Helping Louis Fight Back
Donation protected
*All donations will go towards paying for a lawyer to help fight Louis' wrongful charges of Unlawful noise (or Disturbing the Peace) and Resisting arrest*
Hello friends! As some of you may know, on the weekend of August 24th we had a house warming party at our home on Fortuna Rd. Before the party we had decided it would be a good idea to stop by each house on our street and let them know what was going on. We also wanted to leave our name and numbers so that if at any point there was any issues they could contact us. It was quite a fun and wholesome experience until the party was promptly shut down by two police officers at around 11:20 PM.
These officers claimed that there had been a noise complaint filed (which seemed a bit odd considering we had talked to all of our neighbors, and it was not past 12:00 which is when noise ordinance in Isla Vista kicks in) and that they were shutting the party down. All of this was very confusing because not only was it not past 12:00, but it had been said by multiple people that our party could not even be heard from the street in front of our house. Louis happened to be the one to greet the officers as they entered our gate (which read no trespassing).
They asked her to step outside to speak with her, she then replied that she would be more comfortable where she was at, since the officers had given no reason for her to go outside with them, and since they were being quite aggressive. As Louis questioned why they were here and tried to explain to them that she was not allowing them to enter our home, they scoffed at her. Some more conversation ensued until another one of our housemates walked up to see what was going on. The officers then directed their attention to him, and began asking him questions about the address to the house and such. Seemingly, the officers attention was directed towards our other housemate so Louis decided that it would be a good idea to go and find me so that I could shut down the party and get everyone out. At this point in time, our other housemate was standing in our door way while talking to the officers, and Louis had walked towards my room (in the back of the house) to see if I was in there. The officers then proceeded to push our other housemate out of our doorway, as well as another bystander who was in their way. They then entered our home and chased down Louis who was in my room. They grabbed her and dragged her into the walkway between our living room and kitchen. The officers then stated that she was under arrest and Louis began to panic (as anyone who is 5'4 120lbs would if they were being grabbed by two large men with seemingly no reason behind it). She expressed multiple times that she was not resisting arrest and would go with the officers willingly, but they still decided to use excessive force. As shown in the video, the officers then proceeded to grab her arms, twist her wrists and shove her to the ground while they dug their knees into her back and placed handcuffs on her. At no point during the officers interaction with Louis did they explain to her why she was arrested, or even read her her Miranda rights (until she was in the back of the police car being driven away). Louis was taken to county jail in the back of a Sheriffs van with another prisoner, and spent 16 hours there. She was charged with Unreasonable noise (or disturbing the peace) and resisting arrest, both of which could affect her future dramatically if they were to stay on her record and also require her to pay a large fine. Resisting arrest is a charge that is usually reserved for people who attack and harm police officers, so if this does not get taken off of her record she will be looked by officers as a genuine threat each time she interactions with an officer for the rest of her life. If this case took place anywhere outside of Isla Vista these charges would more than likely be dropped, but since the city of Santa Barbara is trying to "crack down" on IV, they give their officers more leniency.
As a resident of Isla Vista and someone who has talked to many people about the situation, it seems like quite an oddity that someone was arrested for throwing a party. Not to mention arrested in the fashion she was and for seemingly no reason (as it did not seem like we were in violation of any law). At no point in time did any of us resist the police, despite their aggressive demeanor's and irrational reasoning. It seems to me that the appropriate course of action would have been just to tell us to end the party, which we had every intention of doing after they had showed up. Instead, they charged into our home and violently arrested our housemate without saying a word.
I started this go fund me because for Louis to appeal this case and get her charges dropped, she must obtain a lawyer. She has began working with one, who believes that he can help her, but the only problem is it will cost $4,000. She doesn't have that kind of money, and even as a house it would be extremely difficult for us to obtain those kind of funds. This is where you guys come in. With your help from donations, you can change Louis' future.
This Go-Fund me is important not only for Louis, but for the community of Isla Vista. We need to show the police force that we will not be bullied, and that this kind of treatment of another human being is unacceptable. If we are able to appeal the case and fight back against the violent and wrongful arrest of Louis, then I believe this will be a large first step in establishing a stronger community that will not let the police force continue to act in such detrimental and inhuman ways. The police force is here to serve the people, and to help protect our community, not harm it's members. When I see the police in Isla Vista I don't feel protected anymore, I feel scared. Please help us fight back against the wrongful police violence that Louis endured, and take a step towards a safer and more comfortable community here in Isla Vista.
Any donation amount would be of great appreciation and would help us immensely. Even $1!
