By now, most of you have heard the sad details surrounding the case of NFL player Ryan Moats.
While rushing to the hospital with his wife to say goodbye to his dying mother-in-law, he drove through a red light near the entrance of Baylor Regional Medical Center. Moats was quickly stopped in the parking lot by Dallas Police Officer Robert Powell, who drew his weapon, pointing it at Moats’ wife first and then at Moats. By his own account, Officer Powell realized that the situation did not call for the weapon, so he “did reholster” it. As Moats pleaded with Powell to allow him to go inside to see his mother-in-law, he refused. Even when a fellow officer and nurse came out of the hospital and communicated to Powell the dire situation inside, he refused. As Powell lectured Moats and wrote out this ticket in the parking lot of the hospital, Moats received word that his mother-in-law had died.
Some of you are thinking that Moats should not have run the red light. I agree, but who hasn’t done something irrational when faced with the loss of a loved one? People typically freak out when a loved one passes away. Moats’ mother-in-law had breast cancer. Anyone who has watched anyone die from breast cancer, or any form of cancer for that matter, understands the brutality of it and how death is often welcomed. Moats said that he made sure that the intersection was clear before going through the light, which was probably the most rational thing that he could do when dealing with the irrational loss of a mother-in-law, who was only 45 years old, to breast cancer.
What saddens me most about this situation is that Moats lost precious moments with his wife’s mother, whom he obviously cared a great deal about, and the ability to be there for his wife and family members as a husband. There is so much negative dialogue about men as husbands and sons in general, and black men specifically; here you have a young man trying to do the right thing by being a good husband and son, and he’s being stopped by a man who lacks compassion and common sense, who is also a husband, son and father of two small children.
Powell should have had the coolest head in the situation — he clearly didn’t have a dying relative in the hospital. Instead, he had committed to being a jerk and “controlling” this man, who seemed to be “out of control.” Once Powell determined that there was no threat, he should have diffused the situation, not escalated it. When a fellow police officer and nurse from the hospital come out and tell you what’s going on and ask you to please allow the man into the hospital, even if he didn’t trust Moats before that, he certainly should have believed him afterward.
This incident speaks to the lack of compassion that many people have in society. We’re so focused on being “right” that doing the “right” thing completely escapes us. We know that Powell was wrong because it was the Dallas Police Department that broke the story. They went to the press with the story and apologized for Officer Powell’s egregious behavior. He was put on paid leave.
In 2008, Maritza Thomas, wife of former Cowboys linebacker Zach Thomas, was handcuffed and spent approximately three hours in jail after Officer Robert Powell pulled her over for an illegal U-turn. Jail time for a U-turn? Powell is clearly overzealous in his pursuit of moving violations and does not seem to exercise good judgment or common sense when it comes to these matters.
Only after receiving death threats did Powell offer an apology to the Moats family. Why? Because he thinks that his badge gives him the right to harass and mistreat people, which it does not. He is supposed to serve and protect even those who break the law, petty or otherwise. This is why mass murderers have police escorts into courthouses — because it is the duty of police officers to protect EVERYONE.
Although many others believe that this was a racist incident, I don’t. I think that Powell has control issues and does not understand boundaries. Fortunately for us regular folks, he happened to mistreat two high-profile people, which brought his bad deeds to light. Although the Moats family was hurt and saddened by what transpired, they accepted Powell’s apology because they possess the empathy and compassion that this man lacks.
This piece is not about bashing the police; it is about calling attention to the lack of compassion that seems to be prevalent in our society. If the words “My mother-in-law is dying, man” do not cause you to pause and think about what you’re doing, then we’re in trouble as a society. If being a police officer is so stressful that it prevents you from making a sound decision in what turned out to be a complicated, yet simple situation, then maybe Officer Powell should pursue another career.
Do I think Powell should have been fired? No. Why? I have compassion, even for someone who behaves like Officer Powell, even though I must admit I am glad he ultimately resigned.
Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of communications and media studies at Goucher College and editorial director for RushmoreDrive.com.
This article appears in Apr 7-14, 2009.
