84-year-old grandmother says she was strip searched at JFK by TSA

NEW YORK (AP) – An 84-year-old New York grandmother said Saturday that she was injured and humiliated when she was strip searched at an airport after she asked to be patted down instead of going through a body scanner.

Lenore Zimmerman said she was taken to a private room and made to take off her pants and other clothes after she asked to forgo the screening because she worried it would interfere with her defibrillator. She missed her flight and had to take one two-and-a-half hours later, she said.

"I'm hunched over. I'm in a wheelchair. I weigh under 110 pounds (50 kilograms) and I'm going to be 85 in February. Do I look like a terrorist?" she said from her winter home at a seniors community in Coconut Creek, Fla. "This was the worst experience."

Source


She asked not to go through the machine because she was worried about her internal defibrillator. How can they possibly see her as a threat at all???
Absolutely reprehensible. NO excuse for this behavior at all. Of course TSA denies there was any kind of strip search.

She banged her shin in the process of trying to get her pants off and bled pretty good apparently. She is on blood thinners. She had to have an ambulance called to bandage her leg. And not to my surprise...TSA didn't even document that as happening either.

Needless to say..she missed her flight and had to wait over 2 1/2 more hours for another one.

This article just came out today. This apparently happened Tuesday. She travels between NY and Florida at least twice a year, as she spends her winters down south. Sounds like she isn't returning until April...and as she said...she will have some time to recover from this experience before having to do it again.

This is just total insanity.

Remember...

Everyone in the US is now a potential terrorist. Grannies, toddlers, disabled, handicapped...your neighbor, teacher, grocer, accountant, avon lady and the kid that delivers your newspaper.

Unless of course you are a cop, military, politician or a gazillionaire. Nope, these can't possible fit any profiling.

I guess they were looking for a granny-bomb. I heard they were extremely powerful and apparently there are a lot of them right on homeland soil.

Watch out, stay safe and remember when you are out shopping for diapers at Wal-Mart, "If you see something, say something".

Peace

Originally posted by jude11
Remember...


I guess they were looking for a granny-bomb. I heard they were extremely powerful and apparently there are a lot of them right on homeland soil. Watch out.

Peace

They took her pants off....she might well have given them a "granny bomb!!"
Or should have at least.......

[color=mediumorchid]Nice job, TSA.

Old ladies are a serious threat to society...

Occupy the TSA.....or better still. The White House.

Originally posted by daryllyn
[color=mediumorchid]Nice job, TSA.

Old ladies are a serious threat to society...

TSA needs to be changed to:

T otally
S tarting
A narchy

This article needs to go viral - bigtime.

I do not believe a word of the so called employees - not a word.
I have reached the point where I read an article like this and I do not know why the employees even open their mouths - it's as if they are robots and someone has pressed the button marked - tell the scripted lies for the nice reporter.

No offence to any Americans but I am so glad I do not live in your country - not that Australia is without its issues. This story beggars belief. I pray that it becomes headlines and someone/employee is forced out into the open and forced to admit the truth.

As a Teacher - next time I am in a classroom I may ask the Students to research this article and tell me what they think and feel about an elderly lady being treated like this. Then when the conversation turns to terrorism I will allow them to explore the subject. I may also allow them to explore the subject of fear keeping people easier to control just as psychology states.

And anyone who states she has Alzheimers or is making this up - prove it!

Much Peace...for the lady at the heart of this discussion...

they did this to my grandmother as well. she was in a wheelchair and moves at a snails pace. so the brutes roughly grabbed her arms and pulled off her jacket violently. then when she passed through scanning, a large female agent took her aside for a more "intimate" shake down.

when I stepped in to ask wtf was going on, they smiled and casually told me "she was selected for a random inspection". then waltzed off with content and a s^*t-eating grin. all this while we were going home to bury her husband of over 60 years.

reply to post by webpirate


I feel SO much safer now! I gladly give up my rights to prevent that old terrorist from blowing up that plane!

I fondly look forward to the day where they shred the Constitution and Bill of rights and put us all in cages. After all, if we are all in cages, then there is absolutely no way we can be hurt by terrorism!!!

Gawd bless us, everyone!

reply to post by Amanda5


The worst part is...this doesn't seem to be an isolated case. We are starting to hear more and more about this type of thing.
The 84 year old woman who was pepper sprayed at the OWS rally in Portland I think it was...the cops said something like "pepper spray isn't age specific." or some BS like that.

This isn't the first elderly person to have been "selected for additional screening" either and reported things like this.
And it is only getting worse each day. There has to be a way to stop this. TSA and others are way out of control.

The solution here is very simple... STOP FLYING!!!