Thank you all so much for your help <3
Hello friends! As some of you may know, on the weekend of August 24th we had a house warming party at our home on Fortuna Rd. Before the party we had decided it would be a good idea to stop by each house on our street and let them know what was going on. We also wanted to leave our name and numbers so that if at any point there was any issues they could contact us. It was quite a fun and wholesome experience until the party was promptly shut down by two police officers at around 11:20 PM.
These officers claimed that there had been a noise complaint filed (which seemed a bit odd considering we had talked to all of our neighbors, and it was not past 12:00 which is when noise ordinance in Isla Vista kicks in) and that they were shutting the party down. All of this was very confusing because not only was it not past 12:00, but it had been said by multiple people that our party could not even be heard from the street in front of our house. Louis happened to be the one to greet the officers as they entered our gate (which read no trespassing).
They asked her to step outside to speak with her, she then replied that she would be more comfortable where she was at, since the officers had given no reason for her to go outside with them, and since they were being quite aggressive. As Louis questioned why they were here and tried to explain to them that she was not allowing them to enter our home, they scoffed at her. Some more conversation ensued until another one of our housemates walked up to see what was going on. The officers then directed their attention to him, and began asking him questions about the address to the house and such. Seemingly, the officers attention was directed towards our other housemate so Louis decided that it would be a good idea to go and find me so that I could shut down the party and get everyone out. At this point in time, our other housemate was standing in our door way while talking to the officers, and Louis had walked towards my room (in the back of the house) to see if I was in there. The officers then proceeded to push our other housemate out of our doorway, as well as another bystander who was in their way. They then entered our home and chased down Louis who was in my room. They grabbed her and dragged her into the walkway between our living room and kitchen. The officers then stated that she was under arrest and Louis began to panic (as anyone who is 5'4 120lbs would if they were being grabbed by two large men with seemingly no reason behind it). She expressed multiple times that she was not resisting arrest and would go with the officers willingly, but they still decided to use excessive force. As shown in the video, the officers then proceeded to grab her arms, twist her wrists and shove her to the ground while they dug their knees into her back and placed handcuffs on her. At no point during the officers interaction with Louis did they explain to her why she was arrested, or even read her her Miranda rights (until she was in the back of the police car being driven away). Louis was taken to county jail in the back of a Sheriffs van with another prisoner, and spent 16 hours there. She was charged with Unreasonable noise (or disturbing the peace) and resisting arrest, both of which could affect her future dramatically if they were to stay on her record and also require her to pay a large fine. Resisting arrest is a charge that is usually reserved for people who attack and harm police officers, so if this does not get taken off of her record she will be looked by officers as a genuine threat each time she interactions with an officer for the rest of her life. If this case took place anywhere outside of Isla Vista these charges would more than likely be dropped, but since the city of Santa Barbara is trying to "crack down" on IV, they give their officers more leniency.
As a resident of Isla Vista and someone who has talked to many people about the situation, it seems like quite an oddity that someone was arrested for throwing a party. Not to mention arrested in the fashion she was and for seemingly no reason (as it did not seem like we were in violation of any law). At no point in time did any of us resist the police, despite their aggressive demeanor's and irrational reasoning. It seems to me that the appropriate course of action would have been just to tell us to end the party, which we had every intention of doing after they had showed up. Instead, they charged into our home and violently arrested our housemate without saying a word.
I started this go fund me because for Louis to appeal this case and get her charges dropped, she must obtain a lawyer. She has began working with one, who believes that he can help her, but the only problem is it will cost $4,000. She doesn't have that kind of money, and even as a house it would be extremely difficult for us to obtain those kind of funds. This is where you guys come in. With your help from donations, you can change Louis' future.
This Go-Fund me is important not only for Louis, but for the community of Isla Vista. We need to show the police force that we will not be bullied, and that this kind of treatment of another human being is unacceptable. If we are able to appeal the case and fight back against the violent and wrongful arrest of Louis, then I believe this will be a large first step in establishing a stronger community that will not let the police force continue to act in such detrimental and inhuman ways. The police force is here to serve the people, and to help protect our community, not harm it's members. When I see the police in Isla Vista I don't feel protected anymore, I feel scared. Please help us fight back against the wrongful police violence that Louis endured, and take a step towards a safer and more comfortable community here in Isla Vista.
Any donation amount would be of great appreciation and would help us immensely. Even $1!
Thank you all so much for your help <3
Organizer
O'cēan Brown
Organizer
Goleta, CA
