Great-Granny was strip-searched ....
By ladyluna
@ladyluna (7004)
United States
November 13, 2007 11:14am CST
Good Morning All,
Great Grandma, Myrna Jones (age 65) was erroneously and unconstitutionally strip searched at a New York Casino. I cannot imagine what my reaction would be, were I in Myrna's shoes. What about you?
Here's the link to the story. And, it's a doozy of a tale, so enjoy!
http://wcbstv.com/local/yonkers.raceway.strip.2.565987.html
What would you have done if you were in Myrna's shoes?
Would you also sue the casino?
How would you react if Myrna was your Grandmother, or Great-Grandmother?
4 people like this
14 responses
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
13 Nov 07
What is the saying? Lie down with dogs and you wake up with fleas! I'm sorry, but just as the captain of a ship can apparently take the law into his own hands when the boat is out to sea, casino managers, I think, do pretty much what they want to do. But wait...it wasn't the casino manager. It was the New York State Police who interrogated this woman! Apparently our "victim" thought the casino would be more likely to settle out of court for a high figure than the police.
Whatever happened to common sense? Hasn't everyone see those banks of video cameras they have up in the security suites in casinos? They show them on TV all the time. You'd think that people unduly concerned about privacy should just stay out of those places. Furthermore, I live in a resort town and have seen how some of these "ladies" act with a few drinks in them, so I will reserve judgment until I know the full circumstances...maybe until they release the surveillance tapes of the precipitating incident.
This couldn't have happened to any of my female ancestors because none of them would have put themselves in this kind of position in the first place, but I'll tell you exactly what my own granny would have said if she heard such a story: "SNORT! The kind of woman who would reach into her bra to get gambling money out in public is not the kind of woman who would feel humiliated by being searched by a female officer in a private room." That is what my granny would have said. Of course, my granny was such a prude she used to bathe in her nightgown. The times they are a-changing...
1 person likes this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
14 Nov 07
Hello Drannhh,
Granny really bathed in her sheathe? Wow, that is a big difference from today's society. I do wonder though, where was she bathing? If she didn't have indoor plumbing, and was bathing outdoors, or in an uninsulated home, then I don't blame her for wearing her sheathe. Burrrrrr!
As for the rest of your comment, though I understand where you are coming from, I'm reminded of my great-aunt who always kept her cash in her bra strap, when walking about her NYC neighborhood. Since it's reasonable that Myrna is from the greater NYC area, I wonder if that practice wasn't a common theft deterrence act. Little old ladies are a pretty easy target for pick pockets & purse snatchers.
I very much respect that you elect to reserve judgement until all the facts are in. I suspect though, that Myrna's statement that the ticket was found inside the machine is quite damning. And, I doubt that her attorney would have allowed such a statement were it not factual, as it would hurt her case.
Whether it was an off-duty NYS trooper, or another employee of the casino who demanded the strip search before a thorough examination of the slot machine, the fact of the matter is that the illegal search was demanded before the casino performed its due diligence. I see this as the casino clearly overstepping its authority.
I'm not a fan of casinos, because I'm not a fan of gambling one's income in an institution that so grossly stacks the odds in their own favor. I do, however, believe it's reasonable for their patrons to expect at least a modicum of respect from their host.
Thanks for sharing a glimpse of your own granny, and how she might perceive Myrna's real or construed outrage.
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
14 Nov 07
Good morning Drannhh,
Yup, you're correct in that the devil's in the details. Was the trooper moonlighting at the casino, in an unofficial capacity, or was he part of an official NYS detail? Hmmm, if the latter is the case, then this story opens up a whole other can of worms. Like, why are state P.D. pulling casino duty, instead of being out there 'to protect & serve'? Casinos hire private security. So, if this casino is using tax-payer paid P.D., then I have even more of an issue with Myrna's incident. Now my curiosity is peaked. I'll have to investigate this further.
Thanks for the follow up on your own granny's possible reasoning. Yes, I guess it's fair to think of today's casino as yesteryear's saloon, when thinking as if you & I were our granny's or great-aunt. Definitely considered inappropriate for a lady, as both could be considered houses of debauchery.
