Video: Memphis police beat transgendered man in jail

Sandra Rose June 20, 2008

Shocking video of cowardly police officers beating a detainee in jail. The detainee was a transgendered man who refused to respond to insults and threats made by the officer. The officer beat the victim with closed fists and even handcuffs. Another officer held the victim while the brutal attack took place. That officer was already on probation and has been fired. The officer who beat the victim is on desk duty and cannot come in contact with prisoners.

Thanks to loyal reader Darnell for the link!

cinnamonkisses97

That is really sad , and I can’t believe no tried to help .
bk2atl

Wow….I am speechless. That was just inhumane. What gets me is how these cops do things like this knowing that there is video surveillance. They just don’t give a f*ck!
ckarinwhite

Both of the officers should be fired, and the city of Memphis should compensate her for the abuse..

The funny part is when she tried to fight back with the windmill swing action…LMAO!…
MOCHAMOMMY

This is nothing new…. Correctional officers beat down prisoners all the time. I’m finding it hard to have sympathy on an inmate because THEY’RE INMATES. If they werent doing stupid ish, they wouldnt be in jail. I cant see the video, but I’m pretty sure this officer did not just walk up & beat this dude/chick/whatever up. Transgenders tend to have a slick mouth
missmiami

Truly saddened by this act of hate and abuse of power. That is why I feel no pity for an officer whom is gunned down or attacked. Karma is a motha and it constantly bites those officers whom have dished out way more than they can take. Shit and this is coming from someone that already works in law enforcement.
Kymystry

I have to agree with Mochamommy to an extent … No one deserves a beat down .. but .. HE (I refuse to call a Man she … no matter how much surgery HE gets) He wasn’t at the jail delivering Avon …
black beauty

Desk duty WTF they both should have been fired and no one deserves to be beat without being able to defend themselves period.
http://www.myspace.com/spiceandmusicqueen08 pyt_504

SMH…….
http://myspace.com/birminghamblaze Dani

This is just so wrong. That shows what kind of man this police officer is NOT. To beat a person that reallly can’t protect himself against the attack. That’s what these police men do. A lot of them take advantage of their authority.
MOCHAMOMMY

MissMiami says:
Truly saddened by this act of hate and abuse of power. That is why I feel no pity for an officer whom is gunned down or attacked. Karma is a motha and it constantly bites those officers whom have dished out way more than they can take. **** and this is coming from someone that already works in law enforcement.
______________________________________________

I have to speak on this one cuz it hits home. A member of my church was gunned down for responding to a domestic dispute. Did he deserve that? Was that karma coming back at him? All he did was get out the car & the man started shooting at him. Backup hadnt arrived yet & he didnt know what he walked into. He had been on the force for 12 years & never had a single complaint. In fact, he was recognized by the community for being fair, unbiased & an outstanding officer. He did community service & talked to kids at shelters. He had a family & played the drums & guitar at church. So, again, I ask u, do u think that was karma???
http://www.myspace.com/tianamomof3 cutienjerzey

He/she was arrested for prositution(sp). What the officer’s did was totally uncalled for. Kym and Mocha I don’t agree with you guys on this. We are human being who sometimes make bad choices, that doesn’t give a person the right to beat the crap out of us either. That’s why we do have courts and jury’s to decide the punishment for these criminals. In no way do I condone criminal actvity, I just don’t condone officers of the law abusing their powers. I have a lot of family members in law enforcement who feel the same way about fellow employees who do stupid shit like this.
http://www.myspace.com/tianamomof3 cutienjerzey

Mocha,
Sorry to hear about the officer who went to your church. What a shame.
black beauty

Correct me if I’m wrong but Transgender is not a choice you’re born that way right?
Kymystry

Transgender means they are in the PROCESS of a surgical sex change
black beauty

@MOCHAMOMMY

That really saddens me and what saddens me even mor is that anyone thinks that an inocent person should be harmed because of what the media portray on tv of his collegues. Not all cops are “bad” and in my oppinion and personal experience not all inmates are either
ladyrazor

@cutienjerzey

i co-sign that. because at the end of the day dipsite the fact that they are inmates. They are human and deserve to be treated with respect. This hits home to me as I currently have family members that are incarcerated. Just because you make a mistake doenst make you any less of a human being. Point blank period Moch and Kym. That he/she was called out of there name by being called a fag and whatever else that was stated in the video. Im sure that if either you Moch and Kym were called bytches or nicca instead of your name by an officer you wouldn’t respond because that is not what your momma named you. Im sorry Moch that the officer that went to your church passed away but please and by all means please! Don’t classify all inmates with the one that committed that unfortunate slaying.
Kymystry

My one of my older brother’s just DIED in Prision in Jan .. he had been locked up for 19 years …He committed a crime that EARN him the privilidge of being incarcerated for 25 yrs .. he complained to the Guard of severe headaches and they ignored him only to find him unconcious in his cell… turns out he had inoperable brain cancer and died several months .. do I blame the Guards .. Nope … Jerry Got himself in there all by himself .. Did I love my brother YES ..
missmiami

