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The People's Voice interviews Dr. Stacy Branch, about how Anniston police randomly profiled, harrassed, & falsely arrested her and her husband, violating their civil rights and more... Is this all law-abiding African American citizens have to look forward to? Despite producing proof of her professional status as a D.V.M. they were DETERMINED to charge her with drug offenses. But they couldn't make the charges stick... You don't want to miss this. Be sure to tune in... DETAILS ON OUR BLOG...

The People's Voice interviews Dr. Stacy Branch, about how Anniston police randomly profiled, harrassed, & falsely arrested her and her husband, violating their civil rights and more... Is this all law-abiding African American citizens have to look forward to? Despite producing proof of her professional status as a D.V.M. they were DETERMINED to charge her with drug offenses. But they couldn't make the charges stick... You don't want to miss this. Be sure to tune in... DETAILS ON OUR BLOG...

“It Felt Like Rape… Worse Than Rape”

 

TPV NEWS STAFF

Roanoke, Alabama

In the February 1 edition of The People’s Voice, Dr. Stacy Branch, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from North Carolina, wrote a letter to the editor, detailing a traumatic encounter with Anniston (Alabama) Police, while traveling on the interstate highway (not even in the city proper).  She characterizes this incident as the worst experience she has ever had in her entire life.

 

Branch wrote, “I want to share an account of  severe harassment, false arrest, violation of my civil rights, and more by Anniston, Alabama Police officers.

My husband and I were unfairly stopped on a false pretext (that the driver, my husband, touched a white line) by officers who viewed us first.  We were subjected to unreasonable search and seizure, harshly and excessively questioned about personal issues, falsely arrested and handcuffed like dangerous criminals, and our property vandalized by Anniston police.”

 

Dr. Branch believes the very nature and mechanics of the stop makes it clear that the incident was racially motivated  because she is African-American and her husband is Mexican.

 

She wrote to our paper in hopes of finding some kind of advocacy group that would provide support and assist her in redressing her grievance against the Anniston Police Department.

 

In a more detailed account of the stop, Branch identified the following officers:  Chris Sparks, Matt Caballero, P. Smith,  George (only this name on uniform),  Two narcotics officers (would not give their names and did not wear uniforms),  and officers with dogs (two or more) who’s names were not known.

 

In her account, Dr. Branch recalled that “on April 25, 2007 my husband Victoriano D. Martinez (Victor) and I were in transit to College Station, TX (Veterinary Medical Conference) and Red Oak, TX which would be followed by arrival to Mexico. A little before 12:44 pm (EST) we were stopped by Anniston police. We were on Interstate 20 West at the level of Anniston, AL. The police car was behind us, passed us, then moved onto the shoulder off the road to let us pass. This allowed the officer to view us. He then followed us again. Seconds later, we were forced to pull over.”

 

“All of this occurred after a pretext stop that my husband touched a white line on the road (a lie). The officers’ actions were clearly malicious in nature with a goal to cause severe distress and denigration. I had my video camera running in the vehicle since the officer told me to leave it there (can hear this in video). It captured an incriminating statement between two of the officers while they were searching it.”

 

“We were victims of police misconduct (civil rights violation, false and malicious arrest, unlawful search and seizure, vandalism and more - details below). After such an experience, it would be very uplifting to know if my own community leaders are interested in some form of advocacy to expose this incident. I am finding it now more difficult to tell young people that working hard, sacrificing, striving for education and overcoming adversity has its rewards. Is the reward continued discrimination, disenfranchisement and absence of community?”

 

“We suffered appalling harassment, malicious arrest, violation of civil rights, and vandalism by the Anniston, Alabama Police Department (a city known historically for civil rights violations including the Freedom Rider Bus attack of 1961). Ironically, it turned out that the week we were accosted was the confederate celebration in that town.”

 

We were subjected to unreasonable search and seizure, harshly and excessively questioned about personal issues, unjustly arrested and handcuffed like dangerous criminals, and our property vandalized by Anniston police

 

In an telephone interview this week, Branch told The People’s Voice that “I have noticed a severe lack of concern for continued (and actually increased) incidences of abuse of law abiding citizens by law enforcement.  Some examples reach the media. however, nothing seems to ever really change. Further, the masses who are suffering are never seen or heard in the media.”

