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Politics : Evolution -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: longnshort who wrote (10262)	11/28/2010 11:13:22 AM
From: average joe	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 69300

'I’ve learned my rights,' says victim stripped by Ottawa police youtube.com By Gary Dimmock, Ottawa Citizen November 28, 2010 7:02 AM Stacy Bonds is the subject of story that due to her mistreatment by a number of Ottawa police officers has prompted a judge to condemn them as "malicious" for subjecting a female prisoner to "an act of indignity to a human being" for an illegal strip search. OTTAWA — Stacy Bonds still cringes every time she sees a police cruiser. It’s been two years since she was arrested, manhandled and stripped of her shirt and bra by Ottawa police officers. One officer even pulled the woman’s hair, though the 27-year-old was in handcuffs and not resisting. Special constable Melanie Morris then kneed her in the leg and lower back moments before Sgt. Steve Desjourdy used a pair of scissors to cut her clothes off while other male officers pinned her to the floor in the cellblock, where some of the 89 security cameras captured the scenes a judge branded an “indignity.” The judge also said Bonds showed no hint of aggression or violence. Police Chief Vern White called the case appalling. Still, after her ordeal, Bonds said she doesn’t want to think she was wrongfully arrested and mistreated just because she’s a young black woman. “I hope and pray it’s not a racial thing. I don’t want to make it into a big black-white issue. I think it’s more of an issue of questioning authority and I’d like to tell people don’t be afraid to ask police questions. It’s your right. I’ve learned my rights and I think everyone should learn their rights and make sure they’re not stepped on,” Bonds told the Ottawa Citizen on Saturday. Bonds, a theatrical makeup artist with no criminal record, was stopped by police in September 2008 while walking home from an after-hours party following a live musical performance downtown. The police officers ran her name through the system. When nothing came up they told her to go home. When she asked why she had been stopped in the first place, police arrested her and took her to police headquarters, where she was put in a jail cell where she remained topless and in soiled pants for three hours and 15 minutes before being given a jailhouse jumpsuit. “The whole thing has shaken my confidence in a lot of things. I have a loss of words. It’s hard to describe what happened. And every time I try to get a grasp on the story, it flies out of my hands. It’s everywhere. “I’m uncomfortable being in the spotlight. I’m more of a backstage person. After all of this, I’m trying to figure out who I am and trying to figure out my way in life. I don’t know who I am anymore,” said Bonds. “People do need to know that police do abuse their power, and people need to speak out. But there are a lot of great cops out there, too, and people need to know that. But it only takes one bad apple to make the whole orchard look sour,” she said. “I didn’t set out to be the public’s voice on any of this . . . This case has blown up and it’s everywhere and every time I try to grasp it, it flies out of my hands.” Bonds said Saturday that she believes the police chief is sincere when he says that what happened to her will not be tolerated. “I recognize that confidence in our police service has been shaken,” White said. “The video that has been viewed is shocking. We cannot change what has happened, but I personally guarantee that we will restore the public’s confidence and hold our members to account.” Justice Richard Lajoie, having reviewed the tape, said he didn’t want to play any part in the “travesty” so he threw out the case against Bonds, who had been charged with assaulting police. The judge also said Bonds was arrested unlawfully. He also condemned the officers for the way they treated Bonds once she was in the police booking room. The case against Bonds was prosecuted by Matt Humphreys, who declined to comment on the case that has rattled people across the country. The officers who handled Bonds are now being probed by the province’s Special Investigations Unit for alleged sexual assault. Once that ends, an internal probe will resume. The internal probe was launched personally by White, who called the tape “shocking” twice in the last 11 days. Lajoie ruled: “It is quite evident that none of these officers have received gender training, and that they do give only lip service to female dignity and privacy.” ottawacitizen.com