87-YEAR-OLD SYRIAN WOMAN’S IMPULSIVE REACTION TO COPS’ ACTION LEADS TO THE UNEXPECTED

Everybody knew that this one particular neighborhood has a good reputation around. There haven’t been any major incidents around the place and residents always felt safe there. But one day everything changed. The bubble of ‘peaceful neighborhood’ was shattered when a most unexpected event took place in the area. So, what happened that day? One Georgia woman was out in the area when her life was put in between life and death. There was a silence before something big was about to go down. What she portrayed to others, in reality, she was something else.

For 22 Years

Martha Al-Bishara has lived in Chatsworth, Georgia for over 22 years. She came to Georgia with her husband from Syria and after that, she hasn’t looked back in her past life. She has seen things which are better to leave in the past. Martha and her husband have been living a peaceful life in the state that has given them everything. But then that one day changed their lives forever. They didn’t ask for it but somehow they were met with the most unfortunate event of their lives.

From Syria

Martha and her husband migrated from Syria to Georgia in search of a better life. Georgia has given the couple everything. Martha, the 87-year-old still follows many of the daily practices that she has learned in Syria while growing up in her home country where she was born. These were the practices that changed everything for her.

Like Mother Like Daughter

Martha who has always been closer to her mother saw her doing things when she was a child. Her mother used to forage for vegetables to prepare food for the family. Sometimes Martha used to accompany her. Martha’s mother used to tell her all about the vegetables. Their name, quality, and everything she knew. And these things stayed with her all her life.

The Habit

Just like her mother, Martha and her husband go for a walk in the evening to collect greens and vegetables to prepare meals for the family. In their neighborhood, there are several spots of lush patches of forest where Martha and her husband go to collect the vegetables. It has become a habit that they enjoy together. But that one day, things took a sharp turn that led them into the midst of something catastrophic.

All Alone

Martha was alone on a walk that day. Her husband wasn’t feeling well so he stayed in the house. Though Martha didn’t want to leave her husband, she thought that she would return as early as possible and won’t stay for long as usual. Little did she know that it was the worst decision she has taken in these past years of her life. She went out with just one idea on her mind. To pick up some dandelions from the nearby land in her neighborhood. But then, something was wrong. 

Will Be Back

Martha left the house. She didn’t take the regular route she used to when she walked with her husband. She didn’t want to stay out for a long time as her husband was sick. So, she was thinking of finishing the job as early as possible. Being a resident of Chatsworth for 22 years she knew about the area by heart. She went to the nearest area where she could pick some dandelions and be back in the house in no time.

The Spot

Unlike the other public green parks, however, this particular land belonged to the Boys and Girls Club, a national nonprofit organization. This organization funds after-school programs that are majorly conducted for young people to improve their skills. Martha knew the place. This wasn’t the first time she has come to this place, but this time, it was different. Something was bothering her. She thought she might be feeling this may be because she was alone. Her gut feeling was telling her to not go to in there. Shrugging off the feeling she moved in.

Inside The Property

It seemed like there was no one there in the property. Usually, you could spot kids there, but that day the whole place was in a completely silent zone. She was wrong! As she moved further, she saw someone inside the building. She didn’t pay much attention to it as she was in a hurry to go back to the house and prepare dinner for her family. According to her grandson, she used to make a salad consisting of dandelions mixed with garlic and lemon that was common in her ancestral homeland. She wasn’t prepared for this though.

A Shadow

With a kitchen knife in her hand, she was picking up dandelions. She could tell that there was someone inside the building, even though, it seemed like the building was empty. Again, she didn’t think much of it. Maybe, it was the security guard, she thought. She kept herself busy with the work she came for in the first place. She should have paid attention to her surroundings because what happened next was something unexpected for an 87-year-old woman.

Unknown Noise

Being an 87-year-old is a difficult age. Along with age, several problems also tag along. One might experience loss of eyesight or hearing or weakness and several other problems like these that come with the old age. Martha had a problem with her hearing. The same problem led her midst of a crisis. She wasn’t expecting to see herself in the situation she was in. 

