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Dahlin’, your adjectives are just not Mobile enoughAshley:
I must start off with disbelief that you are an editor for Lagniappe. You must not be a Mobile native. A native Mobilan would never write such a vulgar story about their beloved city and its culture. I was so disheartened after reading your story (Hidden Agenda, 2/7/13).
It made me sad and sick to think that someone would make an historical tradition into something profane. It also upsets me that your were allowed to publish this story for young impressionable, or old and stately Mobilans to read. The story wasn’t even funny, if that’s what you were trying to accomplish. It was not well written and it was not of substance for this publication.
It is obvious that you are a transplant. Your language in use of adjectives is not used in Mobile tongue when it comes to writing about their city. How dare you and shame on you!
Ella Darnell
Mobile
Mardi Gras visit turns to nightmareTo the editor:
On Saturday, Feb. 9 my husband, two children aged 4 and 7, and myself went with two other couples and their 5-year-old twins to the Mardi Gras parade in Mobile. It was our very FIRST Mardi Gras parade. We traveled from Laurel, Miss., to meet friends who said that the parades were great. My children and I were very excited.
We stood at the Civic Center right where the parade began until the parade passed. We then crossed the street and stood at the corner area to await the parade as it came back around at the end. Basically we moved about 10 yards.
We spent over an hour beside a nice elderly couple and their young grandson who was about 1-year-old while we waited for the end of the parade. At one point, the police made a circle and everyone came out of the barricades to dance the "wobble” with the police officers. We did not at this time pass over the barricade. But, others did… did they break the law?
At one point in the parade, a float threw a sword over to our area and it fell to the ground in front of the elderly couple. Their young grandson was crying and throwing a fit to get the sword. I felt bad for them, so I picked up my 7-year-old daughter over the barricade to get it for them. She stayed on the curb… there was a lot of muddy grass still on the other side of barricade. She did not go into the street.
After, giving the child the sword and picking her back up onto the other side of the barricade, a female officer came over to me and said, "You need to come with me.” I thought she was joking. I asked "Really?” She said "Yes.” She said she had already warned me about crossing the barricade. I looked at her very quizzically because I had never seen her before, or had a conversation with her, because we had been sitting in the same spot for over an hour waiting on the parade to loop back to where it started.
I said to her "No, m’am’, you never gave me a warning, I’ve been sitting here the whole time.” She said well then, your child looks just like someone I just warned earlier. I said it wasn’t me. She told me I had to come with her anyways. (At the time, my husband had taken my 4-year-old to the porta-pot, so he was not with us) So, as they were coming back where we were standing, the police officers made me hand over my 7-year-old daughter and had me climb the fence to get into the squad car.
They didn’t give us any "heads up” on where we were going or what we were doing. My husband and 4-year-old had to see us driving off in the squad car with no communication on what was going on. As you can imagine, my youngest daughter was hysterical and my husband was about to freak out.
The squad car pulled down the street about 40 yards and parked to write us a ticket. Of course, I answered all questions. I didn’t have my driver’s license because we were at the parade. The officers at no time addressed my 7-year-old to say it was going to be OK or anything of that nature. She sat in the backseat shaking, scared to death, with no reassurances from the police officers.
She now has had dreams about riding in the police car and I feel she is traumatized from the incident. The officers could have explained to her and to me what was going on. We didn’t know how far we were going, if we were being arrested, or what was really happening.
After being given the ticket, the officers let us out of the car and we were then two barricades away from our friends and families with no way to contact them. They didn’t know if we were at the police station, etc. What a MESS! The other couple that was with us, a man, was also put into a squad car because he had also put his 5-year-old over the barricade at a different time (I think after me) to get something.
HE unfortunately, was frisked outside the squad car and then put in the car. His twin daughters were standing there screaming with no communication from the officers as to what was going on. His mother asked where they were taking him and an officer responded "to jail!” (real nasty) Obviously, that is not where they took him, but his two five year olds and wife and mother believed what they had said. They were very distraught. This was to be a "family” parade, but we were treated like we were criminals — drug dealers, drunks, etc. We had NO clue that we had done wrong, because it was our first Mardi Gras parade.
I believe a warning, a harsh reprimand, or something of the like would have been sufficient. But, to treat us like CRIMINALS when we were ignorant of the law, seemed extreme! If we had known or had been warned about the "breaking the law” PRIOR to our infraction, I would have NEVER put my daughter over the barricade.
I am a school teacher; I know how important it is to follow the rules. I drill that everyday to my students! I believe that my daughter and I didn’t deserve to be treated the way she was — it was definitely CRUEL and UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT for my 7-year-old and the 4-year-old that was left screaming because she didn’t know what was going on. I also believe we weren’t treated fairly or with respect to the situation. I had not been drinking, doing drugs or been rude and obnoxious.
We were at a family parade and I was treated like a "drug dealer.” Whether I still receive the ticket or not is irrelevant, I just don’t want someone else to be treated in the same matter that I was treated. It was uncalled for.
Melody S. Hicks
Laurel, Miss.
Who’s worse, BP or the city?To the editor:
There have been plenty of news clips lately that say BP was negligent and BP should pay dearly for their accidental oil spill, which affected area beaches. But BP stopped their pollution leak and BP employs many people to remove their pollution every day, keeping the beaches clean all year long. BP’s actions show a high degree of responsibility toward the environment.
If you want to talk negligent look no further than the city of Mobile. Mobile does not employ a single person to remove the pollution spawned from their storm water ditches that ends up polluting area beaches. Trashing your own waterways and ignoring the pollution is not only irresponsible and negligent — it is insane.
Rob Nykvist
Mobile
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