Was She Harassed?
June 18, 2007 by Kailani
Filed under Uncategorized
If you haven’t already heard about it, on June 11th, Monica Emmerson was detained at Reagan National Airport after water spilled out of her child’s sippy cup while she was trying to get through the security checkpoint.
TSA’s side of the story is that Monica dumped the water out on the floor and acted in a very rude manner.
Monica, who was traveling alone, says that since there was nowhere to get rid of the water near the security checkpoint, she opened up the cup to drink the contents. In her nervousness, it accidentally spilled on the floor.
TSA has posted a security video of the incident here. The first video doesn’t really show much but the second one shows most of what happened. However, since there’s no audio, it’s anybody’s guess as to what really happened. All I know is that I sympathize with Monica.
As you know, I travel a lot. Sometimes for work, sometimes for recreation.
I remember an incident not too long ago when we took the family to the neighbor island for the weekend. On the way back, DH dropped us off at security while he went to park the car. I had Baby Bug’s bottle which contained water in the diaper bag and upon entering asked the TSA agent if it was okay to bring it on. He said that as long as it’s distilled water, then it’s fine. I then put the bottle in one of those plastic bins and sent it through the x-ray machine. The TSA agent on the other side stopped and informed me that I couldn’t bring it through. He said that I would need to be escorted out of the secured area, dump the water, then stand in line and come through security again. It took me almost 30 minutes to get through the first time! I asked if I could drink the water but he said no – someone would have to witness me throwing it away. I told him that the only reason I kept it was because the other agent said it was okay. He said it didn’t matter, I would have to leave the area.
Needless to say, this was starting to cause a commotion around us and as most of you know, I HATE to be the center of attention in a public scene! It didn’t help that I had the girls with me who by now were starting to get restless. All I could do was leave.
I understand that the TSA agents are only doing their job. I just wish that they were more consistent about what is and isn’t allowed. I’ve come to realize that the rules change depending on which airport you’re flying out of and even which agent you encounter.
So, what do you think? Was Monica harassed? Have you ever had an incident while going through security?
And speaking of traveling, guess who’s the guest blogger at Be A Good Dad today? Check out my post Staying Sane While Traveling With Kids.
The Carnival of Family Life is up at the so called me. Please stop by when you have a moment.
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About the author: Owner and founder of An Island Life. Sharing my life as a mother to 3 wonderful daughters, working as a flight attendant, and living a blessed life in Hawaii. |
The video portrayed the TSA staff as fools.
Hundreds of would be terrorists walked by while they harrassed a young woman who was just trying to get through the hassel of traveling with a small child.
I’ve seen many spills at airports getting cleaned by the people hired to be custodial. What was this business of getting her paper towels to clean it up.
My Incident was at the gate.
It was the afternoon of sept 10, 2001. I was flying out of Washington DC.
My ticket was intially for 9/11. My son in law was in the air force and his shift was changed so he couldn’t drive me to the airport. So I called and PAID the $100 to switch flights the previous week.
Apparently the flight was overbooked. At the gate the staff person said there was a problem with my ticket and said I had to go back to the counter sales. The flight was ready to leave. Therefore I missed the flight. I went to the counter and they told me the gate person could have fixed the problem right at her computer and they didn’t understand why she sent me back there. Well, I understood! It was a way to make me miss the flight without having to give someone a compensating ticket for giving up a seat.
I was so MAD. My luggage went on the flight without me….. the 2nd time that trip that it went on a different jet then me.
I was going to write a SCATHING letter to Northwest when I got home.
But, I barely got into Portland Oregon and the Twin Towers had been attacked. It seemed petty after that.
Hello – I’ve been put off travelling by plane since the security measures tightened. I usually travel with my trumpet and just can’t face the arguments trying to get it on a flight.
I have heard recently that the Musicians’ Union provide a ‘flight pass’ that is a bit like a passport for your instrument which could help.
p.s. Don’t worry about contacting Judy for me – I don’t want to harrass her. She has visited (can see from My Blog Log) and I’m sure she will get in touch at some point.
