When Portland State student Brenda Johnson, who asked that her real name be withheld, traded in her old BlackBerry for a new BlackBerry Storm from a man named Robert she met on Craigslist, she was thrilled.
After she made the trade, she called a friend to see if it worked, but she couldn’t hear her friend through the speaker. Brenda tested it a few more times, but she still couldn’t hear a word. She sent Robert a text complaining about the phone. She had been scammed.
Later, Brenda received a message questioning her about the phone. She asked if it was Robert texting her, and the sender replied yes. They then agreed to meet up at the mall to trade back. She arrived about 40 minutes later.
A girl approached her and asked her if she was looking for Robert. Brenda replied yes, and the girl explained to her that the person she was texting was actually her, and that Robert stole that phone from her. Shocked, Brenda asked her to identify the phone, but she couldn’t.
The girl told Brenda that she reported the phone stolen and that a detective was investigating the case. Brenda told her to call the police so they could clarify the situation and verify that the phone was stolen. But the girl refused to call them, stating that they wouldn’t do anything.
And like anyone would, Brenda refused to hand over the phone without proof that it was stolen.
A 5-foot-10-inch man then walked up and said he was the girl’s friend. He told Brenda she needed to hand the phone over, and Brenda told them to call the police to prove it. Again, they refused.
They then went to the T-Mobile store to see if anything could be done or if Brenda could buy another phone at a low price, but the worker at T-Mobile explained to them that Brenda would have to pay $400 to $600 dollars for a new phone. They still refused to call the police after that. Annoyed and frustrated that the situation was wasting her time, Brenda began to leave. They shouted they were going to call the police, but she was already on her way; this seemed like another scam.
Suddenly, the man jumped in front of Brenda and shoved her. Shocked, she moved to the left and was shoved again — this time so hard that she violently fell into a display case.
“I thought he was trying to completely damage me,” Brenda said.
When she got up to leave again, he grabbed her and they spun out of control — bashing phones, display cases and anything in their path. While all of this was happening, Brenda was calling out for help, but no one came.
She tried to get him off her, but he put her in a headlock, cutting off the air circulation in her adrenaline-filled body.
Brenda then frantically bit into his arm, forcing him to ease up his vise grip and restore her breath. He then held her by her hair until it was broken up.
The police arrived moments later and, after getting everyone’s story, demanded that Brenda put her hands behind her back.
That’s right — the same woman who was slammed around the store is the same woman they placed in handcuffs. Looking through the police reports, it’s easy to detect evidence of bad policing.
According to the reports, when the woman who lost her phone first received text messages from Brenda, she called Deputy Taylor, who allowed the woman to attempt to recover stolen property on her own. He put her and everyone involved at an unnecessary risk by failing to issue police action where it was necessary. You simply cannot justify allowing unqualified individuals to handle an officer’s job. And as if that wasn’t enough injustice, the arresting officer described Brenda as “a black female who looked visibly upset.”
No one else in the report was described racially, making it appear as though Deputy Taylor chose to include Brenda’s race to further criminalise her with stereotypes. Every report described her as irrational and violent — but how irrational could Brenda have been if she was willing to speak with police or try to work something out with T-Mobile? The police department’s racial perspective and unethical decision both fueled and misjudged this situation. It’s sad to think that their poor execution may send a law-abiding citizen to jail. Her fate was predetermined by the mistakes of others.
She remembers thinking, “Why even explain things, (Brenda)? Why not sit back and watch your life deteriorate?
If Deputy Taylor had gotten off his ass and gone to the scene of the confrontation, none of this would have happened and everyone would’ve been fine. But instead, a woman was attacked and a store was destroyed because he didn’t assert his authority.
“I don’t know if that’s illegal, but it seems like it should be,” Brenda said.
Brenda plead not guilty to harassment, disorderly conduct and second-degree criminal mischief. If convicted, she will face six months in jail. Her trial is set to begin April 21.
“All of this over a cell phone,” Brenda said.
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