Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Inmate abuse claims spill out in Tampa. Two more charges of mistreatment.

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010) Donate to DU
 
madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-21-08 01:49 AM
Original message
Inmate abuse claims spill out in Tampa. Two more charges of mistreatment.
This is really getting out of control. It is like an epidemic in Florida jail systems. Much of it has not been getting coverage. This is scary.

Hillsborough faces claims of two more cases of mistreatment by jail deputies.

TAMPA - It's in the black and white of the X-ray, an arm bone cracked just above the elbow.

Charlana Irving, a 28-year-old exotic dancer and waiter, says she suffered that broken bone at the hands of a detention deputy at the Orient Road Jail.

Irving, who has notified the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office of plans to sue, says that Detention Deputy Milton Fassett, 55, broke her arm inside a holding cell in the jail's booking area, where she was being held May 9 on charges of drunken driving and resisting an officer without violence. Hers is the third allegation in 10 days against detention deputies at the jail, a facility that booked 72,000 people last year.

First, Brian Sterner, a quadriplegic, claimed a deputy dumped him from his wheelchair. That deputy has since resigned.


Another incident is ongoing in addition to the wheelchair dumping.

An alleged beating, caught on videotape, isn't like the wheelchair dumping, officials contend.

TAMPA - Two videos splashed across television screens; two different reactions from law enforcement. Several times after a television station aired video that showed a deputy dump a quadriplegic man out of his wheelchair at the Orient Road Jail, several top officials at the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office continue to make public apologies.

"It was like a punch in the gut," said Maj. Jim Previtera, the agency's training division commander, on Tuesday. "You know, you put all your energy and your effort into training people and to putting a professional attitude into the deputies. It's very hard for me to put into words the disappointment."

When a second video surfaced, this time showing a detention deputy hitting a woman, the reaction was markedly different.

"I think it was just not put in the proper context," said Sheriff David Gee. "You have to read the deputy's report. It's easy to make judgments. We can all do that. The TV stations, they threw it out there without any context."


I guess context is everything. Right?

Video included at the link.



Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-21-08 01:52 AM
Response to Original message
1. Be sure to watch the video.
Quite shocking.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DeSwiss Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-21-08 02:19 AM
Response to Original message
2. This is what happens....
...when a President authorizes and sanctifies the use of torture.

- Next thing you know, the peons in the sheriff's departments all over the land want to get in on the act.

K&R!!!
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-21-08 10:52 AM
Response to Reply #2
3. That video shows a beating. Sheriff's officials see nothing wrong.
It is really scary to see this, and have them excuse it. There is nothing I can see that would cause a beating to happen. What have we become to excuse all this??

From the 2nd article:
Pourmoghani told reporters that, unprovoked, Deputy Shanna Marsh grabbed her by the hair and repeatedly punched her, bloodying her face. Pourmoghani said her injuries were so bad that she can no longer drive because of seizures.

An attempt to reach her attorney by phone Tuesday was unsuccessful. Moore's wife, Alice G. Moore, said her husband would not comment until he had reviewed the tape released by the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office.

That tape, which has no audio, showed Pourmoghani and the deputy talking. Then, Pourmoghani puts her leg up on a chair, and Marsh grabs her and pulls her to the floor. Pourmoghani appears to wrap her arms around the deputy's leg, and Marsh strikes her several times.

Sheriff's officials said they have reviewed the case three times and found no evidence of wrongdoing by the deputy. Her personnel file showed she received positive evaluations and no history of disciplinary action.


http://www.sptimes.com/2008/02/20/Hillsborough/Sheriff_backs_2nd_dep.shtml

This is scary.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
flvegan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-21-08 10:56 AM
Response to Original message
4. This is all they're talking about here in Tampa right now.
We've been hearing allegations like this for a long time, but it's never gotten this kind of coverage. I promise you, if not for that initial "one-two" punch of the wheelchair dumping and resignation, this wouldn't make Page 18 of the Metro section.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-21-08 11:11 AM
Response to Reply #4
5. How long has the video of the beating been out?
That shocked me as well.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
flvegan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-21-08 11:23 AM
Response to Reply #5
6. I don't know, but I first saw it a few days ago, and oddly enough
it was a mistake made by the nightly news that was attempting to show a "second video" of the wheelchair dumping officer. Obviously, it's not the same officer, but the videos ARE tied together in a way. IOW, the news has had the footage for at least a week but did nothing with it.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-21-08 11:27 AM
Response to Original message
7. Found a better and longer video from WFLA Tampa. Horrifying.
Yet jail officials are saying nothing is out of line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA6NmrHF-aI
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Tue May 07th 2024, 06:21 AM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010) Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC