HUMBLE PIE: Taraji P. Henson apologizes for mistakenly accusing police of profiling her son
buzzz worthy. . .
By Mona Austin
The Slice previously reported actress Taraji P. Henson claimed police in Glendale, CA racially profiled her son, Marcell Johnson. It turns out she did not have all the facts and for that she says, she is sorry...
UPDATE: After Taraji P. Henson's allegation that her son was a target of racial profiling made made the news, Glendale, CA police released the dash cam recording of the incident in question to the Los Angeles Times, painting an entirely different picture of what happened.
Marcell Johnson, 20, was pulled over for driving through a lighted cross walk while a pedestrian was walking through it. The 40-minute long video revealed an officer found marijuana and Ritalin in Johnson's backpack during the October 2014 traffic stop. Possession of either drug without a permit is against the law in California. When asked if he had anything illegal in the Honda Civic, Johnson admitted to possessing marijuana before the bag was checked and told the officer he could not find his medical card to carry it.
“I appreciate you being honest with me about the weed,” the officer says. “I do appreciate that because I do smell weed, so thank you for being honest about that.”
The officer showed mercy to the young man, only citing him for possessing the drug without a permit. The officer did not harass, arrest or cite Johnson for the traffic violation, instead opting to release him with a warning.
The "Empire" actress apologized for over-reacting in an Instagram post.
She wrote, "A mother's job is not easy and neither is a police officer's. Sometimes as humans we overreact without gathering all the facts. As a mother in this case I overreacted and for that I apologize."
The apology concluded with a note of gratitude to the officer: "Thank you to that officer for being kind to my son."
Henson previously claimed a Glendale police officer profiled her son, searching his vehicle illegally and that he was also a target of racial profiling at USC in an interview with Uptown magazine. She told the magazine these clashes with the police were the reason she sent him to school at her alma mater, Howard University.
This incident was in stark contrast to videos in national news headlines of late that depict African Americans being brutalized or killed in arrest situations. It proves that the use police cams can work both ways --either to vindicate police or suspects. The recording also shows that not all police are hyper-aggressive in arrest situations involving African Americans.
But, despite Henson's apology, it begs the question: if the tape had not be released, how long would the untrue version of the story have lasted?
By Mona Austin
The Slice previously reported actress Taraji P. Henson claimed police in Glendale, CA racially profiled her son, Marcell Johnson. It turns out she did not have all the facts and for that she says, she is sorry...UPDATE: After Taraji P. Henson's allegation that her son was a target of racial profiling made made the news, Glendale, CA police released the dash cam recording of the incident in question to the Los Angeles Times, painting an entirely different picture of what happened.
Marcell Johnson, 20, was pulled over for driving through a lighted cross walk while a pedestrian was walking through it. The 40-minute long video revealed an officer found marijuana and Ritalin in Johnson's backpack during the October 2014 traffic stop. Possession of either drug without a permit is against the law in California. When asked if he had anything illegal in the Honda Civic, Johnson admitted to possessing marijuana before the bag was checked and told the officer he could not find his medical card to carry it.
“I appreciate you being honest with me about the weed,” the officer says. “I do appreciate that because I do smell weed, so thank you for being honest about that.”
The officer showed mercy to the young man, only citing him for possessing the drug without a permit. The officer did not harass, arrest or cite Johnson for the traffic violation, instead opting to release him with a warning.
The "Empire" actress apologized for over-reacting in an Instagram post.
She wrote, "A mother's job is not easy and neither is a police officer's. Sometimes as humans we overreact without gathering all the facts. As a mother in this case I overreacted and for that I apologize."
The apology concluded with a note of gratitude to the officer: "Thank you to that officer for being kind to my son."
Henson previously claimed a Glendale police officer profiled her son, searching his vehicle illegally and that he was also a target of racial profiling at USC in an interview with Uptown magazine. She told the magazine these clashes with the police were the reason she sent him to school at her alma mater, Howard University.This incident was in stark contrast to videos in national news headlines of late that depict African Americans being brutalized or killed in arrest situations. It proves that the use police cams can work both ways --either to vindicate police or suspects. The recording also shows that not all police are hyper-aggressive in arrest situations involving African Americans.
But, despite Henson's apology, it begs the question: if the tape had not be released, how long would the untrue version of the story have lasted?