No, my auntie didn't step into the ladies room to withdraw her stash. She would carefully turn her body away from any probing eyes, then quickly reach under the strap over her collar bone, pull out the stash, separate the necessary denomination of cash, the quickly return the rest to its hiding place. This was all done with stealth, speed, and discretion. The goal was for no one to know where her hiding place was. 'Course, I imagine hers was a pretty common hiding place. I, myself would never do this because of how many different hands handle cash. Yuck! In that regard, I definitely agree that credit cards are a vast improvement. Especially now that most swipe machines no longer require the cashier to swipe the card.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
14 Nov 07
If the interrogating officer had in fact been off-duty, then it might be appropriate for the woman to have filed a complaint against the casino, however the news story I read stated the officer was working undercover at the casino at the time of the detainment, not for the casino. So I'm not sure yet whether it was an illegal search or not. The male police officer interrogated her, but in the following video, we hear Ms. Jones explain that the woman who performed the search was a casino employee.
http://sexoffenderissues.blogspot.com/2007/11/ot-ny-great-grandmother-strip-searched.html
Undoubtedly, mistakes were made all around.
I'd often heard of women of the last century stashing money in their upper undergarments, but I'm curious. Didn't your great aunt step into a ladies room before reaching in to pull the cash out from it's NYC hiding place? Credit cards do make life a lot easier, don't they?
Although her farmhouse was chilly in the winter, my prudish grandma bathed in her nightie strictly out of modesty. Being straight-laced in the extreme, she didn't approve of ladies going into casinos, either, but that was pretty standard thinking for people of her generation. This was quite a few years ago, and casinos were a bit different back then, too.
1 person likes this
@healer (1779)
• India
14 Nov 07
If i were that granny i should have gone mad and should not have let that happen and even if it happens also i should have sued that casino. Its really not fair on their part to do such things to oldies. Some people are too crazy to understand what is right and what is wrong and they make the lives of other people a living hell.
Ladyluna you have a great day.
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
14 Nov 07
Hello Healer,
I suspect that I would have refused to step away from the machine until a thorough examination of it had been performed. As you suggest, I would have been outraged that accusations would fly before checking the machine for the missing ticket.
@Marie2473 (8512)
• Sweden
14 Nov 07
This is something that really amazes me with the states. You can practically sue for anything. I do not mean this partically story, though she was mistreated it would not qualifie for a law suit over here. I think that many people sue just for money over there.
I think that she was mistreated - they should have belived in her - at the same time - how many do you think try to scam them every day... 21 or 85 years old.. I bet there is alot!
1 person likes this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
14 Nov 07
Hello Marie,
Yes, you're right. Ours is an overly litigious society. Should we ever stop electing lawyers to postitions is the Senate and Legislature, we might see the USA adopt a 'loser pays all' system.
Speculation should never have been allowed to become an issue. If they had searched the machine before accusing Myrna, then this mess would have been avoided.
It's always nice to hear an outside perspective of some of our nonsense. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
14 Nov 07
Sue the casino and bring the cops involved up on charges. You are right, it was a blatant violation of her Constituitonal rights.
1 person likes this
@grasshopping (62)
•
14 Nov 07
yes, i think i would demand apology from the top officials of that casino and i will sute them if i feel that they are not really sorry for what they did. if they will not fire the person who hulimiated my grandmother i will sute. i will want to see the person who have done such an unthinkable things to be out of job if not behind bars. i would feel sorry for my grandmother and i will be very sad and angry about the incident. i believe that people whethere are just doing their job should not be just abusing their authorities and just do what they think they should. they should be sure that they are doing the right thing. i heard to many news now about some police men tasing people. though that's a very different thing, i just can't help but remember the abuse or misuse of power of some people in power. i hope that they will stop this. in my country there are lots of abuses too commited by people in authorities so a person is really helpless against them and we can't do anything about them if we are the victim but just to forget about them.
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
14 Nov 07
Hello Grasshopping,
You raise a very interesting question: Did the casino offer a heartfelt, sincere apology to Myrna? And if so, did the casion amend its policies & practices to make certain that this kind of thing does not happen again?
If so, should that suffice? Is Myrna just in filing suit if the casino was penitent, and made a sincere offer of amends?
Very interesting questions!
I'm sorry that these types of mis-use of authority abuses happen anywhere. Unless a person in a position of authority has reason to immediately fear loss of life, I do believe that offering a bit of respect in any early inquiry, goes a long way!
Thanks for sharing your perspective, and Welcome to MyLot!
@mwala1287 (284)
• Canada
15 Nov 07
I think I would be totally shocked in her shoes! and I would sue the casino how could they have done such a thing . . .
1 person likes this
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
13 Nov 07
this is really outrageous... they should have checked the machine more carefully before accusing this poor old lady for trying to scam them... i will definitely file a charge against the casino as well if she is my grandmother... i hope she gets the compensation that she deserves and the casino learns a lesson not to treat the customer in this way...
