Will Grigg?s Liberty Minute

March 26, 2009

After a fight broke out at a Ft. Lauderdale hotel last December 5, 22-year-old Joshua Ortiz, from a nearby elevator, saw some of his friends being manhandled by armored riot police. Ortiz yelled at the police to leave his friends alone.

A video record shows a group of four police approaching the elevator. Officer Derek Lade shoves his face into Ortiz?s before throwing the young man to the ground. Three cops then beat Oritz before dragging him away.

Officer Lade?s report falsely claimed that Ortiz had ?assumed a fighting stance? with his fists clenched, and then ?walked right up to me hitting his nose to my nose.? Ortiz was thus charged with felony assault on a police officer.

Had the elevator videotape not existed, Ortiz ? the victim of unlawful police violence ? might be headed for prison on the basis of Lade?s perjury. This reminds us, once again, of the value of recording every encounter with the police.

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.