About two dozen people
rallied Wednesday in the Douglas County Courthouse to ask that criminal charges
be dropped against Superior resident Natasha Lancour, who was punched
repeatedly by a Superior police officer during an arrest earlier this month.
By: Maria Lockwood,
Superior Telegram
About two dozen
people rallied Wednesday in the Douglas County Courthouse to ask that criminal
charges be dropped against Superior resident Natasha Lancour, who was punched
repeatedly by a Superior police officer during an arrest earlier this month.
A video taken
from a squad car’s dashboard camera showing Lancour’s arrest by Officer George
Gothner has sparked controversy in the community about his use of force.
Gothner has been put on paid administrative leave and an investigation into the
incident has been turned over to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, according
to Superior Police Chief Charles LaGesse. The chief on Tuesday said the
department would have no further comment on the incident during the
investigation.
Claudie
Washington of Duluth, president of the local NAACP, did offer an assessment of
the events, saying Gothner approached the situation with hostility.
“Within seconds
after he arrived, the incident escalated into the beating, the slamming of the
face of Mrs. Lancour on the hood of the car and the subsequent beating her as
though she was a rag doll,” he said.
Gothner’s
behavior, Washington told those gathered at the courthouse, was deplorable.
Rogier Gregoire, co-chairman of Duluth’s Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial
Committee, expressed a similar sentiment.
“We really want
to point out the fact that nobody should be allowed to punch a woman; a strong
man, over 200 pounds, punch a frail, 4-foot, 5-foot-tall woman, a young woman,
in the face for any reason whatsoever,” he said.
Lancour, 28,
faces one felony charge of battery of a peace officer and a misdemeanor
disorderly conduct charge in Douglas County Circuit Court stemming from the
incident.
“Along with the
investigation that is currently being led by the state of Wisconsin, we ask for
these trumped-up charges against Natasha Lancour to be dropped,” said Stephan
Witherspoon of Superior, a community activist and friend of Lancour’s. “It is
my hope that the Superior Police Department hold this officer accountable for
his actions and practice zero tolerance for this kind of behavior.”
Lancour herself
attended the event, with her mother and youngest child.
“I’m grateful to
walk in the door and see all the support of people in the community that came
out to support me,” she said. “I’m also excited that the state is taking over
the case. It’s not in closed department hands.”
It shows the
beginning of something new, Lancour said.
“People are
tired of being, having their rights violated, and the community’s stepping out
and speaking up. And I’m just one of many faces,” she said.
Also in the
crowd was Mike Almond, who works with the Superior Police Department as a
member of the Citizen Watch. When he first saw the video, the Superior man said
he was surprised and angered.
“At some point I
even thought, ‘Could this be my kids 10 years down the road?’” Almond said.
Working with
Community Policing Officer Bonnie Beste, Almond has set up child safety events
and is in the process of planning a basketball game between officers and community
residents of color to improve communication.
“We’re trying to
do stuff and I’m not going to stop doing stuff because some knucklehead, you
know, did something he wasn’t supposed to do or could have handled it
differently,” Almond said. “We all have bad days but you have to be accountable
for what you do.”
Event organizers
said one way to improve communication citywide would be to form a Citizen
Review Board like one the Duluth Police Department launched in 2012. Duluth
pastor Gabriel Green, the executive director of the Wolffe Cultural Center, is
a member of that board.
“My job is to
build a relationship with the Duluth Police Department and the citizens,” and
it’s working, he said. “Not only do I feel like we’re being listened to, I feel
like the officers are more conscientious of the decisions and choices that they
make, not because they are fearful from us, but because of oversight.”
LaGesse said
that Superior’s Police and Fire Commission serves the same purpose as Duluth’s
Citizen Review Board. The commission is a group of citizens selected by the
mayor and approved by City Council who have the power to hear complaints from
citizens and to bring charges against members of the police and fire
department.
Gregoire told
the crowd it was important to remember that there are many good police officers
who do a great job, a sentiment echoed by Lancour.
“This doesn’t
change my view on the police department,” she said. “It does change my view on
Gothner himself.”
The release of
the arrest video and events like Wednesday’s ensure the incident will not get
swept under the rug, Almond said, something he’s grateful for. Although he
feels things may get worse before they get better, the Superior man said he
hopes something good will come out of it.
“I want it to get
better,” said the father of four. “I’m going to keep trying. We gotta do
something.”
Currently,
Lancour’s case is set for a court appearance Friday. Her attorney, Rick Gondik,
said because of the video evidence that came to light after Gothner’s report was
written, the police department could push for dismissal of the charges against
her. During a Tuesday news conference, LaGesse indicated prosecution decisions
are in the hands of District Attorney Dan Blank. The district attorney was out
of the office Wednesday and unavailable for comment.
