Busby Blames Local Resident's Political Agenda, Sheriff's Department Officer In Raid On Fundraiser
I just spoke on the phone with Francine Busby, a previous and once-again Democratic candidate for California's Fiftieth House District, about Saturday's raid by the San Diego Sheriff's Department on a fundraiser she held, in which multiple people were pepper-sprayed and a hostess was arrested after a neighbor made a noise complaint.
Busby strongly denied that anyone at the fundraiser did anything to provoke violence by the sheriffs. (For their part, the sheriffs claim that somebody kicked an officer.) And she put the blame squarely on a neighbor who heckled the crowd, then called the sheriffs to complain of loudness from Democrats.
"You could hear his voice very clearly, it was loud. But as far as the actual words, I didn't hear them," Busby explained. "I heard my name, and obviously derogatory words. Other people heard profanity, and somebody heard something about gays, as well."It should be noted that the event was hosted by a lesbian couple.
"The deputies were telling people that they were taking statements from, that the call came in about noise from a Democratic rally, or Democratic demonstration," said Busby. In fact, she said, she had last spoken at about 8:30 p.m., and the police arrived an hour later when most of the attendees had left. "It was a nuisance-noise call, because there was no noise, and the fact that it was described as a Democratic rally or demonstration indicates to me that this person was calling for his own political motives."
I asked her about a statement from one of the arresting officers, Sgt. Thomas Yancey, that Busby herself should have shown leadership in keeping the crowd in order. She obviously disagrees. "Because first of all, nothing was happening until this woman was arrested. He put her in a restraint-hold and she fell to the floor," she said. "I walked in when all the confusion started, and he was spraying pepper spray in all their faces...and frankly someone told me, 'You need to get out of here,' because it was out of control. He was not listening; there was no controlling this person. The people who asked him to stop hurting this woman were pepper-sprayed without warning, there was no talking to this man."
Busby made it clearer to me that these were not the sort of typically rowdy political demonstrators. "They were middle aged and above. This is not a rowdy crowd," she said, also adding: "Only one person said it reminded her of something in college. They had never seen something like this."
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
San Diego R's must be terrified if this is what they're resorting to. Pitiful.
June 29, 2009 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
This could be another aspect of the right-wing extremist problem. From the article, it reads as if the initial officer was quite a nut. He went in expecting trouble, created trouble, and hit the panic button. Hard. The rest is history.
Think the insane cop from the movie The Professional.
June 30, 2009 1:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Pepper spraying and arrests seem a bit extreme. I wonder if the police break up college parties with the same tactics?
I also wonder how many lawyers were in the crowd that evening.
Any TPMers familiar with the typical behavior of the San Diego Police?
June 29, 2009 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's SD sheriff, not PD. Sheriff is for the unincorporated areas (county and a lot of towns around San Diego proper), San Diego City has it's own PD.
I've never heard of anything this extreme in SD, either PD or sheriff. Sheesh. I can't imagine a bunch of folks at a Busby fundraiser necessitating pepper spray and restraining holds. It will be interesting to see how this develops.
June 29, 2009 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oops, to both you and nanorich. My error.
But it sounds like there are varied views on previous behavior of the sheriff's department?
June 29, 2009 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
This not San Diego city police. It sounds like something from the notoriously unprofessional North County forces.
And yeah, it is extreme to send eight cars and copter to a house where nothing is happening.
June 29, 2009 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
nanorich says:
Talk about swatting a fly with a howitzer, what professional police dept responds to a noise complaint by sending 8 patrol cars and a helicopter?
June 29, 2009 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
From what I can gather from the press reports, the eight cars and the copters were called in as reinforcements by Deputy Fife when he ran out of pepper spray.
June 29, 2009 4:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe they heard that Jake and Elwood were there?
June 30, 2009 5:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
A few years ago in Oceanside (about 10 min. north of Encinitas), there was a resident who called in complaints every time the Oceanside PD used their new Huey helicopter. FYI: Hueys make a lot of noise! OPD got really sick of it and came up with a plan.
They knew the bothersome resident (he was somewhat of a jerk) was going to have a barbeque with friends. They sent the Huey over his backyard. He shined his Black and Decker flashlight at the copter and cursed. OPD sent in all available units, many of whom were off-duty, plus the copter, to swarm his house. There was much thowing down and handcuffing - it would have been hard to come up with an excuse for pepper spray as there were 4 barbequers and more than a dozen cops.
