There are two kinds of Women in uniform - ones who perpetuate the violence, the other the ones who it is performed upon.
Many women are military officers and police officers. They are recruited,they elect and choose to join and they become members of what is ostensibly a boys club, the kind of club with the power to destroy lives over and over again with little to no repercussions. Causing them, however, is another story.
As I wrote about my incident with a woman Police Officer many years ago, who threatened to take my vehicle and shoot my dog for speeding down a deserted road and in turn file aggressive driving charges which would have required court and a serious penalty was the other, which I never heard about after I wrote the Court demanding a date in which to appear. In those days as I was moving and in possession of a Texas Driver License, relocating to California, it became difficult to trace and track me. So the charges were dropped and the ticket for speeding which I wanted reduced was never paid and to my knowledge no one gives a fuck. Arizona right now a Covid hot bed and slowly melting due to global warming at this point only serves to prove to me anyone willingly living there is braid dead so have at it assholes. Come and get me, get in line, it's a long one.
The Police are fucking douchebags, what more can I say. No more of this, "Well not all are." Yes, yes they are. They are trained, validated and encouraged to do more harm than those they are protecting us from. Watching the documentary on HBO, I Will Be Gone in the Dark" only confirms that the good Cops become Detectives and try to work within a system that is set up to do as little as possible for as few as possible. Like Hospitals as we have found, there is little intra communication, rare collaboration and even less belief in the individual they are to protect and serve, especially if that individual has a skin color that is not white and then it crosses race when it comes to women.
I read this about a woman in Phoenix, to say I am surprised would be a lie. I am not a Cop so I cannot tell a lie. From how she was arrested, immediately after leaving a restaurant, many cops sit there and watch and wait for easy marks. The whole traffic stop is the precursor to most of the violence at the hands of Cops. She is a woman and a woman of color. The double header! The back up Cops and their vocal encouragement of idiocy. Yeah not all cops, right. The we have her arrested. Charged with a DUI despite no evidence and of course the resisting arrest one. Natch it all goes well until it doesn't but it doesn't heal the wounds or the reality of it.
Revealed: Phoenix officer brutalized woman during minor traffic stop, then took her to jail
Body-cam footage shows an officer with a history of misconduct claims slammed 23-year-old Mariah Valenzuela to the ground within seconds of traffic stop
Sam Levin in Los Angeles
The Guardian
Tue 14 Jul 2020 15.18 EDT
One week after police in Phoenix, Arizona, were caught on camera surrounding a parked car and killing a man inside, a young woman is coming forward with footage of a brutal assault by another officer in the department.
Mariah Valenzuela, 23, was pulled over one night in January for a minor traffic violation. Body-camera footage obtained by the Guardian shows that the officer involved, Michael McGillis, would not tell the unarmed woman why he stopped her, and that seconds after she said she didn’t have ID on her, he tackled and slammed her on to the ground, injuring her head, face, hands and legs.
Police footage also documents another officer instructing the policemen on the scene to “cover your ass” in the paperwork.
Following the incident, Valenzuela was taken to jail, accused of resisting arrest and “creating a substantial risk of physical injury” to an officer. She was also cited for DUI even though her blood alcohol content was well below the legal limit.
“He grabbed me and threw me on my car and kept slamming my head,” Valenzuela, a mother of two, said in a recent interview about the officer’s sudden use of force. “I was really afraid. It was dark and there was no one around
Valenzuela’s stop was not an isolated incident, attorneys said. Phoenix has had one of the highest rates of police shootings and police killings of civilians, and civil rights leaders say officers rarely face consequences for escalating encounters, brutalizing residents, defaulting to lethal force, and making false claims.
In recent years, Phoenix police have tackled a blind man; threatened to shoot a man in the head in front of his children while investigating a shoplifting; killed a man struggling with mental illness after mistaking police handcuffs for a weapon; and fatally shot an unarmed man in the back. The officer who arrested Valenzuela has a history of misconduct complaints.
Phoenix police sergeant Ann Justus told the Guardian that the department “takes allegations of misconduct seriously”. She also noted that Officer McGillis “has no prior documented discipline”.
