A man who is a self-described “Texas Redneck” says that he has been harassed repeatedly by Texas police because his granddaughter is black. Scott Henson often volunteers to babysit his granddaughter and claims that he is the victim of “babysitting while white.” On his blog, “Grits for Breakfast,” Henson says that police have been racially-profiling he and his granddaughter for years, and getting very aggressive when they come after him.
This week, Henson was handcuffed and detained by police. His granddaughter was separated from him after someone called and said that they saw a black girl being kidnapped by a white man. Henson admits that when officers stop him, he is terse and impatient with them. He says that he is insulted that they are asking him questions just because his granddaughter is of a different race and that he has no obligation to stop.
Mr. Henson is a retired political consultant and journalist who runs a blog about the Texas criminal justice system.
He describes his last encounter with police and his granddaughter, whom he refers to as “Ty.”
Ty edged up the hill away from the officers, crying. One of them called out in a comforting tone that they weren’t there to hurt her, but another officer blew up any good will that might have garnered by brusquely snatching her up and scuttling her off to the back seat of one of the police cars,” he wrote.
Henson also says that officers refused to call his wife and other who can verify the relationship. He was eventually released with apologies, but there is no word if he is going to file any kind of legal action.
From the beautiful obsidian complexion of his young graddaughter, she is not a blood relative. I would rather think she was adopted by his son who is married to a black American. That he was stopped by authorities would be a good thing IF they had verified his story as he suggested. As the situation stands HARRASSMENT WAS THE ORDER OF THE DAY–RACIAL.
Once again “Sarah Palin” the Race Queen started all this mess.
THIS SO SAD SAD SAD
That police force should offer a official apology to him and his granddaughter. I couldn’t imagine how scared she must have been.
RIDICULOUS, 21ST CENTURY. MAYBE IT’S THE BLOG, AND THE THINGS HE IS SAYING ABOUT THE TEXAS CRIMINAL SYSTEM, THAT IS ENRAGING THEM ALSO. SOME SLAVES HAD WHITE GRANDPARENTS, THEY DID’T ACKNOWLEDGE IT.
This shows how you never so people don’t print the facts. 1. He was never arrested he was detained twice. First by a female deputy who let him go after the girl told her that was her grandfather. Just before he got home he stopped again and four cars pulled up with deputies brandishing tasers. He was cuffed and detained for about 20 minutes without them verifying the numbers he gave them. @ Renalda he raised the little girl’s mother after her father died. If you are going to post news, post all the facts not half this is how sh&t gets started.
I approve of them stopping to inquire, maybe not the way he states it was handle, but definitely that it was investigated. Too many missing and abused kids in the world!! What if she had been, he was caught years later and says he drove around the police and WAS NEVER! questioned? What will be said then? WE DID NOT KNOW!!! THEY DID THERE JOB. THERE WAS PROBABLE CAUSE> SHE IS DISTINCTLY OF A DIFFERENT RACE. WHAT IF IT WAS A BLACK MAN WITH WHITE CHILD? I DOUBT HE WOULD HAVE BEEN TREATED KINDLY AS HE WAS.
Facts or not it still doesn’t look good. We all were fearfullly and wonderfully made by God. He does not make mistakes. He has disobedient children with no love in their heart because of someone’s skin color.
some of these comments are CRAZY!! Do you know how many African American walk around with children of varying hues. In my own family we range from the very lite with hazel eyes to very dark. And we are never stopped because that might not be our child….this is HARASSMENT!!!
First off, It does not matter whether he was arrested or not! (The specifics of the story do not matter ONE BIT!)…What matters is this little YOUNG, BLACK girl who was probably terrified througout the whole ordeal! That DOES NOT change the fact that they are IGNORANT & RACIST!!!! THANK YOU!
