"You remember the aftermath of Katrina, don't you? You remember the elderly woman attacked by "authorities" in her home because she demanded the right to defend herself? You remember New Orleans police confiscating guns -- private property -- from law-abiding citizens in the aftermath of the tragedy in a truly fascist manner?
Well, from the city that brought you thieving, terrorist acts by the ones sworn to serve and protect, comes another story of jack-booted thuggery. A pack of New Orleans' "finest" burst into a bar, allegedly looking for two men in white T-shirts, who supposedly ran inside.
Police did not find the men in the white T-shirts. But amid the typically older clientele, the youngest person there might have been the man running the Sportsman, 26-year-old Steven Elloie, a solid, broad-shouldered man who stands 5-feet-11 and weighs 265 pounds.
So what did these slimebags do? They beat the crap out of Steven Elloie, abused him physically until his body was numb and his legs would not move, kicked him and Tasered him. The story is identical from all 16 witnesses at the bar that night.
Elloie was in the storage room, making a shopping list for the next day -- potato chips, cold drinks, napkins, paper towels, toilet paper, he said -- when he heard yelling.
He grabbed his keys and headed into the main room, through one of a pair of wooden doors. The two doors are set up like those in a restaurant kitchen, cut about 10 feet apart and connecting the same two rooms: the one-room bar and the back room, where supplies are kept.
As Elloie came out one door, an officer was yanking on the other door knob. Elloie said the trouble seemed to start when he turned and said: "I'm the owner. Please don't break it. I can open it."
Witnesses at nearby tables said Elloie, who was wearing a black shirt that bore the name "Sportsman's Corner, "introduced himself. He asked what was going on and the officers asked whether he had seen two guys run in wearing white T-shirts. Elloie said he had not, then looked at his bartenders. They shook their heads.
When the officer resumed yanking on the door, Elloie turned to him and said: "If you need the door open, I can open it." According to Elloie, the officer said: "I don't care who you are. You're going to jail."
Elloie said, "For what?" The officer said, "Because you hit me." Indeed, a citation filed later in municipal court offered a scant description of the allegation, saying only that Elloie "struck officer in the chest." Witnesses said Elloie had not touched an officer.
He was one man -- unarmed and cooperative, according to witness accounts. And yet, these thugs chose to beat him until he could not move. Why? Because they could. Because they saw a guy who could not fight back against their armed strength, and they took out their impotence on him -- impotence at not being able to detain their quarry."
You can resist an illegal arrest. This has gone all the way to the Supreme Court, but remember, it's going to be your word against that of an Only One, or One's (David Codrea said to go ahead and use it without constantly linking to him but I still get antsy), and you better have one helluva good lawyer. Click the headline link for the full story on what its like to live in the Big Easy when the Big Only's are out for some fun.
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