05/09/2007
Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Equality Florida's Nadine Smith
Charges have been dropped against Nadine Smith, the executive director of Equality Florida, who was brutally arrested after distributing "Don't Discriminate" flyers at a hearing for fired Largo City Manager Steve Stanton. Stanton was fired in February after disclosing that he was to undergo a sex change operation. Smith was charged with a felony for resisting arrest with violence and a misdemeanor of disturbing other assemblies.
The State Attorney's office released this statement regarding Nadine Smith: "The state attorney, having taken testimony under oath at a state attorney investigation, concludes that the facts and circumstances revealed do not warrant prosecution at this time."
Said Smith, in part: "When the charges are dropped the victim is supposed to be so bathed in relief and eager to put a painful chapter behind them that there are no consequences for the officer who has abused his authority. So let me say now that I believe this was an ugly act intended to intimidate people exercising our first amendment rights by an officer who disagreed with our message. How else to explain the rage and the violence of the arrest. Within moments of handing a piece of paper with the words "Don't Discriminate" to a person who asked me for it, I was grabbed, my wrists and arms twisted to near breaking behind my back. I was shoved down a hallway, banged against a wall and slammed to the ground. I believe the people at the hearing who followed the police as they took me away and the photographer who snapped a picture of four officers kneeling on me as I was pinned to the ground may have saved me from greater harm."
Smith's full statement after the jump...
STATEMENT FROM NADINE SMITH
"Until now, at the guidance of my attorney I have declined to speak out about my arrest, the brutal treatment by Largo police and the utterly false statements included in the police reports. I have certainly wanted to talk. It is very difficult to remain silent in the face of injustice, and now that these outrageous charges have been dropped, I think it is very important to speak.
But first I want to express the extraordinary gratitude I feel to the people throughout this community, this state and across the country who have written letters of support and sent words of encouragement. I am thankful to the ACLU for providing legal counsel and to the many witnesses who stepped forward to describe the violent actions of the Largo police and refute their fabricated justification for the arrest.
I know that others who have been wrongly arrested under similar circumstances and treated even more brutally do not always have access to dedicated attorneys or the broad support of a community rallying behind them.
Friends in law enforcement tell me this happens all the time. An officer loses his temper, begins an unjustified arrest and then adds a false 'resisting with violence' felony charge to cover their actions. The costs to the individual treated this way are outrageous: physical injury, emotional distress, a public assault on their character, the possibility of being sentenced to 5 years in prison, loss of their right to vote, and exorbitant costs for legal representation. Without the ACLU, I would have mortgaged my home to pay the cost of fighting these charges all the way.
When the charges are dropped the victim is supposed to be so bathed in relief and eager to put a painful chapter behind them that there are no consequences for the officer who has abused his authority.
So let me say now that I believe this was an ugly act intended to intimidate people exercising our first amendment rights by an officer who disagreed with our message. How else to explain the rage and the violence of the arrest. Within moments of handing a piece of paper with the words "Don't Discriminate" to a person who asked me for it, I was grabbed, my wrists and arms twisted to near breaking behind my back. I was shoved down a hallway, banged against a wall and slammed to the ground.
I believe the people at the hearing who followed the police as they took me away and the photographer who snapped a picture of four officers kneeling on me as I was pinned to the ground may have saved me from greater harm.
I am proud that Equality Florida members and community supporters did not bow to intimidation nor respond in kind to the ugliness shown by Largo police at the first meeting. We showed up in even greater numbers at the second hearing and held firm to a commitment to non-violent social change and to speaking up when discrimination and bigotry show themselves in our midst.
I attended and spoke at that second hearing and the atmosphere was different. The officer who arrested me and the others who slammed me around were nowhere to be seen. In their place were fire marshals and police officers who dealt respectfully with those gathered.
The rules where posted at every doorway and when a student was asked not to hold a sign in the council chambers and asked "Why?" an officer briefly explained the policy.