The Silence Of The Property

As we have already told you the building in which Martha was picking up the dandelions belonged to Boys and Girls Club. Martha was sure that she saw a shadow, but whose shadow was it? She had no clue. She didn’t even care because she has been here before. When you have visited a place for several times you get aware of the surroundings and people, right? But, then who’s shadow did Martha see?

Should I Investigate?

Martha thought that she should just go inside the building and see herself who the person was. But then she was already getting late and there was so much for her to do back at the house. She had to prepare dinner for the family. She thought that it would hardly take a minute or so to see who the person was and then she would just be back to her business. She shouldn’t have done that.

In Search For Something

When she reached near the building she didn’t see anybody. She tried looking inside the building through windows, as expected there was none to be seen. She was getting late. She stopped her little investigation in between and was heading back to her house. While she was moving back, somehow she was feeling a little uneasy in her knees. She was holding a knife which she grabbed tightly in her fist. Though she was trying her hard to walk as fast as possible that seemed like an impossible task for her. Still, she managed to reach the exit of the building. A sigh of relief went through her every vein of the body.

Something She Left Behind

When Martha reached the exit of the ground she realized that she forgot the basket in which she was collecting the dandelions. She saw the basket which was idly sitting in between of the field, she wanted to leave it there, but then what was the whole point of coming all the way and then leaving the same thing for which she came for in the first place. A tough decision to make. You might think what’s the big deal in picking up the basket, but you’ll soon see that she should have left it all alone.

Somebody Called The Police

An employee named Tanner worked in the Boys and Girls Club. He was watching Martha from distance. It was his shadow Martha saw a while ago. What was he doing in the building? And why didn’t he introduce himself to Martha? It was because when he saw Martha entering the private property with a knife in her hand he got a little suspicious of her. He tried to keep the distance. When she was picking up dandelions, meanwhile, Tanner was calling up the police.

911! What’s Your Emergency?

Tanner called up the police department number. He was in his office when he made the call. He was standing behind the curtain, watching Martha entering the building and what’s that? A knife? His first thought was why this woman was entering the private property and that too, with a knife in her hand. What’s her plan? Just because she is old you can’t ignore the threat.

Need To Report

Tanner told the police operator about a lady entering the property belonging to the Boys and Girls Club and about himself. He told the operator that he was an employee there and he was afraid because the old lady had a knife in her hand. The operator took note of the knife and told Tanner that the police would arrive really soon and he should stay inside the building. Then he waited…

Behind The Curtain

Tanner who was hiding behind the curtain was watching Martha. He could see that the lady was entering the property with a knife and a basket in her hand. For one moment, he even thought of blowing the situation out of proportion but then, you just can’t be more aware of the situation. In today’s time, anything was possible. There have been several cases in the past that have made the general public more aware and vigilant about their surroundings and people. 

A Call Back

Tanner who was still in the building, hidden behind the curtain was stunned to hear the phone ring. He picked up the phone and this time it was a different operator. He asked about the situation. “This lady is walking on the bike trail, she has a knife and she won’t leave,” Tanner told the operator in a call placed at around 4:30 PM. “She told me she doesn’t speak English and keeps walking up the trail with a knife.”

What’s The Status?

The operator asked about the old lady. “She’s old, so she can’t get around too well, but, looks like she’s walking around looking for something, like, vegetation to cut down or something,” Tanner told the operator. The problem was that the operator saw no threat of such. All Martha was doing was picking up some dandelions. But then if someone reports a situation it’s the duty of the police to look into it. 

What Else Can You Tell?

When asked if Martha has tried to attack or harm him anyway, Tanner said, “No, she just brought the knife onto the property in her hand. She didn’t try to attack anybody or anything.” The operator then contacted the nearest patrol officers to look into the situation.

Do You Copy?

The police operator contacted the chief of the Chatsworth Police Department who then forwarded the complaint to two nearest officers from the scene. They were told about the situation where an old lady was involved and who was carrying a knife. It was the knife that gave everybody chills. They kept thinking if Martha was just there to pick up the greens or something else was in her mind. Soon, kids would be coming and the police wanted to solve the situation before any commotion started.

