Emily Good, the woman arrested for filming police conduct a routine traffic stop from her own front yard won a victory in court Monday when charges against her were dropped. The judge, district attorney’s office, mayor, and local police chief all felt there was no legal basis to pursue the case.
Good, whose stated reason for filming the traffic stop was that “three white officers were stopping a young black male,” is not giving up her fight against what she considers police misconduct and might even sue the Rochester police department.
YNN reports on the details of Good’s courtroom victory:
It took less than a minute for a judge to dismiss an obstructing governmental administration charge against Good, saying there was no legal basis to move forward.
Good was arrested last month while videotaping a traffic stop outside her Rochester home. She was taken into custody after Good failed to go inside her home when ordered to by Rochester police officer Mario Masic.
Good says even though the charge has been dropped, her fight against police injustice is just beginning.
“I’m part of a community center, the Flying Squirrel Community Space,” said Good. “We’re having conversations on a regular basis right now about police accountability. We want to hear people’s stories of racial profiling. We’re working on sort of a place to document stories and maybe look at patterns.”
Engaging in conversations about racial profiling at the Flying Squirrel Community Space aren’t all Good plans to do, however. Good’s attorney Donald Thompson reportedly told WHEC she may sue officer Masic and the Rochester Police Department for violating her civil rights.
Thompson says says the lawsuit will claim a violation of Good’s civil rights under the guarantees of the First Amendment. He said they will either file it in state or federal court.
“There was no crime that she committed here,” says Thompson. “There was no basis to arrest her. There was no reason to forcibly take her from her property. It’s a violation of her civil rights.”
“It was pretty far over the line,” says Thompson. “That’s why it went national. It didn’t go national because this is something that happens every day, or it’s kind of run of the mill. It’s not. This is a pretty cut and dried violation."
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/women-arrested-for-recording-police-from-front-yard-plans-to-sue-rochester-p-d/
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