The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) plans to sue the City of Miami Beach on behalf of a gay man who was arrested after he reported police beating another gay man.
According to the ACLU, Harold Strickland was walking near Flamingo Park in March 2009 when he allegedly saw police officers separate two men who were kissing. Strickland claims he saw police throw one of the men to the ground and kick him repeatedly so he called 911. Noticing Strickland, the officers reportedly walked over to him, ended the call, and arrested him while using gay slurs to harass him.
Robert Rosenwald, Director of the ACLU of Florida’s LGBT Advocacy Project, says Miami Beach Police have been targeting gay men near Flamingo Park for decades.
“When police officers become the problem rather than the solution, the city needs to take action,” Rosenwald says. “Strickland fulfilled his civic duty by reporting what he recognized as police misconduct, but as a result he became the subject of verbal abuse and wrongful arrest.”
Ray Taseff, ACLU cooperating attorney, says the lawsuit goes beyond the violation of Strickland’s rights as a gay man.
“All people have a clear constitutional right and a civic duty to report police misconduct,” he said. “When police start arresting people for reporting police misconduct, the public’s faith in law enforcement suffers.”
According to the ACLU, the testimony of arresting officers Frankly Forte and Elliot Hazzi conflicts with the tape recording of Strickland’s 911 call, Strickland’s cell phone records, and the officers’ own arrest affidavits. The ACLU is asking Miami Beach to discipline officers Hazzi and Forte for their misconduct and to compensate Strickland for the wrongful arrest.