Kids Were On The Way

When Martha entered the property there was no one around except Tanner. Kids would soon be coming to take their classes and the police didn’t want any major episode if there was any. Tanner told them few kids would be attending their classes in some time and he didn’t want kids to get involved in any of this. His concern was genuine. But the main concern was of Martha. Was it even a concern? Or was he just overreacting? Martha wasn’t prepared for what happened next to her.

The Last Location

Two officers along with the chief of the Chatsworth Police Department arrived at the Boys and Girls Club. They met Tanner who reported the incident and asked him about the last location where he saw Martha. He pointed towards the ground where she was picking up some dandelions.

Busy Martha

Martha who was now aware that the shadow she saw was of the employee of the Boys and Girls Club, Tanner. She was relieved as she thought there was nothing to worry. Indeed there wasn’t but then Tanner took the situation to another level entirely. She was still picking up the dandelions. She wasn’t even aware that there were two police officers along with the chief of Chatsworth Police Department. Things were about to take a bad turn now.

On The Scene

Spotting the 87-year-old wasn’t a big task to do. She seemed calm and was busy collecting dandelions. Honestly, the police saw nothing bad in the situation. The police officers have an eye to see the bad situation from distance, this wasn’t one of them. But then orders are orders. They did what they felt right when they saw the knife in her hand.

Verbal Warning

The two officers had no intentions of hurting Martha in any way. They had no guns pointed towards her as they were just looking for a verbal warning. Remember, she had a problem with hearing. When police officers issued the verbal warning Martha didn’t seem to understand what they were trying to say. So, she just kept cutting.

One More Time

Martha didn’t get what the officers were trying to say to her. She didn’t pay much attention. She was busy cutting the dandelions. The officers didn’t know that she wasn’t able to hear them. They thought she was ignoring the police warning which was more than enough to raise the suspicion. They again shouted the verbal warning and again there was the same response. 

Mimic The Situation

The officers then tossed their own pocket knife on the ground. They did the same again, but Martha wasn’t getting anything.  It seemed like a game of dumb charades that was literally going very bad at that moment. Martha couldn’t understand anything. For a moment, she stared at the police officers to see what was going on with them, but then for her, there was nothing to understand. They were trying to tell her that she should drop the knife which was in her hand. But then, they pulled out their stun guns.

From The Police

“We kept telling her to drop the knife. The female would look at us. Her demeanor was calm even seeing us with our [stun] guns out,” one of the police officers recalled the incident. What would you do if a police officer points a gun even if it’s a stun gun? Obviously, you might get scared about it, right? But Martha was calm. In her mind, she had done nothing wrong. Indeed she didn’t. What happened next with her was a simple case of misunderstandings that could happen with anybody.

Martha Took Action

Even though she was not able to understand what was going on with the police officers who were standing with stun guns pointed towards her. She could still sense the uneasiness. She then did something which she felt was right. What do you do when you aren’t able to hear what the other person is trying to say? You move closer to them, right? She did the same with no hidden intention. She shouldn’t have.

Moved Closer

Martha started moving towards the police officers, and the knife was still in her hand. The knife raised the eyebrows. On one hand, it was Martha who just wanted to know what was going on with the officers, and the other hand, there were two police officers who just saw an old lady walking towards them with a knife in her hand. It was more than enough for the police to take action. So they did this!

Actions Of The Police

The police officers saw Martha as a threat because she was walking towards them with a knife in her hand. The knife was clutched in her hands tightly that could easily make anybody uncomfortable. One of the police officers fired his taser and the very next moment the 87-year-old Martha was on the ground where her whole body was immobilized due to the current.

You Are Under Arrest

The police then handcuffed Martha, who was literally shaking from the event. She had no idea what just has just happened with her. She was both terrified and confused. It was just a simple misunderstanding. The police officers could have just went closer to her to inquire about their doubts. There was no need for tasering her.