 

“The scourge of police abuse of power is not, unfortunately, a new phenomenon.  However, it has mushroomed into what appears to be a monstrous force terrorizing people (primarily law abiding individuals) in the United States.”

 

The false charges were ultimately dismissed (nolle prossed).  But Branch said she and Martinez were groundlessly charged with illegal possession of prescription drugs, a female hormone progesterone.  “This was dismissed because I not only had the prescription with me, I am a licensed veterinarian and specifically exempt from the code regarding the charge. My husband was unjustifiably charged with possession of a forged document. This charge was also dismissed. In addition to the horror we experienced during the incident (total of eight white male officers were involved), the effects of the incident continues to be tremendously adverse.”

 

Branch noted, “We have never been arrested for anything ever, and we are law abiding contributors to society.”

 

In light of this incident, Stacy Branch asks, “What do I tell young people? Do I

tell them to “work hard, overcome adverse circumstances and hardships, get a good education, help your fellow man, contribute to society then get arrested for nothing

and be abandoned by the very society to which you contribute?”

 

“The Anniston officers illegally searched us and our vehicle, put our personal effects on the street, damaged personal items, vandalized our vehicle and asked very personal and completely unwarranted questions and harassed us. We were needlessly and wrongfully handcuffed behind our backs like criminals for absolutely nothing.  I was questioned and harassed for hours.”

 

“During all of this we were not allowed to call an attorney (among other violations committed by these officers). Not until after I was already photographed, fingerprinted and bail was set, I was allowed to make a call. I bailed myself out and was not allowed to bail my husband out of the jail until the day after the arrest. They even placed me in a locked cell for about 15 - 20 minutes after I already paid my bail. We kept our composure although believing we were going to be driven to a place to be lynched. In essence the incident still had the affect of a lynching.”

 

“After the incident, both had to seek medical treatment and psychological counseling. We were moving from North Carolina. However, we were immobilized for almost three months and suffered much financial hardship due to loss of money to pay the attorneys and doctors and to sustain ourselves in limbo away from home. One thing my husband said that really made me think is that he was disheartened not only for what we suffered, but that I suffered this although in my own country. He is correct. I have traveled out of the country and never suffered as I have in what is supposed to be my home.”

 

After months of unresponsiveness from any of the communities, she again wrote a letter to the editor, updating our readers, and renew her concerns.   That letter appeared in the May 2, Edition of The People’s Voice.

 

The People's Voice is proud to report that Dr. Branch's voice was finally heard by one of our readers, Ralph Bradford, of Anniston, Alabama, who owns Martin Luther King, Jr. Daycare Center in that city.   Bradford is also the Host and Producer of a Sunday Morning Talk Radio Program called “Black People Talking,” that airs on WHOG Radio Station in Anniston, and he offered to have Dr. Branch appear as his guest via telephone interview on Sunday morning, May 18.  We hope to be able to present the recorded interview on this blog.

 

In addition to hosting Dr. Branch, Bradford, this week contacted several members of the City of Anniston City Council, as well as the Chief of Police, in hopes of resolving her grievance.

The People's Voice will also interview Dr. Branch on our Weekly Podcast on Sunday evening, May 18, 2008 from 7:00pm - 8:30pm.

THE PEOPLE'S VOICE again delves into the issue of Alabama's Broken Justice System, when we talk with individuals who've been violated by Alabama Probation Officers. Call in to join the conversation 646-378-1213

What kind of statement is this for a Probation Officer to make to a youngster under his supervision? Hear the details when The People's Voice interviews a local Pastor (AND, by the way) Veteran of the Conflict in Iraq!), about the abusive manner in which he was treated by an Alabama Probation Officer, simply because he went to visit the officer about the way he treated one of his young church members....

Though it had seemed impossible, Barack Obama appears to offer hope for deep and genuine change in America, writes James Zogby*

Over the past few weeks, as interest has grown in the 2008 US presidential contest, I've been asked by friends across the Arab world for my opinion on Barack Obama. Could I explain the phenomenon they are seeing on television? Can he win? Here is my response.
 
Watching Obama since he first burst onto the national scene with his electrifying speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, through his spectacular three-state tour de force last week with Oprah Winfrey, it is clear that the Obama phenomenon requires both reflection and understanding.