The outcome? The charges were dropped. The resident sued the cops. They testified that he endangered the lives of the pilots by shining a light in their eyes. Now, Oceanside is right next door to Camp Pendleton Marine Corp Base and a lot of locals are/were marines and they know about helicopters. They knew that puny light didn't endanger anyone even before the "experts" testified on the subject. Then all the off-duty cops had to testify about how they came to be available for this operation. Really embarrassing all around. Annoying resident won lawsuit and cash.
Moral of story: parts of San Diego County just haven't gotten over the idea that the good-ole-boys should rule the roost.
Second moral of story: When my kids were learning to drive we had many lessons about how to behave if stopped by the Sheriff or other PD. It was the only time we ever insisted they call anyone "Sir" and we gave them a good reason for doing so. We like our kids with all their original components in good working order.
June 29, 2009 5:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
tox,
I'm surprised S W A T didn't show up in their funny little costumes.
June 29, 2009 8:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is standard for the San Diego Police Department.
June 29, 2009 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
San Diego sheriff seeks probe in use of pepper spray at political event
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/06/san-diego-sheriff-calls-for-probe-into-pepper-spray-use-at-political-event.html
June 29, 2009 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
<sarcasm>God Damned Hippies</sarcasm>
Any chance any of this was videotaped?
June 29, 2009 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's what I was thinking. Video of the event before police arrived would prove whether the 8 cars and a helicopter were warranted. Not bloody likely, IMHO.
June 29, 2009 5:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Any chance it WASN'T videotaped? Sheesh, nowadays everything gets taped by someone.
June 29, 2009 9:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
This seems like a big story. I've never heard of police using pepper spray to break up a house party.
Not surprising that people in suburban SD have problems with gays and Democrats. Lots of hardcore wingnuts in these areas. Scary folks.
June 29, 2009 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Having read the above story it sounds like the deputy created his own problem. Never ask a woman her age. Also a arresting a woman for refusing to giver her age????? Something wrong here.
Having experience here and with the number of calls police get the first deputy should simply have rolled up, parked and open a window and listen. Where I live if they hear nothing bad they clear the call and go on. If they hear something wait for a one or two person backup and knock on the door and say quite down. On a second complain that is when you start doing thing.
June 29, 2009 4:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
The right to remain silent comes from the right to avoid self incrimination. Thus, the right to remain silent does not extend to questions which involve self identification (such as age) because such questions and their answers do not and cannot implicate you in any crime. This means that if a state doesn't further limit the police's powers, not answering basic questions from a police officer can be a chargeable offense.
Not that the constitutional question is particularly relevant. The circumstances of the entire affair make it abundantly clear that the officer acted unreasonably, did not properly investigate before acting, used disproportionate force, and escalated the situation unnecessarily.
June 30, 2009 1:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Now you know why Blackwater thought this would be a good place to open a training facility:
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS216857+22-May-2008+PRN20080522
June 29, 2009 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmmm. Makes you wonder if there is any kind of legal precedent for subdual of an out-of-control police officer.
Seriously, if a cop loses control and starts attacking people, what is the public supposed to do, just sit there and take it? When can you legally defend yourself, if ever?
June 29, 2009 4:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ever been to Colorado Springs during a normal St Paddy's Day Parade? Here the police literally take peaceful parade participates with a valid parade permit out of the parade by force, and use their stun guns to keep the onlookers at bay.
They haul off old nuns, school teachers and lawyers who are over 60 and 70 years old.
They too said that some mystery person called and said the parade marchers had inciting placards about Bush bombing babies but none were ever seen or found, only peace not war, books not bombs and yet the political motivation was to take the 2007 marchers by force off the street. Later the police said they were fearful that someone in the crowd would throw bottles and missiles onto the parade so they had to protect the marchers by physically arresting them.
Yeah right, in right wing strongholds what they don't like is open challenge to their losing authority...so they use their authority like Bull Turner of the old South.
June 29, 2009 4:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I live in San Diego and also attended the No on Prop 8 rallies both before and after the Nov election. Police were present at those rallies and at all times exhibited professionalism and respect for the demonstrators. The commenters above are right that there's a big difference between SDPD and the Sheriff department.
