There is a disturbing video out of Skokie, Illinois where Cassandra Feuerstein is shown being thrown face first into a concrete bench by officers after her arrest for DUI. Feuerstein, 47, is suing for the alleged abuse, which included four deputies stripping her and leaving her in a cell without her clothes. Several bones were broken in her face.
Feuerstein was arrested for DUI after officers found her pulled over at the side of the road and asleep behind the wheel. The video below shows a calm Feuerstein who asks to call her husband and kids. Officer Michael Hart calls her out of the cell, and less than 20 seconds later, the video shows Hart throwing the 110-pound woman back into the cell — face-first into a cement bench.
A police report says that Feuerstein was not looking at the camera when being processed and then charged her with resisting arrest while being brought back to the cell. The subsequent charge raises obvious concerns. We have previously seen where, after an abusive arrest or seizure of property, police will add charges against the alleged victim. Notably, in this case, the State’s Attorney later dropped the resisting arrest charges and Feuerstein pleaded guilty to drunk driving. What is not clear is if the prosecutors saw this video and failed to take any actions. There is no report of any discipline for the officers.
The police report states that the resisting arrest charge was based on the grounds that Feuerstein “knowingly resisted … in that she pulled away from (the officer) and placed both her hands on the sides of the cell door all in an attempt to not be placed into the holding cell.” That charge appears entirely spurious and abusive and reads like a transparent effort to coerce a victim into silence in hopes of a plea deal. Yet, again, the officer does not appear to have been disciplined and the prosecutors took no action other than dropping the obviously baseless charge.
Neither the police chief nor the city would make any comment. The pictures and video below however speak for themselves.
Source: NBC
Dispicable! This police officer should be reprimanded!
Oh my God! Oh my God! It almost ripped my heart out watching the stark county police officers males & females, forcibly remove Hope Steffey clothes in a jail cell. Left completely nude while different male police officers gawked at her and laughed. For some reason the female officers were sent away, leaving a naked woman with a pack of men.
They even lead her around to booking in only a vest that covered her breasts. And her hands were behind her back at all times. After 6 hours she received her clothing. And that treatment is for pretty females who the officers deem as suicidal. 128 tiny females received that treatment because officers said they were suicidal.
Um… Why haven’t police dept.’s acquired beds and chairs were “suicidal” individuals can be stapped into with their clothes on? Hospitals do it all the time.
Now, this! I felt like throwing up after I saw this.
1. I understand she was drunk.
2. I understand she was pulled over to the side of the road sleeping in her car.
3. I even understand that, her actions my have been slow towards what they wanted her to do but that’s to be expected, she’s drunk. According to them anyway.
But what I don’t understand is why the officer felt such a need to throw her head first into the jail cell?
Police officers are no longer hero’s to me. They are the monsters you should avoid at all costs. It’s so sad that the one organization that states, “We are here to protect and serve” are the ones you should fear the most.
I never understood why people from other countries fear the police. Now I do.
Here in America, we use tax money to pay the cops to beat, mame, and kill our citizens…..but god forbid we use tax money to provide basic healthcare to our citizens.
Many jails are already privitized and the faceless investors are working hard to fill them. If you are too poor to hire a good lawyer you are screwed.
Capitalism and lobbyists will be the downfall of this country. The government has been bought. Don’t blame Obama – this problem has been manifesting itself since this country was founded.
Can you imagine a privitized Fire Station? Your house catches fire, but the firemen are not coming to put the fire out because you can’t afford to pay for their services. So your house burns down.
The American Dream is dead.
Not that it matters but he is a dead beat Dad and owes thousands in child support. He came charging at me and I tried to protect myself. He already had violated an order of protection. I have been examined by a doctor. He has a “scratch on his neck”.
My children suffered and NO ONE listened to the event.
So a man twice my size can physically assault me and as a protection he has a scratch on his neck. I can’t wait to get out of Niles. What an awful place to live.