Teens Handcuffed for Selling Bottled Water on National Mall Offered Jobs.
WASHINGTON — D.C.’s delegate to Congress said she met with U.S. Park Police over the handcuffing of three teens who were trying to make a buck selling bottled water to passers-by on the National Mall during this hot mid-Atlantic summer.
Two 17-year-old boys and one 16-year-old boy were detained June 22 at 12th Street and Jefferson Drive NW shortly after 5 p.m. Sgt.
"And I don’t believe the image of young African-American men handcuffed on the ground for selling bottled water is a reflection of my city."
The teens were released to their guardians with a verbal warning, police said.
Del.
"Chief MacLean said he and others in the chain of command will remind his officers at roll call that they have great discretion when dealing with juveniles and others who are caught vending illegally on the Mall.
Of course, we both want to protect the National Mall from degradation by unlicensed vending, but it is critical the Park Police uses appropriate action to confront it and prevent what happened last week from occurring again."
Norton said the Park Police’s invaluable service "mitigating crime around parks" in the District, "not the incident of June 22," should "define the Park Police."
"Chief MacLean wants to use that incident to further inform their juvenile policy and improve their encounters with young people in the District," she added.