The police’s newfound zest for taking threats seriously hasn’t gone unnoticed online. As soon as Boston’s story went public,
social media was full of viral stories from
women about how the police had ignored harassment because “a crime hadn’t been committed”. The double standards are stark. I’d bet pretty much everything I have that if, instead of threatening a health insurance company, Ms Boston had gone to the police and told them that she was being stalked by an abusive ex-boyfriend, they’d have shrugged their shoulders and told her there was nothing they could do until she had actual proof her life was in imminent danger.
The seemingly disproportionate response to the 42-year-old mother’s outburst appears to be an attempt by law enforcement and the legal system to make an example of Boston. “I do find that the bond of $100,000 is appropriate considering the status of our country at this point,”
the judge in Boston’s case said. It’s clear that, as resentment towards health insurance companies in the US reaches a boiling point, the judge and the police want to send a message. Mission accomplished, they’ve sent one! The message being: we care far more about the protection of wealthy CEOs than everyday violence against women.
