The case of Jacqueline Craig is much different than the previous two. It takes place in a neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas. The Craig kids were outside roaming the neighborhood when the two boys were playing around and one threw a package of lemon raisins towards the other, some raisins falling onto the sidewalk in the process. The owner of the area, Vardi wasn’t very pleased at the sight of raisins on his property. He demanded that the boy pick up his trash but Craig’s son just looked at him. That’s when Vardi used force to grab the boy’s neck and again order he retrieve the items. The boy’s sister saw the commotion and ran home to inform their mother about the current situation her brother was in. This is when Jacqueline and the police come into scene. She thought he would sort out the situation and penalize Vardi for his actions but things took a turn. As she was explaining the events to the cop and defending her son, the officer William Martin questions her with “Why don’t you teach your son not to litter?” As seen in the video, this is when things get out of hand. Jacqueline gets offensive and reiterates that Vardi had no right to put his hands on her son. Martin replies with “Why not?” The tone and questions of the officer have a heavy mocking attitude. He doesn’t seem invested in Jacqueline’s time or presence. Vardi was on the side, he could have easily questioned both parties to determine a solution. Instead, Martin kept antagonizing Jacqueline until things erupted.
According to Deanna Boyd who wrote an article on Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “Vardi said he regretted all that happened in the aftermath of his call to police and added, “I also didn’t want them to get arrested.”” After being confronted by city attorney Holly Dozier about his impulsive behavior, Vardi’s defense attorney replies with “Let’s find something to put on Mr. Vardi because we’ve got to please the public.” If Vardi was truly not guilty in his aggressive act toward Jacqueline’s son, the defense attorney would have comeback with attestation.
NCB 5 got to interview Craig personally and learn about her feelings after the whole ordeal. “Letting them know that it’s not every cop out there is bad,” she tells the interviewer in regards to her kids. She still keeps a positive, open mind and preaches about it to them. While her words are expressing pity and sympathy she also feels that actions should be met with their consequences. She believes faith and trust can be restored “by holding officers accountable.” In this interview, she communicates with many contradictory statements. She acknowledges the wrongdoings but is fairly accepting of the outcome. “She still wants Officer Martin fired and charged with assault, but she now sees an even greater goal down the road.” Craig may be passive in her words however she actively finds herself marching the streets in protest and supports those in similar cases to her own.
Craig’s arrest is an example of the lack of respect some people with authority have for minorities. I chose this case because despite it going viral and getting attention, the attitude towards Jacqueline Craig is something that caught my attention. The officer could have gave a short penalty to Vardi and that be the end of it, but he chose to provoke a mother who was simply defending her child whom was in potential danger.
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