Shock and Humiliation: How People Are Being Strip-Searched for Trivial Offenses

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/shock-and-humiliation-how-people-are-being-strip-searched-trivial-offenses

Our right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures has been undermined by a narrow conservative majority concerned more with protecting public officials than with the rights of ordinary Americans.



This past April, the five conservative Supreme Court Justices gave jail officials the right to strip and search every person arrested and jailed, even if the alleged offense is trivial and there is no reason to suspect danger of any kind. The ruling, in Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders of County of Burlington , compounds the assault on human dignity committed by the Court in another 5-4 decision eleven years ago, in Atwater v. City of Lago Vista , when it authorized a full custodial arrest for even trivial “fine-only” offenses like a temporarily unbuckled seat belt. Our right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures has once again been undermined by a narrow conservative majority concerned more with protecting public officials than with the rights of ordinary Americans.

Florence grew out of a mistake. On March 3, 2005, Albert Florence, an African-American businessman, his pregnant wife and their 4-year-old son, were in the family BMW, when a New Jersey state trooper pulled them over. Florence’s wife was driving; no reason for the stop appears in the record and no citation was ever issued. The trooper ordered Florence, the owner, out of the car. A computer check disclosed that an arrest warrant for civil contempt had once been issued against him for nonpayment of a fine but failed to note that the fine had been paid and the warrant withdrawn.

Florence had been stopped several times before, which he attributed to his being an African-American driving an expensive car. He therefore carried a certificate attesting to the cancellation of the warrant, which he showed to the trooper. Nevertheless, he was handcuffed, arrested and taken to the Burlington County jail. The jail authorities conceded that they had no suspicion of any wrongdoing by Florence apart from the fine. Yet he was still forced to strip, shower with a delousing agent, open his mouth for inspection, hold out his arms and lift his genitals, and turn around so the officer could examine his buttocks.

[rfranklin]

1. This is why we have to get rid of Scalia et al...

They are facists in black robes.

[2on2u]

2. Sounds like a lawsuit in the making. n/t

[marmar]

3. K/r with much disgust.

nt

[xchrom]

4. it's horrifying, isn't? -- but it sure lets us know 'who's boss'. nt

[think]

5. Sad stuff......

[gollygee]

6. Unreasonable search and seizure

Why is it Republicans only care about one constitutional right?

[Zalatix]

7. Why again do we need these cops? They're doing more HARM than good!

The cops are right there to protect the banksters and the Plutocrats before any attack can ever hope to happen.

Yet the only time you ever get response times like that from the police is when they're coming to violate and harass you.

[xchrom]

8. this happens because this is Post Democracy America.

and they NEED to let you know in a very visceral way -- who it is that's in control.

now, they don't have to do this to everyone -- but just enough to get the word out.

it's like shooting your dog in front of you.
there's little doubt after that -- who is in charge.

[Gold Metal Flake]

9. This is part of what a police state looks like. nm