MORE POLICE ABUSE: of very dangerous 60+ year old women.

FIRST THE 365 story: Then a comment from a 'neighbor'...and finally an action for us.

Fundraiser hosted by lesbian couple disrupted by arrests

By 365gay Newswire

06.30.2009 6:00pm EDT

(California) A fundraiser for Congressional candidate Francine Busby in Encinitas, California, was disrupted after several guests were sprayed with pepper spray and the host was arrested.

The fundraiser was being held at the home of lesbian couple Shari Barman and Jane Stratton when deputies showed up in response to a noise complaint.

Barman, 60, was arrested and jailed on suspicion of battery on a peace officer, and resisting, delaying and obstructing a peace officer. The host was arrested by Deputy Marshall Abbott after she refused to give him her birth date so he could file a noise complaint.

According to Sgt. Thomas Yancey of the Encinitas police station said that Barman tried to walk away from Abbott after he made the request, and he grabbed Abbott, then began using pepper spray on guests at the party after they pulled Barman away from him.

“He was pepper-spraying the faces of anyone who tried to talk to him,” Busby said. “People were stunned. It was something that none of us has experienced.”

Busby said she plans to meet with the Sheriff’s Department to find out why the event occurred and find out who made what she claims was a false noise complaint. Police received a call at 9:33 PM from a man saying that a loudspeaker from the party was keeping him awake.

Barman said that a man on the property behind her house had made “disparaging remarks” about Busby and gay people during the party, but Busby says the reception was not loud like the noise complaint claimed.

“It was a quiet home reception, disrupted by a vulgar person shouting obscenities from behind the bushes,” Busby said.

Read the full Sign on San Diego story here.

 

This comment had more information:

Deputy Marshall Abbott and another individual from the Sheriff’s Department arrived at the Encinitas address of 60-year-old Shari Barman and her female life partner as, witnesses said, the gathering was ending.

A guest departing at the time of Deputy Abbott’s arrival, Tom DiCioccio, estimated that the crowd had already dwindled to 15.

Responding to a call for backup from Abbott, six deputies arrived, along with a sergeant. A second arrest was made, with a 62-year-old woman being nabbed by another deputy.

When Barman attempted to walk away from Abbott, witnesses said, Abbott seized her by the arm and shoved her to the ground.

Witnesses said that Barman was clearly in pain at this point. When Barman’s partner, Jane Stratton, 55, stepped forward to ask Abbott to be careful because Barman had recently had shoulder surgery, Abbot knocked her down, according to a statement later released by Barman.

“Alarmed guests pleaded with the deputy to let the 60-year-old homeowner go and stop hurting her. She had recently had shoulder surgery and was clearly in pain.

“His response was to spray the women with pepper spray which caused confusion and outrage.”

Sgt. Thomas Yancey defended Abbott’s actions by saying that the crowd surrounded him.

“We don’t like people standing behind us–we have Tasers, guns, clubs,” the article quoted Yancey as saying.

 

.....and this comment shows us what WE CAN do to help.

(Thanks to Richard for coming up with this)

 

I chose to honor Shari Barman, the homeowner who was pepper sprayed and arrested, by making a donation to the fundraiser she was hosting for Francine Busby and would encourage others to do the same:
https://www.completecampaigns.com/public.asp?name=Busby&page=28