Handcuffed Martha

Martha who was struggling to stay straight on her feet saw her hands being cuffed by one of the police officers of the Chatsworth Police Department. She was moved to the Chatsworth police station for further inquiries. The 87-year-old was charged with obstructing an officer during police work and criminal trespassing.

The Clarification

When the local news channel asked Chatsworth Police Chief Josh Etheridge to comment about the incident he said, “In my opinion, it was the lowest use of force we could have used to simply stop that threat at the time,” to the Daily Citizen-News.

The General Public

The whole neighborhood knew something has happened in their area. They got to know that an 87-year-old woman has been arrested. But why did the police arrest her? And who was the woman? Somebody told them it was Martha. And the reason for her arrest was something nobody believed in. Somehow she was behind bars waiting for her trial.

Chief Of The Police Again

“And I know everyone is going to say, ‘An 87-year-old woman? How big a threat can she be?’ She still had a knife. An 87-year-old woman with a knife still has the ability to hurt an officer,” Etheridge continued.

Martha’s Family

Obviously, Martha’s family wasn’t happy about the incident. They way police handled the situation was very wrong from their point of view. She was 87 years old. And the taser sends a current of about 50,000 volts and a few milliamps in the person’s body which could be a hell for old people. And Martha actually got tased.

Family Responded

After the incident, Martha’s family couldn’t believe the word police told them. They were told that she had a knife in her hand and she was moving towards the police with a knife in her hand. Even so, there was no need for tasering an old lady. She meant no harm. If the police would have shown a little patience the situation wouldn’t have escalated to this extent.

The Attorney’s Statement

The attorney who was assigned to present Martha’s side and who was trying to get her charges to drop said, “[They] clearly stated she was not a threat to anybody and told them she was gathering vegetation. Clearly, there was no threat,” said Jeff Dean.

Back To Normal?

Though she recovered from the incident, the episode never really left her alone. The incident left a mark in her life that was really hard to wipe off even if the person tries it really hard. The family supported her in any way they could. They stayed with her 24/7. Though most of the time Martha spent her time sleeping, whenever she opened her eyes there was someone from the family to hold her. 

Unbelievable Situation

Martha just couldn’t believe her luck. For 22 good years, she never bothered anybody. And one day, everything changed for her. All she did was to pick up some flowers and vegetables to prepare the dinner for her family. She couldn’t forget the episode even when she tried to.

The Granddaughter

Martha Douhne, who is the granddaughter of Martha loved her grandmother deeply. She was in tears when she heard about the incident. Though she wasn’t there with her grandmother when the episode took place about which she still regrets every single day, she was there with her holding her grandmother’s hand when she was resting. She could see the mark on her chest from the taser gun.

Granddaughter Speaks

“She is still repeating the incident over in her mind and telling us she didn’t mean for this to happen and apologizing that she didn’t want to bring this on us. She is having trouble sleeping and is stressed,” Martha Douhne told the Daily Citizen-News. 

After The Incident

The incident of an 87-year-old was on every news channel. There was a pressure on the Chatsworth Police Department to do something about it so that the same incident doesn’t happen again. The department was quick enough to react on it and it became their first priority. Even the Chatsworth Police Department knew that what they did was wrong.

Internal Investigation

The Chatsworth Police Department launched an internal investigation to look into the matter with all the proofs in sight. But as of now, nothing concrete has been established. The investigation hasn’t found any criminal wrongdoing in the event.

The Case

The case between the Al-Bishara family and the CPS was to be taken to the court because of all the external pressure on the justice system. They wanted justice for Martha. People wanted Martha to be given a clean chit on the incident. Everybody who heard about the incident knew that Martha did nothing wrong. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Escalated Further

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was asked to intervene in the case. Believe it or not, Martha’s case wasn’t the first. There have been other cases too like hers. Unfortunately, they never became a piece of major news and nobody would ever hear about them.

Brave Old Lady

Martha was strong. Being an 87-year-old didn’t stop her from fighting for justice. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s all. She has never hurt anybody before but the police saw her as a threat because she couldn’t understand what they were trying to say. She just wanted to know what was going on. But if the police would have been a little cooperative she wouldn’t have left hanging between life and death.