Another San Leandro Police Brutality Case Costs City $150,000

(Image Credit: Ohio State University)

Yes, you read that right. In the case of Ricardo Fortenberry v. City of San Leandro, the city council voted 7-0 during closed session to settle this case for the sum of $150,000 dollars. Now, if you're a frugal, ethical, and socially responsible citizen like myself, you're probably asking yourself:

What in the Mother of Moses, Song of Solomon, Jumping Jesus P. Cryst is going on?

Well, let me tell you! On October 18, 2018, at approximately 6:20 AM at 1035 International Blvd., a car sideswiped a Mr. Ricardo Fortenberry, resulting in a minor traffic accident with no physical injuries. Shortly thereafter, SLPD Officers Christopher Barris, Anthony Pantoja, Richard Van Dyke (or, Dick, if you're feeling silly), and Dennis Mally showed up and violated Mr. Fortenberry's civil rights.

How, do you ask? Let me count the ways!

1. Three officers initiated a car chase of Mr. Fortenberry despite orders from their supervising sergeant not to do so.

2. Once they had illegally stopped Mr. Fortenberry's car, Officer Pantoja opened the vehicle without a search warrant.

3. At that point, Officer Mally engaged in illegal use of force when he released his K9 unit, Rohan, who bit deeply into Mr. Fortenberry's right hand and arm and would not let go. 

4. Subsequently, the officers illegally ordered Mr. Fortenberry out of the car and to put his hands up. They did not seem to realize the difficulty in doing this while being mauled by a police dog.

5. Once they unlawfully forced Mr. Fortenberry from his car, Officer Barris placed him in leg restraints without probable cause or an arrest warrant.

6. This was followed by Mr. Fortenberry being struck in the face, several times, by one of the officers in another instance of illegal use of force.

7. Meanwhile, another officer restrained Mr. Fortenberry's left hand without probable cause or an arrest warrant, at the same time as the K9 unit, Rohan, was still mauling Mr. Fortenberry's right hand and arm. Again, this is all still illegal.

7. Then, Officer Van Dyke beat Mr. Fortenberry with his baton several times followed up by repeatedly tasing him. Not only was this illegal and excessive use of force... it was cruel, malicious, and torturous.

8. Mr. Fortenberry was then placed in more restraints, still without probable cause or an arrest warrant. 

9. Mr. Fortenberry was then taken to Highland Hospital due to the numerous injuries he sustained as a result of SLPD brutality.

10. The initial filing with U.S. District Court of Northern California makes a compelling case for systemic failures within SLPD that allowed such capital Evil officers to exist in our city in the first place, with a number of references to previous instances of misconduct and brutality by SLPD.

That, in short, is the price our city thinks is fair enough to settle on for the crimes of three SLPD officers and their apparent coconspirators after the fact within the department.

Now, if you've been following my posts, then I'm sure you're well aware of SLPD's history of brutality and misconduct. But even I have to admit that the sheer violence in this case still shocked me. More importantly, it leaves me with an important question: why are we continuing to employ these bad apples unless the whole barrel is rotten to the core?

Keep in mind, this incident happened in 2018, well before the murders of Steven Taylor and Anthony Gomez in 2020 and 2019, respectively. In fact, this incident happened after a number of scandals and misconduct cases had already rocked the department. Something else to note when you read through is that many of the same names keep popping up. Almost as if the cops who commit brutal misconduct are going to keep doing it unless they're stopped.

But I digress... the next time you want to know why we can't afford to fill in potholes on our streets, support local small businesses, or help our homeless neighbors become self-sufficient, you can thank the San Leandro Police Department's bloated budget, packed full of unethical overtime, insurance payouts, and lawsuit settlements.

Meanwhile, the number of victims of police violence keeps growing and our communities keep becoming just a little more unsafe.

Take note and take care.