Tasered mom Audra Harmon's revenge
The fallout after a sheriff's deputy used a stun gun on a mom in front of her kids
Audra Harmon deserves justice, said Hillary Fields in BeliefNet. The 38-year-old mother of three was yanked from her minivan by Onondaga County, N.Y., sheriff's deputy Sean Andrews during a January traffic stop, then shocked twice with a stun-gun in front of her crying children. "Suing's appropriate and all, but in this case, I say, a Tase for a Tase. Let this zapper-happy cop feel what it's like to get shocked on the side of the road—in front of his kids." (watch police-cruiser video of tasered mom Audra Harmon)
There are two sides to the story, said James Hart in the Kansas City Star. Yes, tasered mom Audra Harmon was allegedly only going 50 in a 45 mile-per-hour zone, and, yes, all charges against her have been dropped. She says she posed no threat, but "it sounds like she was being a pill, verging on jerkhood."
That's debatable, and completely beside the point, said the Syracuse, N.Y., Post-Standard in an editorial. "Clearly, Tasers are intended as a substitute for more lethal force. Equally clearly, it seems neither lethal force nor a Taser were called for in the case of Audra Harmon."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
Mall World: why are people dreaming about a shopping centre?Under The Radar Thousands of strangers are dreaming about the same thing and no one sure why
-
Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up