America has become like a fortress since 9/11. Even Japanese passengers who used to breeze through the airports are strictly screened (like everyone).
Honestly, I keep on saying no to my uncle’s invitation to visit the States especially that I have a toddler in tow!!
Just want to add!
Imagine the number of would-be terrorist passing through the security check without being checked(!) while all the officers are busy with Ms. Emmerson, her crying baby and the sippy cup!!
I agree with Pamela and Grace. While we were leaving Greece for Italy, I had a half a bottle of water and fruit juice for my 17th mo baby. The security said choose one – fair enough so hubby finished the water.
On my way back from Greece to Singapore, I only had a flask of hot water and the security said, you have to throw the water away, I said its hot water and it’s for the baby’s milk. His reply, the airline will supply you with the water. We had to wait another 45 mins before we could board the plane and I had a screaming baby in my hands all that time.
These people should make up their mind – it’s stated that a certain amount of water FOR infants and kids are allowed and here they are, making their own rules!!
I don’t understand the video. Is this going TO the gate area or away from it? No way that “potential terrorists were just breezing by” while they dealt with this woman. Obviously all of those people had been screened at a point you can’t see on the camera. Looksl like Monica just took off from that area to continue on her way.
As for the incident….I’m sorry, but it looks like she caused a good bit of the problem herself. She was walking briskly away from the TSA agent. Then, part way through the tape, she walked further away causing the TSA agent to have to follow her more.
Ya know what, there are RULES. For our SAFETY. But they only work if EVERYONE follows them. I don’t like them–I wish they didn’t exist, but they do. And if I tried not to follow them, I hope that the TSA agents would make me follow them.
My kids hate security at the airport. It’s confusing, and now that they have to take their shoes off, it’s even more so. They’ll make a comment to me, but my response is “these are the RULES. You FOLLOW them. PERIOD.”
I’m siding with TSA here. Looks like Monica was not fully cooperating. (of course, this is all based on body language and actions, it is a bit tricky without audio)
Actually, the lady was not cooperating. Actually, the officers were being a tad nasty. At least they did not beat her up and cuff her… :p
For Ms Emmerson, I think she deserves to be treated with a little bit more courtesy. The law is clear, but there are “clean up” people. The officers should not have taken out their ire on her.
For the officers, they were doing the jobs. If everyone understood and followed the rules, such incidences would be greatly reduced.
But the Chinese have a really interesting saying for things like this: WARNING! Bad English ahead!
“Each Person One Less Sentence…”
If we all just held our tongue and our anger/pride in check…. well, it will be a nicer world. But if we all kept quiet, there would be so much fewer blogs to read!
A few weeks ago, I and group headed down to NC to do a bit of scuba diving. Two of the guys heading down decided to drive which meant that we could send all of our dive gear with them, and simply pack a carry-on for our flights down.
Now, at the ’security’ check-point, my toothpaste and shaving cream were too much for them to handle so they had to be confiscated, even though I could have exited and checked them with my luggage that I didn’t have… What REALLY drives me insane is that I was allowed to walk through the metal detector with my watch on, they didn’t flag the lighter in my computer bag, nor did they flag the KNIFE on my keyring.
On the way home? Saw the lighter this time, but still missed the knife…
Ok, so the knife is tiny, and it looks like a key (it’s one of those Swiss Army thingys that I forget is there more often than not), yet the TSA still misses LARGE knives that could seriously inflict harm!
Two, perhaps three years ago a friend of mine and I were headed down to Miami for a trade show. Now, being avid divers we decided to take our gear with us and hit the Keys after the show. We check the main gear as luggage yet always carry our regulators with us on the plane – it’s life support equipment and it stays within sight…
In the security part again, my friend is hauled out of line, taken over to a ’special’ area where they begin to give him the 3rd degree about his ‘breathing equipment’… They unpack is regulator case while examining every single inch of the hoses, etc.. They then feel that perhaps this equipment won’t be used to commondere an aircraft and begin to pack it back into it’s case.
