Doing the Right Thing by Paris Turner

I have observed from all types of environments from the extremely impoverished to very wealthy. When as a child growing up with parents who do not possess the necessary social skills to survive in the community they live in, most turn to the only thing they can think of to make ends meet, "crime". There are good people at heart who commit crime for themselves or those they are entrusted to care for to eat stay warm and be sheltered. They realize what they are doing is wrong but see no other choice.

Why, because we have become a nation that turns their heads, and basically says out of sight out of mind. I was called to a shoplifting call at a local supermarket that caught a man shoplifting food items. When I arrived I noticed a woman and three small children in a car outside the store. The woman was noticeably upset. I approached the car before entering the store to see if she needed help and she stated “Sir my husband is in the store, and he has been caught for stealing, we only wanted to feed our children but no one would help us. I don't know what to do and we have no place to go, no gas to get where we were going, we are trapped here.Sir here are the wrappers of the food we have already eaten and I know that you must do your job but can you find away to help me that doesn't get my children taken away from us. I told her to wait in the car and I would deal with the store and her husband and I would return, I started to walk away and she said Sir, please he is a good man, would you not let the children see him bound in handcuffs. I told her not to worry, just let me see what I had. As I walked away my heart hurt so bad I couldn't hardly stand it.

When I walked into the store I was met by the manager who stated he had the man in his office with two other employees watching him. When I stepped in the man was bleeding from the mouth and nose where he had been subdued by one of the employee's. One employee was very hostile towards the man and said, "yah, I tackled his butt". I ask the employee if the man had tried to run, he said, NO! I didn't give him a chance to. I ask if anyone had approached him at all to ask him about the items he had taken. They all said, no. So I sent them all out except the store manager. He had confirmed that the man had asked for help earlier that day but they did not do that type of thing. I then pointed out to the manager on his registers were bags of food for sale to give to a local ministry organization who would in-fact be giving the food away for free. I further explained to him because the man offered no resistance and not only had been tackled but it was very obvious he had been struck by someone’s fist, and I had no problem charging the man with shoplifting but I was going to arrest the two employees for assault. The manager stated he knew that was a problem, and ask if I had another solution.

I told the man to sit still and not go anywhere and I would be right back. The manager and I got several grocery items together, enough in-fact to last a considerable amount of time. I paid for the items the family had already eaten. While waiting to pay for the items, a local sheriff's deputy walked in stated to the manager he was there to pickup the items they were donating to the sheriff's barbeque. If you could have seen the face of the manager when he realized what was taking place, tears filled his eyes and he said, “take it all”, NO CHARGE. I took the man and two buggies of food back to his family and told his wife that God was with them today, use it wisely. They followed me to a gas station were I new the owner and we got the car filled with gas. The store owner gave them a donation to get them to their family. The woman ask why was I so willing to help in such a way when others would not, I told her, I to as a child had been hungry and someone helped my mother the same way, and protect and serve didn't just mean catching bad guy's, it meant to help all those in need. The moral behind this is the system is not always black and white, and never be willing to judge anyone too quickly before you act. As I turned to leave one of the small children said, Mister did God send you to help mommy and daddy, and I said yes son he did, the child with a smile on his face said I knew he heard me. This was an example to give everyone the chance to really reflect on. Circumstances, environment, etc. it affects us all. But life and crime is about choices and what you do with them. So let me know how this affects you and about how it could help or not help in future choices you make, these people were guilty of adapting to their circumstances, how about you?