I do not expect police to be perfect, unfailingly polite or without emotion. I know there are dangers and tough judgment calls law enforcement officers face constantly. But when you wear a badge and carry a gun and have the power to use physical force and to take away an individuals freedom, you must be held to a standard that does not allow that extraordinary power to become license to abuse. You may not use that authority to silence dissent or to bully those whose opinions are not your own.
At moments like these police departments habitually close ranks and blindly back an officer no matter how wrong. But there is another way. Los Angeles police appear to be dealing seriously with the apparent misconduct caught on video of officers beating and taunting peaceful demonstrators.
Largo police should throw out the cliched responses. They owe the community the level of professionalism they displayed during the second hearing, not the arrogance and brutality shown at the first one. A public apology is a good way to start."
END OF STATEMENT
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Posted 1:30 PM EST by Andy in Crime, Florida, Law Enforcement, News, Transgender | Permalink
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I hope this puts all police officers on notice. I'm already armed with my digital movie camera every single day. Especially with what I have on film since the RNC here in New York City. I hope Ms. Smith sues the holster's off this police department.
Posted by: Vince | May 9, 2007 2:44:34 PM
It might sound like something from satire, but the name of the cop who busted her really is, "Sgt. Butch Ward." Despite the state attorney's finding, the department still thinks Butch was in the right according to their spokesperson, the same one who said that flyers were dangerous because people could slip on them or they could catch fire. But then this is Largo which, months after giving him a performance-approving raise, fired their City Manager simply because he admitted to being transgendered. I hope "she," too, will sue.
Posted by: Leland | May 9, 2007 2:54:54 PM
I seriously hope she sues and starts a nice precedent to any redneck cops out there who grab first and piss on the constitution second.
Posted by: Louie | May 10, 2007 3:25:28 AM
I seriously hope she sues and starts a nice precedent to any redneck cops out there who grab first and piss on the constitution second.
Posted by: Louie | May 10, 2007 3:28:34 AM
Nadine ROCKS! I am honored to say that she is a personal friend of mine. What was done to her was totally inexcusable.
My family and members of my church (including the family of the kid being bullied at a local school, that I talked about in another thread) attended the second hearing, where I read a proclamation from our church supporting Steve Stanton and calling for the commissioners to change their minds. Alas it wasn't to be.
We in Florida are SO BLESSED to have Nadine Smith at the helm of Equality Florida!
Posted by: Zeke | May 10, 2007 1:17:15 PM
Hit them in their $$$$POCKET$$$ books! That is the only way this bs can be stopped, or at least curtailed a bit.
Please Ms. Smith, file a lawsuit!
Posted by: FunMe | May 10, 2007 2:43:44 PM
Who the hell is she and what's the big deal?.
I hope she dosen't think she represents in in anything.
Can you give us more information, Who, What, Where and how.....
Posted by: Dr. Pat | May 11, 2007 6:17:02 AM
Dr. Pat, are you trying to look foolish or does it just come natural?
How can you say "I hope she dosen't [sic] think she represents in [sic] in anything" AND THEN ask for "more information, Who, What, Where and how..."
Shouldn't you get these questions answered BEFORE proclaiming that you hope she doesn't represent us in anything?
And, by the way, if you are going to claim to be a Dr. the LEAST you could do is learn to spell or use spell check.
I suspect you are neither a Dr. nor a person who genuinely cares anything about who, what, where or how.
I suspect you are a troll with too much time on your hands.
Posted by: Zeke | May 11, 2007 1:42:43 PM
Zeke,
Thanks for the personal attack. It is clear to me that you have missed the entire question. I wanted to know who and what happened. It is a news story and I want to know what really happened. She passed a note and.......Before you jump the gun as it happens all to often in the gay community. Was the hearing in a court house,
where you can not in Canada hand out flyers of any kind. Give the question some thought. Don't forget that the site goes around the world and people are reading the postings.
Give an inch.
Posted by: Dr. Pat | May 14, 2007 7:28:24 AM