1 person likes this
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
14 Nov 07
I'm really surprised the casino did not bend over backwards to apologize and make it up to her. Most casinos are really customer relations sensitive and will within reason try to make the customers happy.
I'd have given her a double pay out to make up for the hassle she received. Imagine if the manager had told the woman, "We are very sorry we accused you falsely of trying to scam a second winning ticket from us. To make up for our mistake, we are just going to give you a second winning ticket!". Think about it. In the long run this would have cost the casino nothing. The woman would undoubtedly just lost the money back to the casino. Now, who knows how much they might lose in a law suit?
1 person likes this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
14 Nov 07
Hello Red,
Although I'm not a fan of casinos, I know others who are. And, from what I know you're absolutely right. The mgmt & staff are usually very customer service oriented.
I also suspect that your remedy would have been much wiser for the casino mgmt. to have offered. As you say, now they stand to possibly lose much more in damages, PLUS the very high cost of negative publicity. If my perception is accurate, a great many senior citizens frequent casinos. This news article will be something for seniors to consider before they enter that, or any casino henceforth. I sure wouldn't go where I might be so disrespected.
@citygirl (1080)
• Canada
14 Nov 07
You can bet I would Sue the but off them. They could have at least treated her with decency while they checked the machine and camera's. Tell her to get a good lawyer and go for it, they had no right to do what they did. That would be my advise, and also what I would do in that situation
1 person likes this
@davido (1623)
• Canada
14 Nov 07
Hey whats granny doing i a casino and at what time? Well my mom a grand ma knows her limit she cant go to such places, to do what? wel its a diffrent world when some are triyng hard to break such attitde from thee life of their ward one is still going at an old age, maybe to make xtra coins and she can actually do now! she can get them sued and if she won she can start her own casino! maybe.
Reading the story i think the plain clothes simply wants to see how a great grand ma will look like with bras off. cause the camera showed she took money out and not put anything in.
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
14 Nov 07
It would seem that they should have examined that slot machine a little closer in the first place.
I think she is right to sue that place as there was no reson for that to have happened, whether they found the slip or not.
I am curious as to whether or not strip searches of patrons is a routine thing, and if so, are there any warning signs displayed?
I am also wondering what authority or law they claim allows them to perform strip searches.
1 person likes this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
14 Nov 07
Hello Destiny,
You raise some very interesting questions here:
"... whether or not strip searches of patrons is a routine thing,
... and if so, are there any warning signs displayed?
... what authority or law they claim allows them to perform strip searches."
Hmmm, many unanswered questions. It would seem that a bit of investigative digging is called for. I know that my curiosity is peaked for sure.
Thanks for sharing Destiny!
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
14 Nov 07
Did you see that too? I coudln't sto laughing! How stupid of that casino and so rude to have put her through that. I don't know if I would sue them but they would know I was pissed that's for sure!
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
14 Nov 07
Hello Ctrymuziklvr,
Yup, this one's a doozy! At this point, I have to suspect that there's more to this story, since it's been over a year since the incident took place.
Like you, I would certainly be angry if this happened to me, or my granny.
Thanks for sharing your perspective!
@BayleighGray (4334)
• United States
13 Nov 07
Hi Ladyluna,
I think she is right in filing a law suit. I mean maybe they should have looked a little harder in the machine. Not just assume that she took it and was trying to scam them.
How humiliating to have to expose yourself in a back room at a Casino to a stranger? Being accused of being a theif? Poor woman, I hope she gets greatly compensated.
Im sure she visited that Casino frequently and have put a lot a money in those machines. lol Now Im making her out to be a gambler. But you know what I mean, she probably went there a lot and had some fun. Ive done it.
If it was my Grandmother, I would have to write them a letter. Of course if it actually was my Grandmother she would have given them a piece of her mind the whole time. lol
Bay Lay Gray xx
1 person likes this
@juenshia (25)
• China
14 Nov 07
I am knocked back by the inurbane action the police did. It is right the grandmother sue for it. Even though she can win huge compensation, it can not counteract the humiliation she suffered. Hope the police and law to be more justy, and these things do not happen again.
1 person likes this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
14 Nov 07
Hello Juenshia,
You're right to be shocked. What happened to Granny Myrna is not O.K. Perhaps if the casino had reasonable cause; i.e an informed knowledge that Myrna had a deceptive history in the casino, or that she was linked to a scam that the casion was aware of. Yet, even then, the machine should have been thoroughly searched before she was subjected to an invasion of her personal space.
Thanks for sharing Juenshia & Welcome to MyLot!