The attorney for Quantavious Eason, the Black Mississippi child who was arrested for urinating in public, has announced that the family is refusing to sign the probation agreement.
Eason, 10, was granted a three-month probation with required check-ins and ordered to write a two-page assignment about legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant earlier this month.
His mother, Latonya, was going to sign it at first but decided against it after reading the full terms, according to The Associated Press. A part of the agreement was an 8 p.m. curfew that would start around the holidays.
“Attorney Carlos Moore has expressed his concern that the terms of the probation, including the requirement for the child to draft a two-page book report on the late NBA star Kobe Bryant, are unjust and inappropriate for a child of such a young age,” the attorney said in a statement to Atlanta Black Star. “The decision to refuse the probation agreement stems from Attorney Moore’s belief that the 10-year-old is being treated unfairly and in a manner more suited to a criminal rather than a child.”
In August, Eason was taken into custody by Senatobia, Mississippi, police officers for urinating behind his mother’s car as he waited in the parking lot for her while she visited her lawyer’s office.
Following the incident, Police Chief Richard Chandler said one of the officers was no longer employed at the department due to the controversial arrest. The others were disciplined and expected to attend their annual mandatory juvenile training. The entire ordeal has reshaped Eason’s perspective of law enforcement.
Moore has repeated that he believes Eason is being treated differently because of his race. He told the AP he thought the agreement would be made for a juvenile, but it had the same conditions that would be given to an adult offender.
Per the AP, he also would have to undergo a drug test based on the preference of the probation officer and be barred from using firearms.
“We cannot in good conscience accept a probation agreement that treats a 10-year-old child as a criminal,” he added. “The terms proposed are not in the best interest of our client, and we will take all necessary steps to challenge them.”
Moore’s law firm plans to pursue legal action, including filing a motion to dismiss the case and request a trial.
