Justice For Titasheen Mitchell
This is not a story on racism- though the local media has attempted to portray it as issue of rasism- it is merely the story of a troubled, aggressive police officer mishandling an already volatile situation. Based on news reports and first hand witness accounts, here is that story.
On March 21st, 2006 Titasheen Mitchell was in her mother's store when an altercation broke out in a nearby business.
At some point, a police officer (Officer Gugliotti) entered the store ostensibly looking for two of the alleged melee participants that had been seen entering the store. Once inside, the officer in a rude and brusque manner began addressing one of the young ladies.
Concerned with the negative image that this represented coupled with the effects that the aggressive officer's mannerisms were having on her nearby sibling, Titasheen Mitchell politely asked the officer if he could please lower his voice. Apparently this reasoned question from a 14 year old girl displeased the officer.
The officer then continued to exhibit behavior unbecoming of an officer of the law and was once more politely asked to lower his voice; the response was indirectly disproportionate to the manner with which the request had been made.
The officer proceeded to ask in a surly and exasperated manner, "What?!" The question seemed to have been asked in a tone of incredible disbelief cloaked in a fit of rage. It appeared that there was an air of disbelief from the officer that a 14 year old girl would deign to ask him if he could please lower his voice.
At this point, the enraged officer grabbed Titasheen Mitchell by the collars of her jacket, lifted her off the ground and headed towards the front door without a single explanation as to why. Concerned for her safety and without having an explanation from the officer as to why she was being manhandled by the 5'10" inch 285lb police officer, the 5'2" 115lb 14 year old girl resisted her brutal treatment. She did not resist with force, she resisted with the words, "Put me down! Put me down! Put me down!"
Once she had been carried to a patrol car, another officer had said to her, "Don't resist arrest." To which she did the following; she put her hands behind her back and said, "Ok, arrest me then." The officer then proceeded to arrest Ms. Mitchell but omitted to read her Miranda Rights.
Once at the station, Titasheen's mother, Marcia Mitchell-Davis, demanded that her daughter receive immediate medical attention because she had heard that her daughter had been struck by a police officer. This request was denied. Marcia Mitchell-Davis repeated her request every 15 minutes for 2 hours, and was repeatedly denied. In fact, she was told that if she were to make the request again, she would be arrested. She defied this threat and outward intimidation and continued to make the request that her daughter receive medical treatment, which 5 hours later was granted. She was brought to the Bridgeport Hospital by her mother for that treatment.
During the interval from arrest to her subsequent release for medical treatment, Titasheen's mother along with her request for medical attention for her daughter also asked to file a citizen's complaint against the police officer and was told by the Captain of the station that he was too busy to take her complaint and to return the following day.
Since the time of the arrest, the Mitchell-Davis family has been subject to routine harassment from the police department including but not limited to:
*Being followed by Stratford police, who would turn on their lights, force the Mitchell-Davis family to pull over and then speed off. *Forced to remove business signs by the police. *Supremacist groups distributing paraphenalia and literature outside the Mitchell-Davis business. *Threatening phone calls. *Police harassment of patrons of the Mitchell-Davis store.
From start to finish, the officer- if not officers- acted improperly and without restraint. They mistreated and abused a 14 year old girl, her mother, but more importantly, the system of justice that they have pledged to uphold. Once done, they then proceeded to blame the victims for their own mistreatment. Somewhere in this story, justice must and will prevail.
For more information please visit Justice For Titasheen Mitchell. From there you can read the blog entries and donate to her defense fund.
posted by Garfield Jones @ 1:39 PM
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