Black Woman Wins $205,000 Settlement After Charging Texas Cop Yanked Out Her Tampon in the Middle of

[Demovictory9]

https://www.theroot.com/black-woman-wins-205-000-settlement-after-charging-tex-1839151988

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Simms was sitting on a street curb, on her phone, waiting for her boyfriend when she was approached by a group of male police officers. They asked Simms if they could search her car. According to her complaint, Simms agreed because she didn’t want to risk being killed by the police know she could refuse.

A female officer, Wilson, was called to the scene, and she proceeded to conduct a search of Simms’ body, according to the lawsuit, the Daily News reports.

As the Times explains:

In Texas, it is illegal to strip-search a person or their property without their consent or a warrant, and searches of body cavities must be conducted out of public view.

However, according to the suit, despite not having Simms’ consent, as the News reports:

“Disgustingly, and in clear violation of Natalie’s constitutional rights, Officer (Mara) Wilson chose to reach into Natalie’s pants and pull the string attached to a tampon which was present in Natalie’s vaginal cavity,” the filing states.

However, according to the suit, despite not having Simms’ consent, as the News reports:

“Disgustingly, and in clear violation of Natalie’s constitutional rights, Officer (Mara) Wilson chose to reach into Natalie’s pants and pull the string attached to a tampon which was present in Natalie’s vaginal cavity,” the filing states.

“Officer Wilson was not confused at all about what she saw when she chose to shine her flashlight into — and ultimately thrust her hand into — the part of Natalie’s body which was most intimate. Natalie had not consented to such a search,” the paperwork alleges.

A “shocked” Simms asked Wilson why she acted as she had done, saying, according to transcriptions of police dashcam footage that captured the encounter, “It’s full of blood, right? Why would you do that?”

To which Wilson replied, as the Time reports, “I don’t know. It looked like it had stuff in there.”

Stuff? As in menstrual blood?

Anyway, that wasn’t even the end to the indignity, according to the complaint.
Officer Wilson then held up the bloody tampon and commanded Simms to stay still as she continued searching Simms’ genital area—all while still in the street and in the proximity of the male officers.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

1. wtf is going on with cops in this country?

[uponit7771]

4. Insurance companies that pay out when they fuck up. The insurance companies that enable them

... should be sued for not holding cops blatant stupidity accountable.

Tie the cops pensions to their stupid acts, see how shit changes quick

[pnwmom]

2. She should have gotten a couple million for this public shaming/power trip/sexual assault. n/t

[Demovictory9]

3. yep. Shame on that sick Detective Mara Wilson

[DFW]

5. I would have added a couple of zeroes into the settlement

And I would have ordered that the offending "officers'" salaries be docked by 50% for the next ten years to help pay for their share of the misery.

If cops do not figure out in no uncertain terms that this kind of unwarranted harassment has drastic consequences, then unwarranted harassment will continue.

[Duppers]

9. +100

To all your points.

[MagickMuffin]

10. Yes, yes and YES

Instead of suing cities and bankrupting them, sue the damn enforcers and the enforcer unions and the individual enforcers as well.

This behavior would stop to a large degree.

Suing the cities is very harmful. I wanted to visit the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens the other day. It is no longer free, you have to pay to enter and enjoy the beautiful gardens. And this probably has a lot to do with people suing the city because of rogue enforcers.

[malaise]

6. Living while black is a crime

[RandiFan1290]

7. Texas, again. nt

[LuckyCharms]

8. She is rightfully owed many, many multiples of $205,000.