Death in Airport Holding Cell

[micahnelson]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070930/D8S01G0O0.html

Airport security is the picture of things to come. People are scared to say anything controversial. Everyone is supposed to keep our voices down and do as we are told.

I always feel sick in my stomach going through the terminal checkpoint. It is an utter disgrace to our liberty what we have to go through in there, elderly people felt up by security guards, children given red white and blue stickers for behaving nicely while being searched, security guards treating us like walking cargo.

Now this unduly hostile treatment has left a woman dead. Is this safety worth the loss of freedom? If all you wanted was safety, why not move into a prison?

[OptionsTrader]

"...It appears Gotbaum may have tried to get out of her handcuffs, which ended up around her neck, Hill said. A medical examiner will determine the cause of death...."

I am sure lawyers for airport security can find a way to spin this and indirectly blame it on a handful of Muslims somewhere. "An unfortunate casualty in the global war on terrorism" they will say.

[Corydoras]

What kind of handcuffs were these? Zip ties or something?

[Marshall]

How did they get around her neck?

[micahnelson]

Story says she was trying to slip out of them and strangled herself.

The compassion among the conservative media today I believe will involve belittling her for attempting to free herself.

[Marshall]

Yeah, but if you're cuffed behind your back, then you'd be trying to slip them under your feet. If they're in front of you, then why would you wrap them around your neck?

[Dustancostine]

That sounds very very fishy. Like other people said, how do get handcuffs around your neck? And to suffocate you, you would have to get them in front of your neck (not behind). I am sorry but it sounds like someone got killed.

[micahnelson]

If she turns out to be someone of political importance I might agree with you.

If she was actually a terrorist there would be speeches about how this was a great day for America.

I would chalk it up to overzealous and under qualified security officers endangering people with substandard detention methods.

[noxagol]

What the? How the hell do hand cuffs get around your neck in such a way that you choke yourself to death?

[Marshall]

I'm not saying she was assassinated, just that it's very weird and the explanation doesn't fit.