I am replying to this part of you comment ”From the beautiful obsidian complexion of his young graddaughter, she is not a blood relative.” I don’t know what their family situation is, but mine is as follows: My father is her complexion, my mother is white. My husband is her complexion, my sister’s husband is white and my other sister’s husband is Puerto Rican. So, my father’s grandchildren range from blonde hair & blue eyes (who look completely white) to a medium brown complexion. You never know what’s in someone’s blood line. My dad has received many stares when he is with his children & grandchildren. She could very well be his blood relative.
I am replying to this part of you comment ”From the beautiful obsidian complexion of his young graddaughter, she is not a blood relative.” I don’t know what their family situation is, but mine is as follows: My father is her complexion, my mother is white. My husband is her complexion, my sister’s husband is white and my other sister’s husband is Puerto Rican. So, my father’s grandchildren range from blonde hair & blue eyes (who look completely white) to a medium brown complexion. You never know what’s in someone’s blood line. My dad has received many stares when he is with his children & grandchildren. She could very well be his blood relative.
I am replying to this part of you comment ”From the beautiful obsidian complexion of his young graddaughter, she is not a blood relative.” I don’t know what their family situation is, but mine is as follows: My father is her complexion, my mother is white. My husband is her complexion, my sister’s husband is white and my other sister’s husband is Puerto Rican. So, my father’s grandchildren range from blonde hair & blue eyes (who look completely white) to a medium brown complexion. You never know what’s in someone’s blood line. My dad has received many stares when he is with his children & grandchildren. She could very well be his blood relative.
Grammar alert: it should read, “…racially-profiling him (not “he”) and his granddaughter….”
Now when i read the title of this story,i had a whole different concept of what they meant..After reading the article,its not AS BAd.The police was actually looking out for the child..I have 3 grown mixed kids,and about blew my top,,TILL i read the article..The media,needs to stop sensationalizing head lines,to sell their articles…{just sayin..We have enough negativity between the races already..I definalty agree the Police should check out the info,before arresting someone.
First of all it’s 2012, not the 1960′s in the Jim Crow days. So what if he wasn’t “arrested” but “detained”, either way it was still WRONG. The fact that he was even “detained because he was walking with his black granddaugter is obsurd. This is an innocent child who was out spending time with her grandfather, where is the crime in that? But it is because of ignorance, and the lack of knowledge as to why things like this happen. And that is why the human race is perishing.So to BlkDragon69, if you were trying to make I point, I didn’t get it. It was pointless. Think before you speak.
He needs to sue there dumb asses… Racism isn’t right by anyone towards anyone…
Didn’t need the total story, as long as there wasn’t any lies in it. The shit got started when they stopped him, plain & simple.
His relationship was verified and confirmed on the first stop. This should have went across the police band radio and logged…everyone should have been on the same page…makes you want to say, ‘Hummm whats wrong with this picture?’…I’m just sayin
It is sad that there are so many children that need to be protected and do have people hurting them and nobody is doing anything about this. Then in this case we have a loving and responsible granddaddy caring for his granddaughter and because the color of their skin is not the same the little girl has to recover from a tramatic experience and the has people critizing him for not giving all the details correctly. Regardless of what the details and specific facts were it is true in all stories a man and a little girl were unfairly treated. I hope all that were involved will focus on the children that may have people the same race as them hurting them and not focus on people that are having a positive impact in their families lives.
Yeah but if you think of it, the call was because a WHITE man was thought to be KIDNAPPING a black girl. That would mean that someone was trying to PROTECT the black child… it sucks about what happened, and shouldn’t have. But when you are calling racist, I call bull… either you can feel happy that the BLACK childs needs were being cared about first, or not mad at all, except dang, thats screwed up.
So are you upset that the WHITE guy got violated, or only caring about the black child? Seriously… both were in an unfortunate situation. I am glad that the family is now back with each other, and glad that there are barriers to race that CAN and ARE being crossed. And a white guy caring enough to care for a black girl, and see past the race and stop thinking color at all and just think LOVE…