Here life imitates art, as we have countless stories in books, movies and TV that tell us how ‘cops’ protect their own first and foremost. When the shit flies, they got each others’ back and to be seen or known to disrupt this arrangement is a sell-out and this type of disloyalty is usually dealt with in the most severe ways, ostrasization in the least. This fact of human nature is apparent in so many other institutions and groups, it’s roots in tribalism, “us against them” however that may be defined. This is not meant to be a justification for the behavior, it is meant to help understand why a noble and proud myth spun by Candians of all types, now and for years forward will have to doubt the RCMP in particular and those is general who try to tell us that “Black is White…”.

El Dorado Cty Sheriffs Dpt. S. Lake Tahoe, CA

To make a long story short, my car ran out of gas a few blocks from my house, and I walked home, to take care of my car in the morning. It was about 10:30 PM. I was living at my parents’ house. I was 19. At 3 o’clock AM my mom came into my room, hysterical, screaming in a hoarse whisper about the police need me to move my car. I walked down to explain, I said hi how’s it going they said turn around and spread your legs. I did so. I said do you really have the right to search me, as they finished their bodily search of me. At that point the cop behind me (Dpty Devita) said “oh hero wants to play games with us” and put his hands on my shoulders. He then pushed me violently, the one in front of me caught me and pushed me back.

My parents walked down eventually, at the point where the Sgt (Sgt Rosa) in his car was trying his best to insult me. he told me that he was going to tow my car and to get the hell out of there or he would arrest me.

I gave my keys to my dad and walked home. On the way home I shouted an expletive.

My Dad got home, after having a long conversation with the police, furious. He broke down my locked door. The door hit me in the forehead. He then tackled me, grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and shook me up and down, shouting.

My mom called 911, then hung up…

I left.

The police saw me outside, as I was crossing a street. I saw a car very far away, and crossed the street. It sped up to about 60mph in a 25 zone. It skidded to a stop in front of me. They got out of their car, shouted “GET ON THE GROUND!” I put my hands up slowly. I had long since stopped moving. They tazered me, and took me to jail charging me with resisting arrest. They never went to my parents’ house, where the 911 call was made. I spent 30 days in jail (while I was in a calculus class, I was a physics major), before I even had my trial, where I was convicted as guilty, and given 3 years probation.

I learned later that the police stopped because my car was “parked suspiciously” and then “smelled weed from a nearby house.” They thought I was associated with the house.

Being tazered was the worst pain I’ve felt. I could not breath, and curled up into fetal. I’ve had broken bones, been kicked pretty hard, but I would gladly have any of that over getting tazered. For several months after that if I was pulled over or was in close proximity to a police officer, I would shake uncontrollably.

A few months later, I went to try to report what had happened. The District Attourney’s office told me the only thing I could do was go to the Sheriffs Dept to report it there. They tried to arrest me, when I did, and I ran away and into the public defenders office, and asked if they could arrest me, and they said no, and I was escorted off the premise with threats that I would be arrested for trespassing if I came back.

I swear that all of this is exact and true.