Posted on 12/15/2014 7:13:54 AM PST by SeekAndFind
It is unlikely that any of the protesters clogging the streets of New York, Washington, and other cities this weekend over alleged police abuse would sympathize with Nancy Genovese, but I do. The New York Post reports (hat tips: Instapundit, Breitbart and iOTW Report:
A Long Island mother of three arrested for taking pictures of an Air National Guard base in the Hamptons – while armed to the teeth with a licensed assault rifle in her car — has been awarded $1.12 million by a federal jury over her false prosecution by Suffolk County authorities.
As Breitbart noted, “armed to the teeth” in this case means in possession of one legal rifle. C’mon, NY Post! Cut it out.
Genovese was arrested while taking pictures outside an Air National Guard base:
Southhampton cops searched her and found a legally owned rifle that she was transporting from a nearby rifle range. She contends a deputy sheriff arrived on the scene later and said to her, “I bet you are one of those Tea Party people.” When Genovese said she’s gone to Tea Party rallies, he allegedly said, “You’re a real right-winger, aren’t you?” and “You are a ‘Teabagger’” and then added that she’d be arrested for terrorism to make an example of other “right wingers.”
Breitbart notes that she was jailed for four days until she could post $50,000 bail.
The court dismissed the charge in November 2009, but [her lawyer] Brewington claims she “was subjected to humiliation and was strip-searched” during her four days in prison.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
That’s awesome!
The situation that landed 58-year-old Nancy Genovese in jail for four days in 2010 was subject to quite a bit of interpretation on the part of her arresting officer.
The Long Island native might have been taking a picture of a decorative helicopter in the hopes of using it as a feature on a “Support our Troops” website after leaving a rifle range with her legally owned and registered weapon. Or she might have been taking surveillance photographs of the Gabreski Airport at the Westhampton Beach Air National Guard base with a deadly weapon in her car.
Guess which of these interpretations won the day?
Four years after her incarceration, Genovese has been awarded $1.2 million by a federal jury which determined that Suffolk County had been falsely prosecuted her. This undue arrest may have been forgivable but for Genovese’s claims that her arresting officer made it clear that he was discriminating against her for her political beliefs.
Southhampton cops searched her and found a legally owned rifle and shotgun that she was transporting from a nearby rifle range. She contends a deputy sheriff arrived on the scene later and said to her, “I bet you are one of those Tea Party people.” When Genovese said she’s gone to Tea Party rallies, he allegedly said, “You’re a real right-winger, aren’t you?” and “You are a ‘Teabagger’” and then added that she’d be arrested for terrorism to make an example of other “right wingers.”
“Ms. Genovese was subjected to a level of abuse because [authorities] did not share the same political views as she did and saw this as an excuse to deny her even the most basic civil rights,” her lawyer Frederick Brewington said.
It seems ludicrous today to profile a middle age woman as a terrorist conspirator, but this was a period in which the Democratic Party and their allies in the media were doing their best to suggest that the Tea Party was a potentially violent group of malcontents. That association culminated in the 2011 shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords by an unstable young man. Despite having no links to the Tea Party, the press and Democratic politicians spent weeks attempting to link Giffords’ shooter to Sarah Palin.
“One thing is clear, Palin, who has been at the center of so much of the political discourse and discussion the last two years, is right back in the center, you might even say the crosshairs, whether she wants to be there or not,” an ABC News report on the absurdly tenuous links between Giffords’ shooting and Palin read.
Many issuing this dubious claim made it clear that their goal was not to purify political discourse, but to shut their opponents up.
Protect and serve. Such a nice officer.
Thanks for posting. Good news is hard to come by these days.
Let’s make signs and burn stuff!
Two rifles and a couple of hundred rounds of ammunition constitutes an arsenal according the the MSM...
That $1.2 million came from the taxpayers.
It ought to have come from the democrat prosecutors and police, PERSONALLY. And if they couldn’t afford it, they ought to be thrown in prison.
These “public servants” have no skin in the game. And the game won’t change until they do.
I have a condo in NYC for when I have to be there.
My “arsenal” consists of 2 shotguns, 2 revolvers, both legal and registered. (In fact, I have the rarest of birds in NYC, a legal carry permit for a 7 shot revolver — the process of obtaining which cost me the better part of $7,000 in legal fees.)
Anyway, we got a “home visit” by the police inquiring if our weapons were secure, apparently due to buying a bulk order of 12g 00 buck (1,000 rounds).
Fearing the loss of my carry permit, I answered the door and told them I had a safe (true), but declined to let them in. I think answering the question “why so many” and me answering “it’s cheaper to buy in bulk” worked because I am Jewish.
Sad, but I will play to stereotypes if I have to.
And it will only get worse. Who in their right mind would want to be a cop these days.
dirty cops needs to be exposed
Story says nothing of officer’s discipline, if any.
Random acts of justice are always welcome, accidentally or not.
But it's food for thought that in a climate of Criminal law enforcement in an atmosphere of increasing unconstitutional laws it's not always successful.
One cannot avoid noticing the heavy spin found on Snopes. Disgraceful
The "Deputy Sherrif" position often seems to attract beer-gut nutjobs with storm trooper ambitions. Not real cops; not really.
I hope he doesn't receive a bonus this year.
in 1993, the suffolk county cops average pay was $45,000.00 a year!
dirty cops needs to be exposed
Story says nothing of officer’s discipline, if any.
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Actually Dirty cops need to be in jail.
Cop should know better to mess with anyone with the last name Genovese.
So it’s reported to the state how much ammo you buy?
In certain counties, apparently. Or the stores do it “voluntarily.”
I have to present my firearm owner card and can only buy ammo for weapons for which I have a permit, at least at the only gun store I can get to within reason.
Didn't seem to help Kitty.
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