Raleigh Police Department Attorney Targets Peaceful Protester | Contempt Filing Against Monica Ussery
Imagine legal woes piling up, and all you did to end up in jail was participate in a peaceful protest in Raleigh, North Carolina.
You might remember months ago, when I wrote about
an incident of a peaceful protester being arrested and highlighting the troubles she faced since attending the protest in Raleigh, NC on April 14, 2020.
On that date, people assembled organically and supposedly due to a rapidly growing group on facebook. I remember hearing there were politicians interacting with organizers of the page and wanting to get involved, do interviews, help fundraise. Where are they now? I have no clue.
Raleigh Police Department made Monica Ussery the example at the protest that day. I didn’t realize until April 14, 2023 that it had been so long since her unconstitutional arrest. Three years! Wow, and the reason I was reminded of this was because another independent journalist, Stephen Horn, tweeted out the body worn camera footage which was contained in a brief clip. The footage was supposedly leaked illegally.
The leaked footage is fascinating, as it demonstrates what total monsters people in positions of power will be. The police describe the threat of arrest, all because someone told an officer named, “Bond to pound sand.” Raleigh Police Captain Dedric Bond was the leader of the staged arrest. Imagine having liberties taken away for something as petty as this. This is unthinkable.
What did Raleigh Police do in response to the leaked videos? What would any government agency do? Would they go “pound sand?” Of course not. It appears they’re retaliating against Monica Ussery. In an internet group chat, I saw the following letter and eventually tweeted as a chain to other Ussery-related threads.
Then comes retaliation.
By April 17, 2023, Raleigh Police Attorney Sherita Walton filed a Motion For Order Show To Cause against Ussery for suspecting her to have leaked the 4-14-2020 footage, now accessible in the public domain.
Ussery has a new court date scheduled for this Thursday over the tape leak. Ussery and I made contact days ago and I learned she still faces legal bills but now has an online link for people to help.
It is important to note, we would never hear about this story if it hadn’t been for the hard work and dedication of Stephen Horn. Stephen Horn is journalist who posts his work on twitter, substack and locals. While Horn tweeted the leaked video, we have no way of knowing how anyone accessed the original footage. Someone literally could’ve dropped a thumb drive on the ground. We also do not know if Ussery was ever given the tapes.
This afternoon , following the publishing of this piece, I received an email from RPD with the following statement and wanted to provide the new information to readers.
I was informed from an activist on the ground at the time, a veteran Joshua Rohrer encountered similar restraints from the government. In Rohrer’s situation in Gastonia, NC, the case had to be closed before he was given a copy of the body worn camera footage.
Whether we like it or not, the leak benefits the public greatly. Through the leak, citizens get to see exactly what the government is doing, and even when it is plotting against citizens, as they have done in this specific footage. The desire for the truth is only stronger when the government hides it’s wrongdoings. That is when journalists should want to know the truth even more, however corporate media has failed to show any interest in this chain of events.