June 29, 2009 5:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ickle policeman needs pepperspray to protect himself from a 60 year old woman.
June 29, 2009 5:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Seriously, if a cop loses control and starts attacking people, what is the public supposed to do, just sit there and take it? When can you legally defend yourself, if ever?"
The answer to that question is a very good metric for just how authoritarian a society is. Based upon what has been happened at political conventions and other protests, the widespread use of stun guns against citizens who refuse to submit to certain police demands, the examples provided by RWN above and this story, I'll leave you to your own conclusions.
June 29, 2009 5:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't live in her district, but I'm ponying up a hunski for her now.
June 29, 2009 6:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I live here in Cardiff. There was a pit bull running around loose last month; the sheriff's department said they couldn't help me. Maybe if I had complained that it was a Democratic-fundraising pit bull, then maybe they would have rounded it up. This was just ridiculous. Aren't there repercussions for filing a false complaint?
June 29, 2009 6:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you wonder if some of the Encinitas Council folks and other Republican political ladder-climbers had had a word with the Sheriff's Dept.? It wouldn't be the first time.
What actually surprises me is that they found enough Democrats in Encinitas to hold a fundraiser. Good grief, times really are a-changin'.
June 29, 2009 7:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
A Majority of voters in San Diego county are now Democrats.
June 29, 2009 8:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Typical California law enforcement. The worst racist town in the Deep South has nothing on California's finest.
I guess its a good thing California is so progressive.
June 29, 2009 7:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fatuous, inane and snotty.
June 29, 2009 8:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
yet the comments re the South and parts of California are true
what's your problem with truth? does it interfere with your fatuousness, inanity, and snottiness?
pretty sure it must
June 29, 2009 8:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry Nag, this police behavior is not "typical California law enforcement" at all, and that is what makes this story pop out of the clutter. Adding insults to California as a state and comparing it with southern redneck backwater states is just kinda stupid as well. I will put San Francisco and Los Angeles up against any area in the nation as the most progressive American experience possible.
I guess it just threatens some insecure small minded folks that one out of every eight Americans lives in California and we are a shining example to the world how people of every race and religion can get along and build a better world.
June 29, 2009 10:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wait a second. SF and LA may be a progressive living experience, but you have your head in the sand if you don't think the SFPD or LAPD are not headstrong and corrupt as hell. The SF Chronicle has done multiple exposes on abuse of authority of the SF police, and if you haven't heard of the kind of stunts the LAPD have pulled ... well you're living in a different world.
June 29, 2009 11:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks arias, I have had my share of problems with the LAPD. But what makes LA and SF more progressive is not some bad cops acting out but the political leadership in the cities that does not tolerate bad behavior. The police protection I have in my neighborhood is the LA County Sheriff Deputies. They are contracted by West Hollywood to patrol our city as we are not part of LA. The police here are professional and friendly. They know who the boss is here, liberals!
June 29, 2009 11:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do you think everyone throughout the County would share your views? Progressive shouldn't mean fighting for your own causes and ignoring the plight of others. Some bad cops acting out? I know MacArthur Park is not that close to West Hollywood but how do you figure many officers beating innocent men and women including the press translates into just a few bad apples? You obviously don't give a damn about your fellow Angelenos or you don't pay attention to what goes on.
Seriously, are you really only progressive south of Sunset and west of Highland?
June 30, 2009 3:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
Dude you are WAY out of line! Project your hostility on someone else please. I said I have had my share of problems with LAPD. I have lived all over Los Angeles for the last 25 years. I am very well informed thank you. I also said I now live in an area that has excellent police protection BECAUSE OF LIBERAL POLITICAL CONTROL and I appreciate it very much because of all the places I have lived that did not. Try attacking your enemies instead of your allies and the world might actually get a little better. But if you just need to hate on everyone then whatever...
June 30, 2009 6:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
OK let's go! Because I live in West Hollywood I am gay and therefore do not care about anyone else? Who the hell are you? Over 70% of the armed robbery and battery in my area of LA is committed by young black men. Picking on old retired Jews and gays seems to be OK with your culture but you cry like a baby because you think you are the victim of prejudice. How do you think it feels to be preyed upon by homophobic young punks who learned from their elders that gays and Jews are OK to rob and kill? Easy picking? Get the log out of your own eye brother..... and thanks for the support on gay marriage. Much appreciated.
