The quality of life crimes, those offences, which included bicycle crimes, such as not having a bell, a light, or riding up-stop, hasn't made our newscast for at least 2 months.
But, it's back in the news tonight because former BDF soldier Leonard Lewis says that police officers used the offense to abuse and unlawfully detain him. His ordeal unfolded over the long weekend and started on Friday when he rode his bike against the flow of traffic.
He broke the law, but told us today that while he acknowledges this, the officer who arrested him unfairly locked him down for an inordinate amount of time. Lewis says that when he protested, the officers on duty gave him a hearty dose of beatdown while he was behind the bars of the cell, where no one could see.
Here's how the soldier explained it:
Leonard Joel Lewis, claims police abuse
"On Friday the 10th, coming off from work I took a short cut on Cemetery Road where by the washing machine repair area, I stop to talk to the gentleman who deals with the washing machines. Riding more down, that's an up stop, I was stopped by Corporal 332 Cab and arrested by him for riding without a lamp on the bicycle that I was presently on and riding up stop. He took me to the Queen Street police station and when I was there, he did the charge sheet and everything and he presented it to me and read everything to me and ask me if I understand everything. I told him yes sir. When I got locked up from since the Friday, I am in the "pisshouse" sleeping in water because it had rain the weekend. I got sick, I was denied my medication for epilepsy because I am epileptic, a father of 4 and I am trying to get this across to the public that this does not only affects me, it affects my 4 kids. I was even denied a call to my work. I am a security officer for Fort Point as well. I am trying to get this out to the people that this will get us the public farther from the police officers to even trust them to even ask them for help. I even explained to the police officer, the corporal who was there, if they could take me out of the cell that I was brutally violated, more than once punch in my ribs, hit in my head back, beaten up more than once - cannot even sleep. I stood for the whole night like I was working because of the fear of what the detainees would do to me. Knowing the fact that I was wrong, yes I was wrong in riding up stop and for the light lamp. I now see how rough these officers take these crimes to - to the level of how they penalized you, the way how they squeeze you and get things out of you knowing the fact that not everybody out here are criminals."
Lewis says that he will pursue this issue with the professional standards Branch.
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