Man grabbed ball out of DC's hands

[Anonymous]

This has been bothering me for a while but a friend alerted me to a video of the Karen accusing a minority teen of taking her iphone which got me thinking more about how wrong this is. My 13-year-old child was leaving soccer practice in the fall one evening when a man walked up, grabbed DC's ball out DC's hands and started yelling. My child was pretty scared because it was dark, the man was so large, so close and don't forget the coronavirus. DC's coaches don't even come that close during practice. DC doesn't remember the words but basically the man was accusing DC of stealing this man's child's ball. This happened in that order. The man did not ask to see the ball. The man took it. It is a very popular ball that is sold everywhere right now. DC said DC pointed out our last name on the ball at which point the man threw the ball back and walked away. No apology was given. DC was shaking when DC got to the car. DC is a minority and the man was white. I have been debating telling the coach this happened but I do not know who this man is. This is not a parent of one of DC's teammates but probably another team practicing in th same area.

Is it worth it to talk to the coach? What can the coach even do in this case?

[Anonymous]

I would mention it to the coach - probably in an email. I’m not clear what happens after practice— pick up by parents?/ kids walk home? — but, if nothing else, the coach can make a point of being visibly present as the kids are dismissed, and available to intervene if needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would mention it to the coach - probably in an email. I’m not clear what happens after practice— pick up by parents?/ kids walk home? — but, if nothing else, the coach can make a point of being visibly present as the kids are dismissed, and available to intervene if needed.

+1. Sorry this happened OP. I think you can let the coach know that your child was accosted by somebody after practice, and could the coach please have eyes on the kids until they leave the park by whatever means. This may mean your kid doesn't hang around afterward, but goes home immediately.

[Anonymous]

That is horrible and unfair that he experienced that. There are jerks who will feel emboldened to harass minorities and feel justified to do so without remorse when proven wrong. I think an email about no tolerance of harassment by parents would be a good and give that ball confrontation as a vague example. My kid would not want to be singled out in an email or confrontation so I would ask them to not be named.

[Anonymous]

Seriously OP, does it matter that you are a minority and that the offender is white? I'm a minority too but I don't go out of my way to call out other people that are not of my ethnicity.

Your kid ran into a jerk. Your kid stood up for himself, which is a good thing. The jerk returned the ball. End of story.

And what do you expect your soccer coach to do? Open up an investigation?

From one minority to another...don't be a victim and don't teach your kid to be a victim.

[Anonymous]

1) yes, tell the coach
2) stop using the term Karen
3) I’m sorry that happened to your child

[Anonymous]

Morals of the story.

1) Don’t buy your kid a popular ball. (Get him something no self respecting kid would use.)

2) Expect to lose soccer balls.

3) Don’t ever accuse a minority kid of taking your white kids ball. (Its much cheaper to buy your kid a new ball, than to face the lifetime of shame for being accused of a hate crime.)

4) If your kid loses their ball make them try to find it.

[Anonymous]

You can mention it to the coach, but he likely won't do much. First of all, it was in the fall, which was a while ago, and you don't know who the man involved was. Second, fields turn over between practices quickly, and the coaches generally don't supervise the kids in walking off to meet their parents.

[Anonymous]

Be proud of your kid for having the wherewithal to point out the name was on the ball and get it back. And tell your kid that. It’s a good and useful lesson to learn how to deal with an aggressive, frustrated person who is blaming you for something you didn’t do. There is nothing else to do or say here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously OP, does it matter that you are a minority and that the offender is white? I'm a minority too but I don't go out of my way to call out other people that are not of my ethnicity.

Your kid ran into a jerk. Your kid stood up for himself, which is a good thing. The jerk returned the ball. End of story.

And what do you expect your soccer coach to do? Open up an investigation?

From one minority to another...don't be a victim and don't teach your kid to be a victim.

+1

[Anonymous]

I’m so sorry for your child, OP. What a terrible thing to do to him. Let the coach know as an FYI. Do you think you could recognize this man?

[Anonymous]

Physically taking something out of someone's hands is robbery. This is not something many parents would take lightly.

[Anonymous]

^If it was a another child I wouldn't care but a grown up I would care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously OP, does it matter that you are a minority and that the offender is white? I'm a minority too but I don't go out of my way to call out other people that are not of my ethnicity.

Your kid ran into a jerk. Your kid stood up for himself, which is a good thing. The jerk returned the ball. End of story.

And what do you expect your soccer coach to do? Open up an investigation?

From one minority to another...don't be a victim and don't teach your kid to be a victim.

Race came up in the post because it has some parallels to the story in New York. The dad in New York hired a civil rights attorney and I'm not sure I understand why but I support his talking about the incident and publicizing it.

[Anonymous]

Sorry this happened, OP. There are some unstable "parents" in this area, for sure. I have seen a grown woman steal a raft out of a four year old's hands at a pool, I have seen a grown man steal a 9 year old's nice basketball......Sad excuses for human beings, really.