Transcript Details
COPS T*SE 87 YEAR-OLD WOMAN FOR CUTTING DANDELIONS FOR HER SALAD!
Summary
The video describes a 2018 incident in Chatsworth, Georgia, where police tased 87-year-old Martha Albeshura, a non-English-speaking Syrian immigrant, for cutting dandelions with a steak knife. The creator claims officers screamed commands she could not understand, charged her with obstruction despite the language barrier, and that the district attorney dropped charges while clearing officers. The city settled for $150,000 and bought body cameras, but the creator states no officers were disciplined.
Why it may matter: This incident is relevant because it involves allegations of excessive force against a vulnerable, non-English-speaking elderly person during a mundane activity, raising issues of police discretion, language access, and accountability. It reflects a critique of official response that is common in copwatch and auditor communities, and the settlement and body-camera outcome connect to transparency debates.
Full Transcript
Body camera video shows 87-year-old woman being tased. 87. >> Stand up. Stand up. >> On August 10th, 2018, Chatsworth, Georgia, Martha Albeshura, 87, walks across the street from her house to cut dandelions for a salad. She has a steak knife in her hand. She's a Syrian immigrant. She speaks no English. Somebody calls 911. Three Chatsworth cops show up, including the chief. They stand only a few feet away screaming, "Drop the knife!" They then put a taser in her chest and she goes down. >> [screaming] >> Stand up. Stand up. Stop. >> They tased an 87-year-old woman. Here the torture cops cracking down. Torture cops are always torture. >> Where's Where's your son? Same. Let's go this way, ma'am. >> Come on. Get into the cage, lady. Get into the cage. Come on. Get into the cage. Put in the chat. Get into the cage. >> Ma'am, you're going to have to get in the We're waiting on you. >> One of them tries Spanish on an Arabic-speaking woman. They charge her with criminal trespass, obstruction. Obstruction in Georgia requires that you knowingly and willfully defy an officer. You cannot knowingly defy a command when you can't understand the language they're speaking. The DA dropped the charges then cleared the officers of any wrongdoing in the same breath. She could have been liable if she cut herself was the reasoning. Chatsworth paid her $150,000 and agreed to buy body cameras it didn't have. Her husband died before she ever saw that [music] money. Nobody was disciplined. The cops are still working for the Chatsworth, Georgia Police Department.