In addition to
charges being dropped, the crowd was informed that Cpl. Brian Schnee resigned
two days ago. It was a small victory for
those still broken upon viewing the battered face of Nickerson after Schnee
decided to teach her a lesson about the power that comes with wearing a badge
and gun.
Nickerson was charged
with resisting an officer and assaulting a government official. Nickerson and her supporters claim the case
is about police brutality, and they demanded the dropping of all charges and
the firing of Schnee. The court ruling
seemingly put to rest the battle for justice, but the fight against the police
department has just begun.
The evidence against
Schnee supports the charge of police brutality.
In addition to the physical evidence are three 911 calls from witnesses
begging for assistance to stop a police officer from beating a female. “3rd caller: was arguing with PD
in background…caller adv officer schnee punched her fem friend. Stating he put
her friend on the ground and kept punching her in the face,” read the notes
from the 911 dispatcher. “Additional
caller stating pd punched her friend in the face…addl call – anonymous –
stating pd are attacking a woman…others are trying to restrain him in middle…male
attacked a woman.”
Nickerson’s battered
face, the witnesses, 911 calls and video evidence were enough to convince the
judge to put an end to the madness.
Schnee’s departure may have been a forced resignation. What follows is uncertain, but the case is
still under investigation.
“No is the word we
learned to say when we refused our frozen peas,” Nia Wilson, executive director
of SpiritHouse told those standing in the cold to protest Nickerson’s arrest. “We
are taught by our teachers and parents rules, rights and laws that apply to
everyone. As we grow older we learn if
you are poor, black, female or from the wrong neighborhood you live by a
different set of rules.”
“This is more than a
seemingly isolated incident,” says Roland Staton, first vice president of the
Durham Branch of the NAACP. Staton gave status the expose the disparity of
arrest and charges based on race in Durham County.
The beating of
Nickerson will not go away. Is it more
than an isolated incident? That’s the
claim Police Chief Jose Lopez made after three of his police officers were arrested
and charged with breaking and entering, assault and false imprisonment for
pushing their way into a home in Northern Durham. That incident was the most recent in a series
of events that raise questions related to a culture of abuse within the Durham
Police Department.
Protester waved at
the family of Carlos Riley, Jr. as they made their way to court. Riley is in
jail with a $1.5 million bond involving nine charges, including shooting a
police officer. Riley and his supporters
claim the officer shot himself.
“Charges of abuse
among members of the police department has dramatically increased over the past
year,” Staton told the crowd.
“Someone has offended
one of our women and we take that seriously,” says Minister Curtis Gatewood, 2nd
vice president for the North Carolina NAACP. “You don’t come into our community
and openly put your hands on one of our women.
Not gonna tolerate an attack on our women on the West End, or the East
End. Not on the North or South side of town.
We won’t sit back as our women are being attacked.”
That’s what separates
Nickerson’s case from the rest. You can’t
beat women and call it justice. Those
who are called to protect and defend women from the abuse of men can’t be
caught doing the very thing others have fought to end. You can’t place bruises on the face of women
and justify it as a police strategy. You
can’t punch a woman in the face!
The charges have been
dropped. There are other pending cases
that deserve public attention, but this isn’t over. The resignation doesn’t end the fight for
justice. Dropping the charges won’t undo
what Schnee’s fists painted on Nickerson’s face.
“Chief Lopez thinks
he’s not accountable to the community,” Wilson says. “He refuses to speak and
answer question raised by those in the community. We won’t stop until we get answers.”
Nickerson won’t face
charges. Schnee no longer works for the
police department, but this is not over.
You can’t hit a woman
in her face. I learned that lesson before I said no to my peas.
When will Lopez be replaced???? He needs to go!!! I have watched crime soar out of control under his watch!!! And the Police Officers seem to be growing lots of bad apples!!!
ReplyDeleteReferring back to your first blog post on this subject (http://rev-elution.blogspot.com/2012/12/durham-police-department-has-public.html) and the discussion that followed:
ReplyDeleteNow the investigation of this incident has finished and more is known. First, the police were NOT authorized to search the apartment premises because it was a noise warrant, not a domestic disturbance indicating someone was in trouble. Second, that makes Nickerson correct in that the officers did not have the right to forece their way into the premises. As a result, Nickerson is not charged with resisting. Third, police officer Schnee overreacted to her obstruction and has been forced off of the police force due to his actions. And, no, Mr. Matherly, the police didn't try to cover any of this up. A bad apple has been expunged.
Now that the facts are known, Nickerson will be free to sue Schnee for damages as well as file an assault complaint against Schnee. Justice has and will be served.
As for Curtis Gatewood's statement, " “You don’t come into our community and openly put your hands on one of our women. Not gonna tolerate an attack on our women on the West End, or the East End. Not on the North or South side of town. We won’t sit back as our women are being attacked.” I sincerly hope he is working on ending domestic violence in these communities. There are far more attacks on our women by husbands, boyfriends, and acquaintances than by the police.