by
Tamara Aparton
San
Francisco, CA —San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi today released video
showing a deputy public defender being unlawfully arrested outside a courtroom
as she attempted to protect her client’s right to counsel.
The
cell phone footage, taken Tuesday afternoon inside the San Francisco’s Hall of
Justice , shows San Francisco Police Inspector Brian Stansbury arresting Deputy
Public Defender Jami Tillotson for refusing to let her client, a young African
American man, be questioned without the presence of his attorney.
Stansbury,
the subject of a 2013 federal civil rights lawsuit filed by a black SFPD
officer alleging racial profiling, cites Tillotson for resisting arrest as a
uniformed officer places her in handcuffs. Tillotson, an 18-year veteran of the
San Francisco Public Defender’s office, remains calm and courteous throughout
the video, telling Stansbury and five officers that she is representing her
client and is not resisting arrest.
Officers
took Tillotson to a holding cell in Southern Station, where she remained
handcuffed to a wall for approximately an hour. After Tillotson was led away,
Stansbury photographed and questioned her client and another young man who did
not have an attorney present. Officers refused to tell the young men or
Tillotson the reason for the detention.
“Public
defenders have a duty to protect the constitutional rights of their clients,”
Tillotson said at a noontime press conference Wednesday. “It was surreal to be
led away in handcuffs for doing my job, something I do every day.”
Adachi
called Tillotson’s arrest “outrageous” and “disappointing.”
“This
is not Guantanamo Bay. People have an absolute right to have their attorneys
present during questioning,” he said.
The
Public Defender has requested a copy of the police report in the incident and
has demanded both an explanation and an apology.
“A
uniform does not give you a license to bully innocent people into submission,”
Adachi said. “If this happens to a public defender in front of her client, I
can only imagine what is happening on our streets.”
Video
of the incident can be found at http://bit.ly/18vHKXS or watch it below.
WE NEED TO CHANGE THE
COPS, NOT ENCOURAGE THEIR AWFUL BEHAVIOR
Boycott the following
companies for hosting the Fairfax 2015 World Police & Fire Games
Apple Federal Credit Union,
LMI,
Noblis,
B.F. Saul Company,
Galls LLC,
Sage Communications,
Macerich,
Glory Days Grill,
Reston Limousine,
City of Fairfax, Karin’s Florist,
NOVA Media Services,
Clyde’s Restaurant Group,
Level3 Communications,
Verizon
Globe, Dewberry,
IMC, ESPN 980,
Serco,
Loudoun County,
Grant Thornton,
Prince William Convention and Visitors Bureau and
Booz Allen Hamilton.
Want to change the murderous arrogance and indifference of the Fairfax
County Police? Then fire the people who
hire the cops and watch how quickly things change. Start with tossing Gerry Hyland out of
office. He basically works for the cop’s best interest and not yours.
Bottom line, if politicians don’t fear that you can harm their
careers, then you don’t exist. They don’t see you, they don’t hear you. You
don’t matter.
Register to vote, form a political action committee. Run a
candidate. Take back your government.
