Dear Editor:
The recent article in the Gilroy Dispatch left out several key
facts about what I consider to be an arrest with excessive force
being used against our son.
Dear Editor:
The recent article in the Gilroy Dispatch left out several key facts about what I consider to be an arrest with excessive force being used against our son.
The District Attorney and the Gilroy Police Department found no misconduct and we want to clear up these findings. Gary’s injuries were very severe, he had eight stitches on his right leg, his lower back was completely bruised, he had bumps from the blows he received to his head, he suffered cracked ribs and his upper chest injuries constricted his breathing. His treatment required pain medication for three and a half weeks. Gary was unable to lay down to sleep because of the breathing problems he encountered. From his knuckles all the way to his elbows on both arms, Gary was missing skin due to the beating and being dragged while unconscious to the police vehicle.
The Gilroy Police Department refused to let Gary see a lawyer on that day. Gilroy Police Department used excessive force above and beyond what any human being should withstand. The day of the arrest, Gary was performing his job as a landscaper when GPD decided to stop because he is on probation. GPD failed to use proper procedure.
Eight officers were involved, not two as reported. Gary admittedly used pepper spray, because he felt his life was in danger. All witnesses reported that Gary was screaming for the officers to stop and they would not. Witnesses reported that Gary never resisted arrest or ran. If this was truly a properly handled situation, then why was GPD walking our block at 9 a.m. the following morning, asking questions of all the neighbors?
How dare the Gilroy Police Department stereotype anyone by saying the person’s appearance was dirty. I don’t believe that by driving by they can determine that the person’s pupils are constricted, unless they have x-ray vision. The statement made about Gary looking nervous is a representation of what our family has gone through, our home has been searched for drugs on four occasions – final results, nothing!
If this isn’t police harassment, I don’t know what is. Gary is a landscaper by trade and the statement made by GPD labels all landscapers, ditch-diggers, telephone repair men, gardeners, etc. with the same look. Gary wears loose clothing because of his job and there is no way that they could have seen what they thought was a pipe in his pocket.
In addition, I contend that an officer threatened to take a photo of Gary’s daughter and give it to a jail inmate while using foul language that I will not want printed in our local paper. This just goes to show that it is not just Gary that they are harassing, it is his entire family. Gary has made mistakes in the past and he has since turned his life around and started his own business. It is time for the GPD to leave him and our family alone.
To this day, Gary has not been questioned ny either the Gilroy Police Department or internal affairs. How can this be a completed investigation if only one side has been questioned?
Edward & Joann Vogel, Gilroy
Submitted Monday, March 3