Remember when we praised Miami detective Confesor Gonzalez for keeping a queer cold case hot? Well, now we have to wag a finger at some of his police officer peers. We’ve just received a press release announcing a lawsuit against Chicago police for allegedly gay bashing, tormenting and stealing from a peaceful gay man.
Read the truly disturbing details after the jump.
Attorneys for a south suburban gay man filed suit in federal court today over an alleged Memorial Day police gay bashing that included breaking into the man’s home with shotguns drawn, followed by a prolonged public humiliation mixed with anti-gay epithets in front of his neighbors as he sat handcuffed to a chair at the home’s entrance.
Without knocking or announcing that they were police officers, several plain-clothed Markham cops burst into the home of 47-year-old Frankie Brown on May 31st according to the suit. They pointed assault rifles at Brown and forced him lie face down on the floor of his bathroom. They then cuffed him, dragged him into an adjacent room, and slammed him into a chair.
“I’ll sleep better tonight knowing there is one less fag on the street,” said one officer allegedly. Other reported police comments included “We shouldn’t be touching him, he takes it in the ass and sucks dick” and “What does a fag like you need with a lawyer.”
Brown says cops searching the residence picked up a photo of him with male relatives, found a gay pornographic video concealed in the home, and then brought both outside of the house along with Brown to show his neighbors and other police participating in the raid. While making comments alleging that Brown had sex with the people in the photo, they shined a police spotlight on him as he sat handcuffed to a chair at the entrance of the residence. The public humiliation in front of his neighbors lasted for more than an hour.
Eventually Mr. Brown’s teenage nephew, who lives with him and is his legal ward, arrived at the home. According to the suit, “The Defendant Officers immediately began harassing the young man with extremely offensive and derogatory language insinuating that he was involved in sexual activity with his uncle… The Defendant Officers then informed Mr. Brown’s neighbors that Mr. Brown was HIV positive, a fact that Mr. Brown had not previously shared with anyone, and which was only discovered by the Defendant Officers by examining the medications in his medicine cabinet.”
After several hours police took Mr. Brown in handcuffs to Markham’s police station. The following evening he was released without charges. During the course of the raid and search, police allegedly stole approximately $150 cash that was in the residence.
So, not only are these cops homophobic assholes, but they’re thieves, as well. Nice.
maverick69
I hope Mr. Brown sues the shit out of this police dept.
Timmy
Yikes.
It must be pointed out, though, that these were not Chicago police officers (who have plenty of their own problem cops – let’s not unfairly add to their number), but far south suburban cops.
Toutwest
That’s cops for you. Don’t any tell me their just a few bad apples. What we are discovering is that there are very few (if any) good cops.
Amanda
Whose press release is this? Who is representing Brown?
Brandon85
I live just 15 miles from Markham, but I don’t recall even hearing about this on the news. That said, I wish cops would try that shit with me – I would not have been so passive, and bloodshed would be guaranteed.
Rutu Goswami
This is so wrong and just goes to show what human rights and law and order have become under the Bush administration. They win elections by pulling the “Gods Guns Gays” fear strategy, and stupid cops react by thinking gays are the enemy. Then they have Attorney General Gonzales who didn’t believe basic constitutional rights of Americans matter. That’s what you get under this kind of a homophobic government.
Ray
Remember cop policy: “To serve and protect straights”