Posted on 12/18/2008 8:47:12 PM PST by Daffynition
It was a little before 8 at night when the breaker went out at Emily Milburn's home in Galveston. She was busy preparing her children for school the next day, so she asked her 12-year-old daughter, Dymond, to pop outside and turn the switch back on.
As Dymond headed toward the breaker, a blue van drove up and three men jumped out rushing toward her. One of them grabbed her saying, "You're a prostitute. You're coming with me."
Dymond grabbed onto a tree and started screaming, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy." One of the men covered her mouth. Two of the men beat her about the face and throat.
As it turned out, the three men were plain-clothed Galveston police officers who had been called to the area regarding three white prostitutes soliciting a white man and a black drug dealer.
All this is according to a lawsuit filed in Galveston federal court by Milburn against the officers. The lawsuit alleges that the officers thought Dymond, an African-American, was a hooker due to the "tight shorts" she was wearing, despite not fitting the racial description of any of the female suspects. The police went to the wrong house, two blocks away from the area of the reported illegal activity, Milburn's attorney, Anthony Griffin, tells Hair Balls.
After the incident, Dymond was hospitalized and suffered black eyes as well as throat and ear drum injuries.
Three weeks later, according to the lawsuit, police went to Dymond's school, where she was an honor student, and arrested her for assaulting a public servant. Griffin says the allegations stem from when Dymond fought back against the three men who were trying to take her from her home. The case went to trial, but the judge declared it a mistrial on the first day, says Griffin. The new trial is set for February.
"I think we'll be okay," says Griffin. "I don't think a jury will find a 12-year-old girl guilty who's just sitting outside her house. Any 12-year-old attacked by three men and told that she's a prostitute is going to scream and yell for Daddy and hit back and do whatever she can. She's scared to death."
Since the incident more than two years ago, Dymond regularly suffers nightmares in which police officers are raping and beating her and cutting off her fingers, according to the lawsuit. Griffin says he expects to enter mediation with the officers in early 2009 to resolve the lawsuit.
We've got calls in to the officers' lawyer; we'll let you know if we hear something.
Update: This is from the officers' lawyer, William Helfand:
Both the daughter and the father were arrested for assaulting a peace officer. "The father basically attacked police officers as they were trying to take the daughter into custody after she ran off."
Also, "The city has investigated the matter and found that the conduct of the police officers was appropriate under the circumstances," Helfand says. "It's unfortunate that sometimes police officers have to use force against people who are using force against them. And the evidence will show that both these folks violated the law and forcefully resisted arrest."
You’re right, I’m trying to write something, but I’m without words here.
Vigilantism is going to become commonplace in America.
“tells Hair Balls”
No one is really named Hair Balls are they? What kind of parent names a kid that?. And why would you not change your name?
Satire ping
Yeah, I’d like to see the ever vigilent police boosters defend this garbage.
They are lucky this did not happen at my house. If I saw three men trying to abduct my 12 y/o daughter, there would be lead flying. I don’t think I’ll wait until she is missing to inquire who the gentlemen are and what their intentions are for my daughter.
So the police try to abduct and abuse a young girl outside her own home to flip a switch, and her father and she are charged? What a total crock. They might be pressing charges to avoid paying damages in civil court.
“Also, “The city has investigated the matter and found that the conduct of the police officers was appropriate under the circumstances,” Helfand says. “It’s unfortunate that sometimes police officers have to use force against people who are using force against them. And the evidence will show that both these folks violated the law and forcefully resisted arrest.” “
You know, this would sound a lot less like bullshit if the cops hadn’t been accosting an innocent 12-year-old girl.
seriously?...is this serious?...How could these guys be so stupid to be a couple blocks off on the house. Then they put this girl thru a trial...stunned beyond belief here.
There’s got to be more to the story. The Houston Press is not the most trustworthy news source.
It’s the name of the blog, as in “look at what the cat just coughed up”
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, The paper, a part of the Village Voice Media group...snip...is supported entirely by advertising revenue and is free to readers.
[The Press has a readership of approximately 300,000]
The Press launched four blogs from 2006 to 2008: the news blog Hair Balls, the music blog Rocks Off, the sports blog Ballz, and the food/dining blog Eating Our Words.
So if three men jump out of a van on my block to assault a twelve year old girl in front of me, and I shoot them dead, where does that leave me ... hero or villain?
“How could these guys be so stupid to be a couple blocks off on the house.”
I had a cop knock (really loud) on my door a while back; he was looking for someone and was a street off.
He was very polite and apologized when he found out he was at the wrong house.
I bet he would have crapped himself if he knew what I had in the hand I kept out of sight behind the door.
Anthony Griffin is an ACLU/civil rights lawyer. Houston Press is only giving his side of the story. (Not that the cops might not have made a mistake or done something wrong, but this guy is bad news.)
sounds like he approached the house in the proper way and should be commended for that effort!
Ditto. If "officer safety" is now the overwhelming priority for LEOs they should think very carefully about accuracy of the information they use and the tactics they use to accost citizens.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.