‘I was bruised from head to toe’
Valenzuela was pulled over shortly after leaving a restaurant for a takeout order on her way home before midnight on 17 January.
Body-cam footage documents officer McGillis announcing on his radio he was about to pull someone over who had been driving in a wrong lane.
Valenzuela pulled into the nearest parking lot, got out of her car and asked why he stopped her. The body-camera footage shows McGillis asking Valenzuela for her ID and her calmly explaining that she didn’t have it on her. Seconds later, the footage shows McGillis grabbing and slamming her while yelling to put her hands behind her back.
Valenzuela then started screaming and crying, saying McGillis was “manhandling” her and hurting her. “Someone, please, help! I did nothing wrong, sir,” she’s heard shouting. McGillis told her to “act like a young lady” as she begged him to stop and asked him to explain why he was arresting her. “You said you didn’t have any ID!” he shouted as he held her down.
The footage showed that other officers later arrived at the scene. Out of her earshot, one of the officers said Valenzuela was “looney tunes” and “all over the place”. And after another officer learned of the injuries, he directed the police on scene “just to CYA [cover your ass]” when writing follow-up reports.
An officer told a supervisor, over the phone Valenzuela had blood all over her hand “because she was wiping it over and over again”. That same officer acknowledged she might need stitches, and that McGillis had banged her head. Photos taken by police showed Valenzuela suffered bruises and cuts in multiple places on her face, bloodshot eyes, a gash on the top of her head, injuries on her hand and leg.
McGillis did not suggest she might be intoxicated until 30 minutes into the arrest when other officers arrived and asked him what happened. When one officer later noted that she was bleeding, he responded, “She’s just going to complain to complain
Valenzuela was taken to jail and ticketed for a range of misdemeanors, including failure to have ID on her, “failure to comply with an officer”, driving “left of center” and a DUI “impaired to slightest degree”. The most serious charge was resisting arrest, classified as a violent felony for risking “physical injury” to the officer.
Valenzuela said she had been drinking earlier in the day, but was not intoxicated at the time, which was substantiated by a blood and breath test. She also said she didn’t believe she was in the wrong lane and that, although officers didn’t find her ID, she believes it was somewhere in the car. Valenzuela recalled being in immense pain as she tried to lie down on the floor of the jail cell: “I was really bruised from head to toe, everything hurt.”
McGillis’s attack made her think “something was wrong with him”, she said, adding that she was saddened to later learn that officers said they needed to “CYA” after they saw her bleeding and in pain: “I was not threatening to anybody. They didn’t care that I’m injured. All they cared about was making sure the officer was safe.”
James Palestini, Valenzuela’s attorney, said the arrest and subsequent charges were egregious, especially considering that the entire interaction and aftermath were caught on video. Valenzuela is also only 5ft 2in (1.5 metres) and 98 pounds (44kg), he noted: “This is serious physical violence on the people he is supposed to protect. And then to try to hide it later by saying she is the one who assaulted him is very egregious.”
Prosecutors have moved to dismiss all the misdemeanor charges, but the most serious felony case is still pending, and Valenzuela is also fighting to get her license back after the encounter resulted in a suspension. Her attorneys launched a civil complaint on Monday against McGillis, a phlebotomist in the DUI unit, alleging false arrest and imprisonment.
“Given that he erupted violently after simply being told Ms Valenzuela didn’t have her ID, I have serious questions about Officer McGillis’s ability to function as a police officer,” said Brian Foster, one of her attorneys.
Sergeant Justus declined to comment on the specifics of Valenzuela’s arrest, but said the department’s professional standards bureau reviewed the incident and found no policy violations. “The expectations of all of our officers is to conduct themselves in a professional manner and to treat every person that they contact with dignity and respect,” she added.
Officer McGillis did not respond to requests for comment.
Palestini said he hoped the video would push the police department to investigate this officer’s actions that evening “and how he’s handled all of his other cases”.
Multiple defense attorneys who have dealt with McGillis on DUI cases criticized his conduct in the street and in court.
