Police Complaint Center

I've put my story up on my blog here and some of it is here as well... but the short of it is as follows:

I broke up a fight at a show where one person stabbed another in the neck. I was then throw out of the venue and attacked by about a dozen people outside on the street.

The police came while I was unconscious, took the word of the crowd that had beaten me that I had stabbed someone, handcuffed me, and tried to throw me into the cruiser but hit my head on the door instead.

Once they got me to the station they dragged me out of the cruiser and dragged me through the police station garage, circled me and threatened me in front of another person who was arrested with me.

I was finally able to stand and was taken into a cell while I complained of having difficulty breathing and staying awake. One officer called the paramedics, finally, but when they came another officer told them to stop treating my injuries and they left before they were done.

That officer took me into another room, ordered me to strip, and then proceeded to interrogate me while I was standing there naked and bleeding while he kept patting the taser at his side. He finally gave me a paper outfit to wear when he was done telling me that I was in a gang (which I'm not) and that I was guilty no matter what I said. (I found out later he told the other person arrested that he was going to make sure I never left the jail).

When I was taken to the jail a nurse started to look me over but again she was also told to stop looking at my injuries right after she said I definitely needed stitches.

I was left without bandages for 3 days in a jail known for a high rate deadly MRSA infections. And even then I was denied even the simplest of medicines like Tylenol for weeks. I lost 30 pounds in a month and started going into shock once because of the pain.

Meanwhile, the police recovered security camera video from the venue a day after the incident and reviewed it that week, it showed that I didn't do the crime I was accused of, and in fact that I stopped it from getting worse. But the prosecutor kept the case going for two months, even admitting that she "could not take the case to trial in good conscience but her boss wouldn't let her drop it". This kept going until I was able to hire a real lawyer by borrowing over $10k.

The prosecutor dropped the charges but nobody ever apologized or did anything to make up for how I was treated during the ordeal. I was an innocent person who just tried to do what was right and got punished for it anyways.

No lawyers in the area are willing to help, I've even tried the ACLU but no reply from them. Any advice is appreciated, I just want to do what I can to stop them from doing something like this to anyone else.

You said no lawyer in the area is willing to take your case. This is most likely most lawyers "in the area" are in bed with the DA. Try looking at lawfirms outside the area. Law firms that will take a case like this. Everything that you can get your hands on will be helpfull, medical records, arrest records, jail video if available. Just my two cents

I'll try out of town lawyers, thanks for the suggestion.

As for records and everything, it's been a bit difficult because the police are keeping the case open and the investigator in charge of the case said they won't go after the guy who actually did the crime. (they say that it's because the victim is uncooperative, but a lawyer I talked to said it's so they can make it hard for me to access the records).

I've been trying to convince my defense attorney to give me his copies but he's been reluctant since it's an open case. I even told him to redact anything about the victim and about the suspect but he's really hessitant about it, almost like someone is pressuring him not to, and he's a good guy too, one of the people who pushed me to do something about how I was treated.

I had a lawyer try and get the records from the jail but they wouldn't give them to him, (that lawyer suggested that he wasn't experienced enough in these types of cases after that and told me I should find someone else). Recently I had a friend of who knew someone in the Dept of Corrections check the records from the inside and they said my records were erased as if I was never in there.

It's just frustrating, but thanks for the suggestions.

Well at some point they are going to have to close the case. Beside what you are really after is the records from the jail which of course they wont release without a fight. It can however be done.

As far as records being erased I dont know if I buy that. It takes alot of work to get a record erased and it would require more then one person so its a tough call. I wish you luck though. It may take some time but eventually the truth will come out. It always does in the end.