Tallahassee Protest Against Government Shutdown

In Tallahassee, seniors and students gathered to protest the federal government shutdown. The protesters demand that GOP Rep. Steve Southerland vote to end the shutdown with s clean CR bill.

Update on Christina West Police Brutality Investigation

There has been political fallout from the shocking video of Christina West's DUI arrest. Tallahassee Police Chief Dennis Jones had resigned.

Tallahassee Police Chief Dennis Jones announced his retirement Friday in the wake of a controversial DUI arrest by TPD officers that came to light only this week.

The 60-year-old Jones’ retirement is effective Oct. 5.

Two TPD officers have been suspended with pay. An investigation is being conducted into the two officers handling of West's arrest. West suffered several facial injuries and a broken cheeck bone from the officers slamming her face into a police cruiser and the pavement.

Attorney Reggie Garcia points out why an independent investigation is needed. The TPD did not record West's arrest on the crime log for that night. The TPD had the vídeo for a month and did not launch an investigation until after there was national media attention. The TPD is in need of serious reform.

Police Officers Involved In Arrest of Christina West Suspended

WPTV reports that the two Tallahassee Police officers involved in the arrest of Christina West have been suspended with pay. West was injured by the two officers during a DUI arrest. Here is a picture of West after the arrest.

Here is police video of the arrest of West.

The arrest happened on August 10, 2013. The two officers are only being suspended after the arrest became national news. Another thing that makes the arrest suspicious is West's arrest wasn't recorded in the Tallahassee Police Department crime log. West's case number is is highlighted in the image below. No arrest is mentioned.

The Tallahassee Police Department is standing by the arrest procedures.

“We standby our practices that we have in place and we also stand by the procedures that we have in place,” police department spokesman David Northway told WCTV on Tuesday. “And if there is something that has gone awry in this investigation then the proper procedures will be followed and actions will be taken against those officers.”

State Attorney Willie Meggs believes excessive force during the arrest.

"It was a very disturbing video to me," said State Attorney Willie Meggs. “I didn’t see anything in the video that would cause me to believe that this woman needed anybody to use any type of force or restraint on her.”

It appears that the Tallahassee Police Department has been less than transparent and candid in the handling of the controversy surround West's arrest.

Members of Tallahassee Police Department Being Investigated For Police Brutality

This photo of Christina West after she was arrested for DUI. State Attorney Willie Meggs is investigating the police arrest of West.

State Attorney Willie Meggs called the footage “very disturbing.”

“I am extremely upset. This is a very disturbing situation to me, and I’m dealing with it.” Meggs told the Democrat.

Meggs also told WCTV that the video was “one of the most disturbing videos” he’s ever seen.

Meggs has already dropped some other charges police gave West. The DUI charge still stands. There does appear to be evidence that West lost control of her car and ran onto the property of a homeowner.

Here is a video news report WTXL.

According to the WTXL report, police kept pressure on her leg and twisted her arm. West can be heard screaming in pain. The orbital in West's face was broken; quite possibly from when police slammed her face first into the road or a police car. Video shows both instances happening. Other injuries include a bloody nose, a black eye, and cuts on her arms and legs.

Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox is concerned the city may face a lawsuit.

"The video was taken from the police car and shows the road side sobriety test as well as the arrest of the subject," Maddox wrote. "It also shows DISTURBING use of force against a completely non aggressive arrestee. It is my belief that the city of Tallahassee will soon face a liability lawsuit based on the content of the video."

West's attorney Fred Conrad does intend to sue.

“I was shocked to see this,” said her attorney, Fred Conrad of Tallahassee. “I would never have expected that out of my police department. By and large, most of my officers that I deal with at the Tallahassee Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office are all professional and good cops, folks that I would feel very comfortable with in the event that I needed them as a citizen. This was disturbing. I could not believe that I saw that happening in Tallahassee, Florida.”

Conrad said he intends to pursue compensation for West, though he didn’t explicitly say he would be filing a lawsuit.

“I can say I intend to pursue just compensation for Ms. West,” he said. “And I can say I intend to do it relentlessly. I intend to make the police department pay for this. This is wrong. And they need to pay for it.”

Officer Chris Ormerod failed to mention that West was slammed into a police car and onto the road in his A probable cause statement. TPD Chief Dennis Jones has opened an internal affairs investigation.

The extended video from the police video shows the incident started after West agreed to take a breathalyzer. West is clearly drunk during the sobriety tests. The police became frustrated after repeatedly asked about her children and her husband. West's husband was in a nearby nearby but refused to get involved. You can hear the cops in the video claim that West scratched and made physical contact with them. It does not appear in the video that the police officers were ever in physical dangers. It appears the two officers lost their tempers dealing with a very difficult and intoxicated woman.

Hate Crimes Awareness Day in Tallahassee

Equality Florida and Gay American Heroes went to Tallahassee, Florida on April 28, 2008 to stop bullying against LGBT people. The date was picked for the memory of Ryan Keith Skipper Skipper was an openly gay man that was brutally murdered. Skipper would have been 27.

I'm not crazy about the idea of making laws against teens to stop bullying. I doubt it is going to work. Kids can often be cruel to one another. They are developing emotionally and don't understand the consequences of their words. Schools should discourage xenophobic behavior. We should not throw kids in jail for name calling. I will note that I am not aware of what kind of legislation Equality Florida and Gay American Heroes are proposing.

That doesn't mean we ignore the thread of violent bullying. Eight Lakeland tennagers assaulted a female classmate and placed the video on Youtube. The girl knocked consciousness and suffered hearing and vision loss.

I back legislation against violent acts on gay and transgender people. Conservatives need to grow up and realize these people are targets for violence. Ofcourse, demonizing gay teens is a campaign strategy for Republicans. Ask Brian "Bubble Bee" Blair.

Martin Anderson Protest

NAACP member and college students took to the streets of Tallahassee to protest the Martin Anderson verdict. Tallahassee Mayor John Marks showed grace that Floridans aren't used to seeing from their elected officials He thanked the students for their civic involvement.

"You have a right, an obligation, to let people know how you feel," Marks said. "An affront to justice anywhere is an affront to justice everywhere."

Amen to that!

Tallahassee attorney Ben Crump is representing Anderson's family. He stated all Anderson's parents want is justice.

"We are not asking for an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth; we're asking for equal justice," said Tallahassee attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Anderson family.

Under the circumstances, justice isn't too much to ask for.