An incident that took place in 2016 is back to the surface, and it’s taking a powerful point at a time when there’s a worldwide conversation about police misconduct.
The story is about a San Antonio woman that was waiting for her boyfriend, and she was swarmed by officers that searcher her, her vehicle, and one police officer got so far to remove her tampon from her private parts in the middle of the streets with other police officers looking on.
Simms, a woman in her 30s, was waiting for her boyfriend in August 2016 on the curb of her street while her car was parked across the street, just minding her own business.
It was then when police officers arrived, and they believed that she might be in possession of illegal substances, so they asked to search her car. She agreed, and they called a female officer to also search her. Although they didn’t find anything, they said that she must wait for a female detective Mara Wilson to fully search her, according to court documents. Wilson asked Simms if she has anything on her, and Simms answered that she didn’t have anything. Wilson then asked Simms to pull down her shorts, out in the public, as cars drove by. The officer instructed Simms to “spread her legs” and made contact with her private parts. Simms then told Wilson that she was on her period, but the officer lied to the woman saying that she wasn’t going to reach into her pants but just “look”. Instead, she “pulled open Natalie’s pants and underwear” in front of five male officers.
After she noticed Simms’ tampon, she decided to pull, knowing that Simms was on her period. Natalie had not consented to such a search or use of force, and Wilson did not have a warrant, but the officer did it anyway. Simms, in shock, asked: “Why would you do that?”, to which Wilson replied: “I don’t know. It looked like it had stuff in there.”
Following the inappropriate and illegal search, Simms decided to sue the city of San Antonio and officer Wilson, who is now retired, for the “blatant violation” of her constitutional rights that “resulted in significant and lasting harm”.
Her attorney Dean Malone told WOAI said that they intend to seek full damages available under the law and look forward to presenting Natalie’s horrible experience to a jury.
In a rather surprising turn of events, Simms was offered $205,000 by city lawyers, and the city council voted on the proposed settlement.
Simms and her attorney agreed to that sum, and it will be paid from the city’s Self-Assurance Liability Fund.
The two parties went to mediation and ultimately negotiated the proposed settlement.
What’s disturbing, though, is that Simms never received an apology from the city of San Antonio or the police department.
Although the case dates to 2016, it has long been viewed as a prime example of unnecessary use of force by police officers, and this is what people had to say about it.
im speechless. completely and utterly speechless. pic.twitter.com/5lHHuF9Ywx
— Mighty, J.D. (@Mighty_LR) June 9, 2020
im speechless. completely and utterly speechless. pic.twitter.com/5lHHuF9Ywx
— Mighty, J.D. (@Mighty_LR) June 9, 2020
