People, I know what racism is. I know what sexism is. I know what hate is. It reached out to me in the form of verbal and physical abuse from police officer Charles C. Chan, who works for the San Francisco, CA Police Department. Officer Chan racially profiled me and accused me of being somebody else.

Knowing that I physically did not match the person he was looking for, officer Charles C. Chan – Badge #1886 stated that I paid a doctor to change my physical appearance by bleaching my skin, dying my hair and wearing contacts so I didn’t look like a “nigger” anymore. I later learned the person they claimed I was, had a similar name, but looked completely different than mine. 

Officer Chan told the Macy’s security guards that he knew me as he stepped closer to me telling me he knew karate, then proceeded to grab me, throwing me over chairs, causing me to slide over a set of tables head first into a wall before falling to the floor.  This is all while the security guards from the Macy’s at the Stonestown Mall, who stood there and watched this officer abuse me yelled out “That’s what you get for stealing! No matter what color you nigger’s come in you only know how do one thing, steal!” 

You’re hurting me! I screamed out.  Officer Chan picked me up off of the floor and started to beat me as if he found humor in throwing me around like a rag doll, slamming me face first into walls. As I fell to the ground again, he jumped on my back and handcuffed me so tight it cut into my skin on my wrist. 

Even though I was patted down and nothing stolen was found in my purse, jacket or on my body. I was wrongfully accused and beaten. 

Officer Chan then drug me across the sidewalk concrete to his police car, scarring my knees. When we arrived at the police station, I was handcuffed to a bench where officer Charles C. Chan started asking me questions. 

You live around the corner from the mall! officer Chan shouted.

I replied No I don’t. This is the first time I have ever been to this mall in my life.

You have a wrap sheet a mile long, officer Chan shouted.

I replied, No I don’t. I have never been in trouble with the law. 

Officer Chan then walked away and screamed out “book her!” 

Now I was being arrested when I had done nothing wrong. I was strip-searched three times, completely humiliated as officer Chan watched through the door cracking jokes and laughing out loud. Officer Chan would then asked me if I was pregnant, then stated “Niggers shouldn’t breed” before they took me to the jail’s medical department.

Regardless of my pleading to other officers that they had the wrong person, my bail was set at seventy-thousand dollars and they denied me my right to a phone call for help. 

I was illegally arrested. I was locked up in a jail cell while my family didn’t know where I was. With the pain, suffering, scars and mental abuse that I went through, I filed a lawsuit against the San Francisco Police Department in San Francisco Superior Court. Meanwhile there were ongoing events pertaining to my case against officer Chan. Because of my complaint, Officer Chan was being investigated by Pat Dalton from Internal Affairs. Pat had the nerve to call and send me a letter telling me that Officer Charles C. Chan did not do anything wrong and hung up on me. She would then refused to take any of my calls.

My case eventually went to mediation where Angela M. Bradstreet was assigned as the mediator. “So what, you were racially abused Ms Powell. You don’t deserve any monetary settlement.” she said while not allowing any witnesses to speak on my case. She shakes the dismissal form in my face, then instructs me to sign the form by slamming the pen and paper on the table in front of me.  I refused and stated “I deserve a monetary payment and an apology.” 

Angela M. Bradstreet became very angry and threatened me saying  “If you walk out of this room without signing this form, I will file a lien and to take away your disability checks!” and she would go on to say that “Since you just got married, I will file a lien against your husband’s car, house and his work checks.” before laughing in my face. 

“Ms. Powell, where will you sleep and eat? This is not how you should start off a brand new marriage.” she said, still laughing, “ Sign the papers or I will file the lien right now and put you and your husband on the streets.” 

Tears dropped from my eyes as Angela M. Bradstreet bullied me into signing under distress.  She then continued to threaten as I signed the form saying “if you tell anybody about this I will sue you for a thousand dollars a head”.  

Every time I took this case back to court I was denied by Judge Ernest H. Goldsmith, Ronald Evans Quidachay, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, and Judge Charles R Breyer. Denied every time, even at the federal level.

To add insult to injury, I was ripped off by Warren Hubbard, who I hired as the attorney for my case, only to find out he was not an attorney.

My efforts to reach out to Secretary of State Jackie Chanon, the Office of Civil Rights in Washington DC, Patricia Wiggens of the California Assembly, State Senator Wesley Chesbro, Mayor of San Francisco Willie Brown Jr, San Francisco Police Chief Prentice E Sanders, the Office of Attorney General in Sacramento California, ACLU. I was shocked that even when trying to share my experience with the NAACP, I had to deal with racism. No Help. I contacted Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson — that was a joke. My efforts to involve the local and national media were all unsuccessful, leaving me feeling completely voiceless.

How many people has officer Charles C. Chan assaulted under the guise of a police officer’s authority?
How many people have been violated and pushed aside by our legal system?
How many judges and prosecutors will continue to cover up the corruption by those who are suppose to protect us?
How many of us will go unheard or silenced?

I will not give up. I will not be silenced. I will stand up for all of us.
– Ta Mi Ko

Help us move forward together.