Women arrested in FTAA protests sue over Miami-Dade strip search

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Fri, Mar. 12, 2004


Women arrested in FTAA protests sue over Miami-Dade strip search

CORALIE CARLSON

Associated Press


MIAMI - Three women arrested during free-trade demonstrations in November have sued Miami-Dade County and several corrections officials, saying they were unnecessarily strip searched and forced to squat in the nude and "hop like a bunny" in plain view of passers-by.

The suit, filed last week in federal court and seeking class-action status, says that corrections workers performed cavity inspections on the three women - Judith Haney, 50, of Oakland, Calif.; Liat Mayer, 19, of New York City, and Jamie Loughner, 39, of Arlington, Va. - in violation of their constitutional rights to freedom from unreasonable searchers and seizures and their right to due process.

"It's very shocking for people who are arrested for misdemeanors and exercising their first amendment right, that they would be subjected to such extreme searching procedures," Randall Berg, an attorney for the Florida Justice Institute, said Friday.

County officials have 20 days to respond to the allegations.
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8173620.htm

[eablair3]

1. thanks - sounds like they have a REAL good case

from the article:

The suit says only women are subjected to mandatory strip searches. Berg said he has discovered that the women-only strip search policy is an ongoing, county wide practice, not a tactic used only during the Free Trade Area of the Americas protests.

Under state law, people booked on minor offenses can be strip searched if arrested on a drug charge, suspected of having contraband or booked on a violent offense. Supervisors are required to give written authorization for such a search.

Janelle Hall, a spokeswoman for Miami-Dade County jails, said women are not subjected to routine strip searches.

...

Haney and Mayer were arrested for failure to disperse during the protests. Loughner was charged with failure to obey a lawful order and resisting arrest without violence. All charges against the three were later dropped.
______________

sounds like a good case. I hope they nail 'em. It will be interesting to see how it goes.

[truthisfreedom]

2. perhaps the image of jeb bush squatting nude over an alligator and hopping

like a bunny will help voters make up their minds about who to vote for this year.

on PAPER.

[havocmom]

3. Muy buen! Governor bunnyhop,

brother of Commander Bunny Pants

Lordy, what was Babs doing out there in the garden?

edit: havocmom didn't get much sleep and has no motor skills this AM

[prolesunited]

4. Humiliating women

They certainly have an interesting way of getting their jollies. :puke:

We really need to keep what went on in Miami in the forefront. I believe it was a blueprint for New York City and that they wanted to see how much they could get away with without a public outcry.

[seabeyond]

5. talking to father about

pussy, smearing menstural blood on man face and now this. hm i am saying how christian is this. people talk about whether we as a nation think poorly to women, tell me which side the porno king or these christians are supportive of women.