Posted on 10/13/2005 3:00:39 PM PDT by freepatriot32
MANATEE - Getting shoved around, handcuffed, manhandled and witnessing a police beating - these are the memories two young hurricane relief workers from Manatee County say they took away from Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Saturday night.
After about a month of volunteer work in areas hit hard by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Manatee County residents Calvin Briles and Mike Monaghan decided to take it easy in the Big Easy for an evening.
The two men, program consultants for the Volunteer Center of Manatee County, had spent the day buying chain saws and delivering them to volunteer reception centers to aid in rebuilding what Katrina destroyed. Afterward they went out to dinner and had a couple of drinks on Bourbon Street on Oct. 8.
While strolling along the strip, Briles and Monaghan noticed a scuffle.
Briles said they saw New Orleans police officers punching, kicking and kneeing a man to the ground and another official shoving an Associated Press Television News producer who was taping the beating. On Monday, two police officers accused in the beating of Robert Davis, 64, and a third accused of grabbing and shoving the AP journalist pleaded not guilty to battery, according to The AP.
"We couldn't believe it," said Briles, a 21-year-old University of South Florida student and self-described humanitarian from Palmetto. "We saw the man being beat and the cameraman pushed. . . . It was just a bad situation."
Briles and Monaghan were not bystanders for long.
When law enforcement officials tried to clear spectators out of the area, Briles said, "I want to tell somebody about this."
He said that's when a man wearing a U.S. Customs vest grabbed him, threw him against a dark blue Chevy Impala, pressed his head against the hood and told him, "It's none of your business."
"I was just manhandled like I've never been before," Briles said, adding that another unidentified official also pushed him around. "They wouldn't let me say anything."
Monaghan, a 22-year-old USF student and Bradenton native, said he was shocked when he saw his friend thrown against the Chevy.
Monaghan and Briles - both former presidents of ManaTeens, a youth program of the Volunteer Center of Manatee County - have known each other since sixth grade.
"I was scared to death - didn't know what really to do," Monaghan said. "I wanted to make sure they weren't going to punch and hurt Calvin."
Monaghan said he saw Briles' cell phone hit the ground as he was pressed against the car and handcuffed.
Monaghan said when he bent over to pick up the phone, a police horse "nudged" his head with its snout and an unidentified official grabbed him from behind and asked him why he hit the horse.
He said he hadn't hit the horse but that the official handcuffed him, kicked his legs open and searched his pockets.
"I knew what was happening was all a bunch of bull," Monaghan said.
He said he was let go shortly after, but Briles remained face down on the pavement.
Briles said officials listed a handful of charges he would face, including impeding a federal investigation. Still, no one read him his rights, he said.
After checking into Briles' record, the officials let him go. Briles said they told him things would have gone less smoothly if he had a criminal history.
"Had I been someone convicted of a felony in the past," Briles said. "It would have been the criminal's word against his."
"We felt violated," Briles added.
The two reported the incident to the FBI and to U.S. Customs officials Sunday morning.
And, said Monaghan, they have no plans to return to New Orleans unless they are duty-bound.
"We enjoy helping people," said Monaghan, who dropped two classes this semester at USF so he could volunteer with post-Katrina efforts. "But it's very hard to fathom what happened to us Saturday night. . . . We were trying to have an enjoyable night, but our enjoyable night turned out to be crap."
Erica Rodriguez, Herald reporter, can be reached at erodriguez@HeraldToday.com or at 745-7095.
You need to read a little history about the New Orleans Police department. It has been know for its corruption for generations.
It was so bad a century ago that the citizens had to form vigilante committees to establisher some order in the city. More recently, two NO cops earned their way on to Louisiana's death row. In one of those murders, the FBI knew of the plans from wire taps, but let the killing go forward because they were trying to gather evidence for a drug prosecution. They only intervened when the cop wanted to take out some Feds as well.
There are some good cops in this country, but probably not in New Orleans.
New Orlean's is a sad; bad. . .city. . .
Oh boy, a fresh thread!
These two witnesses sound like they're from France. Come on, "we were manhandled," gimmie a break.
Heck, I bet there are worse frat initiations at their college.
Is this the best they can do?
"I was scared to death", "I wanted to make sure they weren't going to punch and hurt Calvin" (translation: they probably interfered with the arrest and got read the riot act) "I was just manhandled like I've never been before" "I want to tell somebody about this"
here's the best one: "We felt violated" and "our enjoyable night turned out to be crap"
Sheesh.
Well if you don't think being cuffed and held to the ground is an infringement of your rights, you have a something of a problem. I think that consitutes 'manhandling' - since the term 'manhandling' means something more than having someone just look at you, and something less than having the living sh*t kicked out of you. Glad you ain't a cop.
Well if you don't think being cuffed and held to the ground is an infringement of your rights, you have a something of a problem. I think that consitutes 'manhandling' - since the term 'manhandling' means something more than having someone just look at you, and something less than having the living sh*t kicked out of you. Glad you ain't a cop.
Few bad cops in NO???? You kiddin us???
Is anybody else's gaydar going off?
The most disturbing thing of all is that it seems two FBI agents were in on the beating of the retired schoolteacher.
Oh well if your gaydar is going off that means the two men deserved to be attacked by the NOPD.
"A FEW cops DO NOT represent the hundreds of others that are doing their job."
I personally think there is NO room for the slightest misstep by police in this country. Police should be held to the highest of standards, period. I can't imagine being in this person's shoes... you are absolutely powerless to do anything to help yourself when dealing with this type of corrupt power. Stand there and take it is the absolute best you can do -- there is no one else to call.
"Glad you ain't a cop"
SURPRISE!!!!
Geez, pretty soon cops won't be able to arrest or touch anybody.
When I first got on our police dept. and this New Orleans thing happened, you would have seen each of those cops pull out a black jack and start a drumbeat on that guys head.
Ah, for the good old days of police work.
What does their being gay or not have to do with being manhandled by LE. You were able to skip passed the story in order to find their sexual habits. Geez
Don't know about the gaydar but they are certainly products of liberal America. Probably had to take "time outs" when they were kids, punishment included not being able to play X-Box today. Probably have never done a day of real hard work.
Probably 'veggans' or whatever they call themselves.
Commie tree huggin' liberals I tell ya.
I hope you can tell by the responses that the police no longer get the respect they once had. It must be earned. I don't believe NO is an exception.
I feel like I stumbled onto DU..... some kind of computer time warp
I knew I would be misunderstood when I posted--should have clarified. What happened to these men was absolutely criminal. Gay, straight or any combination thereof, nobody deserves to be treated like that.
I was simply commenting on their style of telling the story--I just got the impression that they were a bit more than friends. Sorry for not being more clear about that.
Sometimes it's best to think before you post.....LOL...don't worry, we have all put our foot in our mouth and wished we hadn't posted at all.
I admire that woman more than you can imagine.
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.