Robert Norse writes, "Donna Deiss called in last night to report that yesterday (May 9th) around 5pm, Officer La Moss (Badge #114) assaulted her, broke her arm, and then put her in handcuffs when he attempted to question her at "Three Tree Lot" near Lighthouse Field. Deiss was taken to the Watsonville hospital, where she waited hours for x-rays, which confirmed her arm was broken. Deiss reported the following to me in a phone message last night and an e-mail this morning:

"She was talking with friends yesterday on Westcliffe Drive near her RV. An undercover police officer, whom she later identified as Officer La Moss, arrived in a black unmarked car and said he wanted to talk to her and others in the group. She read La Moss a statement from the ACLU about the rights of community members vis a vis the police and walked to her RV.

"The cop followed her. She got in and tried to close the door. Le Moss, not saying she was under arrest or detained, reached in and grabbed her right arm, pinching the skin as he twisted it behind her back, breaking it. She screamed her arm was broken, but his response was to call for backup. 4 more police cars arrived. She continued screaming for 911 and finally paramedics showed up." Read More

see related stories: Harassment of Homeless in RVs, a Letter from Donna Deiss || Superintendant Hammack Stonewalls on RV Ban in Coastal Parking Lots || Coastal Access Denied to Motorhomes and Trailers in Santa Cruz || Struggling on the Street