June 30, 2009 8:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've lived in California (except when I was married and spent the better part of three years during the 90's in France) since 1965. At the age of ten, I moved with my parents from Eugene, Oregon to West Covina just before the Watts Riots. We moved later to Yorba Linda. The Ramparts division of the LAPD was then and now a bunch of paramilitary thugs. Fullerton PD; paramilitary thugs. Riverside County Sherrif's; paramilitary thugs. San Diego PD and Sherrif's; paramilitary thugs.
I have no grand illusions about California's "liberal" leanings; not with the state being the birthplace of the Birchers; or even the current manifestation of the KKK as the Conservative Citizens Council in Hacienda Heights.
Funny how Metzger of the Nazis and the Minutemen milita thugs originated in San Diego County.
I disagree that what happened in Cardiff is not typical in California; my experience is that it is all too typical.
I currently live in the SF Bay Area and have acquaintences in law enforcement; racism and paramilitary thuggery exists on a daily basis, even here.
June 29, 2009 11:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
For a minute I wondered what site I was on. I'm wondering is this the same California we're talking about. Don't get me wrong, I truly value the multicultural environment I grew up in in LA, but those groups don't always get along so well. And the cops........between gang crap and the police I moved to NY. I'm waiting to hear how Daryl Gates was brought world peace or some crap.
One thing I noticed, of all the places in the US, California is just jam packed full of racists, bigots etc that are totally in denial about their true nature. People hide their true archie bunker style thoughts everywhere but in Cali its like they go beyond that to try to portray some sort of ideal prejudice free types then sit there while guys with badges from Azusa shoot mexican kids and toss a pound of heroin in their lap. Bizarre.
June 30, 2009 3:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
As an African American who lived for 20 years in Los Angeles I have a different opinion. I left California because of the violent racism. I have friends who were murdered as teenagers by the LAPD and LA County Sheriffs Office. I have been threatened on numerous occasions by California law enforcement. I do not believe that if you polled African Americans in California that they'd agree with your assessment of a benign collective law enforcement community.
You must be totally unfamiliar with the history of the police in every major city in California in regards to racial relations to make such claims. How deluded can you be.
I guess it is progressive to ignore the experience of others in the broader community and label them small minded for not having the privilege to share your outlook on law enforcement and to label an entire region of the nation as backwater redneck states.
How many of your highschool classmates in the LAUSD were shot in the back and killed by local law enforcement? How many of your classmates beaten for no reason by the same group? I guarantee you your view of law enforcement is not share by everyone in the city of Los Angeles and not even in West Hollywood.
Is it progressive to be oblivious to the experiences of others in your community?
June 30, 2009 3:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
OK you left California because of the violent racism ..... and you think where exactly is less racist? I think you need to get around a little more buddy. Try living in a liberal progressive city if you are that traumatized. That is my point about having the city elected officials back you up, it is valid everywhere. The mayor runs the police almost everywhere. Political pressure is what controls police.
As for your accusing me of not caring about anyone else..... whatever dude. I think you have some personal issues you project onto others a little too easily. Try checking with the man in the mirror.
June 30, 2009 6:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Paramilitary, Gestapo thugs!
June 29, 2009 8:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here in California, the state legislature is deciding on budget cuts.
San Diego Sheriff's Office? Consider yourselves on notice. Whatever we've been paying you bastards, it's obviously too damn much.
June 29, 2009 8:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Every summer I go on vacation for a few weeks with family and I am forced to endure Fox News Channel.
Would it surprise you that there has been not one peep about this story on FNC?
Would anyone like to make a bet as to how often this story would be mentioned if the gathering had been one of Republicans rather than Democrats?
June 30, 2009 12:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why don't we compile a list of cities in which such gestapo tactics are used, including for each city a running count of police-incited terrorist incidents, maintain sthe list as a visible editable table, and inform the mayors that their cities have been placed on the POLICE TERRORIST WATCH LIST ? And by the way, we should probably alert these mayors that once their city has been entered in the list, it's next to impossible to get off.
June 30, 2009 6:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is what you get when you militarize the police departments. Give them helicopters, automatics, bullet proof everything and overwhelming force will be used on grannies and children. Look at what happened at FTAA protests in 2003.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1126-03.htm
June 30, 2009 10:17 AM | Reply | Permalink