Airlines are a business like any other and if people stop flying because of the TSA, eventually the airlines will have to remove them for the sake of keeping their business, in business.

I have not flown since 2002 and I do not care what comes up, I will not fly commercial airlines. The second a TSA agent touches me inappropriately, I will knock him out and go to jail with a great big smile on my face. However, it is much easier for me to stay out of trouble and just not fly at all.

Yes I agree with not flying as a method of messing up the cabal/illuminati/whatever plans.

These stories need to go VIRAL.
Use the internet to get the message out.
We know that people love to sit in front of their computers.
People are globally connected on the internet.

American is the place you really need to send the message as that is where the stories are emanating.

Stop flying is definitely the best way - but - these articles will show people why they should stop flying.
Use what you have - your voice - the internet and your anger/frustration.

Much Peace...

Originally posted by MrWendal
The solution here is very simple... STOP FLYING!!!

Airlines are a business like any other and if people stop flying because of the TSA, eventually the airlines will have to remove them for the sake of keeping their business, in business.

I wish that would work....
But after seeing this thread the other day, I'm skeptical now. Especially Executive Order 11003: Allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft. It was signed by Kennedy in the middle of the Cold War, but could well be construed in this day and age that if the airlines start to protest TSA too much, the government could declare it an "emergency" and just take them over using this order.


I mean...after all...they have already bought all of the airlines several times over just to keep them flying in the past....
And probably will again with AA.

reply to post by Amanda5


I totally agree these stories like this need to go viral. But I'm really starting to think that putting pressure on the airlines would just make it worse.

The pressure has to be put on the government itself I think.

reply to post by webpirate


Putting pressure on the airlines will make them turn to the government for answers.
Yes you are right - putting pressure on will make things worse but it will lead to another opportunity.
Opportunities are what we need.

Put the pressure on - pile it on - pressure causes diamonds!
It would be fabulous to see people not travel by air.

Much Peace...

Originally posted by webpirate

Originally posted by MrWendal
The solution here is very simple... STOP FLYING!!!

Airlines are a business like any other and if people stop flying because of the TSA, eventually the airlines will have to remove them for the sake of keeping their business, in business.

I wish that would work....
But after seeing this thread the other day, I'm skeptical now. Especially Executive Order 11003: Allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft. It was signed by Kennedy in the middle of the Cold War, but could well be construed in this day and age that if the airlines start to protest TSA too much, the government could declare it an "emergency" and just take them over using this order.


I mean...after all...they have already bought all of the airlines several times over just to keep them flying in the past....
And probably will again with AA.

edit on 3-12-2011 by webpirate because: additional thoughts

I can understand being worried about the list of Executive Orders written in that thread, those are all true. Those are all signed EO. However do not think for one second that this is something new. A lot of the EO in that list have been around for a long long time. As you also pointed out EO 11003 was signed by JFK in 1962, has it been put to use yet? Are you really going to worry about what the Government might do in the event that people refuse to fly because of the TSA? If I worried so much about what might happen, I would never leave my home.

Sometimes push needs to come to shove. What do you think the reaction and backlash would be if people were to boycott airlines due to the TSA, and the Federal Government responded by taking over the airline by enacting EO11003? Would that make people fly? Of course not, it wouldnt change anything but ownership of airlines. Plus a reaction like that might even make me (the crazy conspiracy nut) actually look like not so much of a nut.

A couple of things from the article linked in the OP that struck me.

Bold in the quote below is mine for emphasis..

A review of closed-circuit television at the airport showed proper procedures were followed, Jonathan Allen, a TSA spokesman, said in a statement.

"Private screening was requested by the passenger, it was granted and lasted approximately 11 minutes," the statement read. "TSA screening procedures are conducted in a manner designed to treat all passengers with dignity, respect and courtesy and that occurred in this instance."

The private screening was not recorded.

Ok things I came away with from the above.
1. They reviewed the screening.
2. The screening wasn't recorded.

How did they review the screening if it wasn't recorded? Sounds like they are lying about one or the other. How can your review something on tv if it wasn't recorded.

Also, "proper procedures were followed". We hear this line a lot. Usually when a government official or LEO does something like this. My 2 cents is that if its proper procedure to strip search an 84 year old granny with a walker from Long Beach, then God help us as a nation because if that is "proper" we are so far out of whack I don't even know how we'd begin to get back on track.

reply to post by webpirate


I see your point but if no one is flying - who's going to get hurt? The government? I can see a government takeover - buying all the airlines. What good would that do? Are government employees going to start door knocking and demand that people start flying.

Put the pressure on by NOT FLYING and make articles like this thread VIRAL.

Much Peace...

I like to think there is a special place in hell for these awful people who treat others so inhumanely.

Second