“He’s the epitome of all things wrong with part of the police department,” said Lawrence Koplow, a former prosecutor who now works as a defense attorney. “It’s ‘us v them’. If you’re not on his side, you’re the enemy.”
Caroline Aeed, another longtime attorney who handles DUI cases and has cross-examined McGillis over the years, said she was not surprised to learn of this latest case. In 2014, she represented a 26-year-old woman who got in a minor car accident and was accused of DUI. McGillis arrived at the scene to draw her blood, and according to the woman’s complaint with the police department, he repeatedly called her a “fucking dumb bitch” and told her to “shut the fuck up”. The woman’s boyfriend was on the phone and heard this profanity, the complaint said.
The woman became scared of having McGillis draw her blood given his aggressive stance, her attorney wrote. When she refused the blood draw, the complaint said, the officer “became violent and assaulted her … picking her up by the back of her neck … He then slammed her against the van wall and threw her out the door onto the ground face down. She sustained injuries to her face, arms and legs.”
That 2014 case was not recorded on camera and the officer denied the physical assault claims and was not disciplined, Aeed said. In a hearing, McGillis said the woman was a “little monster”, and when Aeed objected to the insult, he said, “That’s being nice.” He admitted to using profanities against the woman, saying, “You have to speak their language, so they understand better.”
Those kinds of dehumanizing trial comments were alarming, Aeed said: “The way he acts in court, in front of a judge, it makes you think, what does he do on the street when no one is watching?”
In 2018, McGillis was also accused of falsifying information in a DUI case, records show. His vehicle records contradicted his claims about the sequence of his arrest, the defense attorneys argued. Police investigators concluded there was no misconduct.
Attorneys said they hoped the new body-camera footage would force the police department to take allegations seriously. The city has repeatedly attributed its high levels of police violence to a rise in threats and attacks from civilians, but civil rights lawyers noted that the department’s data includes cases where they brutalize people and then accuse them of assaulting officers.
For her part, Valenzuela said the arrest and subsequent criminal cases have had a long-term impact.
“There was PTSD, me feeling him still on my body, feeling afraid at night when I go out by myself,” she said. There are still friends and family members she hasn’t told about the experience, but she said she wanted the public to understand that this kind of brutality can happen to anyone: “I don’t want this to go unseen.”
Now this Cop has of course a series of complaints and incidents and yet in normal jobs say at McDonalds where he should be working, he would be fired. Slamming the fryer down once might get you a write up, abusing your co-workers and customers, a termination.
And this brings me to the Officer in the Military, Vanessa Guillen. The other night on PBS they discussed the case with several other women who were victims of sexual harassment, assault and abuse during their time in the Military. For the record, men do this to men too, they just don't talk about it. Yet, women who are in the Services are subject to endless harassment with no recourse. At least they tried to punish the maniac who killed innocent Afghani people but when it comes to drugging, raping, extorting and blackmailing your colleague, whatever goes, its all good.
I am mystified why we randomly go up to Military and thank them for their "service." The same people who won't leave a tip at a coffee shop, say excuse me or thanks to anyone for just doing something they do every day, like the Bus Driver. So going up to a stranger in a Uniform is reason enough, so on that note perhaps going up to a Police or Sheriff and saying, "Thanks for not killing any black or brown person today" would be a nice gesture of support. I doubt that is going to go well, so perhaps not a good idea.
That is their job, they chose to enlist, they were not enscripted/drafted, nor were they forced into by a federal law mandating service as they do in many other countries. So, what am I thanking them for? Killing people in a country we do not belong for a war that is doing what exactly to protect me? Isn't Osama dead? Not raping a female or male colleague? Getting on a plane before me? Okay. thanks then.
Let's look at the history of this young woman's case as it evolved:
AUSTIN, Texas — U.S. Army officials announced Friday they will begin an independent review of the command climate at Fort Hood following calls from members of Congress and community activists for a more thorough investigation into the killing of a soldier from the Texas base.
Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy said he was directing the review and that it will be conducted by an independent panel of congressional representatives selected in collaboration with League of United Latin American Citizens. The panel will examine claims and historical data of discrimination, harassment and assault.
The review comes in the wake of the death of 20-year-old Spc. Vanessa Guillen, who investigators say was bludgeoned to death at Fort Hood by a fellow soldier. She was last seen in April and was listed as missing for six weeks before the Army released details. The soldier suspected in Guillen’s slaying, Spc. Aaron Robinson, died by suicide on July 1 as police were trying to take him into custody..
Questions over Guillen’s disappearance still loom. Guillen’s family has said Robinson, the soldier accused of killing her, sexually harassed Guillen at Fort Hood, but they have not given specifics of what they were told. Guillén’s family say she confided in them that she faced sexual harassment before her disappearance on April 22 from Fort Hood in Texas, an allegation the Army said it has not substantiated. But investigators said on a call with reporters that she faced “potentially some harassment, not of a sexual nature.”
Guillén felt she could not surface her allegations within her chain of command, her family said.
The Army was receiving 20 to 30 tips per day about Guillen’s whereabouts, officials said, and it took more than a month to get cell phone records requested for the investigation. Phone records helped lead investigators to Cecily Aguilar, a civilian now charged with one federal count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence. Investigators believe she helped Robinson hide Guillen’s body. Aguilar, 22, of Killeen, Texas, near Fort Hood, is currently in custody at the Bell County Jail.
The Army said a contractor not involved with the investigation found human remains June 30 in the woods near the Leon River. The remains were later identified as Guillen’s.Well let's see here if I, not even an amateur detective, the quality of folk that follow many cases like the East Area Rapist and others, can comment on this case. She disappeared April 28th, it appears the Military with all its spy gadgets and such don't get phone records until late May. Then a Contractor, who has nothing to do with the military and their supposed high advanced hunting technology and skill set finds the body June 30th. Meanwhile the "alleged" Murder already under house arrest so to speak for something "unrelated" has a gun that he uses to off himself. I see and that is normal for those under suspicion of anything to have weapons on them? And who the flying fuck is this girl that helped him, what is her story?
Later that day, Robinson, who had been confined at Fort Hood for reasons that were not related to the Guillen investigation, ran away unnoticed from the barracks, according to the Army. After being confronted by police later that night, Robinson died July 1 by taking his own life.
Well all of this is quite normal. If you read or watch the series, I Will Be Gone in the Dark, the way rape charges were handled back in the day are not much different today. True the punishment is more severe but the reality is that it is rarely prosecuted and pursued. This old duffer who was just sentenced for the murders he committed is not going to explain what happened or why but it was interesting that at one point in his stellar career of stalking, raping and murdering he was a Police Officer. The difference today is that like the Serial Rapist in the Netflix series about another lunatic, Unbelievable, DNA was left behind. And the unorthodox manner in which it was found led to his arrest. I am not sure had a book and the subsequent author's death not happened, this would have never happened. Many retired Detectives, one a woman, are interviewed and they are passionate about their jobs so they explain where much of this misplaced hero worship comes from regarding the profession. But again they are not in Uniform nor on the street with the bully boys/girls.
If you read/watch Unbelievable, there the victim was prosecuted for reporting a rape then was promptly Gaslighted by the Cops and my personal favorite, her Foster Mothers.. yes two, who convinced her it had not happened. Women, your worst enemy in any fight. There really should be more Cops and Military women as we bitches get it done, there is one place to misdirect anger.
But here may be why they do not.
- Of all the risks to women in the military, sexual assault is the most widely publicized. While male soldiers are also at risk, women have a heightened risk in comparison.
- The risk is highest for those stationed on ships; at some high-risk installations studied in 2014, 10% of women were assaulted — and that's only what was reported. At the two most dangerous, 15% of women were assaulted. The risk is much lower for most military bases, but because studies are done after the fact, it's impossible to know which bases are the most dangerous currently.
