Symone Sanders is a CNN contributor and former spokesman for the Bernie Sanders campaign. Yesterday, New York’s PIX 11 News reported that Sanders was detained at LaGuardia airport after she was asked to step out of line for a security check:
It was about 7:30 a.m. Thursday when Sanders was asked by TSA agents to step out of line for a more detailed security check at Concourse D in LaGuardia’s Terminal B, sources said.
She allegedly refused and made “unreasonable noise” while “cursing in front of patrons and young children,” according to a law enforcement report to which PIX11 News obtained access.
She was reportedly given a summons for disorderly conduct. What makes this story somewhat more interesting is that Sanders has a history of problems in airports. Last May she published a series of tweets describing having the police called after American Airlines officials said they felt threatened by her. Essence magazine wrote a story about the incident at the time titled “Flying While Black: American Airlines Called The Cops On Symone Sanders For Trying To Check In Luggage.”
The tweets themselves made clear Sanders didn’t have the police called on her for trying to check her luggage. She had the police called because she yelled at the gate agent:
https://twitter.com/SymoneDSanders/status/863288009126330368
https://twitter.com/SymoneDSanders/status/863288332075151361
But Sanders felt her yelling was no worse than other people yelling and therefore shouldn’t have been a big problem:
https://twitter.com/SymoneDSanders/status/863306037754867712
I wasn’t there so I don’t know if Sanders’ yelling was louder or more frightening than the other man she claims was also yelling at customer service. I also don’t really understand how the last minute ticket pricing is supposed to work. Do frequent fliers get discounts normally or do they pay the same high prices as everyone else when they buy last minute? Was American actually treating her unfairly here or was she just being demanding?
I’m willing to stipulate there’s a lot that isn’t clear about this previous situation, but generally speaking, I don’t think groaning and yelling at customer service like you’re Steve Martin in “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” is great behavior, even if they’re being unreasonable. I mean, maybe the customer service agent was just tired of being yelled at that day.
As for the current incident, there could be more to this story that hasn’t come out yet. So far it doesn’t appear Sanders herself has spoken about it. But if the report is accurate, this is the second time in less than a year Sanders has lost it in an airport. Cursing people out in a line, especially in front of children, seems pretty unhinged.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member