A disturbing video has been circulating on social media of a woman being brutally tackled to the ground by a sheriff's deputy simply for selling flowers and Hawaiian-style leis without a permit outside of Perris High School's graduation ceremony. Juanita Mendez-Medrano of Fontana, CA, was handcuffed and held in the police station for 6 hours. She was booked on suspicion of misdemeanor obstruction and resisting arrest, but was ultimately issued a citation.
It's good that she was not served a misdemeanor, but
the officer's brutal takedown is a total overreaction to a very harmless and nonviolent act! Please sign this petition to demand the Riverside County Sheriff's Department fire the officer who unnecessarily used force against a nonviolent woman.At a recent protest on Juanita's behalf, Citlalli Anahuac, a friend of Juanita's, said the video does not show deputies asking the woman about her legal status in this country and
demanding she speak English. She says Juanita was not read her Miranda rights, nor offered a phone call after her arrest.
Flowers don't kill. Please sign this petition to demand the Riverside County Sheriff's Department fire the officer who unnecessarily used force against a nonviolent woman. 