all over the place. Let's say you're singing at the top of your lungs. Let's say you're doing anything that is bothering the other people who also paid for the same flight, things you probably agreed not to do when you entered into the contractual arrangement you mention. Let's say someone tells you nicely to cut it out, and you don't. Let's say they tell you nicely again, and you don't. Let's say they ask you to please leave the plane, and you won't. What's the next recourse? Drag you off? No, that would be assault, since the state has a monopoly on violence. So at this point, you're basically trespassing, which is a violation of law, and whatever complaints you have about the original reason for being asked to leave the plan have nothing to do with the fact that the airline has called the cops to deal with a trespasser, and it's at a whole new level. The cops are there because you're trespassing. If you have a problem with the plane sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours, fine... take it up with customer service later, or never fly that airline, or file a civil suit later, or whatever... but you simply don't have the right to throw a hissy-fit, curse everyone out, AND stay on the plane. Grow up.
"Since there are no real 'rights' on the plane (for food, water, use of facilities), it's high time that 'Bill of Rights for Airplanes' was written."
Access to food, water, and sanitary facilities are in fact basic human rights. Since when is setting foot on an airplane cause for suspension of human rights?
http://www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=145
And "trespassing"? A person pays for a space on a flight. He has the right to expect humane treatment and the airline has an obligation to treat him humanely no matter what he does, up to the point where he's an ACTUAL danger to the flight or to others. Private property does not give blanket justification to victimize customers. "Being an asshole" is not a crime, even in America.
Why do we now think customer service should include uniformed assault and incarceration?
"Unless i'm just getting the gist of this story wrong..."
Koichan @ 30
Did you read the sentences you quoted? Yes, you have the gist of it wrong.
He is a blind man. He asked how come they hadn't taken off yet, after waiting on the tarmac for an hour and a half. Eventually the cops come, and after some stuff one of them accuses him of faking his blindness.
Get it?
I'm constantly hearing cops talk about how they hate "sensitivity training" and how they long for the good ol' days. What horseshit.
I'm legally blind, which means zilch to cops. A group of friends and I were stopped a few weeks ago, and as I squinted at my wallet to find my ID, the cop asked, "What? Are you blind?" My friends chimed in, "Yes, he is," to which the cop responded, "Legally blind isn't the same as blind."
Needless to say, I didn't hold my tongue. I told him that I hoped he lost more than half his vision on the job, so that others like me wouldn't have to endure his attitude, at which point I was dragged from the car and searched. He made all sorts of comments about how my poor vision had obviously impaired my judgment, how I should never "talk back" to cops, etc., at which time I informed him that I'm a taxpayer and that a complaint would be filed with the code of conduct office.
After I continued to demand that he either arrest me, detain me, or let me go, he begrudgingly allowed me to get back in the car. I followed through with my threat, and now the S.O.B. is suspended until a hearing later in the month, which my friends and I have been invited to attend. My advice for any disabled person who is harassed by the police: stand your ground, get yourself arrested, and sue the city. Judges almost always side with the disabled, and a good percentage of them hate cops.
"Access to food, water, and sanitary facilities are in fact basic human rights. Since when is setting foot on an airplane cause for suspension of human rights?"
I re-wrote that sentence you quoted a few times.
What I meant was that there seems to be a lack of well...common courtesy that needs to be regulated. By having things clearly laid out ('bill of rights', operating manual, ... call it what you will), available to all passengers. Yes, they may be basic human rights, but there ARE times when they should be 'suspended'. Like during landing. Or takeoff. I guess it should come down to how long does it take between end of boarding and takeoff...if that time exceeds x, then you should be able to do y. What I mean is that if the normal time from end of boarding to take off is 15 minutes (pushback, taxi, line up, takeoff), then after 15 minutes (provided take-off will be delayed by a further 15 minutes) you should be able to take off your seat belt, move around...things like that. I made those numbers up...but I think you'll see the point.
Of course, there will always be exceptions to this, like as long as the plane is in motion on the ground, your seated.
I guess I took you too literally, Blackbird. We agree, but it's a shame that what used to be a standard of 'reasonableness' apparently has to be legislated somehow. Why was it so darn hard for someone to say "We're going to be delayed a couple of hours, go take these people back to the terminal." Find a gate, tell the repair crew to go there. Sheesh.
Of course, as soon as it's legislated, there'll be gaming of the rules that the two-hour courtesy clock didn't start until after some official cockpit announcement or some such.
>#11 posted by Anonymous, May 13, 2009 6:17 AM
>At what point is a person justified in >"resisting" an unlawful arrest?
In the eyes of the law? Never.
>It seems like in this day and age, the police >can assault you for any reason they see fit,
Correct.
>and if you stand up for yourself, even if you >have a justifiable fear for your life, then you >resisted and the fake charges suddenly become >valid.
Correct.
> a thug on the street came up and did the same >thing the police did you could resist, but if >the police do it you have to stand there and >take it.
Correct. There was a case recently of a British tourist in Florida(?) who stood up to (ignored basically) some odd tough guy who told him he was crossing the street wrong. Turned out the tough guy had a badge, Mr. Tourist went to jail, got charged.
>I can't wait for the day when you are allowed to >stand up for your rights regardless of who is >trampling them.
Sorry dude. Not here.
You're right, its a shame reasonableness needs to be legislated. But...what other choice is there. Let them be reasonable on their own? That hasn't worked so far! The ironic thing is this week Air Canada 'announced' that its going to be making so changes to try to lure passengers back. Their idea...act reasonable!
And you are absolutely correct on the last point! Which is why laws need to be written in plain language that actually dictates these things!
"Sure this kinda incident is stupid and sucks, but I would put up with a million stupid/sucky incidents like this for the rest of my life if it avoids another 9/11."
FORSAKENCHILD, are you implying that this blind man was planning to hijack the plane?
@55
No one should ever give up their freedom for more protection as this FORSAKENCHILD tool suggests.
@Forsakenchild
How, exactly, does calling a blind man a liar and dragging him off a plane prevent another 9/11?