Atlanta police appear to be fans of Alfred Lord Tennyson: “Ours is not to reason why Ours is but to do and die”. When four women planning a funeral were ordered by an Atlanta police officer to move, one asked “why?” Minnie Carey, then 61, was arrested, cuffed, and thrown into jail.

The Citizen Review Board found that Atlanta Police officer Brandy Dolson falsely arrested Carey,

Seth Kirschenbaum, an attorney who is vice-chairman of the board, said that there have been at least 18 complaints had been filed against Dolson since 2001. APD spokesman Lt. Curtis Davenport said Dolson is “suspended without pay for an unrelated incident.”

The women were standing outside of a convenience store discussing the funeral of a friend who died in front of the store in a traffic accident. Dolson and his partner pulled up in their cruiser and told them to “move it.” Dolson’s partner, Jamie Nelson, insisted that Carey “yelled ‘why’ with a loud manner and refused to leave after we instructed her several times to do so.” The friends deny that she spoke in a loud voice, but even if she did, when is that a crime?

Dolson reportedly replied “because I said so.” You can call it the Tennyson policy.

She was first held in a patrol wagon and then jail for nine hours. She is a diabetic and went without food until she returned home. She was charged with disorderly conduct.

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