What was never seen was the knife with a 4″ blade attached to one of the hoses. In actual fact, the woman doing the ‘inspection’ grabbed the knife on the hose, and placed it carefully back into the case…
If you aren’t looking for big knives – WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?! The TSA woman actually helped pack a knife into a bag for a domestic flight and certified that it was OK to be carried on board.
Half these rules have been created through reaction on the US gov’t’s part, rather than by response. The rules aren’t even being enforced, and there are likely bigger holes in the security system now than ever before. A mother and her baby can’t carry on some water, yet I can board with a knife?
I once saw a demonstration where the top martial artist in the world currently, showed us 12 different ways to kill someone with a regular old scarf. And they’re worried about my toothpaste…
I’m a new reader, but I have to chime in here.
Like you, Kailani, I travel a lot with two young children. (Although I don’t work for an airline; I just have family all over.) I have no problem following the TSA rules, even if they seem illogical at times. I don’t have a problem waiting in lines. What I do have a problem with is inconsistency.
The sippy cups on flights are a particular weakness. I’ve been told I could bring on one per child. I’ve been told I could bring on nothing with liquid in it. I’ve been told I could bring sippy cups on only if I drink some of the liquid in front of the TSA agent.
But oh well. If the worst that happens is I have to deal with the occasional rude TSA agent and I lose a couple of cups of OJ and milk, that’s OK.
(Oh, and my new discovery about what you can’t carry-on? Play-dough. When we were on a four-hour flight to California this winter, I packed some new, small packages of Play-Dough for the kids. But they were confiscated and thrown away since they are remarkably like plastique. Doh!)
I would never drink out of my sons sippy cup. That thing is nasty no matter how many times I wash it. And buying new ones isn’t much of a difference since they get nasty really fast.
Wow. I can’t believe they did that to her. I think she was harassed. No one should be treated like that over a babys sippy.
I have to agree w/ 7,8 &10. She did dump the water on the floor. She asked, according to the written report, for a supervisor. So that is why more people arrived. I can’t stand when people come up with “Do you know who I am?” I don’t care who you are, you follow the rules too. Yes, maybe making her clean it up was too much though.
I have been fortunate not to have had any incidents w/ TSA. Aisde from our last trip, where I didn’t have my tiny liquids in a baggie. I was about to throw them out myself without being asked, because I too hate to draw attention to myself. But the TSA guy pointed out that I had a baggie of cotton balls where I could put them in.
Hard to tell. I’ve seen some agents be rude, and I’ve seen some passengers be rude. I’m glad for the extra security, but annoyed by it. Sigh.
I don’t think there is any way to tell what happened from their security tapes.
If the woman truely thought that she was above the rules…then she is at fault. No one should be above the rules.
But I think that TSA needs to get thier poop together and set some guidelines that all their agents follow…everywhere. Post those rules of what you can and can’t have at the beginning of the security area with large bins for tossing out items you cannot take with you. This is totally ridiculous that you can have something when you go through one airport but not at the next one. And catch a clue this isn’t Vietnam where folks are willing to blow up their babies…a person traveling with children is not a terriorist.
oh, I came here to tell you that DD will answer your questions…eventually.
We’ve got a busy day and may have a sleepover tonight.
Even if you can’t tell if she spilled the sippy on purpose, or if it was an accident, I still don’t think there is any reason WHY, this mother was being harrassed over a sippy of water, while so many other things are overlooked. I am glad for the extra security, but I feel that the security has gone too extreme. Harrassing very old ladies over knitting needles, mom’s with sippys full of water, what’s next.
Once at the airport I had to take my extremely thin flip flops off and have them screened. Wouldn’t you think that was going too far??
