A now-viral video of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials patting down a 96-year-old woman in a wheelchair at Washington Dulles International Airport has outraged viewers.
Jeanne LaBrier Clarkson shared the six-minute clip of her nonagenarian mother, Evelyn LaBrier, being screened in her wheelchair by two female TSA security agents at the Virginia airport. Clarkson, LaBrier and Clarkson’s fiancee were enroute to Anderson, Indiana.
“The 3 of us were all in wheelchairs. Only my 96 year old mother was subjected to this prolonged, repetitive search,” Clarkson captioned the clip, which has since been viewed more than 9 million times and has sparked heated debate.
In the footage, the two TSA staffers politely explain the search to LaBrier as they screen her, asking her to remove her windbreaker before giving her a full pat down from her hair to her sneakers, asking her to redistribute her weight at one point so that an officer can inspect underneath her.
“I have traveled extensively and never seen anything like this. Mother had traveled with me before and never been groped like that!” Clarkson said.
LaBrier successfully passed the screening.
Critics on social media have described the TSA’s search of LaBrier as “totally disgusting,” “horrible”, “unbelievable” and “uncalled for,” while supporters of the search say that the agents were simply following policy.
“No offense to anyone but people use the elderly to smuggle stuff and just because you say your in a wheelchair doesn’t make you not able to smuggle stuff that is illegal,” one detractor wrote.
Soon after, the airport took to Facebook to clarify that it was the TSA’s decision alone to screen the 96-year-old ahead of her flight.
“Many of you have reached out to us to express concern over a video of a security screening taking place at Dulles International Airport. Security screening at our checkpoints is directed and conducted by the TSA,” they posted. “We have shared customer comments with the TSA for their immediate review and appropriate action.”
The TSA released the following statement on the story:
“TSA is committed to ensuring the security of travelers, while treating all passengers with dignity and respect. In this instance, the TSA officer provided advisements during the pat-down and was extremely polite. The passenger was very cooperative and gave no indication that she was agitated or in discomfort. She received a pat-down and was cleared for her flight,” a representative said.
The TSA’s website features the following information on general security screenings:
“Pat-down procedures are used to determine whether prohibited items or other threats to transportation security are concealed on the person. You may be required to undergo a pat-down procedure if the screening technology alarms, as part of unpredictable security measures, for enhanced screening, or as an alternative to other types of screening, such as advanced imaging technology screening” the TSA’s web page on security screenings states. “Even passengers who normally receive expedited screening may at times receive a pat-down.”
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21 Responses
outrage?? really. again this is news how? forget news. whats outrageous about it.
The terrorists have won!!!
Achmed is smiling now!
The TSA does not hire an employee unless they can prove that they are dumber than a doorknob.
Thank you George Bush.
A rhetorical question. What does government forced groping of the elderly and children in airports have to do with government forced vaccination of children in order to attend school. In both instances we the public have been lulled into the false narrative that these procedures will provide us with safety and our compliance is neccasary and those who object are insane because they endanger all of us. In reality our freedom and liberty have been taken away from us and we are not any safer. In fact once we have ceded our basic human rights, human dignity, and autonomy over our bodies, to the government we are now in great danger from the government itself.
yes, because of this and other examples that is an ‘OUTRAGE’, ISIS and company can take advantage BECAUSE OUTRAGE, because ‘WHO WILL DARE TO SUBJECT AN OLD LADIES
IN wheel chair’ or other samples of such OUTRAGE …and remember were talking about global threats so one cannot say here it wont happen.!!
My wife took my mother-in-law to Eretz Yisroel when she had Parkinsons and was in a wheelchair. It was great for my wife – the airline provided a personal escort that bypassed the entire security screening, and took them through a side door without going through the metal detectors. While it made for a smooth trip, I commented to my wife that someone could easily impersonate a disabled person and bring along all kinds of dangerous things onto the plane.
I read this article and was in fact relieved that the TSA at least did some type of checking. It is unreasonable to expect that they should endanger the lives of everyone else on board and totally skip security just because this person is 92 years old. If terrorists use children, they could use seniors too. And they definitely use people in wheelchairs, as the pictures on YWN from the Gaza protests show!!