In regards to missmiami, that is truly sad but again I stand by my opinion. A majority officers abuse authority and typically become corrupted by what they see in the field and at some point join the rest of the crowd. Maybe the officer you are referring to was a good person and was actually a minority. But I work in law enforcement and no what goes on and what is not reported. BTW, a lot of corrupt,racist and abusive officers are sometimes quoted by the community as being outstanding, upstanding men and women of service. We as humans are typically multifaceted. Atleast I am.
missmiami

My dumb ass, I meant in regards to MOCHAMOMMY.
Imalover

MOCHAMOMMY: I’m sorry, but a “slick mouth” doesn’t justify a barbaric beat down. Although I do understand your lack of sympathy for inmates, I have to defend their right to be treated better than animals. Imagine if a dog was ignoring the commands of this officer in the video, do you think he would brutalize the dog as he did this human being? No. Why? Because his repulsion for this black transgendered detainee far exceeds that of any flea infested mangy mutt that walks the street. Anger motivated by hate is intoxicating and clearly this officer lost control… hopefully the loss of his job will soon follow.
missmiami

So agree w/IMALOVER. The fact the inmate was transgender and black made it a double whammy. Besides, the detainee (because I don’t believe he had been booked) did not follow the officers of commands when he/she was referred to as FAG or whatever. Everyone deserves respect. Even if I don’t like someone I automatically give them respect until they prove me otherwise. Also, since the officer was fired because of other complaints obviously he has a track record of abuse because typically most officers are placed on desk duty/administative leave or something while an investigation is conducted.

With that said that officer got what he deserved and I hope he doesn’t run across anyone on the street he assaulted while he was abusing his badge.
ladyrazor

@kym

I’m sorry about your loss as well. But as I stated before, not all criminals deserve to be treated as human beings point blank period. Some people are in prison for different reason’s hell some of my family members are there based upon hear say and aint killed no body, assaulted anyone, and wasn’t no drug dealer. At the end of the day classifying all inmates into one category is just wrong because everyone were in different circumstances that got them there from the gate. Missmiami is right as well regarding some cops that are corruptive. Now I’m keeping it real I aint paying my tax dollars for them to do unjustly things like this to people. But then again look at our judicial system but at the end of the day what do you expect when the government is corrupt anyway.
ladyrazor

correction: all inmates should be treated as human beings
ladyrazor

my question is why the hell did the cop that got fired was the one that was holding the inmate down and the cop that did the blows is not?
MOCHAMOMMY

Ok let me say this… MissMiami, I respect ur opinion & I’m quite aware of the madness in the jail system (several family members & friends work & live in them). Maybe I was misunderstood… I dont think rapists & murderers should have “prisoner rights.” Should this officer be excused because a prisoner got slick? Of course not. Was he justified in beating this person? No. Did he abuse his power? Yes. But do I have sympathy? No. He’s in jail. Had he not been sellin his ass for a buck, he wouldnt be in this predicament. I cannot feel sorry for a criminal (especially a prostitute). I cant excuse one crime for another.
MOCHAMOMMY

I think prisoners do & say stuff just to push an officer’s buttons. Unfortunately some officers cant stomach being disrespected by [what they view as] scum & react without thought (or maybe they do think about it & just dont care)
brenden

Hi ladyrazor. The cop who held him down was already on probation for prior issues. Possibly another case of inmate abuse he was involved with? That’s why he was immediately fired. I;m a bit confused by the hypocrisy in here. We shouldn’t judge cops by the actions of a few of their colleagues, yet we can judge transsexuals by saying they tend to have slick mouths. If you cant judge one you cant judge the other. Well I guess I shouldn’t say that. Were all entitled. Hell I laughed when they first showed the transsexual being interviewed. I thought what the hell is this. Shame on me I guess. At the end of the day we have rights. This mans rights were violated. By a figure of authority non the less. And he deserves justice because of it.
ladyrazor

@mochamommy

They did say in the news report the DA dropped all charges so technically the transgender male is not really a criminal.
ladyrazor

@ brenden

Thanks for clarifying that for me. I was cracking up too when i seen him. “Lawd forgive” but i co-sign on everything you said as well.
http://notenoughrealmen.blogspot.com 2thick4u

This is very disturbing.

He beat this person for absolutely no reason what so after with handcuffs wrapped around his hands.

He deserves more than lose of job. He should feel the pain.

You are innocent until proven guilty people. Just because you are arrested doesn’t make you a criminal.

I hope that no one has to endure this kind of pain…you might live to tell the story.
http://notenoughrealmen.blogspot.com 2thick4u

He beat this person for absolutely no reason what so ever with handcuffs wrapped around his hands.
knockkey

Damn lil mama @ Mochamommy you have a heart of stone. You are was talk shyt about my baby Cici, go to her myspace page @ ciara world 2 ,so she can put your ass in check.
precious1

Mochamommy…maybe you should have viewed the tape because he/she did not deserve that treatment. Yes…she was in there for prostitution and her punishment was going to jail. What was her crime in sitting in the chair refusing to be degraded by some officer. I don’t care if I was bought in for dicking down severla johns. I am not responding to derogatory names either.