- All branches of the military have been working to improve these sobering stats, but between 2016 and 2018, the number of assaults actually increased. Some of the pinpointed factors included alcohol use and off-base parties. Victims also had certain common qualities, like joining the military at a younger age and having a prior history of sexual abuse.
- On average, one in 17 civilian women will be sexually assaulted in the US. For military women ages 17 to 20, the risk is one in eight, and around 25% of women report sexual harassment at some point during their time of service.
Comforting to know that right? Again I know from my own experience that women are not believed, they are not respected nor acknowledged and then come the Karen's. These self-entitled women who not only because they are white they are in fact privileged, they are unaware of anything outside their orbit. And narcissists come in all shapes and sizes and we are a narcissistic lot with a great deal of histronic peronality disorder. So when you meet someone like me who is direct, honest and cuts to the chase immediately and eliminates the crap, I am hated, I am treated like shit as I don't know my "place" and apparently that place is at the back of the line. When I watched another series on Women gaining the vote they were told they were "given it." And Stanton was quite clear, they were given nothing they fought for it. They were imprisoned, they were abused (and again I suspect sexually but given the times I doubt that would have been shared) and forced fed. I think many women are so confused as to their role in society that many have the potential to be Betty Broderick, the subject once again of a USA mini series, under the Dirty John, classification. The idea that she was so isolated due to endlessly supporting her husband, having numerous children as she was Catholic so no on the Birth Control, and one child died shortly after birth, never really having a life of her own other than help mate and fuck buddy that once that vadge was dried up was replaceable with a younger model, like a car but it literally cums, is how men view women. Again we can apply the Cop model here and go, "But not all of them." Okay, sure what.ever. It was clear Betty needed mental health and someone to care about her, secure her well being and then leave her ass but dignity is short served to women. And women you are not raised to be cum dumpsters. The original Dirty John was about a woman who despite all her professional success, raising two normal, happy daughters she had to get that vadge waxed. Hey her sister was killed, shot in the head, by her husband who was another Broderick in reverse, and when she asserted independence he thought killing her was a better idea. And here is where religion the biggest misogynistic tool ever came into play. The family was so loving and supportive that he was never convicted of murder and is free today. Funny how that works out, eye for an eye, unless not. Christians cherry pick that Book of Myths like nothing I have ever seen. I am still waiting for Ethan my friend from Nashville to explain some of the texts I sent him months ago. I guess he is busy studying to be a traveling Minstrel.. whoop I mean Minister.
I do not hate men. I do not trust men. I don't trust women either and like them even less. I never worked for a woman that was well educated and trained. Only one, Vicki at Macy's in San Francisco when I worked in watches after my divorce and for Wanda Judd in Seattle in the 80s at People's Bank. I only worked for both women briefly as it took a pandemic for me to accept that I am a great employee but I really hate working for others. I loathe rejection, I loathe confrontation and I loathe being a phony in which to avoid both. I have said repeatedly I will self publish versus go through the mainstream manner of submission, rejection, submission and rejection. As it is not about feedback and growth it is about power, and that is why the writing industry uses the word submit. Within it it explains it all. I can imagine many editors back in the Mad Men days getting dicks hard as they mocked writers of all kinds and tossing them into the circular file as they tossed their drinks and had their dicks sucked. It is not surprising media, which is the publishing circuit, being called out during #MeToo and now with BLM. Gosh it took a dead black man to get that Bitch to have a Black photographer shoot a Vogue Cover. Wow, just wow. What she couldn't find one? Funny Beyonce who has been on the cover three times had one for her own personal shoots, ya coulda shoulda asked her and in fact hired one then. One thing we learned here is that Queen Bey doesn't do demanding diva and another reason why I love her more.
We have a lot of hurdles in the race ahead and I am not seeing anyone who is going to be the Jesse Owens, the Michael Johnson's, the Usain Bolt's of this generation. To run hard you have to train hard and it means you will have to be tough. I have yet to meet one single Gen Z or Millennial that have that kind of staying power. The women who throw on uniforms to merit equality are tougher and face more than most and it may explain why they become like those whom they stand along. Survival is a tough gig and only the tough survive.
