Seattle girl speaks about police beating


Malika Calhoun, 15, tells what led up to the vicious attack on her, caught on video, by police Deputy Paul Schene, how it felt and what she would like to see happen. Schene, 31, pled not guilty Thursday, Feb. 25, to fourth-degree assault.

seattle-girl-beaten-in-detention-20081, Seattle girl speaks about police beating, Videos He can be seen on the video slamming Malika’s head against the wall, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her on the concrete floor, sitting astride her and punching her hard on the back of the head, handcuffing her and snatching her up by her hair and dragging her out.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports: “Schene fatally shot a mentally ill man in 2006 after a traffic stop struggle on Interstate 5. It was the second shooting of his career, although both were ruled as justified.

“While on paid leave after the 2006 shooting, Schene was stopped for drunken driving. He registered a .04 percent blood alcohol level during a test, but had been drinking and taking prescription medications. He was suspended for two days and a received a deferred sentence, public records say.”

The record of a police officer’s misconduct is not hidden from the public in Seattle, but it is in California, by the “Police Bill of Rights,” which activists incensed over the police execution of Oscar Grant are working to repeal.

Considering how rarely prosecutors bring charges against police, the influence of the movement for justice for Oscar Grant in Oakland may have helped persuade the Seattle prosecutor to bring charges in Malika’s case.

“We believe this case is beyond just police misconduct; it’s criminal misconduct,” King County Prosecutor Daniel Satterberg was quoted as saying. “This is clearly excessive force.”