THe officer was DEAD WRONG! He/she committing an offense, does not excuse the officer from his offense. The criminal is wrong but the officer isn’t? Miss me with all that!!!!
https://www.sandrarose.com Sandra Rose

MOCHAMOMMY Says:

I cant see the video, but I’m pretty sure this officer did not just walk up & beat this dude/chick/whatever up. Transgenders tend to have a slick mouth

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No, seriously, you can’t beat a prisoner for having a slick mouth. She was just sitting there and the officer was swinging bolo punches at her with handcuffs on his fist like brass knuckles. Straight gangland style.
MOCHAMOMMY

@ Precious, I did say the officer was wrong. I also said that some officers can deal with inmates talking & lose it. That doesnt make it ok to beat a handcuffed person (btw, i didnt know the inmate was handcuffed) & it makes me wonder how they passed the psych exam.

And knockkey, knockknee or Marta girl, whatever ur name is… Miss me on the Cici b.s. This post has nothing to do with her… Maybe its time for ur meds.
MOCHAMOMMY

U guys I know u cant LEGALLY beat a prisoner for having a slick mouth… But it happens. Most officers who do it, do it where there are no cameras. This officer obviously was new and didnt know his way around the ropes.
pointhimout

wow, she’s about to get paid. i dont think having a slick mouth was the problem. she said she refused to respond to the derogatory comments (fag, he/she etc).

for her to just be sitting there, why put handcuffs on his fists and punch her? what was that about? the nurse should be fired too. you see her in the background, obviously shaken up by something, blood coming from her head, and u tend to the cop???? like someone said; this is why you feel no pitty when one of them are gunned down. i just flick the channels like the ish was never reported.
ladyrazor

@ mochamommy

I still cant believe you are seriously taking up for this cop! I’m just like WTF!!! Pookie please see the video so you can see what everyone is talking about. You can not assume that she (the transgedner) was being slick at the mouth. Because she said that she wasnt even answering him because the officer was calling her out her name. You cant assume he was new being an officer, you got to have common sense. Even if i wasnt a police officer I know that you just cant go around and hit people like they stoled something from you for no reason. You are seeing things a little bit backwards here. And like 2thick4u said you are guilty till proven innocent and in this case she was never booked, no was she charged with anything because the DA dropped the charges.
ladyrazor

@ pointhimout

Exactly!
missnee

it was mentioned above and i’m hella nitpicky: a correctional officer is not the same thing as a police and or sheriff deputy.

that said…this inmate posed no threat to this officer. regardless of what someone is in there for, if they treat you with respect, you need to do the same. my husband is an SD and he will tell you that the only time you become physical with an inmate is if they are being combative. duanna was not posing a threat to this officer at all and it’s all there. what angers me more is the nurse totally ignored duanna being injured.

“Dirty Cops, them the ones you need to watch. Talkin’ ’bout the dirty cops, they the ones you need to watch” – E. Badu
MzTee

Just another case of the police abusing their authority and power. Regardless of what a person may have done, they are human beings and afforded civil rights by the U.S. Constitution. If the DA doesn’t file charges, the feds should because this person was physically assaulted. The officer who beat Johnson should be fired and prosecuted and the damn nurse needs to be placed on suspension because she didn’t do her damn job by providing aid to all who were injured.
GAGIRL73

To: All Dirty Cops

In due time the tables will turn. And please understand your not above KARMA even if you “think” your above the law!
ms.peaches

That was really sad I think alot of people look at transgenders, gay, & lesbians as another species or something we are all human regardless of what you were born as or what you change yourself to be, he did not derserve to get treated like that by all means & I think I am more mad at the nurse being a sista who simply ignored him by checking to see if the police was ok, her job definitley needs to be up!!! Real talk & to think of all the other folks that were in the same room just looking like that was normal, this world is coming to a end slowly but surley!!
LAChick

Mocha, did i read you have law enforcement in your fam? If so, I get where you you are coming from, I have several and I live where we get abusive, sick (and they passed the psych) cops regularly. My family members who have never been brought up on any charges are ashamed of those bad cops and angry about the system they have to police under, I worry about them all the time but the horror of what was done to this woman, is criminal, plain and simple and just saying they were wrong is not enough, they must be kicked out of their positions, these are the sort who make all look bad, they must be prosecuted like any other person who assaults another person period. That is separate from what she did to land in jail, we got that she did something but being beaten is not the sentence. Let’s be fair all around!

Video: Memphis police beat transgendered man in jail

Suspects Arrested in T.I. Assistant’s Slaying

Video: JC – Nobody Gotta Know ft. Gorilla Zoe

related posts