Brooklyn-based defense attorney Scott Hechinger went on a multi-tweet rant after “well-meaning relatives” gave his son this pretty awesome looking Playmobil police playset over the Thanksgiving holiday.
You see, the toy police in the toy set have actual toy weapons and the only part of the toy that the child gets to actually play with his the toy helicopter:
Cache of weapons that came with @playmobil’s police helicopter/motorcycle given to my son by very well-meaning relatives. 1 gas mask. 3 handguns. 1 Machine gun. 1 baton. 1 asp. 1 set of handcuffs. 1 flashlight. Loves the helicopter. I confiscated the rest. Why are these included? pic.twitter.com/ycyk5ksGTx
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 26, 2018
No guns allowed in this toy:
Approximately 2900 people have been shot dead by police in America since Michael Brown’s killing in 2014. pic.twitter.com/xBAr4Ukckb
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 26, 2018
Non-lethal items are banned, too:
An “asp” is a retractable metal baton used to subdue people with brute force. When an officer broke into my client’s house in 2015 & couldn’t get his asp open, he jabbed him in the back repeatedly w/ the sharp base, taking chunks of skin out of his back. Wounds haven’t healed. pic.twitter.com/1G1CMVbPbt
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 26, 2018
After Rodney King’s horrific assault, the baton became a symbol of law enforcement abuse. Its use has declined dramatically. In 1990, it was used 741 times by LAPD. By 2015, that number declined to 54. Still necessary for these toys though. Someone might need a beating, I guess. pic.twitter.com/SA0ofYCQRq
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 26, 2018
The actual figurines are problematic as well:
This image. This gas mask. This anonymous officer. In light of what we’ve seen with violent suppression of peaceful protest historically & what we’re hearing & seeing now on the border with @CBP agents hurling poisonous gas at unarmed women and children seeking asylum. Too much. pic.twitter.com/qPQiqtrUq3
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 26, 2018
As is the flashlight and handcuffs:
Even the more “benign” common items are all-too-familiar tools of capture & invasion of privacy my clients face everyday. Early morning home raids with the strobe light effect of officer flashlights bounding off bedroom walls. Too-tight cuffs on young black men up against walls. pic.twitter.com/p2jdiSovi5
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 26, 2018
They’re “militarized,” he says:
These officers are militarized. Armed to exact violence. To injure. To terrorize. To suppress voice, violate rights. In many ways, they’re a reflection of the reality of police forces, force & violence. But Don’t think it’s meant as a political statement. Nor would 3 y/o get it. pic.twitter.com/1w5rnwEDqC
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 26, 2018
You’re on notice, Playmobil!
Note: I *LOVE* @playmobil. Their toys gave me great joy & my son cannot get enough. They also were always way ahead of the curve w/ representation of diverse ethnicities. That’s why this surprised me all the more. I’ll keep buying. But hope that they’ll think critically on this.
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 26, 2018
And he just discovered Playmobil has a prison set as well:
Oh man. Went down the rabbit hole. They have a prison too. It’s bad. pic.twitter.com/54O9GbDJw6
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 26, 2018
And he REALLY doesn’t like this one:
4 handguns.
2 machine guns.
2 sniper rifles.
2 battons.
1 weapons locker. pic.twitter.com/FKfZgv4dvq— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 26, 2018
Here is a sociopathic smiling guard holding a sniper rifle in his torture chamber full of weapons & handcuffs with a prisoner already missing half his body. pic.twitter.com/aZH8Kjr0LQ
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 26, 2018
But at least they’re only locking up “real” bad guys like this crazed monster with what looks like bloody shanks attaches to his legs. pic.twitter.com/I7AdVK5ZCB
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 26, 2018
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