It appears from the excitement he generates that Obama has tapped into a deep vein in the contemporary American psyche. While it is always useful to parse out the positions he has taken on critical issues, and even to weigh the importance of "experience" versus "judgement", or "change" versus "Washington" -- these being the matters discussed by the candidates -- they, alone, do not explain the phenomenon we are witnessing. Something more profound is occurring in this election. And it appears to be wrapped up in the person of Obama himself.

It was over a year ago that my daughter Sarah spoke to me of her enthusiasm for Obama's still fledgling candidacy. Sarah is a graphic designer and a mother, sensitive and thoughtful about issues of the day. But like many, she grew weary of politics and wary of politicians.

She had heard Obama speak and was moved by what she described as his authenticity and clarity. He did not appear to her to be typical. His call for a new approach to politics appealed to her. Quite simply, she said, "he gives me hope."

"Your generation," she continued, "had many such figures," mentioning the Kennedys and Dr King. "We have not. I want to believe he can make a difference."
Sarah's observations prefigured the themes that the Obama campaign would capture with their ubiquitous signs reading "Change you can believe in" and the simple "Hope" buttons worn by supporters.

I saw Obama's appeal on display the day he delivered his maiden campaign address before the Democratic National Committee in February of 2007. The other candidates had each delivered their speeches as if cut from the same cloth -- a litany of promises punctuated by a series of applause lines. When Obama's turn came, he began quietly and thoughtfully; delivering a discourse on the cynicism that has infected our politics and the need to awaken the hope necessary for real change.

As he continued, I looked around the room (which was so quiet you could have heard the proverbial pin drop) and saw something intriguing in the faces of the 600 or so assembled party leaders. Obama was showing respect for them, and they were respectfully listening and reflecting. Interestingly, he used the word "I" a mere handful of times in that address, compared to the more than two dozen times it was used by each of his competitors.

When he finished, the applause was thunderous.

Reading Obama's autobiography Dreams From My Father helps, in part, to explain the man and the response he is capable of eliciting. Written at 34 (he is 46 now), more than simply telling his story, Dreams is an exercise in self-discovery. In it, he works through the many issues of his complex life trajectory, discovering the meaning of his identity, the role of family and community, and the legacy he inherited from both his mother and his "absent" father.

If he appears at peace with himself, self- possessed and able to "ring true" (to borrow the phrase of André Gide) it is because, to a remarkable degree, he is. And it appears that it is that very quality that resonates. Watching him on stage, in a crowd, or engaged in a conversation of substance, he looks at ease, unruffled and comfortable, alternately listening and engaging.

In the gruelling and sometimes destructive sport of campaign politics, where candidates subject themselves to what is arguably the most brutal of endurance tests (always on call, always needing to be personable and informed, all the while being scrutinised and dissected), Obama appears to remain cool and in control.

And then there is the matter of race. All of the questions about "will white America vote for him?" or "is he black enough?" point to a single reality, which is that race remains a defining issue in American life.

But then there was the scene of Obama announcing his candidacy on a bitter cold day in Springfield, Illinois, before an overwhelmingly white audience of thousands who braved the weather to cheer their state's "favourite son". Or Obama and Winfrey one day in Des Moines, Iowa, again before a largely white audience of 18,500, and then the next day before a mixed race audience of 29,500 in Columbia, South Carolina. In both places they generated the same reaction, the same enthusiasm, the same hope.

To say, as some have, that Obama transcends race, like Tiger Woods, misses the point. Rather, it appears, he embodies the matter of race and helps to reconcile the divide in his person and message.

Finally, the context is important to consider. After eight largely successful, but embattled and exhausting years, the Clinton administration gave way to George W Bush and seven years of lost opportunities and failed leadership. All of this has left many Americans bitter and cynical. Preying off of fear, anger and division has taken a toll and damaged the spirit of the body politic. Into this arena Obama has issued a call in a different voice -- an appeal to the angels of our better selves coupled with the optimism and conviction that change can come. It is this voice that my Sarah, and so many others, have heard.
Can he win? His polling numbers are improving daily. In the end, however, the voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada will answer that question in January. But is he real, and does the movement he has inspired matter? The answer to that is self- evidently yes.

* The writer is president of the Arab American Institute.

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