Pinellas County Sheriff's Dept. at St. Pete for Peace banner holding, June 28
Pinellas County Sheriff's officer Felicetta
Officer Felicetta
Officers Pikramenos and Felicetta
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Rogue Behavior by Pinellas County Sheriff's Department at St. Pete for Peace Banner Holding
June 28, 2006
Near St. Petersburg, FL
The
Florida Highway Patrol and the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department
visited the St. Pete for Peace banner holding, in force, on 54th Ave N
on Wednesday, June 28. According to the attending officers, three
motorists claimed that the sight of our antiwar banners posed a risk to
their safety.
While the Florida Highway Patrol engaged in a
brief conversation and ultimately allowed the protestors to resume
their activities, members of the Sheriff's Department proceeded to
harass some members of St. Pete for Peace.
One person was
threatened with arrest by Sheriff's officer Felicetta for taking photos
(even though it is legal to photograph law enforcement officials.)
Additionally, the same officer told the activist that her "big mouth"
was the reason why her son was arrested last October in Palm Harbor (see here).
Given that charges against the minor were eventually dropped, the
behavior of officer Felicetta was seemingly vindictive.
Further,
after all other Highway Patrol and Sheriff's officers left the
demonstration, one member of the Sheriff's department remained and
visited the parking lot where members of St. Pete for Peace had parked
their cars. After taking several minutes to examine the cars, the
officer engaged the property owner in conversation about the propriety
of the group using his parking lot. They then put up a fence that
included a sign saying parking was not allowed. The conversation
concluded with the activists being required to move their cars.
One
matter of additional concern was the fact that the attending supervisor
from the Sheriff's department, Officer Pikramenos, was unwilling to
meet with St. Pete for Peace to discuss the concerns regarding the
unprofessional behavior of his staff.
St. Pete for Peace
would like to work with local law enforcement in the communities in
which we choose to demonstrate, but it is very difficult when it
becomes evident that some of the law enforcement officers are working
against us. For instance, one Sheriff's officer on duty told us that he
is "not the St. Pete Police" and that he was not afraid to take action
against our group.
St. Pete for Peace
June 28, 2006
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Other experiences we've had with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department:
·Sept. 2005 overpass banners at 54th Ave N
·Oct. 2005 arrest of young activist in Palm Harbor
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E-mail: info@stpeteforpeace.org
