The acquittal of two Cleveland police officers, Adonna Perez and Lyndsey Bissell, by Muny Court Judge Marilyn Cassidy on charges they roughed up a handcuffed woman should be the end of this case… but then again, it just might not be. The Fat Lady could be tuning up her pipes to sing an aria widely known as a “Civil Rights Violation.”
Rest assured, in light of the plethora of other incidents of brutality involving Cleveland officers, the Feds are carefully reviewing the video of the incident, and will not hesitate to file federal charges if they are deemed appropriate. This is the pickle Cleveland’s Police Department finds itself in due to the years of blowing off all brutality complaints: virtually everything an officer does, virtually every complaint — justified or not — is going to come under close federal scrutiny for a long time to come… which is probably a good thing.
Unlike the Edward Henderson case, where four officers are accused of viciously brutalizing a suspect once he was in custody and under control (an accusation attorneys for Henderson say will clearly be supported by the video of that incident), the case of Lejerrica Welch is not as clear-cut. City prosecutors were definitely right to indict the officers and let the Court render a decision on the merits of the case… something that might not have happened before the Feds started investigating how policing is done in Cleveland. Bringing this case forward was a CYA move by the City — Cover Your Ass.
And, given the fact this wasn’t Ms. Welch’s first rodeo, Judge Cassidy’s decision — in spite of the fact the handcuffed woman was body-slammed to the floor — isn’t all that egregious. No doubt the fact these two officers seemingly don’t have a history of physical contact with suspects probably bode well in their favor also.
It could reasonably be said that a drunk broad and brawler simply “got what her hand called for.” Let’s face facts… you’ve got to be cutting up real bad to get thrown out of a nightclub in the Flats. Joints down there are usually trying to pull drunks in, not throw them out.
Allegedly, Welch has a reputation for being a nasty, mean drunk, and when someone gets their jollies by getting hammered and then becoming a shit-starter, they really should learn to just take their lumps and dust themselves off; it goes with the territory. If she wants the reputation of being a “bad bitch” then filing charges should never enter into her liquor-besotted little mind.
There’s a real danger, given the heightened level of scrutiny Cleveland officers will no doubt be under from the Feds, some clowns will attempt to take advantage of the situation and try to get away with behavior they otherwise would not engage in. Indeed, some jerks simply love confrontations with police officers… I guess they’re trying to prove how tough they are.
A word to the wise: federal scrutiny aside, no police officer, man or woman, is going to allow some cluck — drunk or sober — to get too far out of pocket… before they step off in their ass. And the Courts, in most cases, will (and should) back officers up… just as they should drop the hammer on officers when they are clearly wrong.
In the case at hand the Judge obviously felt the facts just didn’t bear that allegation out, and we should all be cool with that. We should also hope this decision doesn’t lead police officers to feel they can get away with just about anything… those days, hopefully, are in the past here in Cleveland.
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://www.neighborhoodsolutionsinc.com.
One Response to “MANSFIELD: Will the Fat Lady Sing?”
Art McKoy
If there is one thing Brother Art knows, it is perceived injustice! Just let me know when the cameras are rollin’ and I’ll show up with my bull horn. Thanks for the leg work, my apprentice… keep stirrin’ that pot!