And I can’t believe they gave her paper towels to clean it up herself. That’s rude in my books. The girls spilled water at the grocery store, and I volunteered to get paper towels, before the janitor came to clean it up. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to miss my flight to clean up water, when there are security guards there to make sure no one slips.
well, while they are just doing there jobs, I dont know why they could not have allowed you to chug the water and show em it is empty. Silly
Does it count when I was in college and was bringing my beta home (Patrick) and dropped the fishbowl which broke and slashed open the bag I was carrying him in?
Picture fish flopping all over the terminal and security people rushing to save my little fish. We did, he made it home safely and lived to tell the tale
Airline security rules make no sense.
I’ve dealt with my share of rude security personnel.
But in this particular case, which has been blown way out of proportion, we have a passenger who lost her cool, tried to pull rank with an invalid ID, and parlayed her hissyfit into some twisted story of TSA “abuse.”
And the video where she spills the fluid as some petty act of defiance? It’s the exit corridor from the sterile zone. (Note how she tries to sneak back in right after making her puddle.) All those “potential terrorists” walking past them are leaving the secure area. C’mon, people.
An interesting link with the TSA incident report:
http://www.nowpublic.com/nightmare_at_national_airport_tsa_incident_report_transcript
I have to say that both parties are at fault for being rude here. I know that the whole liquid on board, especially for children is ridiculous, but now that you can purchase or fill your cups at the waterfountain on the other side, I see no problem bringing them in dry.
It would appear that she ‘dumped’ her water, but at the same time, it would also appear that they were going a little over board with the whole thing. It is a hard thing to deal with these days but it is something we have to do. I hope that some things will change and soon.
It is ashame that the TSA had to make such a huge deal out of a small incident. Obviously, these people had their panties in a wad that day. It really is disgusting. The lady traveling with the toddler may have been abrupt but dang, its a freaking sippy cup. And they were ignoring all the others walking by as they dealt with her just to prove their “point” whatever that was. I think it was harassment and it really bothers me that people in “positions” think they can abuse it simply because they are in so called “position”.
Kailani, please correct me if I’m wrong….the people walking past the woman and the TSA agents WERE ALREADY SCREENED. They had put their belongings through the scanner, taken off their shoes, and been checked. These were not “potential terrorists” going past. These people had already been checked. I hardly think the TSA would release video showing BLATENT flaws in the system, such as failing to screen large numbers of people!
As for her having to get rid of the water. If someone who is protecting the security of this country tells you to do something which is part of the “new rules” then you do it. So she’s ticked off b/c she has to get rid of the water. Wouldn’t she be MORE ticked off if TSA had let another mother go through with liquid and it turned out she was hired by a terrorist group?? I think THEN there’d be he** to pay!!
Karen – I’m going to have to watch the video again. I was too engrossed in what was going on to notice where they were.
Thanks for the link to the TSA report.
After watching the video again, it does look like Emmerson and the Agents are standing in the corridor that leads out of a secured area. This means that all those people that are walking by probably just came off a plane and are headed to baggage claim. If you look to the left, through the glass panel, those are the passengers that are currently getting screened.
Which then doesn’t make a lot of sense….if she was getting OFF of a plane (and therefore in the exit area) why were they concerned about water? Or did they pull her out of the entrance line so she could dump her water then she would have to go back into the other queue line. Man, I wish there was audio!
But at least we’ve determined that “potential terrorists” weren’t strolling by as the incident took place.
Interesting story. Thanks for posting it. It’s made me think!
I do believe that they took her through security and around to the other side where people were exiting out of the terminal so she could throw away the water in a non-secured area. She would then have to stand in line again and re-enter. At least, that’s what happened to me.
Exactly right. She was told she could discard the cup or leave the checkpoint to empty it. She ducked into the exit lane, dumped out the cup, and tried to turn right back around to re-enter the sterile zone. Then, she tried to wave an old ID around to get a free pass.
Again, airport security measures are illogical and inconsistently applied. No argument there. But this woman was well aware of the restrictions and decided to throw a tantrum anyway.
Sure, we’ve all had days (especially traveling with kids) where we probably wanted to do much worse things than make a scene like this woman did… but she literally made a federal case out of it.