Uncle accused of being a 'kidnapper' at local park by suspicious women. AITA?
We all want to protect our children, but sometimes people have to admit their mistake.
One uncle was taken aback when he was interrogated by two women at the park who were suspicious of his presence with his nephew and his friends. They harranged him to prove that he did, in fact, know the children he was there with. The two women told him he looked 'sketchy' and said they were worried after a recent kidnapping. He was offended, but eventually forced to comply. The whole ordeal shook him so he came to Reddit to vent his frustration at being profiled as a danger to the child, and member of his familly, that he loved.
AITA for getting aggressive because 2 women at the park wouldn't leave me alone?
Yesterday, my sister asked me to take my nephew Jaiden to the park. She promised to take him after school but she got sick so she asked me to do it. I accepted since I had nothing to do that day. She also asked me to film my nephew playing so I said sure. My nephew & 2 of his other friends from school that lived in the same neighborhood tagged along as well.
When we got to the park, Jaiden and his friends started playing. I started filming them playing and noticed some of the parents there were looking at me weirdly. I was confused until I realized that I probably looked weird because I was recording kids at the park. Yeah, there were other kids at the park - it was packed - but I tried to not get them in the video.
Anyway, I stopped recording and just hung out there to keep an eye on Jaiden. Twenty minutes later, two women approached me and asked what I was doing at the park. I told them I was there with my nephew Jaiden and his friends - I took him to the park.
After I said this, they had the audacity to say 'Prove that you're his uncle.' At this point, I was already p*ssed off because I knew what they were implying. I told them to f*ck off and leave me alone - I didn't have to prove sh*t to them.
They refused to leave me alone and threatened to call the park security or whatever they're called. I then had no choice but to call Jaiden over and confirm that he was actually my nephew. These girls literally asked my nephew if he was sure if he knew me. Like, what the f*ck?
I asked them why they were accusing me of being a creep or whatever and they said it was because I'm a man and I looked sketchy - a kid was recently abducted in the area by a man before, so they were hyper-vigilant about it.
I asked them how the f*ck do I look sketchy? I had to pull the race card because, other than my skin color, I don't see how I look creepy. I had a blue polo shirt on with black jeans and a black jacket.
They refused to answer and then they wanted me to delete the video recording I had off of my phone. I refused and cursed at them, took my nephew and his friends home, and told my female friend what had happened.
She agreed that I was too aggressive and should have complied because the women were just trying to make sure I wasn't a creep because a child was recently kidnapped from that area. Was I the a**hole here?
Here are the top comments from readers:
NTA. I have two nieces and I've actually been in this exact situation. Two ladies walked up to me and questioned who I was, why I was there, if I could prove I knew my kids, etc.
I called the cops on them for harassing me lol. I was very calm and articulate when the police arrived and it was hilarious when the cops turned on them and told them to stop harassing strangers in public.
The two of them weren't even at the park with kids. They just saw a big brown bearded guy, thought I was trouble, and thought they could be superheroes for the day. Little did they know most superheroes are wanted by the cops lol. But yeah, they overstepped in your case man.
Bruh. They literally pulled the cop line “you looked suspicious with a black hoodie and sneakers. There were some thefts in the neighborhood and you fit the description”. NTA. That pisses me off. They knew. They knew what they did. Then had the audacity to ask you to delete the video.
My husband is black, and the amount of times that he has been told “he fits the description” pisses me off. What if it was a woman who did the kidnapping. Sorry. This situation got me mad. I support your anger 100%
At the risk of seeming like an AH...NTA.
I'm a dad and deal with this sh*t all the time, even with my own f*cking kids. People will see me in the supermarket and the first thing they'll ask is about what 'mom's up to today.' It's insulting. Every time. Every single time it feels like they're saying 'oh, where's the real parent?'
I get that out in public, at a place like a park, there's a heightened sense of 'we must protect the children,' and I'm for it. I'd report suspicious behavior, too. But I'd stop there. They could've just called security and let security confirm that you're being safe. Instead they personally harassed you, interrupted your kid's playtime, and wouldn't leave well enough alone.
True story: I saw a man in the parking lot of a park, taking pictures. I walked over and he drove off. I called and reported it and gave the police the plate. They laughed. A lot. It was an undercover cop trying to get pictures of a drug dealer. Oops. But he was sitting in a van taking pictures at a park. Nice undercover job.
NTA, just from this reply alone 'I asked them why they were accusing me of being a creep or whatever and they said it was because I'm a man and I looked sketchy'
like how sexist are people to say just because someone is a man that instantly turns them into a creep? come on now both men and women that are psychotic have done some creepy stuff so I see no reason for them to use the gender card.