The homicide rate in the city is down - and we all hope it stays that way - but police aren't letting up.
They continue to crack down on persons they suspect to be involved in illicit activity. And this morning that took them to the home of Christine Baizar a food vendor who lives on Jane Usher Boulevard. She says police are constantly harassing them and have previously charged her daughter for marijuana found in an adjoining property. So today when the police came to search again, her daughter Clodine Anderson took her cell phone camera and started to record to make sure no funny business happened.
But the police weren't having it and they arrested her for obstruction of justice.
Christine Baizar, Claims Police Harassment
"This morning I was inside preparing food because I am a food vender, and while in my kitchen cutting up my onions."
Jules Vasquez
"At what time?"
Christine Baizar, Claims Police Harassment
"That was around 6:30, when I looked I saw a police man came by my window, but that was through the back of my house that he came, so I said to the police what's going on what happened? He said they are just searching because they heard that somewhere around here they were selling weed. So I told him to go ahead because I don't have any problem with police searching my yard. At that time my daughter heard the commotion and she ran down stairs with her cell phone and started to take pictures."
Clodine Anderson, Claims Police Harassment
"I took out my phone because I wanted to video shoot the way they were doing their procedures because it's not the correct way they were doing it."
Reporter
"What's wrong about it?"
Clodine Anderson, Claims Police Harassment
"The way how they were doing it is, they come in our yard and there is a little open fence where people normally pass from one side to the next. They went through that area and if they would have found the weed and I didn't have it on my video they would have charged us for it, because it's the second time that they are doing this. These days every Sunday back to back they come to our house and because I try to do something about it, this is what happens they bring me here and lock me up for nothing."
"It looks like they have already deleted it because I don't have my evidence here again so obviously I can't do anything about it."
Reporter
"Do you still have your job?"
Clodine Anderson, Claims Police Harassment
"I don't even know, because this is the second time, the first time I was locked up in here for almost 24 hours my mom had to go to my boss and explain to them what happened and now this is happening again. If the procedures keep on happening I will end up without a job, and if I end up without a job how can help me maintain my son and I am a single mother."
"I told them that I would take it to the media because what they are doing is wrong and that is what he called obstruction of a police officer, because I want to take it to the media."
Reporter
"Yes, but they might say that what they are doing is not wrong because they need to do the job."
Clodine Anderson, Claims Police Harassment
"Well if they are doing their job they are not doing it the proper way and if they are not doing it the proper way well they need to hire people with associate's degree that can do it proper way for them."
As you saw in the story, in the end she was not charged for obstruction, just held for a few hours and released. She still faces drug possession charges for a find made in the area earlier this year. She is confident that those cannot stand.
