Two Counts of Police Brutality and Abuse of Power in Wanaque/NJ USA Reported in Last Month.
Meet, Joanne Sarajeva. One of my best friends in Northern NJ.

It was approximately one month ago, Joanne, came to me explaining whereby herself and property was illegally searched, and thereafter she was improperly arrested in Wanaque, NJ for having one anti-depressant capsule of the drug called “Effexor” which her psychiatrist had her taking per legal prescription out of its container; and some “lidocaine.”

Her guilt or innocence was of concern when she came to me with her “problem.” Her first and primary concern was the ‘matter of fact,’ the Wanaque Municipal Court (NJ) refused granting her (an indigent and homeless 23 year old woman), her 6th Amendment Constitutional Right to have ‘public defender/attorney’ appointed to her if she herself can not afford one.

When originally asking me what to do, I could hardly expect/believe the Wanaque Municipal Court (as corrupt as they are), actually refused granting her her 6th Amendment Constitutional Right, to an attorney as such a right in America was so very fundamental.

Although I’ve personally witnessed/experienced police brutality and venal corruption in Upper Passaic County/NJ, I seriously first doubted whether Wanaque/NJ court officials would be as ignorant and blatant in abusing power as to deny Joanne her Constitutional right to an attorney; they were (read more)....

So I recommended we Joanne and I (both) take a ride together to the Wanaque Municipal Court Building so I could be a witness to her asking the Judge and Court Clerk for an attorney and I could witness what they would do.

We drove to the Wanaque Municipal building, we entered.

Joanne asked the ‘Court Clerk’ for her right to an attorney present during her arraignment in one week because she was neither able to represent herself nor pay for an attorney.

The court clerk called in the judge to speak with him in my presence. Right in front of me they both REFSUED granting her an attorney. I intervened telling them this was a basic fundamental 6th Amendment Constitutional Right in America and they told us it was not up for discussion.

We left.

Two weeks later Joanne asked me to come to court with her because she would ask again for an attorney in front of the judge when she went to be arraigned; I acceded to be her witness.

I was a little late arriving to the Wanaque Municipal Building and Joanne’s case was about ready to be heard last. I have been in almost every Municipal Court in Passaic County NJ and accept for the Paterson Superior Court, no one gets a body search and there are no metal detectors.

However, when I walked informing the court clerk that I was from a United Nations NGO here to “observe Joanne’s case because our organization strongly believed Joanne’s US Constitutional Rights were begin abused.”

I barely finished my speech when I nasty cop came over and told me he demanded to search my bag and body search me with some instrument detecting weapons. I was wearing a light sundress. My search could only be compared to body searching a women wearing a “bathing suit” and everyone in the lobby was shocked because obviously I had no weapons!

I passed the search and proceeded into the courtroom where I for a second time witnessed Joanne be DENIED her right as an indigent person, an attorney.

***I personally know that Joanne was being denied an attorney for almost least a year; she only recently asked me what to do about it.

It was only two weeks ago she finally was granted a public defender and she still is being threatened with major jail time for “possession of one anti-depressant drug capsule” out of its container in which her doctor already told the court she was using legally.
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Although, I don’t have a photo of my next case, meet Joanne’s friend “Peto.” He is of Spanish decent. The Wanaque police only 3 weeks ago broke his jaw and knocked out four of his teeth when he ran to evade them.

This police brutality and abuse of power in Upper Passaic NJ USA has got to be stopped!

JIll Starr (lpc)