“OUTRAGE” What is the outrage??? This just proves that those OUTRAGED do not understand what it is all about. Take out the alleged emotions and understand that a 96 year old is no different that any other age person, because regardless of age, each person is a potential bomb!! THAT IS WHY THEY SCREEN, not the age, but the living human being, that can be used to place a bomb on them. So to all outraged, be my guest and start flying with all elderly unscreened people. We will see or not see you make any further ridiculous comments!!!! LET THE TSA DO THEIR JOB AND STOP WINNING!!!!
As annoying and as stupid as the TSA can be sometimes, we can really lay the blame for this nonsense at the feet of the moslim terrorists. Because of their savage behavior we are forced to try to safeguard ourselves in any way.
rhetorical question? more like an anti government screed.
> Not getting involved
‘Thank you George Bush.”
Obama had a full 8 years after Bush.
> flatbushantivaxxer
You either don’t know the difference between politics and science, or else you are hoping your audience doesn’t. In either case you are responsible for every death and injury you are causing.
Honestly, the most outrageous thing here is that the TSA still exists. They have never caught a terrorist and they fail 97% of their tests.
This PC that has become part of life in the US is absurd!
No one or very few, know the difference between right & wrong!
The only ones that should be patted down are olive-skinned people.
Chutzpa Yasgi.
@flatbushantivaxxer
You need to read, medical journals, books, study’s done on vaccines.
You are 100% in the wrong on the vaccines.
How do you Dr. Flatbushantivaxxer plan on eradicate the diseases without vaccines?
TSA employees are dim wits. The check every tenth (or so) person.
Once I was in line behind two guys speaking Arabic. They did not check them but when I, an old grandfather came through, I got the full search . So I asked them why me and not the two Arabs. They said I was the tenth.
If they had a brain they probably would be working some where else…..
The propaganda lie of “safety and security” is so convincing that people are justifying this disgusting groping of a 96 year old woman in a wheel chair and previous such viral videos where children have been groped. I would like to also point out that the wheel chair was an airport issued wheel chair. It is not just the groping It is also the taking off of shoes, the scanning in the cancer tubes, and the complete removal of autonomy over your body. If you really want safety and security then you should be demanding for the president to be able to ban entrance to people from certain countries. Not only would that prevent terrorism it would also prevent the spread of pathogens that have already been eliminated from North America and are still endemic in countries like Pakistan. It is difficult to refute those who argue that this whole TSA thing is a deliberate strategy to acculturate us to acting like meek sheep and get us used to the fact that the government owns our bodies. Ditto on the compulsory/mandatory vaccination program and the removal of religious exemptions. You will not decide what is good for your child we will. It is not your child, because it takes a village to raise a child and your child belongs to the village. Conversion therapy is illegal,but gender reassignment surgery is a constitutional right even for minor children. See how this works.
One final thought. It is not the TSA agents who should be blamed. It is the politicians and leaders who are allowing and pushing this. It is also us who are being passive in the face of tyranny. We should be outraged and we should be demanding that this nonsense be stopped. Additionally I would like to see our Orthodox Askanim and organizations publicly fighting in a loud and vocal manner for our rights and beliefs. We should have at least the same zeal to defend our rights to normalcy and Kedusha as the forces of Tumaah use to defend their interests. Homeland security grants are nice,and so are internet filters. But have you seen the ads on the buses and subways lately? Why has that become acceptable? Why are we not fighting against that shmutz? I think that once you are in a defeated state of mind you just give in and acquiesce. Take off your shoes. Put them on. Throw out your bottled water and your sandwich before going on the plane. Let the nice polite TSA agent do their job and don’t argue or you will be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.
NY
…unbeliveable how D—- one can get…of course you didnt hear about it because they were caught before .
and plenty case we heard about it especially in EY and abou this article see SHIMEN, ashtt8 etc
people dont THINK!
This one post will shut-down every comment and argument going on here.
If she were in a burka, there’d be no pat-down.
One thing antivaxxers have in common is their tendency to jump in on unrelated topics with far fetched connections.
Does have to take 6 minutes? How would that TSA agent feel if it was done to her?
Flatbusher….your comparison of TSA screening to government vaccination policy is about as mindless as your inability to understand possible terrorism risks even with the elderly. Hopefully, you will shed your paranoia and do some serious thinking abou realty.